General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Nov 26, 2019

J&K Leaders Refuse to Sign Release Bonds

The Jammu and Kashmir administration opened channels of communication with 32 detained political prisoners of the regional parties, but put riders on their release. Meanwhile, two leaders, Jammu and Kashmir People Democratic Front's Hakeem Yaseen and Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Mohammad Ashraf Mir, were released, indicating a move to release the leaders in a phased manner.
In the past 10 days, a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM)-level officer visited senior leaders of the National Conference (NC), the PDP, the Peoples Conference (PC) and the J&K Peoples Movement (J&KPM) more than three times and discussed ways and means to ensure their release.As per Mr. Sagar and Mr. Akhtar, told the government point man that such bonds were aimed at "curtailing the rightful political space of regional players, discredit the local leadership in front of the eyes of the locals and were being publicised later only to add to the political vacuum post August 5."
The bonds, which the leaders were being asked to sign, reads: "He/she will not make any comment or issue statement or make public speeches or participate in the public assembly related to recent event for a period of one year from the date of signature of the bond."

Centre Introduces Bill to Amend SPG Act in Lok Sabha

Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy introduced the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019, amid din in the Lok Sabha as the House erupted in protests against political developments in Maharashtra.
The statement of objects and reasons of the Bill said that it is "considered to amend the Act to focus on core mandate, as the security of the Prime Minister, as Head of the Government, is of paramount importance for Government, governance and national security."
As per the Bill, "SPG shall provide proximate security to the Prime Minister and his immediate family members residing with him at his official residence."
The SPG Act was enacted in 1988 to provide for the constitution and regulation of the SPG as an armed force to provide proximate security to the Prime Minister and his/her immediate family members. The Act was amended in 1991, 1994, 1999 and 2003 to extend SPG cover to former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members for different periods of demitting office.

Jagan Launches Anti-corruption Helpline

In a bid to encourage people to report corruption cases, Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government launched a dedicated call centre to receive complaints regarding corruption in the state.
Lauding the move, Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General, Kumar Vishwajeet, urged people to come forward with complaints and "make Andhra Pradesh a corruption-free state".
The Chief Minister launched a toll-free number -- 14400 -- to receive complaints related to corruption. Anyone in the state can call on this number and report about any corruption related activity in any government department.
The government has also taken a progressive step by roping in IIM Ahmedabad, which is going to do a study on several departments. Their procedural aspects will be taken into account and all the loopholes in the system will be closed so that corruption does not take place.

Nov 25, 2019

Ban on Bodo Insurgents Extended

The central government issued orders to extend the ban on Assam-based Bodo insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) by another five years, citing that the terrorist outfit had continued to indulge in illegal and violent activities intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.
The NDFB, formed in 1986, seeks to obtain a sovereign Boroland for the Bodo people.
The ministry has extended the ban on NDBF under the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The ministry said the unlawful activities perpetrated by the NDFB had been "undermining the authority of the government, spreading terror and panic among people, causing carnage and ethnic violence, resulting in killings and destruction of properties of non-Bodos, inhabiting the Bodo-dominated areas in Assam". "For the aforesaid reasons", it added, "the central government is of the opinion that the NDFB's activities are detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India and that it is an unlawful association".

NSO Survey Debunks Swachh Bharat Claims

The latest National Statistical Office (NSO) survey on sanitation debunked the claims of an open defecation-free or ODF India made by the Centre's flagship Swachh Bharat scheme, although it did record great progress in toilet access and use in rural areas.
The survey showed that about 71% of rural households had access to toilets at a time the Centre was claiming 95%. On October 2, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the whole country was ODF with complete access to toilets.
The NSO survey was carried out between July and December 2018, with a reference date of October 1. Large States which had been declared ODF – that is, 100% access to toilets and 100% usage – even before the survey began included Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Others which were declared ODF during the survey period included Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
According to the NSO, almost 42% of rural households in Jharkhand had no access to a toilet at that time. In Tamil Nadu, the gap was 37%, followed by 34% in Rajasthan. In Gujarat, which was one of the earliest States declared ODF, back in October 2017, almost a quarter of all rural households had no toilet access, the NSO data showed. The other major States listed also had significant gaps: Karnataka (30%), MP (29%), Andhra Pradesh (22%) and Maharashtra (22%).

