General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2016

Sep 2016

Jan 21, 2025

Om Birla Inaugurates 85th All India Presiding Officers' Conference in Patna

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the 85th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) in Patna, Bihar. The two-day conference, which brought together key figures from legislative bodies across India, focused on the theme, "75th Anniversary of Constitution: Contribution of Parliament and State Legislative Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Values." This conference was held in Bihar for the third time.
The conference served as a platform for brainstorming and discussions on the role of Parliament and state legislative bodies in upholding and strengthening the values enshrined in the Constitution of India.
During the conference, Speaker Om Birla released the 8th edition of Practice and Procedure of Parliament, a key reference book on parliamentary practices. Additionally, he inaugurated the Neva Seva Kendra in the Bihar Legislature premises, aimed at improving services for the legislative body.

Mines Ministry in Collaboration with Odisha Government Organizes 3rd National Mining Ministers' C...

The Ministry of Mines, in collaboration with the Odisha Government, successfully concluded the 3rd National Mining Ministers' Conference in Konark, Odisha. The event saw the participation of Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Chief Minister of Odisha Mohan Charan Majhi, Mining Ministers of 14 states, senior Ministry officials, industry leaders, and key stakeholders.

Former High Court judge Rohit Arya is BJP's Coordinator for Madhya Pradesh's 'One Nation, One Ele...

Former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Rohit Arya was appointed as Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) party's coordinator for the state's 'One Nation, One Election' committee.
BJP State head Vishnu Dutt Sharma appointed Justice Arya as coordinator along with Pushyamitra Bhargava. Arya joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last July (2024), three months after he retired.

Uttarakhand Clears Uniform Civil Code Rules

Uttarakhand is set to become the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), as the state government has approved the UCC rules manual. The state's Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, cleared the manual and decided on key provisions related to registration services, the facilitation of live-in relationships, and the introduction of Tatkal services. The government is also implementing advanced digital platforms to ensure efficient and widespread access to these services. Training of officials is underway, with a state-wide mock drill planned to prepare the stakeholders for smooth implementation.
Scope of UCC: It aims to unify laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and maintenance across all faiths and communities in the state.
Online Portal and App: A dedicated portal and mobile application have been developed to facilitate online registrations and services, ensuring greater public access and ease of use.
The primary goal is to ensure all citizens have equal access to legal services, regardless of their location or socio-economic background.

Jan 20, 2025

President Murmu, Singapore President Shanmugaratnam Unveil Commemorative Logo to Mark 60 Years of...

In a momentous event marking 60 years of diplomatic relations, President Droupadi Murmu and the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, unveiled a special joint logo in New Delhi. The logo celebrates six decades of strong ties between the two nations.
The design features elements symbolising both countries: colours from the Indian and Singaporean national flags, the lotus (India's national flower), the orchid (Singapore's national flower), and the number 60, highlighting this significant milestone. Together, these elements represent the enduring friendship, mutual trust, and shared values between India and Singapore.

India, US Ink Pact for Cooperation in Cybercrime Investigations

India and the US inked an agreement to enhance cooperation in cybercrime investigations.
The signing of the pact came days before the Biden administration handed over charge to the Trump administration.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Washington DC on Friday by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra and Acting US Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristie Canegallo.
The agreement allows the respective agencies of the two countries to step up the level of cooperation and training with respect to the use of cyber threat intelligence and digital forensics in criminal investigations.

Odisha-Singapore MoU: Launch of FinTech Hub in Bhubaneswar

In a move to bolster the FinTech sector, the Government of Odisha's Electronics and IT Department partnered with Singapore's Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) to establish a Global Competency Centre in Bhubaneswar. This collaboration aims to foster innovation in InsureTech and related areas, aligning with India's vision of "Insurance for All" by 2047.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the official visit of Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to Odisha on January 17, 2025.
The initiative seeks to leverage GFTN's global expertise to drive innovation and develop tailored FinTech solutions in Odisha. The focus is on creating an inclusive and sustainable InsureTech ecosystem.
This partnership supports India's national vision of "Insurance for All" by 2047, aiming to provide every citizen with appropriate life, health, and property insurance coverage.

Jan 19, 2025

Vineet Joshi Takes Charge as Secretary of Higher Education

Vineet Joshi assumed the role of Secretary of the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, effective at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi. Prior to this appointment, Joshi had a distinguished career in various key positions within the Indian educational sector. His vast experience in managing education-related initiatives is expected to bring significant improvements to India's higher education landscape.
Joshi served as Chief Secretary of the state of Manipur before this new role.
Previously he was Director-General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Education.

Jan 18, 2025

Cabinet Nod for 8th Pay Commission Implementation

The Union Cabinet approved the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission to revise salaries of nearly 50 lakh central government employees and allowances of 65 lakh pensioners. The 8th Pay Commission will not only lead to increased salaries of Central government employees but also have revised Dearness Allowance (DA).
Since 1947, seven Pay Commissions have been constituted, with the last one constituted in 2014 and implemented on January 1, 2016. The 7th pay commission saw an expenditure increase of Rs. 1 lakh crore for fiscal 2016-17.
As the 7th Pay Commission's term concludes in December 2025, initiating the process now ensures sufficient time to receive and review recommendations before its completion.

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Launches the Toolkit for 9th Edition of Swachh Survekshan

The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, launched the toolkit for 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS), the world's largest urban cleanliness survey, in its new avatar–simpler, sharper, systematic and all-inclusive. Secretary, MoHUA, S. Katikithala was also present at the launch event.
Initially launched by MoHUA in 2016, Swachh Survekshan drives urban sanitation improvement through citizen participation and third-party validation.

Jan 17, 2025

Smriti Irani, Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur Join PM Museum's New Power Team; Nripendra Mishra Gets Anot...

The Prime Ministers' Museum & Library (PMML) society and executive council were reconstituted with former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Nripendra Mishra, getting another five year term as the organisation's chairperson. However, there were several new entrants at the premier institution's society — including former Union Minister Smriti Irani, former NITI Aayog Vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, retired Army General Syed Ata Hasnain, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and Sanskar Bharati's Vasudev Kamath.
The key decision-making body of PMML — helmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its president, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as vice-president — was also expanded 34 members, instead of 29 earlier. While its term expired on January 13, 2025, the Ministry of Culture notified the reconstitution of the body for a five-year term.

India Signs Haj Agreement with Saudi Arabia, Quota Fixed at 1,75,025 Pilgrims

India signed a Haj agreement with Saudi Arabia, finalising a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims for itself. Ministry of Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju signed the agreement with Saudi Arabia's Minister for Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah in Jeddah.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to be Chief Guest at Republic Day 2025 Celebrations

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest of India's Republic Day celebrations on January 26, the government announced.
While this will be President Prabowo's first visit to India in his capacity as president after assuming office in October 2024, this is the fourth time that an Indonesian leader has been invited as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. President Sukarno attended the very first Republic Day celebrations in independent India in 1950.

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