General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

Jul 20, 2020

OP Dhankar BJP's Haryana Unit President

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J. P. Nadda appointed Om Prakash Dhankar as the head of party Haryana unit. Dhankar's appointment is with immediate effect.
By appointing Dhankar, the BJP has continued with a Jat face, the most dominant caste in the state. The appointment is also seen as an attempt to balance the caste equations in the state, where politics revolves around Jats and non-Jats. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is also a non-Jat.
Dhankar replaced Subhash Barala.

New Consumer Protection Act 2019 Comes into Force

The newly enacted Consumer Protection Act comes to force from 20th July, replacing more than three decades old Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
The new Consumer Protection Act 2019 seeks to revamp the process of administration and settlement of consumer disputes, with strict penalties, including jail term for adulteration and misleading ads by firms.
The bill, among other things, proposes setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. The CCPA would make interventions to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices. The agency can also initiate class action, including enforcing recall, refund and return of products.

Jul 19, 2020

Seven Chinese Companies May Face Action in India for Having Links with PLA

Chinese global giants like Huawei, Alibaba and others having a direct or indirect link with the Chinese Army and could soon face action in India. These companies are among 7 Chinese companies which the government sources claim having deep links with the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
The 7 Chinese companies under the scanner are Xindia Steels, Xinxing Cathay international, China electronic technology group, Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent and SAIC motor corporation. As per government sources, these companies are under watch and could face potential action.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Meets Governor Kalraj Mishra

Amid the ongoing political drama in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday met Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan and handed him a letter confirming that two MLAs of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) are backing his government.
Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje broke her silence on the ongoing political crisis in the state and said that it is unfortunate that the people of Rajasthan have to bear the brunt of the infighting in Congress.
In 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, Congress currently has 107 MLAs, including Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs who have been issued notices of disqualification by Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C. P. Joshi.

Central Government Allows Contributions from Any Person or Institution in NDRF

The Centre allowed contributions from any person or institution in the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)
The Centre has laid out the modalities for receipt of contributions/grants from any person or institution for the purpose of disaster management in the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) as per Section 46(1)(b) of the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005.
Contributions/grants can be made by any person or institution in NDRF through physical instruments, RTGS/NEFT/UPI and Bharatkosh portal.
The central government has laid out step by step instructions on how to contribute to NDRF through Bharatkosh portal using net banking, debit cards, credit cards and UPI.

Jul 18, 2020

MHRD Launches First Online NISHTHA Programme

Union HRD (Human Resource Development) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister of State (MoS) for HRD Sanjay Dhotre jointly launched the first online National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) programme for 1,200 key resources persons (KRPs) of Andhra Pradesh (AP), virtually from New Delhi.
Originally NISHTHA was launched in face-to-face mode in August 2019, but COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has affected the conduct of this programme, therefore, NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) has customised NISHTHA for an online mode through the DIKSHA and NISHTHA portals.
NISHTHA is organised at the elementary stage under Samagra Shiksha, a Centrally sponsored flagship programme of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to improve learning outcomes and holistic development of children.
NISHTHA is the world's largest teachers' training programme of its kind. 33 states and union territories launched this programme in collaboration under Samagra Shiksha.

India Speeds Up Connectivity Projects with Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh

India is working fast on regional connectivity projects in South Asian countries of Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh with the focus of generating employment and faster movement of people and goods.
The Maldives will see the expansion of Hanimaadhoo Airport under the Indian line of credit. The Line of Credit was announced during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's State visit to India in Dec 2018 which was the first foreign visit of the leader after the election victory that year.
When it comes to Bhutan, a new trade route was opened from West Bengal's Jaigaon to Ahlay, Pasakha in Bhutan. The new land route for movement of industrial raw materials and goods destined for Pasakha Industrial Estate in Bhutan is expected to not only boost bilateral trade & commerce but also lead to decongestion of vehicular traffic along the Jaigaon-Phuentsholing route.
Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya Digitally flagged off the first trial container ship from Kolkata to Agartala through Chattogram Port of Bangladesh. The new route will reduce time and logistics cost for cargo movement and connect North-East India to Bangladeshi ports.

Jul 17, 2020

Bihar Assembly Polls: EC Limits Postal Ballot Facility

The EC said that the option of postal ballots would be available to electors over 80 years of age, persons with disabilities, essential service workers and those infected with COVID-19 or suspected to be.
The Election Commission said the postal ballot facility for electors above the age of 65 in the Bihar Assembly elections, which would have been the first time it would have been used since the Centre had notified it on June 19, would not be implemented.
The EC took the decision for the Assembly and the by-elections that are due soon due to logistical challenges. It had instructed Bihar authorities to limit the number of electors to 1,000 per polling station due to the pandemic, for which 34,000 additional stations are being set up.

Telangana Police Launch 'CybHER' Campaign to Tackle Cybercrime

Telangana Police launched a month-long virtual awareness campaign 'CybHER' in the wake of cybercrime against the women and children in the state.
Swati Lakra, Additional DGP incharge of women safety including 'SHE Teams' and 'Bharosa' for Telangana, told ANI, "Women Safety Wing, Telangana Police has launched 'CybHER' campaign today, to make cyberspace safe for women and children."
SHE teams are constituted to handle eve-teasing cases and 'Bharosa' is the centre for assisting women to deal with legal matters and to provide shelter to victims of trafficking.
This virtual awareness campaign covers a multitude of themes pertaining to cyber safety and aims to create awareness and offer proactive measures.
This campaign was launched by Telangana DGP Mahender Reddy, IPS and we are partnering with the legal aid cell of Symbiosis Law College.

Jul 16, 2020

Anji Khad Bridge: Indian Railways' 1st Cable-stayed Rail Bridge

According to Minister of Railways, Piyush Vedprakash Goyal, India's first cable-stayed Indian Railways bridge namely "Anji Khad Bridge" being developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), a Government of India undertaking, is all set to connect Katra and Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The cable-stayed railway bridge is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, which passes through the Young Himalayas.
The USBRL project also involves the Chenab River Bridge. The Chenab Bridge once completed, will become the world's highest rail bridge.
The total length of the Anji Khad Bridge is 473.25 metres.

Congress Dissolves District, Block Committees in Rajasthan

The Congress dissolved its all district and block committees in Rajasthan in a bid to revamp the state unit of the party. Announcing the decision, AICC general secretary in-charge for the Rajasthan Congress Avinash Pande said that new committees will be formed soon.
The decision came in the wake of Sachin Pilot's sacking as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state Congress Chief. The move is considered a step forward in removing all Pilot's men holding party positions at the grassroots level.

Simanchala Dash Gets Extension as Principal Special Director, Enforcement Directorate

Senior revenue service officer Simanchala Dash was given one-year extension as Principal Special Director, Enforcement Directorate.
Dash is an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer of 1988 batch.
Dash, former Private Secretary to then Finance Minister (late) Arun Jaitley, was in March 2018 appointed as the Principal Special Director, a newly created post then.
His appointment was for two years in the Central probe agency, tasked with investigating money laundering among other related offences.
Sanjay Kumar Mishra, IRS (Income Tax) officer of 1984 batch, is the chief of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

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