General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Sep 14, 2020

Odisha Signs MoU With NCDC For Promoting Farmer Producer Organisation

An MoU was signed between the Government of Odisha and the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC) at Krushi Bhawan for the promotion and management of Farmer Producer Organisation.
This MoU is based on Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO) Promotion and Management with central sector scheme.
The MoU was signed between Rohit Kumar Lenka, Director of Horticulture on behalf of Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment Department, Government of Odisha and Shardul, S. Yadav, Regional Director, NCDC in the presence of Suresh Kumar Vashishth, Special Secretary, A and FE Department.
Under this Central scheme, NCCD will be formed Farmer Producer Organisation (FPOs) and will impart training, proper guidance to the small and marginal farmers of Odisha to face various challenges in production, technical knowhow, quality of production, optimum price realisation, credit, seed production, processing, utilisation and marketing. These FPOs will be governed/managed as per the Cooperative Society Act.
This Central Section scheme is being implemented in the State for benefit of the farmers due to their able guidance, hard-working efficiencies and strong determination and will power quick disposals.

Gram Panchayat Polls across Karnataka Likely to be after Deepavali

Elections to nearly 6,000 gram panchayats across Karnataka are likely to be held after Deepavali, in November-end or early December.
As per reports, Deputy Commissioners have already notified the reservation list for various categories and the State Election Commission (SEC) has prepared the electoral rolls of all GPs.
With increase in COVID-19 cases, the SEC is expected to once again seek suggestions from the DCs on their readiness to conduct the polls.
The SEC had postponed the polls, scheduled in June and July, based on suggestions by the DCs. Following the end of the term, administrators have been appointed for GPs.

Odisha Proposes to Repeal 699 Redundant Laws

The Odisha government has proposed to come up with a Bill to repeal as many as 699 redundant Acts and amendments.
Departments have been asked to offer their views on the Odisha Repealing Bill, 2020 for repealing redundant Acts and amendments enacted between 1974 and 2016.
The highest 113 redundant or obsolete acts were identified in the Revenue and Disaster Management department while it was followed by the Finance department having 83 laws which were not in use.
The Housing and Urban Development department and the Panchayati Raj department have 77 redundant Acts.
In the Parliamentary Affairs department, while the Odisha Offices of Profit (Removal of Disqualifications) Amendment Act, 2016 was identified to be obsolete, as many as 43 Acts and amendments pertaining to salary, allowances, pensions of MLAs, Ministers and Speakers were found to be redundant.

Sep 13, 2020

Banned ULFA Had Sought Britain's Help in Dhaka

Days before the Prafulla Kumar Mahanta government was dismissed in 1990 and the Indian Army launched Operation Bajrang against the secessionist United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), three of its senior functionaries met a British diplomat in Dhaka and sought the UK's help to further its cause.
Newly declassified documents released by National Archives show that while the banned outfit was attacking British commercial interests in the tea gardens in Assam, it was seeking the UK's help at the political level and offering the British diplomat a tour of its camps in Assam.
In 1990 - when Assam was gripped by tension and fear - the then Mahanta-led Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was a constituent of the National Front (NF) government led by V P Singh. But the AGP government was dismissed on November 27 after the NF government fell and Chandra Shekhar formed his minority government.

DIAL Launches Country's First Covid-19 Testing Facility at an Airport

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) launched country's first airport Covid-19 testing facility at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi for arriving international passengers.
Those who wish to avoid a queue can book a slot via the airport's website.
Since the testing process is expected to generate a sample's result in around 6 hours, passengers with connecting flights are advised to keep an 8-10 hour window.
Those who test negative are exempted from institutional quarantine, but those who test positive will either be moved to a hospital, or home or institutional isolation.
The objective of the authorities is to separate infected passengers from the rest to prevent further spread of the disease.

