General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2016

Aug 2016

Feb 03, 2022

TMC to Contest in Uttar Pradesh in 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not contest the Uttar Pradesh elections but will field candidates in the state in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Mamata Banerjee, who was re-elected as TMC chairperson at a party event on Wednesday, said Trinamool Congress will support Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Chhattisgarh Government Implements 'One Nation One Ration Card' Plan

Chhattisgarh implemented 'One Nation One Ration Card' (ONORC) plan, enabling the people of the state to lift their foodgrains quota entitled under the food law from any ration shops across the country.
With the integration of Chhattisgarh, the ONORC plan is now operational in 35 States/UTs covering almost 96.8 per cent NFSA population (about 77 crore NFSA beneficiaries) in the country.
The ONORC is a technology driven distribution system which makes food security portable across the country and is very beneficial for migratory NFSA beneficiaries, who frequently change their place of dwelling in search of temporary employments, etc.

Indian Envoys and Mission Officers to be Judged on 3Ts

Keeping up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of achieving USD 400 billion in merchandise exports, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) directed all its missions abroad to evaluate all the officers only on basis of 3Ts. The three Ts are trade, technology, and tourism.
While it is expected that India will be achieve the USD 400 billion target by March 31, 2022, foreign secretary Harsh Shringla has sent a letter to all ambassadors and heads of missions stating that the entire mission should be functioning like a team rather than leave the job of enhancing the 3Ts to the officers concerned.
India has already crossed USD 334 billion in mercantile exports, highest ever on annualised basis. It is also higher compared to past achievement in any 12 month period.

Amaravati Remains the Capital City of Andhra Pradesh

Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha that Amaravati remains the capital city of Andhra Pradesh and that the State government has withdrawn a law to create three capital cities.
The Minister also said that the division of assets between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, can be speedily undertaken with mutual agreement and the Centre can only act as a coordinating agency.

Feb 02, 2022

Fifteen Former Bureaucrats Appointed EC's Special Observers

Fifteen former bureaucrats with experience in the electoral process were appointed as special observers for the assembly polls in five states.
They will be supervising and monitoring the work being done by the electoral machinery in their assigned states and ensure that stringent and effective action is taken based on intelligence inputs and complaints.
The 15 officers will work as special general, police and expenditure observers in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Mamata Banerjee Re-elected TMC Chief Unopposed

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was re-elected as the TMC chairperson.
The ruling Trinamool Congress held its organisational elections after a gap of five years.
Banerjee was declared elected without a contest as no other leader entered the fray.
A total of 48 proposers and seconders had submitted nominations in favour of Mamata Banerjee, as there was no other nomination for the post of chairperson.
Mamata Banerjee had founded the party in 1998 after breaking away from the Congress, and has headed it ever since.

Senior Leader Amarjeet Singh Tikka Quits Party

In a big jolt to Congress in Punjab, senior leader Amarjeet Singh Tikka resigned from all posts in the party. Amarjeet Singh Tikka holds the office of Punjab Medium Industry Development Board Chairman.
The development comes a day after the Congress announced the candidature of Ishwarjot Singh Cheema from Ludhiana South, a seat Tikka wanted to contest.

Lalpura Resigns as NCM Chief

Former IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura resigned as the chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) after being fielded by the BJP from Punjab's Rupnagar constituency in the upcoming assembly polls.
The BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with former chief minister Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).
Lalpura was a BJP spokesperson and had also been an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in the past.

Feb 01, 2022

Punjab's CEO Unveils Election Mascot

To increase voter awareness and participation in the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls, the state Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office unveiled its election mascot, "Shera".
Five persons with disabilities (PwDs) were specially invited on the occasion as the guests of honour.
Promoted under the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) project, the mascot aims to increase voter awareness and participation in the upcoming polls and promote ethical voting.

