General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Oct 02, 2019

AIM, ATL and UNICEF India Launches 'The Gandhian Challenge'

On the 150^th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, AIM, NITI Aayog's Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and UNICEF India, including Generation Unlimited, have launched 'The Gandhian Challenge'.
This innovation challenge provides a platform for every child across India to ideate innovative solutions for a sustainable India of their dreams, using Gandhi's principles.
The winners of The Gandhian Challenge will be awarded in New Delhi by NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission and UNICEF on the occasion of Children's Day in November, 2019.
The contest – open for every child in India from 2 October to 20 October, 2019 – also celebrates 70 years of partnership between Government of India and UNICEF India to enable Every Right for Every Child.

Ramvilas Paswan Launches App For Registering Consumer Grievances

Union Minister Ramvilas Paswan launched a consumer app that would help consumers across the nation to register their grievances online and give suggestions on several consumer-related issues.
This app will be available for both Android and IOS users, can be downloaded free of cost from Play Store or Apple Store.
Ministry officials claimed that the consumer complaints will be redressed at least within 20 days and a maximum of 60 days.

Oct 01, 2019

Dr. Harsh Vardhan Inaugurates 'Arogya Manthan', On Completion of One Year of Ayushman Bharat

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, inaugurated the 'Arogya Manthan', a 2-day national workshop organised by National Health Authority (NHA) to mark the first anniversary of Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, which was launched on 23rd September 2018 at Ranchi by the Prime Minister.
The names of over 100 hospitals found involved in malpractices have been put up on the official website of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme as part of the government's "name and shame" initiative to create deterrence among healthcare establishments.

Election Commission Cuts Short Disqualification Term for Sikkim Chief Minister

Barred by law from contesting elections for six years after completing his one-year prison term in a graft case in 2018, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang's disqualification was sharply reduced to just a year and a month by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
While he did not contest the Sikkim Assembly elections held earlier this year, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) leader and BJP ally was appointed as Chief Minister. Following the ECI order, he would now be eligible to contest polls.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra reduced Mr. Tamang's period of disqualification citing Section 11 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which allows the ECI to reduce or remove disqualification "for reasons to be recorded".

UNESCO DD Join Hands for TV Show on Gandhi's 150th Anniversary

Rarely heard audio clips of Mahatma Gandhi would be featured as part of an hour-long television programme jointly hosted by the UNESCO and Doordarshan to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation.
The bilingual programme - 'Mahatma Lives'/'Bapu Zinda Hain' - would telecast on October 1, 2019 at 10 pm and repeated on October 2, 2019 at 5 pm across the country on DD News.
The programme would be jointly hosted by UNESCO New Delhi Director, Eric Falt, and renowned academician and historian Pushpesh Pant.

Nitin Gadkari Inaugurated Delhi-Meerut Expressway

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the Delhi-Meerut Expressway phase-3, built at a cost of Rs. 1,058 crore.
The 82-kilometre long Delhi-Meerut Expressway connects Delhi with Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh.
The project involves construction of a major bridge across upper Ganga canal, seven new minor bridges, a flyover at Hapur bypass, 11 vehicular underpasses, two pedestrian underpasses, two foot over bridges, six major junctions and 105 minor junctions.

PM Modi Awards Winners of 2nd Indo-Singapore Joint Hackathon in Chennai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Chennai and took part in the 56th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He addressed the Singapore India Hackathon 2019 at the IIT-M Research Park and delivered the Convocation address at the institutes's Students Activity Centre.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also awarded the winners of the second Indo-Singapore Joint Hackathon in Chennai.
The first Hackathon was held in 2018. The concept is a brain child of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congratulating the winners of the Hackathon, Prime Minister Modi said that his government is encouraging innovation and incubation for two big reasons, one is for providing easy solutions to solve India's problems and the other is to make life easier.

