General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2016

Sep 2016

Dec 10, 2022

Election Commission Accepts Name Change of TRS to Bharat Rashtra Samithi

The Election Commission informed TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that it has accepted the name change of his party from Telangana Rashtra Samithi to Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
Telangana's ruling TRS on October 5 changed its name to 'BRS', heralding the party's foray into 'national politics'. A resolution to this effect was passed at the party's general body meeting here. Rao read out the resolution and announced that the party's general body meet unanimously resolved to change the name from TRS to BRS.

Delhi Gets its First Transgender Councillor as AAP's Bobby Kinnar

The national capital's municipal corporation got its first transgender councillor as Bobby Kinnar, who was fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party, won from Sultanpuri 43 A ward of Sultanpur Majra Assembly.
Bobby defeated Congress's Varuna Dhaka by 6,714 votes.
Bobby is a known face in the Sultanpuri area. She had also contested the MCD elections in 2017 as an independent candidate. She has been associated with the AAP since the Anna Hazare movement and later when the party was formed.
Bobby Kinnar is the president of the Delhi unit of 'Hindu Yuva Samaj Ekta Awam Anti-Terrorism Committee'. Bobby has been associated with this organisation for the last 15 years.

Dec 09, 2022

9th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo 2022 Inaugurated in Goa

The World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo 2022 will be held in Goa from 8-11 December with an objective to provide a global platform to stakeholders, including industry leaders, practitioners, traditional healers, educationists, students, medicine manufacturers, etc. for networking and engaging in intellectual exchange to strengthen the Ayurveda sector, envision its future, and facilitate interaction between professionals and consumers to boost Ayurveda commerce.
The theme for the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) this year is 'Ayurveda For One Health'.

Meghalaya Govt. Unveils Asia's First Drone Delivery Hub

The Meghalaya government in partnership with start-up TechEagle unveiled Asia's first drone delivery hub and network which is aimed at providing universal access to healthcare for the people in the state.
The project is aimed at delivering vital supplies like drugs, diagnostic samples, vaccines, blood and blood components quickly and safely to different regions of the state using a dedicated drone delivery network.
The first official drone flight took off from Jengjal Sub Divisional Hospital, which will act as the hub, and delivered medicines to Padeldoba primary health centre in less than 30 minutes, which would otherwise have taken 2.5 hours by road.
Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network (MDDN) and hub in Phase 1 is a combination of one central hub and 25 spokes (supply chain nodes) in a radius of 50 kilometres where the drone hub at Jengal hospital will act as the centre point.

Dec 08, 2022

Government Plans 10 more Nuclear Power Plants

The government plans to set up 10 more nuclear power plants based on indigenous technology, Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said in the Lok Sabha. These 10 plants will be in addition to the 11 reactors that are under construction.
The government has accorded an administrative approval and financial sanction for the construction of 10 indigenous 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. It has also accorded in-principle approval for five new sites for these nuclear plants.

Govt. Appoints N. Chandrasekaran as Chair of B20 India

The government appointed Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran as the Chair of B20 India, (industry body CII).
He will lead the business agenda during India's G-20 presidency.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was appointed as the B20 India Secretariat by the Indian government to lead the B20 India process.
The Business 20 (B20) is the official G-20 dialogue forum with the global business community.
Established in 2010, B20 is among the most prominent engagement groups in G-20, with companies and business organisations as participants.
The B20 leads the process of galvanising global business leaders for their views on issues of global economic and trade governance and speaks in a single voice for the entire G-20 business community.

MCD Poll Result 2022: AAP Marks Maiden Win Ending 15-year BJP Rule

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) recorded its maiden victory in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections, winning 134 seats and ending the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 15-year term at the helm of the civic body. However, with 104 seats in hand, the BJP suggested that it would still have a say in choosing the capital's next mayor.
The high-stake civic poll was the city's first since three erstwhile municipal corporations were merged to constitute a unified MCD in May. The total number of municipal wards was also reduced from 272 to 250, as part of a delimitation exercise.

Dec 07, 2022

Maharashtra First State with Divyang Department

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced the setting up of a separate Divyang department for the welfare of differently-abled people with a fund allocation of Rs. 1,143 crore.
Maharashtra is the first state to have such a department, Shinde said addressing an event in Mumbai to mark the International Day of Disabled Persons.
The government has created 2,063 posts for the new department which will formulate policies for the welfare of the disabled by taking into consideration views of the stakeholders.
The decision to set up the Divyang department was approved by the state cabinet on November.
The sections looking into issues of Divyang (differently-abled) people under the Social Justice and Special Assistance department will be clubbed to form the new Divyang Welfare Department.

FM Sitharaman Inaugurate 65th Founding Day of DRI

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the 65th founding day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), along with the Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary.
During the event, DRI took the opportunity of its founding day and organised Regional Customs Enforcement Meeting (RCEM) for effectively engaging with partner Customs organisations and International agencies like World Customs Organisation, INTERPOL for enforcement-related issues.
This year (2022), 22 Customs administrations covering the Asia-Pacific region along with international organisations such as World Customs Organisation (WCO), Interpol, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Regional Intelligence Liaison Office – Asia Pacific (RILO AP) were invited to the event.
DRI is the premier intelligence and enforcement agency on anti-smuggling matters under the aegis of Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs (CBIC), the ministry said, adding that it came into existence on December 4, 1957. The DRI with its headquarters at New Delhi has 12 zonal units, 35 regional units and 15 sub-regional units, with a working strength of about 800 officials.

