General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2016

Nov 2016

Oct 18, 2022

Goa to Host 9th World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo

The 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) and Arogya Expo, will be held in Panaji, Goa from 8th to 11th December 2022. The 9th World Ayurveda Congress aims to transformationally push Ayurveda to bring it into global focus. The 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) is going to be hosted in Goa and it aims to create an accessible and affordable healthcare system that is in harmony with modern medical practices.
The theme for the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) this year is 'Ayurveda For One Health'.
According to the prelude of WAC, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister Ayush, Dr. Pramod Sawant Goa Chief Minister, and Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for tourism will attend a curtain raiser event at Hotel Vivanta by Taj.
The event will also be felicitated by Vishwajit P Rane, Goa Minister of Health, Govind Gaude, Goa Minister of Arts and Culture, and Vaidya Rajesh Korecha, Secretary, Union Minister of Ayush.
The event is going to be a four-day event that is supported by both central and state governments.

Railway Minister Inaugurates India's First Aluminium Freight Rake

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated India's first aluminium freight rake — 61 BOBRNALHSM1 — at Bhubaneshwar Railway Station.
This was a dedicated effort for Make in India programme as it had been fully designed and developed indigenously in collaboration with Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), HINDALCO and Besco Wagon. Notably, it is the first-time aluminium rake has been manufactured in India with the feature of fully lock-bolted construction with no welding on the superstructure.

India to Host SCO National Coordinators Meet

India hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) national coordinators' meeting in Delhi. The meet was the first such national coordinator meet under the Indian presidency. New Delhi took over the presidency of the nine-member grouping earlier this year at the Samarkand SCO summit.
National coordinator, basically the role "Sherpas" play in G20 meetings, decides on the issues that would be taken up in the grouping. India's national coordinator for SCO is Yojna Patel, an IFS of 2000 batch. The meet took place in a hybrid mode, the Pakistani delegation also attended it. During the course of the event, the focus was also on agenda under the Indian presidency of the grouping.
India will be holding the SCO foreign, defence, national security advisers and summit-level meeting of the grouping next year. This month India also hosted anti-terror SCO drills in Haryana and the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) council meet.

Apoorva Srivastava Named as India's Ambassador to Slovak Republic

Indian Foreign Service, Apoorva Srivastava was appointed to serve as India's Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. An officer of the 2001 batch, she currently serves as Consul-General at the Consulate of India in Toronto. Prior to this, she served in various positions in the Ministry of External Affairs and has been posted in Kathmandu and Paris, among other locations.
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the southwest, and the Czech Republic to the northwest.

Arya.ag and FWWB India Partner with UNDP to Implement Project Excel

UNDP partnered with integrated grain commerce platform Arya.ag and Friends of Women's World Banking India (FWWB India) for agri-value chain intervention, enterprise promotion and skilling in agriculture sector. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing Project Excel in Jamnagar and Dwaraka Devbhumi districts of Gujarat to improve the incomes of 10,000 farmer households through enterprise promotion, agri-value chain interventions, skilling, employment and social protection.
By December 2023, the collaboration for Project Excel hopes to have assembled a team of community resource people who will support, encourage, and coach local business owners.
The project's goal is to develop and generate possibilities for communities in rural and semi-urban areas to improve their lives in industries like agriculture, dairy, poultry, handloom, goat farming, and handicrafts. This promotes stronger market relationships and aids in managerial capacity growth.
The collaboration is to create a conducive business environment with end-to-end solutions consisting of training and technical support, capital and market linkages and skill enhancement support, empowering women and ensuring a sustainable income at the individual and collective level.

Number of Poor People in India Fell by about 415 Million, a 'Historic Change': UN

The number of poor people in India fell by about 415 million between 2005-06 and 2019-21, a "historic change" and a demonstration that the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty by 2030 is possible to achieve, even at a large scale, according to the UN.
As per the new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford, in India 415 million people exited poverty between 2005-06 and 2019-21.
India is an important case study for the Sustainable Development Goals, the first of which is to end poverty in all its forms and to reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions, according to national definitions by 2030, all while leaving no one behind.
The report said based on 2020 population data for India, it has by far the largest number of poor people worldwide (228.9 million), followed by Nigeria (96.7 million projected in 2020).
Despite progress, India's population remains vulnerable to the mounting effects of the covid pandemic and to rising food and energy prices. Integrated policies tackling the ongoing nutritional and energy crises should be a priority.

Oct 17, 2022

Partha Satpathy Appointed India's New Envoy to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Partha Satpathy, an Ambassador of India to the Republic of Hungary, was appointed India's next Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
In November 2021, Partha Satpathy was appointed as the Indian Ambassador to Hungary.