Sep 30, 2019

Congress Releases 51 Candidates in First List for Maharashtra

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, current Congress state president Balasaheb Thorat and leader of the opposition in the assembly Namdevrao Wadettiwar were among the prominent names in party's first list of 51 candidates for Maharashtra elections slated for October 21, 2019.
Congress is contesting 125 seats in Maharashtra in alliance with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) which will also contest the same number of seats. The remaining 38 seats in 288-member strong Maharashtra Assembly have been left for other friendly parties to contest.
The Congress had won 42 seats in the 2014 assembly elections and the NCP won 41.

'Plants for Plastic' Campaign to Be Launched In Bongaigaon Distt

In Assam, in order to gradually collect and remove the harmful plastics from the eco- system Bongaigaon District administration is going to launch a campaign 'Plants for Plastic' tomorrow. The campaign aims to encourage people to collect and remove plastic from their houses, commercial establishments and educational institutions. Under this unique initiative, any person can deposit one kilogram plastic in the Municipality office and get a valuable sapling for free.
In line with "Swacchata hi Seva" campaign, this event aims at minimizing the usage of plastic bags throughout the district. Bongaigaon Deputy Commissioner Adil Khan who conceptualized the idea, said that this special initiative will encourage the citizens to move towards the goal of "clean and green Bongaigaon".

BSP Releases List of 41 Candidates for Haryana Assembly Polls

BSP's Haryana Unit President Prakash Bharti released a list of 41 candidates for Haryana Assembly polls. The list has been cleared by Party Chief Mayawati. Out of 41 candidates, 12 are named from the reserved categories.
The list also contains names of two women candidates- one contesting from Shahbad (SC) seat and another from Pundri seat.

Nitin Gadkari Inaugurated Delhi-Meerut Package-3

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the Delhi-Meerut Package-3 connecting Dasna in Ghaziabad to Hapur. The package is a 22 kilometre-long stretch built at cost of 1989 crore rupees. The package has six-lane section with two plus two lane service road on either sides. The ambitious project boasts several underpasses and construction of a major bridge across upper Ganga canal, which was a very big challenge. The 82 kilometre-long Delhi-Meerut Expressway connects Delhi with Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh.
The Delhi-Meerut Expressway project is being implemented in four packages - an 8.7 kilometre-long expressway from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to UP GATE, already completed in June 2018 under Phase-I and a 31.78 kilometre-long greenfield six-lane expressway from Hapur to Meerut, under Phase-IV is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Sep 29, 2019

Over 1400 Prisoners Released To Mark Mahatma Gandhi's 150th Birth Anniversary

Over 1400 prisoners were released by States and Union Territories in two phases under the scheme for special remission to prisoners to commemorate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The 3rd phase of release is due on 2nd October 2019 for which the process is on.
On the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and as a humanitarian gesture, the Centre also decided to grant a special dispensation to nine Sikh prisoners from various jails in the country.

Ex-CM Beant Singh Assassin Balwant Rajoana's Death Sentence Commuted to Life

The death sentence of dreaded Babbar Khalsa terrorist, Balwant Singh Rajoana-- convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh -- was commuted to life.
Beant Singh, often credited with ending terrorism in Punjab, was assassinated on August 31, 1995. A human bomb triggered the explosives as the chief minister was getting into his official vehicle at about 5.30 pm at the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. Rajoana, subsequent investigations revealed, was to be the second human bomb in case the first human bomb failed.
Earlier in October 2010, the death sentence of Jagtar Singh Hawara -- the other convict in the assassination – was reduced to life imprisonment by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The same court had, however, upheld Rajoana's death sentence. Importantly, Rajoana had never filed a mercy plea. Others, for instance, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had, however, moved a mercy plea on his behalf.