Adani Green Becomes World's Largest Wind-solar Hybrid Power Developer with 450 MW Rajasthan Plant

Adani Green Energy Ltd. became the world's largest wind-solar hybrid power developer with the commissioning of its new plant in Rajasthan.
The renewable energy arm of the Adani Group commissioned its third wind-solar hybrid power plant at Jaisalmer. The combined operational generation capacity of this newly commissioned hybrid power plant is 450 MW. The plant is housed in Adani Green's subsidiary, Adani Solar Energy Jaisalmer One Pvt. Ltd.
With the successful commissioning of this 450 MW plant, Adani Green now has a total operational generation capacity of nearly 7.17 gigawatts (GW).

Nitin Gadkari Congratulates NHAI and Maha Metro for Winning Guinness Book of World Record

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) achieved a Guinness world record and received applause from Nitin Gadkari. The authorities constructed the longest double-decker viaduct (3.14 km) spanning with a highway flyover and metro rail supported on a single column.
Gadkari said that the project has already bagged records from Asia Book and India Book. Now receiving this eminent award is indeed a proud moment for the country.

Dec 06, 2022

Country's First Hydroelectric Project in Himachal Going Down the Drain

With the 99-year lease agreement of the country's first hydroelectric project presently under the control of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) in Himachal Pradesh ending in 2024, the maintenance of the 110 MW British-era power plant, which stands amidst the lush green dense deodar forests in the Barot Valley, is going down the drain.
Commissioned in 1932, the Shanan hydroelectric plant was constructed under a 99-year lease deed executed between Jogendra Sen, the then Mandi ruler, and Col. B.C. Batty, the then Chief Engineer of the Punjab government, in 1925.
The project in Jogindernagar in Mandi district has been facing a public outcry for long as locals say it is located in the state and using the state's water for generating power while another state is earning revenue from it by selling the electricity.
The people, including politicians, have been demanding the project should be handed over the state before the lease expiry.
During reorganization of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in 1966, the Shanan Power House was allocated to Punjab by the Union Ministry of Irrigation and Power.

India, Germany Ink Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock signed a comprehensive migration and mobility partnership. The deal which aims at facilitating two-way movement of students, professionals and researchers, is also set to address the challenges of illegal migration.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was in India on a two-day visit, during which she discussed the cooperation on the transition to renewable energy and India's relationship with Russia and China.
The India-Germany MMPA (Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement) is part of overall efforts to create a network of agreements with prospective labour market destination countries with twin objectives of creating of favourable visa regime for Indians towards accessing the labour market of these countries.

World's Largest Grain Storage Scheme for Food Security Soon

The Centre is merging several schemes to develop the "world's largest grain storage" scheme amid global food disruptions in the wake of the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic. Schemes under ministries including the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare, consumer affairs, food and public distribution and food processing will soon be merged.
The disruptions in food supply and high prices have increased food security concerns in several countries. Ukraine and Russia are among the world's largest suppliers of wheat, barley and fertilisers. India, despite having large arable land, suffers from low productivity.

President Droupadi Murmu Approves New Design for President's Standard and Colour and Indian Navy ...

President Droupadi Murmu approved the introduction of a new design for the President's Standard and Colour and Indian Navy Crest for the Indian Navy, which was unveiled at Visakhapatnam.
The Indian Navy adopted a new Naval Ensign on September 2, 2022, and the new design of the President's Standard and President's Colour awarded to the Indian Navy incorporates this change.
The new design of the President's Standard and Colour comprises three main constituents – the National Flag in the upper left canton adjacent to the staff, the State Emblem underscribed with 'Satyamev Jayate' in Golden Colour on the upper right canton on the fly side, and a Navy Blue – Gold Octagon below the Golden State Emblem.

Farooq Abdullah Elected National Conference President again

Farooq Abdullah was re-elected unopposed the president of the National Conference, barely a fortnight after the 85-year-old MP from Srinagar had announced that he would not run for another term.
Farooq has been the National Conference (NC) president since 1981, barring the period between 2002 and 2009, when his son Omar Abdullah held the top party position. He had last month stepped down as the party chief, but the senior leadership persuaded him to continue.
In recent years, Farooq has proven to be a strong voice of the NC and other traditional mainstream parties, especially after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two union territories on August 5, 2019. He was also detained and booked under the Public Safety Act amid fears of protests. The Supreme Court also heard a petition against his 'illegal' detention. Besides serving as the NC president, Farooq is heading a five-party alliance – the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) – seeking restoration of Article 370.

Selja is Congress Chhattisgarh in-charge, ex-Dy CM Randhawa of Rajasthan

The Congress appointed former Union Minister Kumari Selja, former Haryana Congress chief, as general secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh.
Former Deputy CM of Punjab Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil were given charge of Rajasthan and Haryana, respectively. Shaktisinh Gohil was also given in-charge of Delhi.
Interestingly, the development came at a time when Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra is in Rajasthan and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has been appointed as the state in-charge. He has also been appointed as a member of the Steering Committee.

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