General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Nov 11, 2019

Govt to Merge LS, RS TV

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has constituted a six-member committee for the merger of Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV in order to pool resources, rationalise costs and also cut extra spending on the coverage of parliamentary proceedings.
The six-member committee will examine issues relevant to the merger and propose an appropriate name for the integrated channel. The order, issued by the RS secretariat on November 7, 2019, has notified a panel.
The panel in its first meeting is expected to discuss the 14 broad tasks assigned to it. The panel will also review existing content on LSTV and RSTV, firm up editorial hierarchies for the new channel, assess budgetary provisions and fix up finer details like where studios and newsrooms should be located.

BJP Asks Sena to Form Government in Maharashtra

In a swift response to the Maharashtra governor's request to express his "willingness and ability" to form government, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis informed him that BJP—the single largest party in the new assembly with 105 MLAs—did not have the numbers to prove a majority, putting the ball back in the Shiv Sena's court.Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari called upon the Sena—the second largest party with 56 winning candidates—to apprise him if it was in a position to form a government.
The two developments, back-to-back, now put the onus on Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to cobble together the numbers needed to reach the half-way mark in the assembly.
Congress and NCP, with 44 and 54 MLAs, have said they do not have the mandate and are ready to sit in the opposition. And Thackeray's insistence on a Sena CM is a pre-condition that has so far prevented negotiations with BJP from making headway. But NCP has conditionally agreed to back Sena, provided it withdraws its ministers from the NDA government at the Centre and agrees to a "common" programme for the state. A section of Congress MLAs, too, is keen to back a Sena-NCP front, though this is yet to find acceptance from the top leadership.

Database to Help Identify Needs of Special Children before Adoption

With around 1,300 special children awaiting adoption as per the government's database, Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara) has prepared a module to classify disabilities, health conditions and associated needs of each of these children across 14 sub-categories to enable prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) to understand their needs better and enhance chances of adoption.
There are children with special needs in the adoption pool who came in as babies but have now crossed the age (up to six years) that a child can be kept in a specialised adoption agency. Hence the sub-categorisation is an attempt to bolster the confidence of parents keen to adopt special children.
As of September 2019, there were about 2,290 children available for adoption— a 20% rise over the same period last year. Children with special needs rose from 951 in June 2018 to 1,354 in September 2019 (42%). In contrast, the number of the most sought after group of under 2-year-old healthy children was 75 in September 2019.

Sunni Board to Take Call on 5-acre Plot by Nov 26

A day after Supreme Court's verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, UP Sunni Central Waqf Board said it will decide by November 26, 2019 whether to accept the five-acre land for construction of a mosque in Ayodhya allocated by the apex court.
Board chairperson Zufar Faruqi said that if it decides to take the offer, the Board will also take a call on the location where it wants the land to be allocated.
The Board's general body meeting was initially scheduled on November 13 but it was postponed to November 26 in view of the Supreme Court verdict.
The Board, which was an appellant in the Ayodhya title suit, had welcomed the SC verdict and announced that it will not file a review or curative petition against the order.
Faruqi said the Board is getting numerous suggestions and propositions from across the country on the SC order on the alternate land for the mosque.
Some have suggested that a hospital be built on the land where everyone gets free treatment, while some suggested that an educational institute be constructed on the plot. There is also a view that Muslims should not accept the land.

Arvind Sawant to Resign from Modi Cabinet

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant announced on microblogging site Twitter that he would be resigning from the Union Cabinet.
He made it clear in his tweets, however, that he was quitting the government, where he had been Minister since 2019, due to the end of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. Mr. Sawant said that there were certain promises that had been made as terms of the alliance and those had not only not been fulfilled but also denied as having made. He, therefore, decided to exit the government.

Ram Temple Construction May Start Early in 2020

The construction of Ram Mandir is likely to start from Makar Sankranti next year and is unlikely to involve a fresh 'shilanyas' (ground-breaking ceremony).
The government is likely to move fast to comply with the Supreme Court's directives for setting up a trust, and will coordinate with all the stakeholders to speed up construction of what has been promised to be a "grand Ram Mandir.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath is sure to pull out all stops for the Mandir project which has been a key objective of the Goraksh Peeth he heads.
Renowned temple architect Sompura was asked to prepare the design in 1989 by then VHP chief Ashok Singhal and it was circulated among devotees across the country.
While Adityanath will be in the forefront of overseeing construction work as CM, he was a frequent visitor to Ayodhya after taking over. Yogi visited the holy town 18 times in two-and-a-half years.