11-Day 'Aadi Mahotsav' Goes To a Colourful Start

Aadi Mahotsav (Tribal Festival) organised by Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), Ministry of Tribal Affairs went off to a colourful start this evening at Expo Centre Sector-62, Noida (UP).
Smt. Renuka Singh, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs inaugurated the festival. Shri Deepak Khandekar, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Shri Ramesh Chand Meena, Chairman TRIFED and many dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The festival will continue from 11 am to 8.30 pm, daily till 8th October, 2019.
The Minister took a round of the Mahotsav and interacted with the tribal artists and lauded their significant role in the protection, preservation and promotion of the rare folk art and craft of the country.

Lata Mangeshkar 'Special Guest' At PM Modi's Mann ki Baat

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar featured on the latest edition of Mann Ki Baat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lata Mangeshkar joined Narendra Modi just a day after celebrating her 90th birthday on September 28, 2019.
Earlier, former US President Barack Obama featured on Mann Ki Baat as a special guest on the broadcast in January 2015. .
The first episode of Mann Ki Baat aired on October 2014 following PM Modi's coming into power that year. The monthly radio programme was temporarily discontinued ahead of 2019 general elections following the implementation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The programme resumed on June 30 this year following BJP's landmark victory and PM Modi's reelection.
The monthly radio programme is broadcasted on the entire All India Radio network and Doordarshan. The official Youtube channels of the Prime Ministers' Office and Information and Broadcasting Ministry also live-streams PM Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' address.

AP Govt. Cancels Bauxite Mining In Visakhapatnam

The Andhra Pradesh government would be collecting a 'green tax' besides imposing a ban on single use plastic.
It also cancelled the bauxite mining lease in about 1,520 hactares in Jarella of Chintapalli agency area in Visakhapatnam district, given to the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) for a period of 30 years.
About one lakh tonnes of waste is being generated from pharma companies, but only 30% of it is being refined.

Participate In 'Run for Unity' To Mark Sardar Patel's Birth Anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed people to come out in large numbers to participate in the 'Run for Unity' to be organised across the country to mark the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, on October 31, 2019.
"As you know October 31 is the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. 'Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat' is our dream and to fulfil that we will organise 'Run For Unity' every year," Modi said in his 57th edition of the monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.

Pilot Project to Introduce Industry 4.0 Launched By Railways

A pilot project for ushering in Industry 4.0 in the country has been launched at the Modern Coach Factory in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli district.
Industry 4.0, commonly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, is a name given to the current trend of automation, inter-connectivity and data exchange in manufacturing technologies to increase productivity.
Industry 4.0 is a complex cyber-physical system which synergies production with digital technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Analytics, Machine Learning and Cloud Computing.

VP Naidu, PM Modi Pay Tributes to Bhagat Singh on Birth Anniversary

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister paid tributes to Saheed Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary on 28th September, 2019.
In Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said, Bhagat Singh's valour and courage and the great sacrifice made by him for the country's freedom will continue to inspire every Indian for all times. He said that the nation is ever grateful to the iconic nationalist.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Shaheed Bhagat Singh's name is synonymous with valour and sacrifice and his courageous actions continue to motivate millions. He said that Bhagat Singh remains among the most popular icons in the minds of the youth.

Maharashtra Elections 2019

Even before a formal announcement of its seat-sharing agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was made, Shiv Sena started distributing tickets to some of its sitting legislators and to candidates on seats they are sure to contest.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray also handed over the AB form-- denoting official party candidate-- to his son Aaditya, who is the first Thackeray to enter into electoral politics from the family. Aaditya would contest from Worli assembly constituency in Mumbai.
In a departure from the practice of formally announcing the list of candidates, the Shiv Sena chief on Sunday handed over AB forms to nearly 20 candidates on seats where there was no tussle with the BJP.

Midnapore Becomes 5000th Railway Station to Be Wi-Fi Enabled

Midnapore in West Bengal became the 5000th railway station in the country to be Wi-Fi enabled, said Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
RailTel started the project of providing Wi-Fi facility at railway stations in January 2016 from Mumbai Central station in Maharashtra. It was the first station to have fast and free RailWire.