SC Collegium Recommends Justice Munishwar Bhandari as Madras High Court CJ

The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice N. V. Ramana recommended to the Centre that Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari be appointed as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
The collegium, which also comprised senior most judges Justices U. U. Lalit and A. M. Khanwilkar, held deliberations on December 14, 2021 and January 29, 2022, recommended 17 names for appointment as judges in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa High Courts.
Justice Bhandari, whose parent High Court is the Rajasthan HC, has been serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

Usha Sharma is Rajasthan Chief Secretary

Senior bureaucrat Usha Sharma was appointed the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan following the retirement of Niranjan Arya, who was made an adviser to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Ms. Sharma is the second woman to hold the top bureaucratic post in the State.
Ms. Sharma, a 1985-batch IAS officer, was on the Central deputation in New Delhi since 2012. She was the Secretary of the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry and she earlier served as the Additional Director General of Tourism and Director General of Archaeological Survey of India.
The first woman Chief Secretary of Rajasthan was Kushal Singh, who served in that position from February 2009 to October 2009 during the Congress regime. She was appointed Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in 2013 following her retirement.

Andhra Pradesh Brings in Ordinance to Raise Retirement Age of Govt. Employees

The Andhra Pradesh government enhanced the retirement age for its employees by two years to 62. Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan promulgated the AP Public Employment (Regulation of Age of Superannuation) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022 to this effect.
On January 21, the state Cabinet approved the proposal to amend the AP Public Employment (Regulation of Age of Superannuation) Act, 1984 in line with the announcement made by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The amendment to the Act would come into effect from January 1, 2022.
The Act was previously amended in 2014 increasing the retirement age from 58 to 60 years.

Rajesh Verma Given Additional Charge of Finance Secretary

Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) Secretary Rajesh Verma was given the additional charge of the Finance Secretary.
This comes in as the current Deputy Financial Services (DFS) Secretary, Debasish Panda, was not given an extension of tenure. Panda's term ended on January 31, 2022.
Panda, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, was appointed as the Finance Secretary in February 2020. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had approved his appointment as secretary, department of financial services, in place of Rajiv Kumar.
Verma, who is currently the Corporate Affairs Secretary, is a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre. He was appointed as MCA Secretary in April 2020. In the same year, he was also appointed as the chairman of the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA). He shall be the head of authority as long as he holds the post of secretary at the ministry of corporate affairs.

India and Russia Agree to Deepen Cooperation at the UN Security Council

India and Russia agreed to deepen cooperation at the UN Security Council after the two sides held wide-ranging talks on issues before the global body.
Russia is set to assume the presidency of the UN Security Council in February.
The two sides held bilateral consultations on UN-related issues at a meeting in Delhi.
The Indian delegation was led by Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West) in the MEA, while the Russian delegation was led by Ambassador Sergey Vasilyevich Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Jan 31, 2022

PM Modi Addresses National Commission for Women Foundation Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the National Commission for Women (NCW) Foundation Day programme.
The theme for the 2022 foundation day was 'She The Change Maker'.
The National Commission for Women was set up as a statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 to review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women, recommend remedial legislative measures, facilitate redressal of grievances and advise the government on all policy matters affecting women.
The first head of the commission was Jayanti Patnaik.
It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Manipur Gets Freight Train Connectivity for the First Time in 75 Years

A freight train chugged into the Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station in Goinanglong of Tamenglong district, thereby putting Manipur on the country's railway map.
The freight train arrived at the Rani Gaidinliu station in the north-eastern state, days after a passenger train from Silchar in Assam reached the Bongaichungpao railway station in Manipur.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands Rural Polls & Port Blair Municipal Council Election

The Election Commissioner of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Narendra Kumar announced that the election to all gram panchayats, panchayat samitis, Zilla Parishad and Port Blair Municipal Council of the union territory will be held on March 6.
Election to the gram panchayat of Netaji Nagar and Hut Bay will not be held.
The election will take place on March 6 and counting of votes will be held on March 8.

