General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

Apr 06, 2021

SC Appoints Two Judges to Conduct Trials in Coal Scam Cases

The Supreme Court appointed two judicial officers, Arun Bhardwaj and Sanjay Bansal, as special judges to conduct trials in the sensational coal scam cases pending since 2014 here.
Earlier special judge Bharat Parashar was conducting trials in around 40 coal scam cases and has been replaced by two judges after the apex court recently took note of a letter from the Delhi High Court's Registrar General that permission be granted to nominate or post another suitable presiding judicial officer as special judge in place of Parashar.

India Completes Arch of World's Highest Railway Bridge

The Indian Railways achieved a major milestone by completing the arch of the Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge.
The 5.6-metre steel arch is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project (USBRL) and a key segment of the 111-km-long stretch from Katra to Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir.
The last piece of metal was fitted at the highest point, joining two arms of the arch that stretched towards each other from both banks of the river. The arch now looms over the Chenab that flows some 359 metres below.

PIL for Raising Judges' Retirement Age to 65

As almost one-third of the 1,079 posts of judges in 25 HCs remain vacant, a PIL was filed in the SC on Monday seeking to raise judges' retirement age from 62 to 65 years. Filed by Delhi BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the PIL demanded uniform retirement age for judges of HCs and the SC. The retirement age of judges of the top court is already 65 years.

PM Narendra Modi to Address Party Workers on BJP's Foundation Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers across the country on the occasion of the 41st foundation day of the party.
BJP national president JP Nadda will also address the meeting which will be held through video conferencing.
The 41st foundation day coincides with the ongoing Assembly polls in four states and one Union Territory.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was founded as Bharatiya Jana Sangh by Syama Prasad Mookherjee in 1951. Later it was merged with several parties in 1977 to form the Janata Party.
In 1980, the National Executive Council of the Janata Party banned its members from being 'dual members' of the party and the RSS. Consequently, the former Jana Sangh members left the party and floated a new political party. Thus, the BJP came into existence on April 6, 1980.

Dilip Walse Patil Named New Home Minister of Maharashtra

Maharashtra Minister for Labour and Excise Dilip Walse Patil's has been declared as the Home Minister after the resignation of Anil Deshmukh.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deshmukh's resignation from the post has triggered a fresh wave of turmoil in the ruling party. However, the NCP already had a leader lined up to replace Deshmukh.
Deshmukh, who is facing allegations of corruption levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, had tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Apr 05, 2021

Only 7.8% Women Candidates in Assam Electoral Battle

Only 7.8 per cent women candidates are among the total 946 contestants in fray for the 126-member Assam Assembly elections, leading to discontent among female activists and writers.
According to the state's Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade, of the total 946 candidates, 74 are women, while, out of the overall 2,33,74,087 voters, 1,15,50,403 are females.
He said that out of the 33,530 polling stations set up for the three phases (March 27, April 1, and April 6) of the polls across the state, 1,351 are all managed by women.

No Lokpal Report in 2 Years, Annual Submission to President Must

Though two years have passed since the Lokpal chairperson and its members were selected, the anti-corruption body is yet to submit any report to the President and Parliament.
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was passed by Parliament in December 2013, received assent from the President on January 1, 2014, and came into force on January 16, 2014.
The initial delays in the functioning of the ombudsman arose from the fact that the selection process was halted due to the absence of a Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The Act was subsequently amended in 2016 to make place for the leader of the single largest party in the Lok Sabha as a member in the Lokpal selection committee.
The government in its recent Budget session of Parliament informed the House that Section 48 of the Lokpal Act required the Lokpal to present annually to the President a report on the work done by it, which is then to be laid in both the Houses of Parliament. "No such report has been laid.
Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose had been appointed chairperson and Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale, Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Justice Abhilasha Kumari and Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi as members, judicial. The other members were Dinesh Kumar Jain, Archana Ramasundaram, Mahender Singh and Indrajeet Prasad Gautam.

NSO Report: Men and Women in India 2020

The National Statistical Office operating under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) recently released the Women and Men in India report. The report consolidates the crucial socio-economic indicators that portray gender situation in the country. This is the twenty second issue in its series. The report is published annually by the MoSPI.
The projected population of India in 2021 is 136.13 crores.
Sex ratio has increased from 933 in 2001 to 943 in 2011.
Delhi recorded the highest increase in sex ratio followed by Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh.
On the other hand, Daman and Diu had the highest decline in sex ratio.
The Age Specific Fertility Rate for the females belonging to the age group 25-29 years was the highest at 146.4.
The Infant Mortality Rate decreased from 39 in 2014 to 32 in 2018.
The literacy rate of India increased from 73 in 2011 to 77.7 in 2017.
The gender gap in literacy rates was the highest in Rajasthan, Bihar and UP.

West Central Railway Becomes First Fully Electrified Indian Railways Zone

Indian Railways' West Central Railway zone gets fully electrified, after CCRS Inspection and Commissioning of electrification of Kota – Chittaurgarh railway section (Srinagar – Jalindri) in the state of Rajasthan. West Central Railways has become the first fully electrified railway zone in the country. The zonal railway now boasts a 3012 Route Km electrified network.
According to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, trains passing through this railway section can now be operated at a faster speed. Electrification of this railway section will provide various benefits such as saving fuel, reduction in travel time, as well as environmental protection.

