General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2016

Aug 2016

Aug 08, 2022

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba Gets One-year Extension

The Centre gave a one-year extension to Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
Gauba, former Union Home Secretary, was in 2019 appointed to the country's top bureaucratic post for two years. This is his second extension on the post. He was given a one-year extension in August 2021.
Gauba is a 1982-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre.
Gauba has also served as Secretary in the Union Urban Development Ministry, Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry, looking after crucial left wing extremism division, among other responsibilities.

Arunachal Pradesh: Hollongi Greenfield Airport Named 'Donyi Polo Airport'

The under-construction Greenfield Airport was named as Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar," announced Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu.
According to the state government this name of the lone Airport in the Capital city symbolizes the age-old tradition and rich cultural heritage of the tribal State and also will reflect the people's age-old indigenous reverence on the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo).

PM Modi Chairs NITI Aayog Governing Council Meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the seventh Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
The meeting was the first in-person meeting of the Governing Council after July 2019.
The agenda of the NITI Aayog meeting included achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds and pulses and agri-communities, National Education Policy and crop diversification, including other things.
The NITI Aayog's Governing Council comprises all Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories and several Union Ministers.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, did not attend the Niti Aayog meeting. He said that the Centre's think tank and its meetings serve "no constructive purpose" and that participating Chief Ministers are given "hardly a few minutes" to express their views.

Jagdeep Dhankhar Elected as 14th Vice President of India

Jagdeep Dhankhar was elected as the 14th Vice President of India. Jagdeep Dhankhar was the candidate nominated by the NDA from BJP. He will be administering the oath to the office on August 11, just after the tenure of incumbent Vice President Venkaiah Naidu ends. Jagdeep Dhankhar was serving as the Governor of West Bengal before getting nominated for the Vice President Elections 2022. The Opposition of Vice President Elections 2022 was Margaret Alva who is an ex-Union Minister and former five-times Congress MP.
A total of 725 MPs registered their votes, and 63 skipped the Vice President Elections 2022. 710 votes were found valid, and 15 were invalid out of 725 votes. Jagdeep Dhankhar secured 528 votes, which is higher than the minimum of 363 votes that were required for the victory. Jagdeep Dhankhar had the support of more than 425 lawmakers. Parties like Biju Janata Party (BJD), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Shiv Sena, and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) were there to extend their support to Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Opposition Margaret Alva received the votes of 208 MPs.

LG Manoj Sinha Flags off 'The Great India Run' from Srinagar's Lal

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off The Great India Run from Lal Chowk.
The marathoners would cover a distance of more than 800 kilometres from Srinagar to New Delhi with the message of peace and national integration.
The run was dedicated to the 'HarGharTiranga' campaign to mark 'AzadiKaAmritMahotsav'. The venue was decorated with 75 Indian tricolours to mark 75 years of Independence.
The relay-run will go across four states covering the routes -- Banihal, Patnitop, Mansar Lake, Dinanagar, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Ambala Cantt -- before culminating at India Gate on the occasion of Independence Day.
The first leg of the run was led by ultra-marathon runner Arun Bhardwaj.
Some of India's most iconic sports legends including PT Usha, 'Queen' of Track and Field'; Anju Bobby George, World Championship medalist; Commonwealth champions, former Indian cricketers, footballers among others will join in the various legs of the run.

Aug 07, 2022

Goa Police and Blockchain Network 5ire Agree to work to Build Smart Policing

In order to digitise its operations, Goa Police inked an agreement (MoU) with Level-1 blockchain network 5ire. S.P. Crime, Nidhin Valsan, IPS, and Pratik Gauri, the founder and CEO of 5ire, signed the MoU. Goa would become the first police state in India to totally abandon paper with the signing of this MoU.
With the implementation of a smart policing solution to increase openness and efficiency in policing, the MoU would establish a public-private collaboration between 5ire and the Goa Police.
It will make processes more efficient and give stakeholders a more accurate picture of all events. The digitisation and digitalization of offline systems would also be aided by the MoU.

State-of-the-Art Police Command Centre Comes Up in Hyderabad

A state-of-the-art command and control centre termed "Police Towers", a nerve centre for operations and disaster management, was inaugurated by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
Telangana State Police Integrated Command and Control Centre (TSPICCC), the 83.5-metre tall building, features a 480-seat auditorium, a media centre, training facilities, and conference halls spread across 6.42 lakh square feet, including parking on 2.16 lakh square feet, solar panels, STP, and a glass facade, among other amenities.
The Hyderabad Police Commissionerate is housed in Tower A - a 20 storey building and Tower B is a Technology Fusion Centre, designed to gather data from various apps, emergency response systems, such as Dial 100, social media, and highways watch from all over the state so that there can be an integrated approach.
Tower C houses an auditorium and Tower D will have a media and training centre. There is a multi-agency integrated command control centre located on Tower E's fourth, fifth, and sixth floors.
The tower houses separate chambers for the state Home Minister, state police chief and other top officials. There is also a war room on the seventh floor from where the Chief Minister can oversee disaster relief or emergency operations.

