General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

Nov 27, 2020

Narendra Modi Makes Pitch for Single Voters' List, Says 'One Nation, One Election'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for single voters' list and said that 'One Nation, One Election' is the need of India as polls taking place every few months impact development works.
The PM made these remarks while addressing the concluding session of the 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference via video conference.
The Prime Minister also suggested a single voters' list for Lok Sabha, assembly and panchayat polls, saying separate lists are a waste of resources. Legislature, Executive and Judiciary should work with better coordination and national interest should be the basis for every decision.

India and Nepal Agree to Advance Ties

India and Nepal agreed to step up efforts to advance mutual cooperation as Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met the country's top leadership and held productive talks with his Nepalese counterpart on a range of bilateral issues.
Shringla also called on Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and handed over 2,000 vials of anti-virus drug Remdesivir to him as part of India's continuing assistance to the Himalayan nation to help it contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both sides appreciated the progress made on the numerous bilateral initiatives and projects. It was agreed to take further steps to advance mutual cooperation.
Prime Minister Oli, who is also the Defence Minister of Nepal, told him that problems between Nepal and India would be resolved through dialogue.

Haryana Sets up 3-member Drafting Committee to Frame Law on 'Love Jihad'

Haryana's government has set up a three-member committee to draft a law against "love jihad", a term used by BJP leaders to describe religious conversions in the guise of marriage. Haryana's decision comes days after the Uttar Pradesh government cleared a draft ordinance against conversion through force or fraudulent means.
The Haryana committee will also study laws enacted by other states on the issue.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly had passed a bill last year against conversion by force, inducement or through a marriage solemnised for the "sole purpose" of adopting a new religion.

Nov 26, 2020

BJP's Vijay Kumar Sinha New Speaker of Bihar Assembly

Vijay Kumar Sinha, a three-time BJP MLA from Lakhisarai and former state minister, was elected speaker of the Bihar assembly.
Sinha polled 126 votes in favour and 114 votes against. One independent and the lone LJP MLA also voted for Sinha. Members of the AIMIM voted against the NDA candidate. The opposition had fielded RJD MLA Awadh Bihari Choudhary as their speaker candidate.
Opposition members also demanded voting via secret ballot, which was rejected by the pro-tem speaker. During the voting, Manjhi had to briefly adjourn the house amid protests by the Opposition.

Odisha Asks for a Second AIIMS in its Tribal Dominated Region

The Odisha government has proposed the Centre to set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in tribal-dominated Sundargarh district. After a review of upcoming healthcare facilities in the State, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy has requested Union Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Rajesh Bhushan to consider Odisha's demand for the second AIIMS at Sankara in the district where the NTPC has already developed infrastructure.
At present, the State has a fully functional AIIMS at Bhubaneswar which has emerged as one of the leading institutes in the country in terms of medical education and quality healthcare. Another satellite centre of the institute is under construction at Balasore.

Modi Releases Special stamp, Rs. 100 Coin at Lucknow University Foundation Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a special stamp and a Rs. 100 coin, to commemorate the Centennial Foundation Day of the University of Lucknow through a virtual conference. The event was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the Lok Sabha member from Lucknow.
As Lucknow University completed 100 years on November 25 and PM Modi congratulated the entire faculty and students of the educational institution. He also said that completing 100 years is not just a mere number, but it is also the living example of the history of inexhaustible achievements.

NITI Aayog Forms Panel to Study Feasibility of Virgin Hyperloop in India

Government think-tank NITI Aayog has formed a high-level panel to explore the technological and commercial viability of the Virgin Hyperloop technology for ultrahigh speed travel in India, weeks after its first test was completed with humans on board.
The Virgin Hyperloop test run was conducted on a 500-meter track in Las Vegas in the USA with a pod, as the hyperloop vehicles are called.
The committee has Niti Aayog member V. K. Saraswat as its Chairman and Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity, NITI Aayog) Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha as its convener. Its other members are Railway Board Chairman & CEO V. K. Yadav, the secretaries of the ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Road Transport and Highways, and the Maharashtra government's Transport Secretary.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation's Chairman, the Delhi Metro's Managing Director, the IIT-Delhi Director and the Chairman (Technology Information) of the forecasting and assessment council are also its members.

Nov 25, 2020

Portal for Giving I-cards, Special Homes to Transgenders

A year after Parliament passed a bill on Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights), the Centre has launched a simplified certification process to provide identity cards and special homes to transgenders in every state.
The social justice and empowerment ministry is set to launch a national portal, which would equip transgenders to apply for an identity card to the district magistrate. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act has given transgenders the right to self-perceived identity.
The national portal will help in initiating this pan-India exercise to identify transgenders, give identity cards, enumerate them and then roll out targeted social welfare programmes. The portal would enable the person to fill a form with details such as the name given at birth, name chosen and the gender. Once the district magistrate issues the certificate, the person would even be able to download the document from the portal.

India's Strategic Ties with US to Progress with Pressure on Human Rights

Among the wave of staff picks by Joe Biden are nominees to two crucial posts—Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan – who are old sub-continental hands and, like the US President-elect, have pushed for closer ties with India, especially in the Indo-Pacific and against China.
However, the evidence of their stints in the Obama Administration and their recent observations on India show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to get a free pass on CAA and NRC.
Both Sullivan and Blinken are clear that the US' strategic future in the subcontinent lies with India. At the same time they are mindful of the need to preserve geopolitical stability in South Asia.

