General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

Aug 19, 2020

India Ranks 1st in Number of Organic Farmers and 9th in Terms of Area under Organic Farming

In accordance with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), India ranked first in number of organic farmers and 9th in terms of area under organic farming. Notably, Sikkim was the first state in the world to become completely organic and other states including Tripura and Uttarakhand have set targets to be on the same line.
In 2015, two dedicated programs namely Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) were launched to encourage chemical free farming.
The major organic exports from India have been flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses.

Home Ministry Approves Renaming of Manduadih Railway Station as Banaras

The Union Home Ministry approved the renaming of Manduadih railway station in Uttar Pradesh as 'Banaras'. The Uttar Pradesh government had sent a request for renaming the railway station in Varanasi district.
The home ministry considers proposals for name change according to the existing guidelines in consultations with agencies concerned.
It gives its approval to any proposal for change of name of any place after taking no-objections from the Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts and Survey of India.
For changing the name of a village or town or a city, an executive order is needed. The renaming of a state requires amendment of the Constitution with a simple majority in Parliament.

Satya Pal Malik New Governor of Meghalaya; Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari Gets Additi...

Ram Nath Kovind, President of India appointed Satya Pal Malik, Goa Governor as the Governor of Meghalaya. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was given the additional charge as Governor of Goa. Satya Pal Malik replaced Tathagata Roy who completed his 5 year term by serving as governor of Tripura for 3 years and remaining in Meghalaya.
The appointments will be effective from the dates they assume charge of their respective offices.
Satya Pal Malik served as the Governor of Bihar. After this, he served as the Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir from August 2018 to October 2019.
During his tenure the constitutional decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave special status to J&K, was taken in August 2019.
He was appointed as the Governor of Goa in October 2019.
Bhaghat Singh Koshyari was appointed Minister of Energy, Irrigation, Law, and Legislative Affairs of the newly created state of Uttaranchal in 2000.
He replaced Nityanand Swami as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand in 2001.
He also has had a successful career as a teacher and journalist.

Aug 18, 2020

Gwalior Chambal Expressway will be Named Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal Progressway

Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, announced that the Gwalior Chambal Expressway will be named as Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chambal Progressway. Chouhan also stated that a grand statue of Vajpayee will be set up in Bhopal.
The Gwalior Chambal Expressway is a 6 lane expressway connecting Madhya Pradesh with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, through the ravines of Chambal region.
The expressway will go parallel to the Chambal river via Shivpuri, Bhind, Morena to Kota (Rajasthan).
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first BJP member to become the Prime Minister of India.
He served as the Prime Minister in 1996, from 1998 to 1999 and a term of five years from 1999 to 2004.
Under his leadership the 1998 nuclear tests were conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan.
In honour of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 25th December is celebrated as Good Governance Day.

Govt. Launches E-portal on Tribal Health & Nutrition

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the e-portal on tribal health and nutrition named 'Swasthya'. The portal provides all health and nutrition related information of the tribal population of India on a single platform. Swasthya will also curate innovative practices, case studies, and best practices collected from different parts of India to facilitate the exchange of evidence, expertise and experiences.
Mr. Munda said that the launch of the portal is a first step towards the much bigger goal of serving the tribal population of the nation. He informed about the initiatives of the Ministry in partnership with Facebook through the Going Online as Leaders (GOAL) Programme. Mr Munda said, through the GOAL Programme, the Ministry aims to mentor five thousand tribal youth across India and enable them to become village-level digital young leaders for their communities.

UK Launches £3 Million Innovation Challenge Fund for India to Tackle Covid-19 Challenges & Clima...