Aug 06, 2022

For Next "Make in Odisha" Summit in 2022, Odisha and FICCI Ink an MoU

A Memorandum of Understanding between the state-run Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha and the business organisation Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) designates the latter as a national industry partner for the Make in Odisha Conclave 2022. The Odisha government's Principal Secretary for Industries, Hemant Sharma, emphasised that "Make in Odisha" is the state's most entrepreneurial event and draws investors, businesspeople, and industrialists alike.
Pratap Keshari Deb, the Minister for Industries, MSME, and Energy for the Government of Odisha, stated that the Make in Odisha Conclave will be held for the third time this year.
The inaugural edition in 2016 received approximately Rs. 2 Lakh crore in investment intent, which was a tremendous response.
The Odisha government has made proactive steps to diversify the state's economic ecosystem, putting particular emphasis on industries like chemicals and petrochemicals, textiles, and apparel.

India's Updated NDC will be Communicated to UNFCCC: Centre to HC

The Centre informed the Delhi High Court that it approved India's updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and it will be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Union Cabinet approved India's updated NDC, incorporating two of the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Glasgow conference -- reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 45 per cent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels, and achieving about 50 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by that year.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad was informed about the development during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking constitution of an expert committee for the realisation of the promises made by India at the UNFCCC.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing the Centre, said the Cabinet has approved the updated NDC on Wednesday itself.
Taking note of the submissions, the bench allowed petitioner lawyer Rohit Madan, who was represented through advocate Akshay R, to withdraw the petition.

Aug 05, 2022

IFS Officer Shweta Singh is Director of PMO

Shweta Singh, a 2008 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was appointed as a director in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Singh's appointment for a period of three years from the date of her joining.
The ACC cancelled the appointment of Aniket Govind Mandavgane, a 2009-batch IFS officer, as the Deputy Secretary in the PMO. Mandavgane was on July 18 appointed as the Deputy Secretary.
The Prime Minister's Office consists of the immediate staff of the Prime Minister of India, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the Prime Minister. The PMO is headed by the Principal Secretary, currently Pramod Kumar Misra.

Haryana Congress Leader Kuldeep Bishnoi Resigns as MLA

Adampur Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned from the Haryana Vidhan Sabha. Kuldeep handed over his resignation to Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta in the presence of his wife and former MLA Renuka Bishnoi. He is likely to join the BJP.
Kuldeep is a two-time Member of Parliament, and four-time member of legislative assembly from Adampur. He is the younger son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal.

Aug 04, 2022

India to Host UN Security Council Members for Special Meeting on Counter-terrorism in October

India will host diplomats of the 15-nation UN Security Council on October 29 for a special meeting on counter-terrorism.
India is halfway through the second year of its two-year term as an elected non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
India's tenure at the Council will end in December when the country will also preside as president of the powerful UN organ for the month.
India chairs the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee for 2022 and will in October host diplomats of the 15-nation Security Council, including the US, China and Russia, for the counter-terrorism committee's special meeting.

Tiranga Bike Rally Organised by Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy

The Vice President flagged off the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' bike rally of MPs from Red Fort to Vijay Chowk. The rally was organised by the Ministry of Culture to amplify the awareness of 'Har Ghar Tiranga', the Govt of India initiative to inculcate a personal connect between the citizens of India and the National Flag. Various Union Ministers too participated in the bike rally. The bike rally was held from Red Fort to Vijay Chowk.

Mamata Reshuffles Cabinet, Supriyo and 7 others Take Oath as Ministers

Former Union minister Babul Supriyo, agricultural expert Pradip Majumdar and six other Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators took oath as West Bengal ministers after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee carried out a major reshuffle of her cabinet amid a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the bribe-for-job scam that has rocked the state.
Four MLAs – Supriyo (Ballygunge constituency), Majumdar (Durgapur East), Snehasish Chakraborty (Jangipara) and Udayan Guha (Dinhata) – were sworn in as cabinet ministers by Governor La Ganesan at Raj Bhawan in the presence of the Chief Minister.
Majumdar, Chakraborty and Guha, whose father Kamal Guha was a well-known minister in the Left Front era, were given charge of the departments of panchayat and rural development, transport and north Bengal development, respectively.

Centre Withdraws Personal Data Protection Bill

After four years of deliberations, the government on Wednesday withdrew the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, 2019, which is to be replaced with one that has a comprehensive framework and is in alignment with contemporary digital privacy laws.
As per Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the government withdrew the Bill because the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) had recommended 81 amendments to it, which has 99 sections. The JPC had made 12 recommendations.

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