General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Oct 17, 2020

PM Narendra Modi Greets NSG Personnel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished National Security Guard (NSG) personnel and their families on their 36th Raising Day, saying that NSG plays a crucial role in India`s security apparatus.
Established in 1984, NSG is popularly known as the Black Cats -- is an elite striking force in the country -- trained and equipped to handle situations like a terrorist attack, hijacking, and hostage captivity.

Ex-judge MB Lokur One-man Panel to Monitor Steps to Prevent Stubble-burning

The Supreme Court appointed Justice (retd) Madan B. Lokur as a one-man committee to monitor the measures taken by states of Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi to prevent farmers from resorting to stubble-burning that turns the entire NCR into a virtual gas chamber during October-November.
As per a a bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, it is necessary that there must be some monitoring of stubble-burning with a view to its prevention before it assumes abnormal proportions.
It directed chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi and EPCA to assist the committee in physical surveillance of fields where stubble was likely to be burnt and to devise additional means/methods for preventing it.

Oct 16, 2020

Six Parties Join Hands to Restore J&K's Status

Six political parties of Jammu and Kashmir formed a formal alliance pledging to work for the restoration of the UT's pre-August 5, 2019, constitutional status.
The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration consists of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, People's Conference, JK People's Movement, CPM and Awami National Conference.
The alliance was formalised at a meeting held at Jammu and Kashmir National Conference's patron and Chief Farooq Abdullah's Gupkar residence in Srinagar.
The alliance has been named as "The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration".

NBA Hails BARC Decision

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) welcomed the decision of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to suspend the measurement of television viewership ratings of news channels for a period of twelve weeks.
The NBA, which represents the news broadcasters, believes that the suspension is an important step in the right direction.
BARC which measures TV viewership on behalf of broadcasters, advertisers, and advertising agencies, should use these twelve weeks to completely overhaul its systems and restore the credibility of the information it collects about What India Watches.
NBA is the premier association of private news and current affairs broadcasters. IBF is the apex grouping of the Indian broadcast industry. IBF owns a 60% interest in BARC, which measures TV viewership ratings. The Indian Society of Advertisers and The Advertising Agencies Association of India own 20% each.

India and France Get Re-elected in ISA

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced that India was re-elected as President of International Solar Alliance (ISA). Along with India, France was also re-elected as the Co-President of the alliance in the ISA's Third Assembly. The tenure for both the countries would be of two years.
The Third Assembly of ISA was attended by 34 ISA Member Ministers, 53 member countries besides the 5 signatory and prospective member countries.
The Third Assembly further approved the initiatives of the ISA Secretariat to institutionalise the International Solar Alliance's engagement with the public and private corporate sector. They will also collaborate for the Sustainable Climate Action (CSCA).
At the assembly, 10 public sector organisations from India presented cheques of USD 1 million.
The solar awards were distributed for the first time to the countries where institutions and regions are working for solar power.

Oct 15, 2020

Subhashini Raj Rao Joins Congress Ahead of Bihar Assembly Elections

The daughter of the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) chief Sharad Yadav, Subhashini Raj Rao, and former general secretary of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Kali Prasad Pandey, joined the Congress weeks ahead of the Bihar assembly elections.
While Pandey has filed his nomination as a Congress candidate for the upcoming polls from the Kuchaikote constituency, the party is expected to field Rao from the Bihariganj seat.

India-Norway Sixth Session of Joint Commission Held

The sixth-session of the India-Norway Joint Commission Meeting was held virtually. The meeting was attended by India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Norwegian counterpart Ine Eriksen Soreide.
During the meet, the ministers of both nations reiterated their commitment to cooperate closely in combating the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. They also reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations between both the nations and expressed satisfaction with the progress.
The blueprint for a comprehensive partnership between India and Norway was laid during the visit of Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg to India in January 2019.

