General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

Jun 01, 2021

Kuldiep Singh Gets Additional Charge of NIA

CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh has been given the additional charge of the Director-General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and replaced Y. C. Modi, who retired.
Modi, a 1984-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was appointed chief of the federal anti-terror probe agency in September 2017.
Consequent upon superannuation of Y. C. Modi, DG, NIA, on May 31, 2021, the competent authority has approved that Kuldiep Singh, Director General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), shall hold additional charge of the post of DG, NIA, till the appointment and joining of the successor or until further orders.

Maharashtra Govt. Extends EWS Quota to Marathas

The Maharashtra government extended benefits under the economically weaker section (EWS) quota to the Maratha community, days after the Supreme Court scrapped a separate reservation in jobs and education for the dominant social group.
A government order (GO) to this effect was issued by the General Administration Department (GAD).
At present, a 10 per cent EWS quota is in force for those sections of the society which are not covered by any kind of reservations. The central law on the EWS quota was enacted more than two years ago to allow reservation for the poor in jobs and education among the general category.
The GAD order said that the Maratha community, which has been classified as a Socially and Economically Backward Class (SEBC), can avail the 10 per cent EWS quota.

Alapan Bandopadhyay Retires as Bengal Chief Secretary

West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay retired from his office and simultaneously appointed Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a media briefing announced that she has appointed Alapan Bandopadhyay as her chief advisor for the next three years. Meanwhile, H. K. Dwivedi has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the state.

CBDT Chairman Mody's Tenure Ends; Mohapatra Given Additional Charge

J. B. Mohapatra, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, was given the additional charge as CBDT chairman after the extended tenure of incumbent P. C. Mody ended.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) frames policy for the Income Tax Department.
As per the order issued by the department of revenue, which is under the Union finance ministry, Jagannath Bidyadhar Mohapatra, member CBDT, shall discharge the duties and responsibilities of the post of chairman, CBDT, in addition to his own duties for a period of three months or till appointment of a regular chairman, whichever is earlier.

EAM Jaishankar to Chair BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to chair a meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Foreign Ministers through video conferencing. In this meeting, the leaders will exchange views on COVID-19 pandemic, global and regional issues of concern, sustainable development, and countering terrorism.
India as the current BRICS Chair will convene the standalone meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/ International Relations on June 1, 2021.
Brazil Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Alberto Franco Franca, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and South African Foreign Minister Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor are expected to participate in the meeting.

Justice Vikramjit Sen to Head Digital Media Content Regulatory Council

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman of its newly formed self-regulatory body Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC).
Besides, six other eminent industry members which include filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, writer and director Tigmanshu Dhulia, filmmaker and writer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, content producer and distributor Banijay Group CEO and founder Deepak Dhar would also be part of the self-regulatory body.
This Council also includes - Sony Pictures General Counsel Ashok Nambisan and Star and Disney India Chief Regional Counsel Mihir Rale.

May 31, 2021

Experts Fear Biodiversity Loss in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

A slew of infrastructure projects have been proposed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to give a major boost to tourism and business there, according to information released by the central government. While these will transform the islands substantially, experts are worried that this would cause loss of biodiversity and have a negative impact on the indigenous people in the ecologically sensitive islands.

Kerala Assembly Passes Resolution Seeking Recall of Lakshadweep Administrator

The Kerala legislative assembly passed a unanimous resolution demanding the recall of Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel over the recent draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (2021) and new rules which have sparked protests on the island.
The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. "The people of Lakshadweep are undergoing a difficult situation. Their culture and tradition are under threat following dictatorial measures being taken by the administrator ignoring local protests. Even their food habits and livelihood are under threat," said the resolution. It also pointed out the island's long-standing relations with the state and said the Sangh Parivar is making the island another laboratory and people of the country will not allow that to happen.