Centre Approves India's 1st Cable-cum-suspension Bridge across Krishna River

The central government approved construction of an iconic cable stayed-cum-suspension bridge across Krishna River connecting Telangana and Andhra Pradesh while passing through the picturesque Nallamala forest range. The information was shared by Union Minister for Road Transport and National Highways Nitin Gadkari.
Describing the bridge as "#PragatiKaHighway", Gadkari said that the iconic bridge would have several unique features like the longest glass pedestrian walkway across a river, gopuram like pylons, signature lighting and a large navigational span.
Once completed, the bridge would be second of its kind in the world and first in India.

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election 2022

The Election Commission of India announced the dates for upcoming assembly election in Himachal Pradesh as 12 November.
According to the Election Commission, the counting of votes would be held on December 8. More than 43,000 fist time voters will participate in the state Assembly polls.
Elaborating the schedule of the Assembly polls, the ECI said that date of issue of gazette notification for single phase election for 68 Assembly seats will be released on 17 October.
While the last date of making nominations has been set as 25th October, the scrutiny of nominations will take place on 27 October, while the last date for withdrawal of candidatures has been set as 29 October.

PM Chairs Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Society Meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Society.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Jitendra Singh were present at the meeting.
The CSIR is a Society under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology and the Prime Minister is the Society's President.
The CSIR Society comprises eminent scientists, industrialists, and senior officials of scientific ministries. The Society meets annually to review CSIR activities and deliberate on its future programmes.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, CSIR's research efforts are now mainly focused on green energy technologies, STI (science, technology and innovation) interventions to generate employment and raise income levels in rural India.

Oct 16, 2022

All-India Conference of Law Ministers and Law Secretaries Organised by the Ministry of Law and Ju...

The Union Ministry of Law and Justice organised an All India Conference of Law Ministers and Law Secretaries to provide a platform for discussion and to help policymakers upgrade the overall legal system.
The conference was held at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat.
The keynote address was delivered by Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju.
As per the Ministry of Law and Justice, this initiative would provide a forum for discussion on a variety of topics relating to India's legal system so that policymakers may develop a road map for the country's future. The conference would also provide a platform for exchange of ideas and an opportunity to various States and Union Territories to exchange their best practices.

Bengaluru Fourth most Expensive Real Estate Market in India: Knight Frank

The constant demand to move to India's Silicon Valley has made Bengaluru the fourth most expensive real estate market, with a 2 per cent annual rise in its position at 28 per cent, a Knight Frank consultancy firm report showed.
On the city-wise data, Mumbai remains the most expensive residential market in the country. Mumbai is the only city whose affordability index is improving at the rate of 4 per cent — from 53 per cent in 2021 to 57 per cent in the third quarter of this year (2022).

Oct 15, 2022

MEA's Adarsh Swaika Appointed India's Next Ambassador to Kuwait

Adarsh Swaika, a joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, was appointed India's next Ambassador to Kuwait.
Avtar Singh, a Director in the Ministry of External Affairs, was appointed as India's next Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea.
Swaika, also served as director in the UN division of India's Ministry of External Affairs. Swaika holds a PhD in chemistry and speaks Hindi, Bengali and Russian.
He has also served in Indian missions in Beijing, Sofia and Moscow in his career.

Jyotiraditya Scindia Inaugurates 4th Heli-India Summit 2022

Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated the 4th Heli-India Summit 2022, themed 'Helicopters for last Mile Connectivity' at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre in Srinagar.
Scindia said that a civil enclave will be built in Jammu at a cost of Rs. 861 crore and Srinagar's existing terminal will be expanded three times from 20,000 square meters to 60,000 square meters at a cost of Rs. 1500 crore.
Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha was present at the summit.

Oct 14, 2022

PM Modi Inaugurates Projects Worth Rs. 420 Crore to Improve Rural Roads in Himachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III in Himachal Pradesh for upgrading 3,125 km of rural roads.
More than Rs. 420 crore was sanctioned by the Central Government under this phase of the PMGSY-III for upgrading 440 km of rural roads in 15 border and far-flung blocks of the state.
The Prime Minister also laid foundation stones of two hydropower projects – the 48 MW Chanju-III hydro-electric project and the 30 MW Deothal Chanju hydro-electric project.
The two hydropower projects would generate over 270 million units of electricity annually and Himachal Pradesh is expected to earn an annual revenue of around Rs. 110 crore from these.
He also laid the foundation stone of a Bulk Drug Pharma Park and inaugurated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una.

Rajnath Singh Launches 'Maa Bharati Ke Sapoot' Website

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the 'Maa Bharati Ke Sapoot' (MBKS) website for the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (AFBCWF) during a function at the National War Memorial Complex in New Delhi.
The AFBCWF is a Tri-service fund utilised to grant immediate financial assistance of ex-gratia to the next of kin and dependents of Battle Casualties.
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is the 'Goodwill Ambassador'.
The Chief of Defence Staff, all three Service Chiefs, Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardees and other prominent officials of the MoD, corporate heads, chairman & managing directors of banks, personnel from the sports field and celebrities also attended the function.

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