General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2016

Sep 2016

Sep 15, 2024

R. Ravindra Appointed as Ambassador to Iceland

The government issued an order appointing R. Ravindra, an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1999 batch, as India's next ambassador to Iceland. He currently holds the key position of India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Before he joined as representative at the UN in September 2020, Ravindra was Joint Secretary (Central and West Africa) at the MEA in New Delhi.
Previously, he served at the Indian Embassy in Cairo from 2001-2003 and Libya's Tripoli from 2003-2007. Earlier, he served at India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York from 2010-2013 and at the Indian Embassy in Colombo from 2013-2016. He also served as India's Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire, with concurrent accreditation to Liberia and Guinea from 2016 to 2018.

MP Tops the List of Having AYUSH Doctors in PHCs in India

Madhya Pradesh topped in the country among states for having AYUSH facilities at 328 primary health centres in the state's urban areas, according to state government officials.
According to the report 'Health Dynamics of India – Infrastructure and Human Resources', released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Madhya Pradesh also ranked second in the number of district hospitals with 52, led by Uttar Pradesh with 125 and Delhi on third place with 40.
MP is also third in terms of tribal pockets, where there are AYUSH doctors available at 228 primary and community health centres. Odisha ranks first with 296 AYUSH doctors and Chhattisgarh is second with 279.
The report gives a comparative analysis of health infrastructure, technical staffing and availability of specialist doctors across states. It notes an increase in availability of specialist doctors, including surgeons, gynecologists, pediatricians, pharmacists, lab technicians, nursing staff and radiographers.

Sep 14, 2024

National Health Authority and IIT Kanpur Sign MoU

The National Health Authority (NHA) and IIT Kanpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra. The partnership aims to revolutionise Artificial Intelligence in health research with an innovative data platform.
A federated learning platform across a variety of machine learning model pipelines, a quality-preserving database, an open benchmarking platform for comparing & validating AI models, and a consent management system for research under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) would be developed by IIT Kanpur.
The platform will subsequently be operated and governed by NHA, thereby unlocking the immense potential of AI for improving health outcomes.
ABDM aims to establish a robust digital health ecosystem through active collaboration between public and private sectors.
It also aims to integrate various healthcare entities—hospitals, clinics, labs, pharmacies, health insurance companies, and more to improve patient care, accessibility, and affordability.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Inaugurates 2nd Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference

Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, inaugurated the 2nd Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation (APMC) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The event witnessed the participation of Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano, and Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Vumlunmang Vualnam, along with Directors General and distinguished delegates from 29 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.
Rammohan Naidu expressed his gratitude to the President of ICAO for his unwavering support and congratulated ICAO on its 80th anniversary, recognizing its role in advancing global aviation standards and safety. He lauded the enthusiasm of the delegates and emphasized that the conference reflects the shared vision of the Asia-Pacific region to build a more connected, resilient and robust aviation landscape.

Sep 13, 2024

Cabinet Approves Rs. 2,000-Crore 'Mission Mausam'

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved 'Mission Mausam', with an outlay of Rs. 2,000 crore over two years. The mission, led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, aims to enhance research and development in atmospheric sciences and improve weather forecasting and management. The initiative will integrate advanced observation systems, high-performance computing, and technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to set new standards in weather prediction.
Three institutes of the Ministry of Earth Sciences – the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting – will primarily implement Mission Mausam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurates SEMICON India 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated SEMICON India 2024 at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The three-day conference, from September 11 to 13, showcased India's semiconductor strategy and policy with the aim of positioning the country as a global semiconductor hub.
PM Modi expressed gratitude to SEMI members, noting that India is the eighth country to host such a global semiconductor event. He emphasized the current favorable timing for the semiconductor industry in India, stating.
The event was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Jitin Prasad, and leaders from major semiconductor companies. SEMICON India 2024, themed "Shaping the Semiconductor Future," featured over 250 exhibitors and 150 speakers, bringing together global leaders and experts from the semiconductor industry.

Sep 12, 2024

Piyush Goyal Inaugurates Akurli Bridge

Piyush Goyal, as he inaugurated the Akurli bridge on the Western Express Highway in Mumbai, stated that this will not just benefit North Mumbai but will benefit the entire city. He is also Member of Parliament from Mumbai North.
The completion of this road work brings significant relief to lakhs of Mumbaikars, as it addresses a major traffic bottleneck on one of the city's arterial roads. The project is expected to bring dual benefits to the citizens, save valuable time and fuel.

NITI Aayog Releases Report On Future Pandemic Preparedness

NITI Aayog released a new report that provides a blueprint of a rapid response system in the event of a public health emergency or pandemic.
The report titled 'Future Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response - A Framework for Action' was prepared by an expert group constituted by the government think tank.
The new report provides an action plan for a 100-day response to any outbreak or pandemic.
It outlines the detailed roadmap for preparedness and implementation, indicating the steps on how the outbreak can be tracked, tested, treated, and managed through a well-developed framework.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, which claimed over 7 million lives globally, and more than half a million lives were lost in India, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of more such health threats.

Sep 11, 2024

Amit Shah Re-Elected as Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Official Language

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, was unanimously re-elected as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language. Following the formation of the new government, the committee held a meeting in New Delhi to reconstitute itself, leading to Shah's re-election. He previously served as the Chairperson from 2019 to 2024. Shah expressed gratitude for the unanimous support and discussed his vision for Hindi's role in government and education.
Under Shah's leadership, the Committee has worked to enrich Hindi by integrating words from local languages, creating a Shabdkosh, and developing software for automatic translation of all languages in the Eighth Schedule. This initiative aims to advance Hindi's acceptance and functionality in government work.
The Parliamentary Committee on Official Language was established under Section 4 of the Official Languages Act, 1963, in 1976, comprising 30 members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Tripura's Rajib Bhattacharjee, Assam's Ranjan Das Sworn in as Rajya Sabha MPs

Two newly-elected members of the Rajya Sabha, including Tripura BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharjee and former Assam MLA Mission Ranjan Das, were sworn-in at New Delhi.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar administered the oath to the two members of Parliament in presence of BJP National President and Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda and others.
Bhattacharjee was elected after he got 47 of the 60 votes and defeated his opponent former CPI(M) MLA Sudhan Das.

Rajesh Verma Assume Charge as CAQM Chairperson

Rajesh Verma, an officer of the 1987 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Odisha Cadre, took charge as the new full-time Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM). Verma was appointed for a period of three years. He has an experience of over three and half decades and expertise in public administration and governance.
Verma has an extensive experience of working in different departments of the Central and State Governments including President's Secretariat, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Power, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd. (REC), New Delhi, Departments of Education, Steel & Mines, Agriculture and Energy under Government of Odisha, Industrial Development Corporations under Government of Odisha and Government of Rajasthan. He has been key stakeholders to addressing the issue of air pollution in these organizations/ departments.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was established as a statutory body by the government in August 2021 as an overarching body to carry out air quality management in Delhi NCR.

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