General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

May 27, 2021

Congress Wants Lakshadweep Administrator Removed

Kerala Leader of Opposition (LoP) VD Satheesan wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking the newly-appointed Administrator of Lakshadweep Praful Patel to be immediately called back as the people of the island are being subjected to his undemocratic measures.
"The new Administrator has interfered in the powers of District Panchayat, the only representative body of the people. In an island where there are nominal violations of the rules, the Administrator has invoked Goonda act which we feel is to suppress the voice of the people," said VD Satheesan.

K. Lakshminarayanan is Pro Tem Speaker of Puducherry Assembly

Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan appointed AINRC MLA K Lakshminarayanan as pro tem speaker of the territorial assembly.
The Lt Governor administered the oaths of office and affirmation in Tamil to Lakshminarayanan at Raj Nivas.
Lakshminarayanan, a law graduate, has been holding the Raj Bhavan constituency since his first win in 2001.

India Approves Opening of First Consulate in the Maldives

The Indian government approved the opening of a new consulate in Addu City of the Maldives this year to augment the country's diplomatic presence in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
A meeting of the Union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the proposal for opening the first such consulate in the Maldives, which has an important place in the government's "Neighbourhood First" policy.
Opening of a consulate general in Addu City will help augment India's diplomatic presence in Maldives and make it commensurate with the existing and aspired level of engagement.
India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity. Maldives occupies an important place in the 'Neighbourhood First Policy' and the 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision of the Government of India.

TN Assembly Will Pass Resolution against 3 Farm Laws

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin said that the government will bring a resolution in the state Assembly asking the Union government to withdraw the three farm laws.
The three farm laws brought in by the government are -- Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

PM Modi and President Macron Discuss Positive Outcomes of India-EU Leaders' Meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke over phone and discussed the positive outcomes of the recently concluded India-EU leaders' meeting.
Both agreed that the announcements regarding resumption of negotiations for balanced and comprehensive free trade and investment agreements, and India-EU Connectivity Partnership were welcome steps.
Modi thanked Macron for the assistance rendered by France to India's Covid response.
The leaders discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

May 26, 2021

Post of Director at NDRF Academy in Nagpur

The government has approved the creation of a post of Director at the National Disaster Response Force Academy in Nagpur.
The approval for the creation of the post in the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) was given at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With the creation of the post of the director at the NDRF academy, the command and control of the organisation will be entrusted to a senior and experienced officer, who can steer the institution as per the intended objectives.
The academy will impart skill-based practical training to over 5,000 personnel annually, from NDRF, SDRF and other stakeholders, besides disaster response agencies of SAARC and other countries.

Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is CBI Director for Two Years

Senior IPS officer Subodh Kumar Jaiswal was appointed as the new CBI chief for two years.
A 1985-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Maharashtra cadre, Jaiswal is currently the director general of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
A Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led three-member selection committee had shortlisted his name for the post.
He has also served as Maharashtra's director general of police in the past.

India and New Zealand to Boost Defence, Security Relations

India and New Zealand carried out a comprehensive review of the bilateral ties and decided to enhance the depth and momentum of engagement in areas of defence and security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and climate change.
At a virtual meeting held under the framework of India-New Zealand foreign office consultations, the two sides also discussed issues relating to access to Covid-19 vaccines and medicines to contain the Covid-19 pandemic globally.
Both sides exchanged views on various regional issues and reiterated the importance of closer cooperation for a rules-based international order and a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

Jayant Chaudhary is New RLD President

Jayant Chaudhary was appointed as the new national president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD.
His elevation to the post comes following the demise of party president and his father Ajit Singh, who had succumbed to COVID-19.
The decision to elevate the 42-year-old Chaudhary, who was till now the party vice president, was taken during a virtual meeting of the party's national executive.

May 25, 2021

Three Shortlisted for CBI Chief's Post

A high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shortlisted three names, CISF Director General Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Sashastra Seema Bal DG Kumar Rajesh Chandra and Home Ministry Special Secretary VSK Kaumudi, for the post of CBI Director.
Jaiswal, a 1985-batch IPS officer, is a former Maharashtra DGP. He is at present the CISF Director General.
Chandra, a 1985-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, is at present posted as the SSB DG, while Kaumudi, a 1986-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, is posted as the Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the MHA.

UP Poll on Mind, BJP-RSS Brass Draws Image Makeover Strategy

Ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year, top BJP and RSS leaders met to devise a strategy to counter growing perceptions against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over handling of the second Covid wave.
PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were present at the meeting between the BJP and and the RSS to discuss the impact of the pandemic on the image of the party and its governments at the Centre and UP. BJP president JP Nadda, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and UP general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal were present too.

India and Israel Sign work Programme for Cooperation in Agriculture

India and Israel have signed a three-year joint work programme till 2023 with an aim to enhance cooperation in the field of agriculture.
So far, four such joint work programmes have been successfully completed. Under this programme, Centres of Excellence (CoEs) were set up to train farmers about Israeli farm and water technologies.
However, under the new work programme, Villages of Excellence (VoE) -- a model ecosystem in agriculture -- will be created across eight states alongside 13 CoEs within 75 villages and will promote the increase of net income and better the livelihood of the individual farmer, transforming traditional farms into modern-intensive farms based on IIAP standards.

May 24, 2021

Shiv Sena Targets Maharashtra Governor over Delay in Nominations

The Shiv Sena expressed hope that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari would take serious cognisance of the Bombay High Court's observations on the delay in the nomination of 12 members to the Legislative Council under the governor's quota.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut wondered what research was being done on the file that was sent by the state government to the governor in November last year recommending 12 names for nomination. "Is anybody doing a PhD on it?
The Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government to file a reply explaining why the governor was taking such a long time to decide on the nomination of members to the Legislative Council, despite the 12 names having been submitted on November 6 last year.

Haryana Launches 'Sanjeevani Pariyojana'

Haryana launched an anti-Covid "Sanjeevani Pariyojana". It provides a supervised and quick medical care at home for people, with mild to moderate symptoms of covid-19, residing in rural areas.
"Sanjeevani Pariyojana" was launched to extend medical care in rural areas where awareness regarding the second wave of COVID-19 and related treatment remains low. It is an important step of bringing medical care for the people who need it most. Under it, scope of medical advice has been expanded beyond qualified doctors as it mobilises 200 final year & pre-final year medical students and interns by connecting them to consultants and experts.
This initiative comprises of an Integrated Command and Control Centre to manage critical resources such as ambulance tracking, oxygen supply, hospital beds availability besides, door-to-door awareness campaign. Thus, it helps the district administration in keeping a bird's eye view of entire healthcare system.

May 23, 2021

West Bengal Appoints Gyanwant Singh as ADG and IGP of State CID

In a major reshuffle in its IPS cadre, the West Bengal government appointed Gyanwant Singh as the ADG and IGP of the state CID, replacing Anuj Sharma.
As per an order, Sharma was moved as the ADG and IGP of West Bengal Armed Police.
Singh will also share the charges of additional director security.
Ajey Mukund Ranade, who was the ADG and IGP of (Training), was made the advisor (security and vigilance) of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL).

S. Jaishankar to Begin Five-day Visit to United States

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will begin a five-day visit to the United States from Monday with a focus on procurement of coronavirus vaccines from American companies as well as explore the possibility of their joint production.
Jaishankar will hold discussions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken besides meeting senior officials of the Biden administration during his visit from May 24 to 28.

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