General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

Dec 02, 2020

Tamil Nadu to form Committee to Collect Caste-wise Data

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that a commission would be set up to examine methodologies to collect caste-wise data and submit a report to the Government.
It is notable that this announcement comes after Anbumani Ramadoss of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and other leaders of that party met the Chief Minister and submitted a memorandum for reservation for Vanniyars.
The PMK, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) are part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition that was formed to face the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

India and the US to Share Operational Intelligence on Narcotics

The US and India discussed initiatives to strengthen India's regional leadership role in building capacity for counter-narcotics initiatives in South Asia.
They also resolved to enhance sharing of operational intelligence to counter regional cross-border drug trafficking and crime during the first inaugural meeting of the Indo-US Counternarcotics Working Group (CNWG).
The CNWG was discussed and approved as part of an expanded agenda for bilateral cooperation at the third Indo-US two-plus-two meeting held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Ministers S. Jaishankar and Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper in October.
Both India and the US see a link between the trade in narcotics and financing of armed, anti-state activities.
The Indian delegation was led by Sachin Jain, Deputy Director General, Narcotics Control Board, while the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's Kemp Chester, Department of State's Jorgan Andrews, and Department of Justice's Jennifer Hodge jointly led the US team at the virtual interaction.

Former IAS Joins Kamal Haasan's MNM Party

Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections slated to be held in 2021, actor turned politician Kamal Haasan inducted former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Santhosh Babu, as the General Secretary of his Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party.
Santhosh Babu has worked with the state administration as an IAS officer for nearly 25 years.
He will be responsible for making the party manifesto for upcoming state elections, along with other headquarter operations.

Urmila Matondkar Joins Shiv Sena

Urmila Matondkar joined Shiv Sena in presence of party president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Matondkar had unsuccessfully contested last year's Lok Sabha polls on Congress ticket from Mumbai North constituency.
Matondkar had last year resigned from the Congress party, a key ally of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. She had cited inaction on the part of key functionaries of Mumbai Congress as the reason of her resignation.
As per reports, the Sena has already proposed Matondkar's name for one of the 12 Governor-nominated seats in the state legislative council.

Dec 01, 2020

Centre Forms Panel to Oversee Construction of new Parliament Building

The Centre has formed a five-member committee to oversee construction of the new Parliament house and to ensure heritage and aesthetics of the complex are maintained. The committee was formed after a request from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla who was given a presentation of the project by the Central Public Works Department, the nodal agency for construction.
The presentation facilitated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs saw design elements, construction work, transplantation of trees, shifting of statues and other issues discussed. Representatives from design consultant for the project HCP and Tata Projects, which has been awarded the contract for building the new Parliament, attended the presentation.
The committee will comprise joint secretaries from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, CPWD and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Apart from the three officers, there will be representation from Tata Projects and HCP. The committee would act as the bridge between the Lok Sabha Secretariat and private contractor.

Uttar Pradesh: Voting for 11 MLC Seats

The voting for 11 MLC seats in Uttar Pradesh started December 1. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Lucknow to hold the election in free and fair manner.
As per reports, only 1,000 people will be allowed to cast vote at a particular booth.
The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council has 100 seats, of which 11 fell vacant in May. The 11 seats are six teacher constituencies and five graduate constituencies.

Hardeep Puri among 10 MPs Administered Oath

Lok Sabha Speaker appointed former Uttrakhand IAS officer Utpal Kumar Singh as the next Secretary General of the House. He replaces Snehlata Srivastava completed her term on Monday.
Singh, who retired from the service last year, has been serving as the Secretary in the Lok Sabha Secretariat since August 2019. He brings to office 34 years of administrative experience.
The 10 newly-elected members were administered oath or affirmation as members of the Rajya Sabha by Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu. These include Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Neeraj Shekhar, Ram Gopal Yadav Geeta alias Chandraprabha and former DGP Brij Lal from Uttar Pradesh. One member each from Karnataka, Naryana Koragappa and Naresh Bansal from Uttrakhand also took oath.

Nov 30, 2020

Ayodhya Airport to be Renamed as Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram Airport

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has cleared the proposal to rename the Ayodhya airport as Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram Airport, Ayodhya. In a statement issued in Lucknow on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Government said that the state cabinet had cleared the proposal to name the airport in Ayodhya as Maryada Purshottam Shriram Airport, Ayodhya.
This decision was taken to bring this proposal for passage in the UP Legislative Assembly, and send it to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.

UP Governor Promulgates Ordinance Against Forcible Religious Conversions

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel gave assent to an ordinance against forcible or fraudulent religious conversions that provides for imprisonment up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 under different categories.
The promulgation of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, came four days after the Yogi Adityanath government had approved the draft of the legislation which also curbs religious conversions only for the sake of marriage.

GMRT Accorded Prestigious IEEE Milestone Status

The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) has been selected as a 'Milestone' facility by the U.S.-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which is the world's largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology in all areas related to electrical and electronics engineering.
The IEEE Milestones programme honours significant technical achievements which have global or regional impact. This is only the third such IEEE 'Milestone' recognition for an Indian contribution. The previous two Indian IEEE Milestones were for the pioneering work done by Sir J.C. Bose to demonstrate the generation and reception of radio waves in 1895 (recognised in 2012), and for the Nobel Prize-winning (in 1930) 'scattering of light' the phenomenon observed by Sir C.V. Raman in 1928.

Nov 29, 2020

Newly Elected Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattoo Joins Apni Party

A day after getting elected as the Mayor of Srinagar Muncipal Corporation (SMC), Junaid Mattoo joined the Apni Party.
The Apni Party was launched by Altaf Bukhari, a former minister in the PDP-BJP government, after the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year. Mattoo had been removed as the Mayor of the Srinagar Muncipal Corporation in June 2020 after he lost a no-confidence motion moved against him.
Mattoo was a member of the Sajad Lone-led People's Conference (PC). Later, he quit the PC in 2013 to join the National Conference (NC) and became the party spokesperson. He quit the NC and rejoined the PC in 2018.
Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari welcomed Mattoo into the party, and said that their endeavour would be to make Srinagar a world-class city.

India Engages with Neighbours to Consolidate Ties

India's three leading foreign policy managers held talks with leaders of India's extended neighbourhood to consolidate existing relationships.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is in Colombo for a security trilateral with Maldives and Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar concluded his visit to the UAE and is in Seychelles to meet its newly elected President and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla concluded his two-day visit to Nepal, where he met the top leadership to turn the page on six months of acrimony.

Sushil Kumar Modi Made BJP Candidate for Rajya Sabha By-polls in State

Amid speculations over the Rajya Sabha seat, which was vacated after the demise of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) founder and former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made Sushil Kumar Modi as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-polls from Bihar.
The election for the Rajya Sabha seat will be held on December 14 and the election process will begin from December 3.

Nov 28, 2020

Jammu and Kashmir DDC Phase 1 Polls, First Election Since Abrogation of Article 370

The first phase of the District Development Councils (DDC) election and panchayat by-polls in Jammu and Kashmir began with 1,427 candidates in the fray and seven lakh voters eligible to exercise their franchise. At least 40 out of 280 constituencies in the Union Territory are going to polls in the first phase of the DDC elections.
The DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir, is the first major political activity to be held since the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two union territories — Jammu and Ladakh.
Parties including the National Conference, People's Democratic Party, People Conference and CPI(M), formed the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration are fighting the maiden DDC elections together. National parties BJP and Congress are also in the fray.

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