Nov 24, 2019

Leh Coldest Recorded Place In Ladakh, Mercury Marks Improvement In Kashmir

Leh town of Ladakh was the coldest recorded place at a low of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius, while the mercury in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir marked an improvement after plummeting several degrees below season's average over the past couple of days.
However, Jammu city recorded a dip in the maximum and minimum temperature as sun played hide and seek during the day.
Besides Leh, the nearby Kargil town and the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir also recorded sub-zero night temperatures of minus 3.8 and minus 1.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Law Students To Learn Indian Art Of Advocacy

Students enrolled in the bachelors laws programme at the Maharashtra National Law University in Nagpur will soon learn the ancient Indian logic of arriving at truth in a lawsuit. After decades of imparting legal knowledge sourced from ancient Greek and Latin principles, this is the first time any school here will attempt to teach aspiring lawyers how to apply Indian logic to analyse legal propositions.
Ancient Indian logic takes within its sweep the Baudhic and Jain knowledge systems that prescribe ways to arrive at the truth. A separate department called the Centre for Shastric Studies and Research in Law has been set up at the university to identify the principles to be included in various subjects such as the Indian Evidence Act, Administrative Law, Company Law, even the Indian Constitution.
Senior Supreme Court advocate P Narasimha, who is closely associated with the school, said principles of ancient Indian law will be an additional source of knowledge.

Nov 23, 2019

NITI Aayog Discusses Challenges and Opportunities in Assistive Devices Industry

NITI Aayog deliberated upon emerging opportunities in technological innovations, product development in assistive devices industry and policy interventions in the country.
The existing state of affairs pertaining to disability, assistive technology, allied industry and emerging opportunities in India was discussed.
Broad areas of discussion included regulatory control and capacity building in the sector; incentivisation for the private players to invest in the industry; formulation of a concrete set-up involving the government, private industries, innovation centres like the IITs and the NGOs in order to transform the present reality; building and encouraging entrepreneurship; an economically viable model inclusive of affordability, adaptability, functionality and productivity; and strengthening indigenous R&D and promoting mass manufacturing of assistive devices technology in India.

Jammu and Kashmir completes highest 11,400 km road length under PMGSY in 2019

Jammu and Kashmir has achieved the highest road length in the country this year (2019) so far under a Centre's rural roads' programme with the completion of around 11,400 kilometres covering 1,838 habitations.
This includes 1,161 km for the current financial year (2019) against the total sanctioned road length of 19,700 km.
The work is being carried under the centrally-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which is a mega flagship programme with the main objective of providing connectivity to rural areas.
The programme is being implemented by the Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Department of the Union Territory.

Gadkari Directs NHAI to Issue free FASTags at Toll Booths

Union Road and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to issue FASTags free until December 1, 2019, ostensibly to encourage people to move towards cashless and seamless travel.
Free FASTags will be available at all points of sale of the NHAI and they will also be made available at other places having a high potential of sales. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is putting in deposit money of Rs 150 on behalf of each user for now.
Almost 90 per cent toll plazas are ready with FASTag infrastructure as of now and only some new toll plazas will face teething issues.
The government had announced that it would make FASTags or electronic toll collection system mandatory across all 537 toll plazas from December 1, 2019.

Nov 22, 2019

UIDAI Operationalizes 21 Aadhaar Seva Kendras

Unique Identification Authority of India, UIDAI has operationalized 21 Aadhaar Seva Kendras as part of its plan to open 114 stand-alone Aadhaar enrollment and centres across the country.
These are in addition to 35,000 Aadhaar Enrollment Centers run by Banks, Post Offices and State Governments.
These centres will be operational all days of the week including weekends, from 9.30 A.M. to 5.30 P.M. They will be closed only on public holidays. The centres will have the capacity to handle up to 1,000 enrollment and requests per day.
UIDAI plans to set up 114 Aadhaar Seva Kendras in 53 cities across the country.
While Aadhaar enrollment is free, a nominal charge of 50 rupees is payable for updating details like adding a mobile number to Aadhaar and updating address.

Bengalureans To Get Free WiFi One Hour Each Day

Bengaluru, India's information technology capital, will get free WiFi services for one hour each day, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka CN Ashwath Narayan said.
The proposed scheme, which will take nine months to be implemented, follows similar efforts by Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh governments which have tried to offer data as a commodity to their people.

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