Sep 12, 2020

India's Largest Piggery Mission Launched In Meghalaya

India's largest piggery mission worth Rs 209 crores, was launched in Meghalaya by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Kailash Choudhary.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said: "A moment of pride as India's Largest Piggery Mission was launched in Meghalaya by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Kailash Choudhary."
He posted on Twitter "Funded by NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation), the Rs 209 Crore project is a step towards Aatma Nirbhar, making Meghalaya self-sufficient in pork production."
According to NCDC's official website, the project is estimated to benefit 35,000 pig farmers in Meghalaya.

Urban Affairs Ministry Launches 'Streets for People Challenge'

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry launched an initiative for making cities more pedestrian-friendly, which HUA Minister Hardeep Puri said was a response to the need for walkable urban spaces during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Along with the recently-launched initiative promoting cycling in cities, the 'Streets for People Challenge' would help cities provide safer means of transport with social-distancing.
The challenge, which is organised by the Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry, will not be limited to the 100 Smart Cities as all cities with a population of over 5 lakh, and capital cities, can apply.

Sep 11, 2020

Shipping Minister Launches 'SAROD-Ports' for Disputes of Maritime Sector

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has launched a dispute redressal mechanism named "SAROD-Ports" (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes-Ports) to facilitate affordable and timely resolution of disputes for the maritime sector.
SAROD-Ports will advise and assist in settlement of disputes through arbitrations in the maritime sector, including ports and shipping sector in Major Port Trusts, Non-major Ports, including private ports, jetties, terminals and harbours.
The mechanism is similar to provision available in the highway sector in the form of SAROD-Roads constituted by NHAI. It has been established under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 for affordable and timely resolution of disputes in a fair manner.

Sep 10, 2020

India's Child Mortality Rate Declined between 1990 and 2019: UN

According to the new UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) report, India's child mortality rate declined substantially between 1990 and 2019 but the country, along with Nigeria, still accounted for almost a third of all under-five deaths last year.
The 'Levels & Trends in Child Mortality' Report 2020 said that the number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019 - down to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990.
Over the past 30 years, health services to prevent or treat causes of child death such as preterm, low birth weight, complications during birth, neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, as well as vaccination, have played a large role in saving millions of lives.

Thaawarchand Gehlot Inaugurates R&D Building of ALIMCO

Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated the Research and Development (R&D) Building of Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur under DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through virtual mode.
Gehlot said that the state of the art facilities in the Research & Development (R&D) Building shall immensely improve the capability of ALIMCO in upgradation of the existing product & development of new aids & assistive device in house as well in collaboration with prestigious organisation such as IIT Kanpur.

SC Stays Reservation for Maratha Community in Govt. Jobs and UG Admissions in Maharashtra

The Supreme Court put interim stay on reservation for Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions for undergraduate courses in Maharashtra.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice L. Nageswara Rao stayed the Maharashtra State reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act (SEBC Act) while referring the case to a larger bench to consider larger question of whether reservations in public service and educational institutions can exceed the 50 per cent cap laid down by the Supreme Court in its 1992 judgment of Indra Sawhney v. Union of India.
The SEBC Act originally provided 16 per cent reservation for Maratha community in educational institutions and government jobs.
The law was challenged before Bombay High Court which in June 2019 upheld its validity but reduced the quota to 12 per cent in educational institutions and 13 per cent in jobs.
Appeals were filed before Supreme Court stating that the reservation would lead to breach of the 50 per cent cap prescribed by Indra Sawhney.

Harivansh NDA Pick for Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman's Post

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fielded its ally Janata Dal (United) Harivansh for the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman's post.
Harivansh filed his nomination in the presence of Rajya Sabha Leader Thawarchand Gehlot and BJP's ally SAD leader Naresh Gujral. Among the proposers were BJP president JP Nadda and LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan.
Harivansh was elected to the post in 2018 and the post fell vacant after his retirement. He was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha during biennial elections this summer.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's tally stands at 116 in the 245-member House, which has an effective strength of 244.

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