Sep 28, 2019

Bengaluru Airport Wants Citizens to Donate Plastic Waste, Will Be Used To Build Roads

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) is seeking donations, but of a different kind — plastic waste. The airport authorities have asked citizens of the state capital to donate their plastic waste to build 50-lane-km roads in the airport campus.
The campaign, called the #PlasticBeku (Want Plastic) campaign, is part of an ongoing plan to lay roads at the Kempegowda International Airport using collected plastic waste.

Kerala Election Results

The ruling CPM-led LDF in Kerala won the by-election to Pala Assembly constituency, wresting the seat from the opposition Congress-led UDF.
LDF candidate Mani C Kappan defeated Jose Tom Pulikkunnel of the opposition Congress-led UDF in a closely contested fight.
Kappan, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, defeated Pulikkunnel, a faction leader of the Kerala Congress (M) by 2,943 votes.

Union Agriculture Minister Inaugurates Rural Investors and Start-Up Conclave 2019

During his address, the minister stated that villages and agriculture were crucial for the economic advancement of India.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated Rural Investors and Start-up Conclave (RISC) 2019.
Emphasising on the need for start-ups in rural areas, the minister stated that it was crucial for start-ups to emerge in order to cater to the future employment needs of the country.

Chhattisgarh Election Results

Congress candidate for bypoll in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada has won the seat by a considerable margin. The result of the election held on September 23, 2019.
The Naxal-affected constituency witnessed a two-prong fight between Congress candidate Devti Karma and Bharatiya Janata Party's Ojaswi Mandavi.
After the 19th round of counting, Devti Karma was leading by 11,319 votes against her nearest rival Ojaswi Mandavi. Karma had secured 49,907 votes, while Mandavi had got 38,588 votes.
The polling on the seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes was necessitated after BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was killed in a Maoist attack in April, 2019.
In the 90-member state Assembly, the Congress won 68 seats last year and the BJP 15. The Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and the BSP had bagged 5 and 2 seats, respectively. With the win, the Congress has further consolidated its grip in the Assembly.

MASCRADE 2019 Organised By FICCI in Delhi

'Movement against Smuggling and Counterfeit Trade scheduled', an annual flagship FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) event was held from 26-27 September 2019 in New Delhi. This year was the sixth edition of MASCRADE event which was organised by FICCI CASCADE (Committee against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy).
The theme for MASCRADE 2019 was 'Containing Counterfeiting, Smuggling and Piracy: A Winning Strategy'.

Tripura Assembly Election

BJP's Mimi Majumder wins Badharghat Assembly seat by 5,276 votes.
The BJP, which was leading since the counting began, emerged victorious with a margin of more than 5,000 votes over CPM.
After the sixth and final round of counting, BJP candidate Mimi Majumder secured 20,471 votes, while the nearest rival – CPM's Bulti Biswas ended up winning 15,211 votes.
Meanwhile, the Congress, who fielded Ratan Das, bagged the third spot with 9,101 votes.

World Hindu Economic Forum

World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF), a business networking platform to promote enterprise amongst Hindus globally, was held for the first time in Mumbai from September 27 to 29, 2019.
Saffron-robed Swami Vigyananand, initiator of the forum, watched on as Shriraj Nair, Mumbai's Jt Secretary Konkan Chapter and national spokesperson of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), said, "The theme this year is 'prosperous society: stronger society' and there is going to be building on business opportunities and networks. This is not just an impressive sounding term but will have solid meaning."
The three-day annual conference of the forum will see 354 foreign delegates and 650 Indian delegates from 37 countries and has been divided into 14 sessions, with politicians, and businessmen in attendance.

Hamirpur Election Results 2019

BJP candidate Yuvraj Singh won the bypoll to the Hamirpur Assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh by a margin of over 17,000 votes.
Singh secured 74,374 votes, defeating his nearest rival Samajwadi Party candidate Manoj Prajapati.
Fifty one per cent polling was recorded in the bypoll, held on 23rd September 2019.

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