India and the US Extend Nuclear Energy Partnership

India and the US have extended the MoU for cooperation on nuclear energy for 10 more years.
India and the US, recognizing and appreciating the strength of the enduring partnership between the two countries on matters of security and reaffirming the important contributions of the U.S.-India nuclear and radiological security cooperation for the benefit of their citizens and the world, extended their cooperation in this area by signing a ten-year extension of the GCNEP MOU.
Both the countries have committed to promote cooperation on initiatives aimed at giving an impetus to nuclear safety and security, research and development in nuclear science and technology under various schools of GCNEP.
GCNEP stands for Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership.

UP Okays Ordinance against Conversion for Marriage

The Uttar Pradesh government approved a draft ordinance to deal with religious conversion for the sake of marriage, which could land violators in jail for up to 10 years.
In recent weeks, BJP-run states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have revealed plans to enact laws to counter alleged attempts to convert Hindu women to Islam in the guise of marriage, which Hindu activists refer to as "love jihad".

First Time in Poll History, BJP Fields Muslim Women Candidates in Malappuram

The BJP has for the first time in the election history of the Kerala picked two Muslim women candidates to contest in their banner in the coming local body polls in Malappuram district. This unprecedented entry of Muslim candidates as BJP nominees has been a shot in the arm for the party cadres in the Muslim-predominant Malappuram district, a citadel of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Wandoor-native T. P. Sulfath is contesting from ward 6 of Wandoor grama panchayat, Ayisha Hussain, native of Chemmad is contesting in ward 9 of the Ponmudam grama panchayat.

Nov 24, 2020

Key Bengal Leader from Owaisi's AIMIM, Many Functionaries Join TMC

AIMIM's West Bengal unit leader Anwar Pasha along with some of his colleagues joined the Trinamool Congress, claiming that the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party was only acting as a polariser of votes to help the BJP.
Alleging that a section of people is trying to take the country towards destruction using religion, Pasha said that those who are eyeing Bengal at present, whether "wearing saffron or green", should know that there is no place for such division in this state.
AIMIM has played a hand in the polarisation of votes in Bihar and thus helped the BJP in forming the government there, but this will not happen in Bengal.
Owaisi had said that the party is deliberating with the West Bengal unit over contesting the assembly elections, likely in April-May, and will take a decision after getting feedback from them.

Vijayashanti Likely to Join BJP

Congress leader and actress Vijayashanti is likely to join the BJP soon.
The former MP was not active in Congress party's activities and programmes in the state for the past few months.
Once it happens, Vijayashanti would be the second popular star in South to join the BJP after Khushbu in Tamil Nadu. Khushbu too had quit Congress and embraced BJP.
Her entry into the BJP, a sort of homecoming, will give a shot in the arm to the saffron party which is going all out to capture the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the elections to be held on December 1.
Vijayashanti, who began her political career with the BJP, joined the TRS Party and switched loyalties to the Congress in 2014 before the formation of Telangana state.

RJD offers CM Nitish Kumar to Join Mahagathbandhan in Bihar

In a suprising turn of events in Bihar politics, main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has offered Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal- United chief Nitish Kumar to join the RJD-led 'Mahagathbandhan'. It is to be noted that the other constituents of 'Mahagathbandhan' are the Congress and Left parties.
The offer to CM Nitish Kumar was given by senior RJD leader Amarnath Gami. According to Gami, CM Nitish should join the 'Mahagathbandhan' and lead the third front at the Centre against the BJP. Gami said that the NDA government will not last for long in Bihar.

Nov 23, 2020

Narendra Modi Addresses 8th Convocation of PDPU

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the eighth convocation of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), Gandhinagar via video conferencing.
During the convocation, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of a `45 MW Production Plant of Monocrystalline Solar Photo Voltaic Panel` and `Centre of Excellence on Water Technology` at the university, and inaugurated the `Innovation and Incubation Centre - Technology Business Incubation`, `Translational Research Centre` and `Sports Complex`.
The Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) was established as a private university through the State Act enacted on April 4, 2007, and offers programs in the domains of Science, Technology, Management and Humanities.

Top BPF Leaders Join BJP in Assam

Ahead of the next year's assembly polls, with a shot in the arm for BJP, two top leaders of Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), an ally of the ruling saffron party in Assam, including founding leader and Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary, joined the leading partner.
Along with Daimary, who has resigned from the Rajya Sabha, BPF's General Secretary and MLA Emmanuel Mosahary joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, state BJP president Ranjit Kumar Dass and national General Secretary Dilip Saikia in Guwahati.
Daimary and Emmanuel Mosahary are tribal leaders.
The tribal dominated party BPF since 2016 is the ruling partner of the BJP in the state and also a member of the saffron party led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).

Former DMK MP K. P. Ramalingam Joins BJP

Former DMK MP, K. P. Ramalingam joined the BJP, and he said that he would try to convince the expelled Dravidian party leader M. K. Alagiri to join the saffron party.
Ramalingam joined the BJP in the presence of national general secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge, C. T. Ravi and Tamil Nadu unit president L. Murugan at the party office.
Ramalingam was suspended from the DMK early this year for 'violation' of party discipline by expressing a view against the party's demand for an all-party meeting to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. He was also relieved from his party post of secretary of agriculture wing.

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