The government of United Kingdom (UK) launched a £3 million "Innovation Challenge Fund 2020" in India to support scientists in academia and industry to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
In this regard, tech innovators with connections to the AI-Data cluster in Karnataka and the future mobility cluster in Maharashtra will submit research and development proposals for tackling COVID-19 or which promote a greener planet till August 31, 2020.
At least 6 grants up to £250,000 are expected to be awarded for projects lasting 12 months, with a proposed start in January 2021.
These grants are part of a wider initiative under the tech partnership known as 'Tech Clusters'.
The Innovation Challenge Fund 2020 of £3 million to India is provided to Maharashtra(£1.5 million) & Karnataka(£1.5 million).
U.K.'s Innovation Challenge Fund 2020 will fund £1.5 million for innovative research and development projects in Future Mobility in Maharashtra. The aim of the Innovation Challenge Fund is also to support the development of the Maharashtra Future Mobility Tech Cluster by promoting closer scientific collaboration between industry and academia.
Innovation Challenge Fund 2020 will fund £1.5 million for innovative research and development projects in AI. The aim of the Innovation Challenge Fund is also to support the development of the Karnataka AI / Data Science Tech Cluster by promoting closer scientific collaboration between industry and academia, and by promoting links with international counterparts and centres of excellence, including in the UK.
This initiative is on the lines of the Indian and British Prime Ministers' commitment to bring together the best minds from both countries under the UK-India Tech Partnership, which was initiated in 2018 to deliver high-skilled jobs and economic growth as well as to collaborate on some of the world's biggest challenges.

Aug 17, 2020

Shyam Rajak Sacked as Bihar Minister

Bihar's Industries Minister and JD(U)'s national general secretary Shyam Rajak was sacked from the state cabinet and expelled from the party.
Shyam Rajak has been sacked from the state cabinet and he has also been expelled from the party for six years for his anti-party activities
The JD(U) giving more weightage to party leader Arun Manjhi who is touring the Phulwari Sharif assembly segment that Rajak represents is said to have miffed him.
He was apprehensive that the JD(U) may not give him the nomination in the state polls due later this year.
Rajak, who also served as a minister in the RJD government, had left the Lalu Prasad-led party in 2009 to join the JD(U).

Nepal and India Hold High-level Talks Amidst Border Row

Senior diplomats of India and Nepal held a virtual meeting to review the progress made on various India-aided developmental projects being implemented in the Himalayan nation.
The meeting came days after Nepal Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli telephoned his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to greet him on India's 74th Independence Day, in the first high-level contact after bilateral ties came under severe strain following the issuance of a new political map by Nepal in May.
The meeting held virtually assessed the progress made on various India aided development projects being implemented in Nepal.
The ties between India and Nepal came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand in May 2020.

Atal Innovation Mission, NASSCOM Launches ATL AI Step Up Module for School Students

NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission in collaboration with NASSCOM was launched the 'ATL AI Step Up Module' for students. The move is to drive AI education and innovation to the next level in schools across the country. The module is the next step in bringing Artificial Intelligence to classrooms and is a successor to the AI Base module launched in February this year, according to NITI Aayog.
After a successful launch of a unique initiative to take Artificial Intelligence (AI) to schools through 'ATL AI Modules' in February this year, this module is the next step in bringing AI to Indian classrooms. The module will provide a comprehensive set of learning it yourself Advanced modules to those who wish to expand their knowledge base after becoming familiar with the basics of the AI discipline through the AI base module.
With this new launch, through hands-on projects and activities, the step-up module encourages a deeper understanding of AI which can be applied in the real world. The module is designed in an attractive graphical manner that is comprehensible for all students belonging to rural and urban areas.
The step-up module needs no previous knowledge and introduces the concepts to students from the basics using interactive tools and activities so as to keep their attention undivided.

Ajay Maken New Rajasthan Congress Incharge

Two days after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government won the trust vote, the Congress has given Ajay Maken, former Union Minister and trusted confidant of Rahul Gandhi the charge of Rajasthan.
The high command removed Avinash Pande apparently on Sachin Pilot's demand.
Also, the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has constituted a high-powered committee which includes senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and Ajay Maken. According to the announcement, the committee will look to resolve issues between party leaders in Rajasthan.
The appointments come in the wake of a rebellion in the Rajasthan government with former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs revolting against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Defence Ministry Approves Major Expansion of NCC

National Cadet Corps is all set for a major expansion with a scheme focusing on the border and coastal districts of the country getting approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The proposals of the scheme were announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on 15 August. According Ministry of Defence spokesperson Bharat Bhushan Babu, a total of one lakh cadets from 173 border and coastal districts will be inducted in the NCC. One-third of the cadets would be girls.
As per Mr. Babu added that more than 1000 schools and colleges have been identified in border and coastal districts where NCC will be introduced.
As part of the expansion plan, a total of 83 NCC units will be upgraded (Army 53, Navy 20, Air Force 10), to impart NCC training to the cadets in the border and coastal areas. At present NCC is in 716 of the 718 districts of the country.
NCC DG Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra described the scheme to be farsighted as it will catalyse positive change. "This plan will be implemented in partnership with the States and will help prepare the youth for unique challenges faced in these areas and will integrate them into main stream. Trainers will be holding regular training camps which will lead to availability of trained manpower in cases of national calamity and emergency.

