General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2016

Jul 2016

May 21, 2025

Chhagan Bhujbal Sworn in as Minister in Maharashtra Cabinet

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal took oath as a minister in the Mahayuti-led Maharashtra government at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan, who administered the oath to Bhujbal. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with several prominent ministers from the Mahayuti government, were also present.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research Host Annual Conference of Vice-Chancellors and Directors ...

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) hosted the Annual Conference of Vice-Chancellors of Agricultural Universities and Directors of ICAR Institutes at Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, NASC Complex, PUSA Campus, New Delhi. Theme of the Conference was 'Convergence for Action: Shaping Agricultural Research, Education and Extension for Viksit Bharat@2047'. The event briought together key policymakers, thought leaders, and academic experts to deliberate on strategic reforms needed to strengthen India's agricultural innovation ecosystem.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, inaugurated the conference and also chaired a high-level panel on reimagining the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) for India's long-term development.
The conference included the following three core sessions: (1) Panel Discussion I: Reimagining NARS for Viksit Bharat@2047, (2) Panel Discussion II: Reorienting Agricultural Education, (3) Expert Session: Strategic directions for integrating research, education, and extension

May 20, 2025

Om Birla Inaugurates Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendra in Kota

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendra (PMDK) in Kota, Rajasthan, and distributed assistive devices to differently abled beneficiaries, bringing smiles and a renewed sense of hope to many.
The event saw the distribution of various aids designed to meet individual needs. Recipients expressed gratitude and shared their joy at the life-changing support.
The newly inaugurated centre in Kota focuses particularly on serving visually impaired individuals and offers a comprehensive range of services, including advanced rehabilitation technologies such as prosthetics, orthotics, Braille appliances, and mobility aids. The centre also promotes skill development through vocational training programmes aimed at fostering employment and entrepreneurship.

Former BJP MP Uday Singh Named First National President of Jan Suraaj Party

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor announced that former BJP MP Uday Singh was unanimously chosen as its first national president.
As per Prashant Kishor, Uday Singh will now concentrate on public outreach.
Kishor also asserted that Uday Singh, known to be providing logistical support to the party, was "chosen, not by a mere majority, but unanimously" by a committee set up for the purpose.
Uday Singh, who had won the Purnea Lok Sabha seat for the BJP in 2004 and 2009, is the younger brother of N. K. Singh, a retired bureaucrat who is also a former Rajya Sabha MP and had headed the 15th Finance Commission.

Tripura Announces Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan to Boost Agricultural Production

Aiming to boost agricultural production, the Tripura government announced the launch in the state of the central government's ambitious nationwide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan from May 29.
The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan is a pan-India campaign announced by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi recently. It will cover 723 districts in the country.

User-friendly Interface, Seamless Registration: Shah Launches Revamped OCI Portal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the revamped Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) portal and said that its updated user interface will simplify the registration process for overseas citizens.
"The new portal will provide enhanced functionality, advanced security and a user-friendly experience for the existing over five million OCI cardholders and new users.
According to the MHA, the OCI scheme was introduced through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, in 2005. "The scheme provides for the registration of Persons of Indian Origin as Overseas Citizens of India, provided they were citizens of India on or after January 26, 1950, or were eligible to become citizens on that date.

May 19, 2025

Jaishankar Embarks on Visits Netherlands, Denmark and Germany

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar embarked on a six-day visit of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany during which he is expected to highlight Pakistan's relentless support for cross-border terrorism.
Jaishankar will meet the leadership of the three countries and hold discussions with his counterparts on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, regional and global matters of mutual interest.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Observes Swachhata Pakhwada 2025

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) observed Swachhata Pakhwada 2025 from May 1 to 15, 2025 at its Headquarters in New Delhi and across all its constituents' laboratories/ institutes/units, as part of the Government of India's flagship Swachh Bharat Mission, aimed at realising Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a clean and hygienic India. The "Swachhata Pakhwada" is a concept inspired by the Prime Minister's vision. The Pakhwada was organized in accordance with the Calendar of Swachhata Pakhwada 2025 issued by the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India

After Tharoor, Manish Tewari Agrees to be on Government Outreach Panel

After Shashi Tharoor, Chandigarh MP and former Minister Manish Tewari declared he would travel with the government delegation appointed to undertake global outreach on Operation Sindoor and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
Tharoor and Tewari, besides Salman Khurshid and Amar Singh, are among Congress leaders who feature in the final list of multi-party delegations the government finalised for travel across countries between May 24 and June 3. None of these four are on the official Congress nominee list for the exercise.

Yusuf Pathan Drops Out of 'Terror Outreach' Delegation

Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker and former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan withdrew his name from the all-party delegation that will visit international capitals disseminating India's stance on Operation Sindoor across the globe. Trinamool is the only party so far to withdraw its MP from the delegation.
According to two TMC leaders, the party objected to the way the government directly nominated a TMC MP without consulting the party.

May 17, 2025

Ex-Union Minister John Barla Joins Trinamool Congress

BJP leader and former Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla joined the Trinamool Congress.
John Barla, who represented Alipurduar constituency from 2019 to 2024, started distancing himself from the BJP since he was denied a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

May 16, 2025

Central Government Appoints Solicitor General Tushar Mehta-led Team for the 26/11 Trial

The Central government appointed a team of special public prosecutors (SPPs), headed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, to conduct the trial in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case.
Pakistani-origin Canadian-American, Tahawwur Rana, is an accused in the case, and he was extradited to India from the United States last month.
Apart from Mehta, Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju and senior advocates Dayan Krishnan and Narender Mann are part of the prosecutorial team.
They will represent the National Investigation Agency (NIA) before the special courts at Delhi, the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India.

India-EU Join Hands to Find Innovative Research Solutions to Marine Plastic Litter and Waste to H...

India and the European Union (EU) launched two major research and innovation initiatives under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The TTC was established in 2022, by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen to strengthen the bilateral partnership on trade and technology. With a joint investment of Rs. 391 crore, the initiatives focus on two coordinated calls in the areas of Marine Plastic Litter (MPL) and Waste to Green Hydrogen (W2GH), co-funded by Horizon Europe—the EU's research and innovation framework programme—and the Government of India.

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