Apr 04, 2021

Labour Ministry Forms Expert Committees

The Union government constituted Expert Committees comprising industry and subject experts from both public and private sector across the country to review the existing rules and regulations on safety, health, and working conditions standards, pertaining to factories, docks and construction work.
The Expert Committees for Factories and Dock Works are constituted under Chairmanship of Dr RK Elangovan, DG, DGFASLI, Mumbai.
The other two Expert Committees for the Building & Other Construction Works and the Fire Safety are constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri PLN. Murthy, VP and Head Domestic Operations, L&T Hydrocarbon, Chennai and D. K. Shami, Fire Advisor to Union government, MHA respectively.

Jal Shakti Ministry Adds New Dimension to JJM

Adding a new dimension to its flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), The Union Jal Shakti Ministry has introduced sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT) devices to monitor the implementation of its flagship programme in more than six lakh villages.
This would not only allow effective monitoring and management on-ground but also enable real-time visibility to state water supply/ PHED officials and citizens.
National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) in collaboration with Tata Community Initiatives Trust (TCIT) and Tata Trusts recently completed pilot projects in several remote villages of five States, namely Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

India, France and Australia to Hold Trilateral Talks

The Foreign Ministers of India, France and Australia are expected to hold a trilateral meeting on April 13 with a focus on boosting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
The meeting is set to focus on exploring practical cooperation in other crucial areas such as dealing with the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian are scheduled to visit India around April 12 to attend the Raisina Dialogue.

GoI Declares 14th April, Birthday of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as Public Holiday

The central government has declared April 14, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's birthday a public holiday. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was the sculptor of the Indian Constitution and the country already celebrates his birthday as Ambedkar Jayanti every year. The government has announced that from this year 14th April will be declared as a public holiday. It will be Ambedkar's 130th birth anniversary on April 14, 2021.

UP Panchayat Elections 2021

For three-tier panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released the first list of candidates for 11 districts, including Ghaziabad and Gorakhpur.
The BJP released the list of Zila Panchayat wards for Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, and Rampur districts, along with finalising 49 candidates for Ghaziabad, and named candidates for 33 seats in Saharanpur, besides declaring 34 names for Rampur.
The party has also decided on names for various seats in Kannauj, Kanpur Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Gorakhpur, Raebareli, and Shravasti districts.
Notably, the three-tier Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in four phases in which all the major political parties will contest with their full strength.

Apr 03, 2021

Gujarat Passes Bill against 'Love Jihad'

The Gujarat Assembly passed the Freedom of Religion Act, 2003 amendment Bill that seeks to penalise forcible or fraudulent religious conversion by marriage or "love jihad", bringing in stringent provisions against forcible conversion through marriage or allurement.
The Bill has provisions for 3-10 years in jail and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh if the accused is found guilty.
The Gujarat amendment Bill says it is necessary to prohibit "forcible conversion by marriage or by getting a person married or by aiding a person to get married", and hence the amendment is being carried out in the law.

India Contributes $300,000 to UN Body for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

India has contributed USD 300,000 to the United Nations agency for gender equality and women empowerment, a contribution lauded by the UN entity.
India made the contribution to UN Women, the world organisation's entity for gender equality and women's empowerment.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said that India reaffirms its support for gender equality and women empowerment, describing UN Women as a valued partner in our progress from women's development to #women-led development.

NCB Red-flags Mumbai as Cocaine Capital of India

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has red-flagged Mumbai as the cocaine capital of India saying that other metropolitan cities are not lagging behind with the drug mafia spreading its tentacles in India, Canada and Australia. As much as 2499 kilograms of cocaine seized in the past two years in Sri Lanka, Port Elizabeth and Panana had India as its destination. The international market for this lethal drug is ₹5 crore per kilogram.
As one of the biggest manufacturers of potassium permanganate, a precursor chemical, there is a growing suspicion that the processing of cocaine may be shifted by drug cartel from South America to India. This is primarily due to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, the UK's National Crime Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Australian drug enforcement agencies pressure on the South American coca-producing countries.

Apr 02, 2021

Article 244 (A), Its Relevance for Assam Hill Tribes

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promised to implement Article 244 (A) of the Constitution to safeguard the interests of the people in Assam's tribal-majority districts. "The BJP is attacking the culture and traditions of hill tribes by withdrawing Article 244(A). The upcoming Congress government will ensure that Article 244(A) is not diluted and all its clauses are implemented to protect the interests of indigenous people," said Rahul.
Article 244(A) allows for creation of an 'autonomous state' within Assam in certain tribal areas. Inserted into the Constitution in 1969 by the then Congress government, it also has a provision for a Legislature and a Council of Ministers.

Mukhmeet Bhatia Takes Charge DG of ESIC under Union Labour Ministry

Mukhmeet S Bhatia, an IAS officer of 1990-batch of Jharkhand cadre, took over the charge of Director General of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Bhatia has worked as the Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Union Finance Ministry.
He has got vast experience of governance and management of District and State level Organisations. He has also served as the Principal Secretary in the Department of Labour and Employment and Women and Child Development in the Government of Jharkhand.

Mizoram CM Zoramthanga to Urge Centre to Change Foreign Policy to Accept Myanmar Refugees

Days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) asked four northeastern states including Mizoram to take appropriate action to prevent a possible influx of people from coup-hit Myanmar into India, Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that he is sending a delegation to Delhi to request the Central government to change India`s foreign policy on Myanmar and not to send the refugees back.
Stating that the Indian Government should be more open to Myanmarese people, the Chief Minister said that once the refugees from the military-ruled country come to Mizoram, they should be provided with food and shelter on humanitarian grounds.

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