General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2016

Nov 2016

Aug 25, 2025

NITI Aayog Releases Report on 'Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways'

NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), released a new report titled 'Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways', offering a strategic roadmap to strengthen India's homestay and BnB ecosystem.
The report was unveiled by Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, in the presence of Yugal Kishore Joshi, Programme Director, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, and representatives from states like Goa, Kerala, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
The report underscores that homestays have the unique ability to blend cultural authenticity with livelihood creation, particularly in rural and semi-urban regions. It calls for flexible policy approaches, capacity building and the integration of digital platforms to empower hosts and strengthen consumer trust. It also features case studies and state-level best practices to illustrate scalable models for homestay development and governance.

Anish Dayal Singh New Deputy NSA

Former CRPF and ITBP Director General Anish Dayal Singh was appointed the new Deputy National Security Advisor, with a mandate to handle internal affairs.
Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer from the Manipur cadre, retired from service in December 2024. He had served for nearly 30 years in the Intelligence Bureau before heading the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and most recently, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Singh will be in-charge of internal affairs. Former RAW chief Rajinder Khanna is the Additional NSA, while retired IPS officer T. V. Ravichandran and former IFS officer Pawan Kapoor are the two serving Deputy NSAs.

Centre Sets Up Rajiv Gauba-led Panels to Drive Next-Gen Reforms, Viksit Bharat Vision

Central Government established two high-level committees under the leadership of Rajiv Gauba, a full-time NITI Aayog member and former Cabinet Secretary. These panels are designed to fast-track next-generation reforms and realise the ambitious Viksit Bharat (Developed India) vision.
The two newly formed panels led by Rajiv Gauba will work in parallel but with distinct objectives,
Panel on Viksit Bharat Goals: Focused on strategising long-term policies and actions needed to fulfill India's aspiration of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Panel on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms: Concentrated on overhauling and simplifying regulatory frameworks across non-financial sectors to boost economic competitiveness and ease of doing business.
These panels are not working in isolation. They are closely coordinating with ministerial panels chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, ensuring top-level political backing and faster implementation.
In addition, a separate state-level deregulation committee has been constituted under Cabinet Secretary T. V. S. Swaminathan. This committee aims to address regulatory bottlenecks at the state level, a critical factor in India's federal governance structure.

Aug 24, 2025

Assam Will No Longer Issue Aadhaar Cards to People Over 18

The Assam government decided that no new Aadhaar cards will be issued to individuals over the age of 18 in the state. The decision, announced, will take effect from the first week of October, once a formal government notification is issued.
For SCs, STs, and tea garden tribes, Aadhaar cards will be issued only for one year. Those who have not yet applied must do so within September, as the window will remain open for just one month. After that, exceptions will be entertained only through the Deputy Commissioner's office, with final approval resting solely with the DC.

Aug 23, 2025

EC Appoints Two Officers as Observers for Upcoming Vice President Elections

Ahead of the upcoming election for the post of Vice President of India, the Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed two senior officers of the rank of Additional Secretary as Observers to oversee the electoral process.
The election, scheduled for September 9, will see a direct contest between Justice (Retd.) B Sudershan Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc, and the NDA's nominee, C. P. Radhakrishnan.
The officers appointed by the EC as Observers are Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and D. Anandan, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. Nitin Kumar Shivdas Khade, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development, has been placed on the reserve list.

PM to Inaugurates Bihar's Aunta-Simaria Bridge Project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Aunta-Simaria Bridge project on National Highway-31, a key infrastructure link expected to ease traffic and boost economic activity across Bihar.
The 8.15 -km project includes a 1.8- km six-lane bridge built over the Ganga at a cost of Rs. 1,870 crore. It will directly connect Mokama in Patna district with Begusarai, providing a much-needed alternative to the ageing Rajendra Setu.

India Hosts Regional Meet on Health Research, Innovation in Public Health

The Department of Health Research (DHR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) held a two-day international meeting on "Health Research and Innovations in Public Health" at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in the Capital, bringing together senior representatives from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Timor-Leste.
The meet, part of the Regional Enabler for South and Southeast Asia Research for Health (RESEARCH) Platform, is aimed at strengthening health research systems, sharing best practices and promoting cross-border collaboration to tackle common public health challenges in the region.

Aug 22, 2025

Fifteen Bills Passed in Both Houses

The monsoon session of Parliament, which concluded, recorded poor productivity in both the Houses as protests led by the Congress and other Opposition parties repeatedly stalled proceedings over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
According to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Lok Sabha registered only 31 per cent productivity, while Rajya Sabha managed 33 per cent.
According to an official release, 14 Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha, of which 12 were passed. In total, 15 Bills were cleared by both Houses, including the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, the National Sports Governance Bill, the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill and the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill.

UIDAI Onboards Starlink for Aadhaar-Based e-KYC

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) onboarded satellite-based internet provider Starlink for customer verification. Starlink Satellite Communication Pvt Ltd was appointed as a sub-authentication user agency and sub-eKYC user agency.
Promoted by US tech billionaire Elon Musk, Starlink is the world's largest space-based communication company, with a presence in over 125 countries. It got a license to operate satellite based broadband in India back in June. Starlink will now use Aadhaar authentication to verify customers, in a move that will make the entire process smooth.

Aug 21, 2025

The 28th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) to be Held in September

The 28^th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) will be held on September 22 and 23, 2025, at Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The event is being jointly organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the Government of Andhra Pradesh. IIM Visakhapatnam will be the knowledge partner for the 28^th National e-Governance Conference 2025.
The theme of the two-day conference, is 'Viksit Bharat: Civil Service and Digital Transformation' and will feature six plenary sessions and six breakout sessions, bringing together senior government officials, thought leaders, academia, industry experts, and awardees to deliberate on innovative practices and emerging trends in e-Governance across India.
The National Awards for e-Governance 2025 will be conferred on September 22, during the Conference by Jitendra Singh.

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