General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Jun 16, 2020

Legislative Council Elections in Bihar and Andhra in July

According to the Election Commission, the pending legislative council elections in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh will be held on July 6 with the results on the same day.
The elections were deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While one seat in Andhra Pradesh was vacated by an MLC, nine seats will go to polls in Bihar.
The Commission has directed the chief secretaries of both states to depute a senior official to "ensure that the extant instructions regarding Covid-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the elections".

IBBI Restructures Committee Related to Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process

In pursuance of regulation 3 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) advisory committee regulation 2017, the IBBI board has restructured an advisory committee on Corporate Insolvency Resolution and Liquidation process by including four new members.
The new 14 member committee, formed in August 2017, will be chaired by Uday Kotak, the Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
It will suggest and provide professional support on a request from the IBBI or on its own volition on any matter with respect to the Corporate Insolvency resolution and liquidation dealt with by the Board under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016.
The tenure of the all members is of 3 years that is up to June 2023.

Rift in Maharashtra Coalition Deepens

The bickering in Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP coalition in Maharashtra came out in open with the Shiv Sena taking a dig at the Congress saying that the grand old party is like an "old cot that starts to squeak every now and then".
The Congress president and Balasahib has measured way of showing displeasure and he says he will talk to Chief Minister. Ashok Chavan too was balanced. Both will meet the Chief Minister as they feel bureaucrats are creating problems in the Maharashtra government.
The Saamana article defended the coalition government and added that Thackeray-led government is busy with the coronavirus fight but it will still listen the grievances of the Congress.

Jun 15, 2020

BJP Takes Digital Route to Connect with Voters

With key states headed for the polls later this year and next year, and with the coronavirus disease showing no sign of abating, the poll campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be built around digital rallies that highlight the achievements of the first year of its second stint in power, according to leaders familiar with the details.
Addressing a virtual rally for Jammu and Kashmir, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the mode of outreach was "samvaad ka ek rasta (a way to communicate)", and added that a new world where physical distancing is the keyword has nudged politics towards the path of "digital India".
Singh's address was among the 75 such rallies planned by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, but party leaders said these virtual events were likely to continue as part of poll campaigning. While Bihar will go to polls later this year, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will vote in 2021 to elect a new government.

Jun 14, 2020

First in the World: Indian Railways Runs Double-Stack Container Train

Accordeing to Piyush Goyal, the Indian Railways created a new world benchmark by successfully running first Double Stack Container Train in high rise Over Head Equipment (OHE) electrified sections.
This achievement is a first of its kind in the entire world and will also boost the ambitious mission of Green India as a latest green initiative over Indian Railways.
With this development, Indian Railways has proudly become the first Railway to run Double Stack Container train with high reach pantograph in high rise OHE territory, the Operations of which successfully commenced on 10th June, 2020 from Palanpur and Botad stations in Gujarat.

IFLOWS-Mumbai, An Integrated Flood Warning System for Mumbai

Maharashtra's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched an Integrated Flood Warning System called 'IFLOWS-Mumbai.
A joint initiative between the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the warning system will be able to relay alerts of possible flood-prone areas anywhere between 6 to 72 hours in advance. Mumbai is only the second city in the country after Chennai to get this system. Similar systems are being developed for Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Odisha 1st State in India to Receive ISO Certification for Tribal Hostels

Odisha became the first State in India to receive prestigious ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001:2015 certification for its 44 tribal hostels of Keonjhar (32 hostels) and Sambalpur (12 hostels) districts improving their overall infrastructure and standards under Mission Suvidya.
The Odisha state's department of ST & SC Development in association with Quality Control of India (QCI) has conducted a comprehensive assessment & evaluation of all hostels with the aim to improve the standard and quality of the hostels.

Jun 13, 2020

Vice-Admiral Atul Kumar Jain Inaugurates a DSRV Complex in Vizag

Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, flag officer commander in Chief of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) inaugurated a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) complex in Vishakapattanam.
The Indian Navy has inducted two such systems to provide rescue cover for the submarines on the eastern and western coasts.
The DSRV is designed to accommodate the new Submarine Rescue System with state of the art facilities to store DSRV assets in a rescue ready state.

India Side-steps Issues in Nepal Border Row

The external affairs ministry side-stepped issues that have complicated a border row with Nepal, holding up the importance of long-standing bilateral relations and ongoing cooperation amid the Covid-19 crisis.
The move was perceived in diplomatic circles as an effort to dial down tensions that have spiralled in recent days, after the K. P. Sharma Oli government (Nepal) tabled a constitutional amendment in Parliament to give legal backing to a political map that depicts the regions of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as Nepalese territory.

Jun 12, 2020

Maharashtra Cabinet Approves to Rename its Environment Ministry

On the occasion of World Environment Day, the Maharashtra cabinet chaired by Uddhav Bal Thackeray approved a proposal to rename the state's Environment Ministry as 'Environment and Climate Change Ministry' with the aim to play an active role in climate change mitigation.
The department, which is handled by Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray, will work on five elements of the nature (Earth, water, fire, air, and space).
The decision to change the name comes just weeks after the state was hit by a severe cyclonic storm Nisarga in the first week June this year.
Maharashtra is one among a few states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana in India which have a dedicated department to address climate change.

Government Actively Considering Universal Basic Income

In its report on human rights in India, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) informed the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that the recommended implementation of a universal basic income was "under examination and active consideration" of the Centre.
As a part of the third round of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, which is done every four-and-a-half-years, the NHRC submitted its mid-term report to the UN agency recently. The report, dated "May 2020", reviewed the implementation of 152 recommendations of the UPR Working Group that the Indian government had accepted in September 2017.

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