India Provides USD 1 Million for Palestinian Refugees

India contributed USD one million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to support Palestinian refugees who have been facing extreme challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move hailed by the UN body as timely help.
The Government of India handed over the contribution cheque to the UN agency through its representative in Palestine, Sunil Kumar.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) thanked India for its timely help.

Assam to Delete Names from NRC

Assam NRC Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma asking Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and District Registrars of Citizen Registration (DRCR) of various districts of Assam to delete the names of ineligible persons from the final NRC (National Registrar of Citizens).
Sarma – who was handpicked by the BJP government in Assam for appointment as State NRC Coordinator ignoring frantic protests from Congress MP Abdul Khaleque – wrote to the DCs and DRCRs to submit a list of such persons who were not eligible for having their names in the NRC.
According to Sarma, the DCs and DRCRs had earlier reported to him about some names of ineligible persons belonging to the categories of DF/DV/PFT (declared foreigner/doubtful voters/pending before foreigners' tribunal) along with their descendants having found entry to the NRC.

Oct 14, 2020

Polls to 11 RS Seats in UP and Uttarakhand in November

Elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and 1 in Uttarakhand, falling vacant next month, will be held on November 9.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav are among the 10 members from Uttar Pradesh retiring on November 25.
Actor-politician Raj Babbar's term as Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand also ends on November 25.

Fifth Meeting India-Mexico High Level Group on Trade, Investment and Cooperation

The fifth meeting of India Mexico bilateral high-level group on trade, investment and cooperation was held virtually. The countries reviewed their bilateral trade and commercial relations.
The countries discussed bilateral investment treaty, audio visual co-production, cooperation Framework on phyto sanitary and sanitary products, market access for Agricultural Products and technical barriers to trade. The countries also discussed on cooperation in intellectual property rights. They held talks about ways to promote tourism and people to people contact.
The countries also agreed to diversify their trade relationship in the the fields of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, Agro products, Health care, fisheries, Aerospace and food processing industries.
During the fifth meeting of bilateral high level group on trade investment in cooperation, the countries signed two Memorandum of understanding. An MoU was signed between Mexican Chamber of Electronics telecommunication and information Technologies, called CANIETI and Electronics and Computer software export Promotion Council of India, called ESC.

Mehbooba Mufti Released

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti was released as the Union Territory administration revoked the Public Safety Act charges against her, more than a year after she was detained following the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state.
Mehbooba was initially put under preventive custody on August 5, 2019, and later booked under the stringent PSA in February.

Oct 13, 2020

BJP Expels 9 Party Leaders Contesting Polls on LJP Ticket

The Bharatiya Janata Party expelled nine of its party leaders who have filed their nominations for the Assembly elections on the Lok Janshakti Party ticket, on disciplinary grounds.
State president Sanjay Jaiswal expelled them for six years for their anti-party activities.
The leaders are Rajendra Singh, Usha Vidyarthi, Rameshwar Chaurasia, Mrinal Shekhar, Ravindra Yadav, Shweta Singh, Indu Kashyap, Anil Kumar and Ajay Pratap. They were ticket hopefuls to contest the poll but under NDA coalition.
The LJP had declared that it would contest the polls against the JD (U) but not the BJP. Names of all these nine BJP leaders had figured in the list of the LJP.

Left Parties Resolve to Support Nageshwar: Telangana

The Left parties have resolved to field journalist B. Jayasarathi Reddy of the CPI as their combined candidate from Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam graduates constituency and support former MLC K. Nageshwar, who will contest from Hyderabad – Rangareddy – Mahbubnagar graduates constituency in the elections to the Legislative Council.
This was announced at a media conference by CPI, CPI(M), Socialist Unity Centre of India (C), Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc. Their leaders held elaborate discussions on the choice of candidates before coming to the conclusion.
CPI (M) State secretary T. Veerabhadram and his CPI counterpart Chada Venkat Reddy said that the parties tried to evolve consensus among the opposition parties, including the TDP and the TJS, for fielding a common candidate, but in vain.

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