Nov 10, 2019

SC's Verdict on Ayodhya issue widely welcomed across country, abroad

People across the country have welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict on Ayodhya issue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, it will be a golden chapter in India's judiciary as the decades-old case concluded and the whole nation supported the verdict wholeheartedly.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said it will further strengthen the confidence of the people in the country's judicial system.
Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the judgement saying the order will prove to be a milestone and further strengthen India's unity and integrity. In a series of tweets, Mr Shah appealed to all communities and religions to accept the decision of the apex court with ease and remain committed to 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat'.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said it proved the strength of India's constitutional system and democracy and urged people to maintain peace and harmony. He said, those who love the country have heartily appreciated the decision. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, the verdict should not be seen as anybody's victory or defeat. He said everybody should now forget the dispute, which had continued for many decades.
BJP working president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union ministers, Rajnath Singh, Prakash Javadekar and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also hailed the verdict. BJP veteran LK Advani said, he stood vindicated and felt deeply blessed.
Congress said, it respects the Supreme Court verdict which is in favour of Ram temple construction.
In a resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi, the party also appealed to all parties concerned and all communities to "abide by the secular values and spirit of fraternity enshrined in the Constitution."

Nov 09, 2019

Gandhi Family Stripped Off SPG Cover

The Special Protection Group (SPG) security cover provided to Gandhi family members including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi was withdrawn by the Union Government on November 8, 2019.
Now, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be provided with the SPG security cover.
The Gandhi family will now be provided with Z plus security cover.
Under Z plus security, the Gandhi's will be protected by the National Security Guards or the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Cabinet Secretary chairs NCMC meeting

A meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, Shri Rajiv Gauba, was held to review the preparedness to deal with Severe cyclone 'Bulbul'over the Bay of Bengal and likely to affect coastal districts of West Bengal and Odisha.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that the cyclone that had developed in Bay of Bengal, has now intensified and is likely to cross the West Bengal coast by the early morning of 10th November, 2019.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, accompanied by winds reaching upto 110-120 kmph and tidal waves up to 1.5 metre, are expected.

PM Modi Pays Obeisance At Gurdwara Sri Ber Sahib

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Cabinet Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, paid obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Ber Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi, Punjab.
PM Modi was received by former Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief Jagir Kaur, who is incharge of celebrations connected with 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev.
The prime minister was presented a 'siropa' (robe of honour) by Kaur on behalf of the SGPC. Modi spent nearly 20 minutes at the Gurdwara and listened to the 'kirtan'.

Finance Minister Presides Over Passing Out Ceremony Of The 69th Batch Of IRS Officers

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the passing out ceremony of 69th batch of IRS (Customs and Central Excise) in Haryana's Faridabad.
While addressing the gathering, Finance Minister said, "You all must play the role of ensuring that everyone who wants to pay the tax is facilitated by explaining the law, making them empowered enough to pay the tax."

Nov 08, 2019

Guinness World Record of Most Students Assembling Radio Kits Simultaneously created At IISF, Kolkata

A Guinness World Record of most students assembling radio kits simultaneously was created on the third day of India International Science Festival at Kolkata.
While 490 students participated in the event, a record 268 succeeded in completing the assembling process in the stipulated hours.
A representative of the Guinness World Records presented a certificate and memento to Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan who took it on behalf of the students.

PM Narendra Modi Attends Global Investors Meet In Dharamshala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended an exhibition organised at the two-day Himachal Pradesh Global Investors Meet being held in Dharamshala.
Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur were also present at the event along with the Prime Minister.
Modi reached Dharmshala where he was welcomed upon arrival by the Chief Minister Thakur and Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel.
The state government will showcase the policy and regulatory environment and investment scope across eight focus sectors to boost manufacturing and employment opportunities in the state.

Nov 07, 2019

Government To Probe Illegal 'Photo Tax' At Goa's Most-Clicked Road

A decision by the village panchayat of Parra, home to picturesque fields and narrow lanes lined with coconut palms, to charge tourists for clicking photos has caused an uproar after a video of tourists complaining about being charged Rs 500 for a single picture went viral.
Goa's tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has now promised an inquiry, saying the "illegal" practice would bring a bad name to Goa Tourism.

Over 18,000 BSNL Staff Opt For VRS

Within days of the state-run telecom operator BSNL opening its voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), over 18,400 employees have opted for it.
The loss-making PSU had rolled out the scheme for its employees, following the Union Cabinet nod to a nearly ₹70,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL. This included ₹30,000 crore for VRS for the two firms.
For BSNL employees, the VRS option will remain open till December 4, 2019.

Coast Guard Conducts Two-Day Rescue Exercise Off Goa Shore

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) tested its efficiency and preparedness during the Regional Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise 2019 (ReSAREX- 19) conducted off Goa coast.
The two-day event, organised by the Coast Guard District Headquarters-11 (Goa), comprised a search and rescue workshop and table top exercise, followed by a search and rescue exercise at sea.
Maritime search and rescue remains a challenge with increase in maritime and fishing activities, further complicated by frequent cyclones.

Guj govt purchases Rs 191-cr new aircraft for CM

The BJP government in Gujarat has purchased a new aircraft worth Rs 191 crore for use by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries like governor and deputy CM, formally wrapping up the delayed procurement process launched five years ago.
The swanky two-engine 'Bombardier Challenger 650' would be delivered by November end (2019).
The new aircraft can carry 12 passengers and has a flying range of around 7,000 kilometres, much higher than the present 'Beechcraft Super King' aircraft that has been used to ferry the CM and other dignitaries since the last 20 years. It can fly with a speed of around 870 kilometres per hour.

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