India's Largest EV Charging Station at Gurgaon

India's largest electric vehicle (EV) charging station with a capacity of 100 charging points for 4 wheelers, was opened at Delhi-Jaipur National Highway in Gurugram, Haryana. Previously, India's largest EV charging station was situated in Navi Mumbai with 16 AC & 4 DC charging ports for EVs. The new EV charging station was developed by tech-piloting company Alektrify Private Limited.

BJP to Contest all Manipur Assembly Seats

BJP will contest all the 60 seats of Manipur Assembly and announced its entire list of candidates for the February-March election.
The list of candidates was released at the BJP state headquarters here and signed by party national general secretary Arun Singh.
Among the main contestants are Chief Minister N Biren Singh who will be contesting from Heingang constituency, PWD Minister Th Biswajit Singh from Thongju, Govindas Konthoujam, the former Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president who joined BJP recently, from Bishnupur.

Jan 30, 2022

Technical Help from Israel

The Centre decided to convert as many as 150 villages into 'Villages of Excellence' in 12 States with technical assistance from the Israel government.
Already, the Israel government has established 29 Centre of Excellence (CoEs) in 12 States, which are producing more than 25 million vegetable plants, over 3,87,000 quality fruit plants and can train more than 1.2 lakh farmers per year.
The 150 villages that are located around CoEs will be converted into 'Villages of Excellence.' "Out of which, 75 villages are being taken up in the first year to commemorate the 75th year of India's independence, where India and Israel will work together.

BJP Richest Party in 2019-20, Followed by BSP and Congress

The BJP declared assets worth Rs. 4,847.78 crore in the financial year 2019-20, the highest among all political parties, followed by the BSP at Rs. 698.33 crore and the Congress at Rs. 588.16 crore, according to poll reforms advocacy group ADR.
The Association for Democratic Reforms prepared its report based on its analysis of assets and liabilities of national and regional parties in 2019-20.
According to the analysis, the total assets declared by the seven national and 44 regional parties during the financial year amounted to Rs. 6,988.57 crore and Rs. 2,129.38 crore, respectively.

1,000 Drones Light up Delhi Sky at 'Beating Retreat' Ceremony

A thousand drones dazzled the sky above national capital Delhi for the first time ever, as part of a drone show which highlighted the 'Beating Retreat' ceremony.
The event at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi was graced by President and Supreme Commander of the armed forces, Ram Nath Kovind. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among the many dignitaries who witnessed the show.
According to the defence ministry, the 10-minute drone show commemorated the 75 years of Independence that is being celebrated this year as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'. It was conceptualised, designed, produced and choreographed under the Centre's 'Make in India' initiative.

Highlights of 12 State/UT Tableaux

A total of 21 tableaux from twelve states and union territories participated in the Republic Day parade 2022.
Meghalaya showcased fifty years of its statehood. This included the women led self-help groups and women cooperative societies. The tableau also showcased cane handicrafts and bamboo handicrafts.
Gujarat showcased tribal revolutionaries. This included the Pal Dadhvav Martyrs, where more than 1,200 innocent people were killed by the British.
Goa showcased its tableau based on the theme, "Symbols of Gone Heritage". It also showcased different natural and historical attractions.
The theme of Haryana's tableau was "Haryana Number One on Sports". Haryana had brought maximum number of medals in national and international sports, especially Olympics.
The theme of the Uttarakhand's tableau is "Pragati Ki or Badhta Uttarakhand". It showcased the recent developments in connectivity and religious sites.
The theme Arunachal Pradesh Tableau was "Anglo Abor Adiverse". It depicted the struggle of the ethnic groups against the Britishers. 16 dancers performed the Tapu dance. The Abor are the Galo people. They are the descendants of Abotani. They speak Tani Galo language. They are listed under the Scheduled Tribe list since 1950.
The Theme of Karanatak was Credo of Traditional Handicrafts. The theme is based on the Godhan Nayay Yojana.
Only 21 tableaux took part in the parade due to less time and space. The states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal did not participate in the state and had raised concerns over this.
The central theme was "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav". It aims to celebrate 75 years of Indian independence.

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