Aug 16, 2020

Uttar Pradesh among the Fastest Growing States in Green Projects

Uttar Pradesh is one of the fastest growing states in terms of green building projects as the state has more than 570 such projects covering over 1,400 million sq ft area, according to the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The IGBC, formed by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2001, said that as on date, India has 5,975 projects, spanning 7.55 billion sq ft of green buildings and green-built environment that are adopting its green rating programmes.
India has also bagged the prestigious distinction of becoming one of the top five countries in the world in terms of built-up area of green projects.
These projects, from both the government and private sector, have adopted IGBC's many rating systems, including homes, new buildings, healthcare facilities, schools, factories, campuses, townships, cities, and others.

All Villages to be Connected with Optical Fibre in 1,000 Days

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 announced that the task to connect India's over six-lakh villages with optical fibre network will be completed in the next 1,000 days.
Besides, high speed internet connectivity via submarine optical fibre cable will be extended to Lakshadweep in this period.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 74th Independence Day, he pointed out that only five dozen panchayats in the country were connected with optical fibre cable before 2014. In the last five years, 1.5 lakh village panchayats have been connected with optical fibre cable.

PM Announces Launch of National Digital Health Mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of the National Digital Health Mission under which every Indian will get a health ID that will store the individual's medical records.
The Prime Minister said that the Mission will help reduce problems in getting treatment in various health facilities in the country and herald a new revolution in the sector.
Modi said that the National Digital Health Mission is being launched today. This will bring a new revolution in India's health sector and it will help reduce problems in getting treatment with the help of technology.
The National Digital Health Blueprint of the mission was prepared by a health ministry panel to create a framework for the national health stack proposed in 2018 by the NITI Aayog, the government think tank.

Aug 15, 2020

India Signs MoU with Nigeria on Space Cooperation

Government of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding on space cooperation with the Federal government of Republic of Nigeria at the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
Over a virtual platform, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Abhay Thakur, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria signed the MoU on behalf of Nigeria and India respectively.
On the occasion, both sides also agreed to sign a subsidiary MOU between New Space India Limited (NSIL), under ISRO, and Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), under the Federal Ministry of Environment of Nigeria, on cooperation in use of Geospatial Technologies.

Odisha Retains Top Position in Implementation of AMRUT Scheme

Odisha has retained top position in the implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme. According to rankings released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Odisha regained its top position by securing a score of 85.67 per cent, followed by Union Territory of Chandigarh (75.08) and Telangana (74.04).
The nine cities of Odisha which are covered under the AMRUT Schemeare Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Baripada, Balasore, Bhadrak, Berhampur and Puri.
Around 400 kilometers of pipeline have been laid/replaced for the Universal Coverage of piped water supply. All the nine AMRUT cities are expected to have 100 per cent network coverage by December, 2020.
Out of the total 191 projects started under the AMRUT scheme, 148 projects have been implemented and other projects are expected to be completed before the deadline in March, 2021.
Under the AMRUT scheme, parks with well-conceived landscaping and rejuvenation facilities, open gyms and jogging trails have been developed.

Gehlot Wins Trust Vote

The Congress government in Rajasthan was marked safe for six months after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot won the confidence vote, ending month-long anxiety triggered by a rebellion.
With 123 MLAs in the 200 member Assembly professing support to Gehlot, the Congress scored an expected victory. Seeing the writing on the wall, Opposition BJP dropped its plan to bring a no-confidence motion against Gehlot.
Gehlot said that winning the trust vote is a message to the forces that are trying to destabilise elected governments in the country. Their tactics failed in Rajasthan. It is the people's unwavering trust in us and unity of our MLAs that have brought this victory.

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