May 30, 2021

Centre Invites Applications for Citizenship

Central Government has invited Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to apply for citizenship in India under the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
Several migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been residing in 13 districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Chhattisgarh. In this regard, Union Home Ministry has issued notification to implement order under Citizenship Act 1955.
The act, passed on December 11, 2019, amended "Citizenship Act, 1955". It provided ways for persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan belonging to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians; to get Indian Citizenship. This is the first law which used religion as criteria for citizenship in India. It has also relaxed "residence requirement" for naturalization for these migrants to 6 years from 12.

Pondy BJP Team Meets Nadda over Govt. Expansion

A two-member team from the Puducherry unit of the BJP called on party's national president JP Nadda in Delhi today to end the stalemate in the expansion of the AINRC-led NDA government. The team comprised legislature party leader A Namassivayam and state general secretary `Embalam` R Selvam.
Only the AINRC leader, N Rangasamy, assumed office of CM after he was sworn in at a simple ceremony in Raj Niwas here on May 7. The formation of a full-fledged ministry faced a near-crisis with the BJP reportedly insisting that the posts of Speaker and Deputy CM be allotted to the party besides a ministerial post. Rangasamy is reportedly not inclined to accept the demand.

May 29, 2021

India-Uzbekistan Ties Set to Grow

India and landlocked Uzbekistan are set to reboot ties, taking advantage of Iran's likely accommodation in the international mainstream and the rapidly approaching political transition in Afghanistan.
Three major factors are likely to shape New Delhi's relationship with Uzbekistan-a resource rich nation with a deep historical connect with India. Separated by only 3000 kilometres, India sees Uzbekistan as a gateway to Central Asia. The country can also become a cockpit of the rivalry between India and China, with Russia as the elephant in the room.
Already India, Iran and Uzbekistan have held their first ministerial meeting to leverage the location of Chabahar port. India and Uzbekistan under the 2011 Ashgabat Agreement also plan to build a transit and transport corridor between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.

Randeep Hooda Removed as UN Ambassador

Actor Randeep Hooda has been removed as the ambassador of Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, United Nation's environmental treaty, following row over his derogatory comment against BSP chief Mayawati.

May 28, 2021

Assam Appoints 'Guardian Ministers'

The Assam Cabinet appointed ministers who would act as guardians for different districts in the state.
These guardians, each a minister of the Himanta Biswa Sarma Cabinet, have been given the responsibility of 2-3 districts to take stock of welfare schemes, implementation of infrastructure projects etc.
The guardian ministers will be responsible for administration in the districts under their charge. But they won't be directly involved with people from those districts.
Earlier, there was a provision of in-charge ministers, but their specific roles and responsibilities were not clearly defined. The guardian ministers will follow the decisions taken by the Cabinet about their duties.
The guardian ministers will be assigned with a secretary each and both will have to visit their districts at least once a month. They will also have to visit the districts during emergency situations and conduct extensive tours during natural disasters like floods, cyclones etc.

Govt. Approves Appointment of B. V. R. Subrahmanyam as Commerce Secretary

J&K Chief Secretary, B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, was posted as OSD in the Union Commerce Ministry and will succeed Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan on his retirement next month-end.
An order issued by the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said: The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of B.V.R. Subrahmanyam IAS (CG; 87), Chief Secretary Jammu & Kashmir as officer on special duty in the Department of Commerce.
With the shifting of Subrahmanyam from J&K, three seniormost IAS officers -- Pradip Kumar Tripathi, Sudhanshu Panday and Arun Kumar Mehta -- are front runners for the Chief Secretary's post.

RAW Chief Goel Gets One-year Extension

Research and Analysis Wing chief Samant Kumar Goel and Intelligence Bureau head Arvind Kumar were given a one-year extension in their services.
Goel, a 1984-batch IPS officer from Punjab cadre, would continue to be the Secretary of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for a period one-year beyond the presence tenure which ends on June 30.
Similarly, Kumar, an IPS officer of Assam and Meghalaya cadre, will continue to head the Intelligence Bureau for a period of one year after June 30.

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