General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Sep 01, 2019

COP14 To UN Convention To Combat Desertification to Begin In Greater Noida

The 14th Conference of Parties, COP14, to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification will get underway in Greater Noida.
The Conference will focus on desertification and degradation of land and will go on till 13th September.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar highlighted India's resolve to combat desertification. Mr Javadekar asserted that India will lead from the front to combat desertification and move the world in a positive direction.
The main objective of the convention is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought or desertification.
India will host over 3000 participants and take the responsibility of leading 196 nations towards Sustainable Development for the next two years in COP14.
This Conference will provide framework for countries to restore the land and protect human health.
It will present sustainable solutions for better land management. The Conference is expected to agree on about 30 decisions to ramp up and elaborate further actions needed on the ground.
Different industries will showcase their latest products, and innovations associated with reduction of land degradation.
Land is the lifeline for all living beings, and the impact of land degradation is ultimately on human health and well-being.

19 Lakh People Left Out Of Assam's NRC Final List

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on August 31, 2019.
The NRC is a Supreme Court-monitored exercise. It took five years and Rs. 1,220 crore. All residents of Assam had to produce documents proving that they or their families lived in India before March 24, 1971.
When the final draft of the list was released on July 30, 2018, out of 3.29 crore applicants, the names of over 40 lakh people were left out of the list.
Over 19 lakh people found themselves excluded from the final list on August 31, 2019.
Excluded persons will have 120 days to file an appeal at any of the existing 100 Foreigners' Tribunals.
At least 200 additional Foreigners' Tribunals are expected to be set up by September, 2019.
The Tribunals are required to dispose of the cases within six months. Appellants can then approach the High Court and Supreme Court.
They will get a window of 10 months to prove their citizenship before being sent to detention centres.

EC Scheduled To Host 4th General Assembly Of Association Of World Election Bodies (a-Web) At Beng...

Election Commission of India is scheduled to host the 4th General Assembly of Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) at Bengaluru.
India will take over as A-WEB's Chair for the 2019- 2021 term. According to an official release, over 50 countries across the globe will join the meeting at Bengaluru from 2nd to 4th of September.
An International Conference on Initiatives and Challenges of Social Media and Information Technology in Elections will also be held on 04th September.
A-WEB is the largest association of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) worldwide.

Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock Calls On Home Minister Amit Shah

International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) Secretary General Jurgen Stock called on Home Minister Amit Shah.
During the meeting, Shah proposed hosting of Interpol General Assembly in the national capital in 2022, as a part of celebrations of the 75th anniversary of India's independence.
The Union Minister also expressed India's willingness to be a Regional Hub of INTERPOL Global Academy by extending assistance as well as infrastructural support.
Emphasising the zero-tolerance approach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards drug trafficking, international terrorism, dirty money, and money laundering, Shah called upon the Interpol to accord the topmost priority in fighting these menaces.
He also underlined the urgent need for a long term strategic action plan in fighting these menaces, not just in the Asian region but across the world.
Mentioning the recent amendments in Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the senior BJP leader said that over the years, Indian intelligence and investigation agencies have acquired rich and varied experiences in their decades-old fight against terrorism.
Union Home Minister Shah said Interpol is welcome to actively collaborate with Indian law enforcement agencies to make the best use of this expertise.

Aug 31, 2019

India Open to Discuss Outstanding Issues with Pakistan

According to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, India is willing to discuss outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an atmosphere free of terror and violence.
The remark was made during the minister's meeting with European Union Commissioner Christos Stylianides after the latter reiterated the EU's stance that New Delhi and Islamabad need to re-open dialogue through diplomatic channels for the de-escalation of tensions in the Kashmir region.
Ever since Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its special status, Islamabad has downgraded bilateral relations with New Delhi by suspending trade, partially closing its airspace, banning of screening Indian cinemas and halting Samjhauta and Thar Express train services.

Ready to Hand Over Land for Ram Temple

Claiming the right over the disputed site at Ayodhya, the Shia Wakf Board is ready to hand it over to Hindus for construction of a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
On behalf of the Shia Wakf Board, advocate MC Dhingra told a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that the Allahabad High Court in its September 30, 2010 verdict ruled that it was not a Sunni Wakf.
However, the High Court had said that one-third of the disputed land should be given to Muslims.
By implication, it meant that the High Court wanted one-third of the disputed land to be given to Shias. The Shias were ready to give their share of the land to Hindus for construction of Ram Temple.
The SC is hearing cross-appeals challenging the High Court's verdict dividing the disputed site between Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and Muslims.

Nine Pvt. Sector Experts Join as Joint Secretaries

In a first, the Central Government appointed nine private sector specialists in various fields as Joint Secretaries in various ministries under its lateral recruitment policy.
The appointments were cleared by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The nine Joint Secretaries from among the private sector experts have been appointed for a period of three years or till further orders, whichever is earlier.
The new Joint Secretaries are: Kakoli Ghosh (Ministry of Agriculture), Amber Dubey (Civil Aviation), Arun Goel (Commerce), Rajeev Saksena (Economic Affairs), Sujit Kumar Bajpayee (Environment, Forests), Saurabh Mishra (Financial Services), Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale (New and Renewable Energy), Suman Prasad Singh (Road Transport and Highways) and Bhushan Kumar (Shipping).

After Liquor, Bihar Bans Pan Masala

The Bihar Government put in place a ban on 'pan masala', which, however, will be applicable for one year.
The state Food Safety Commissioner said: "Twelve companies in the state have been totally barred from production, storage, transportation, exhibition and sale of 'pan masala' either in packed or loose form for next one year from August 30, 2019." Bihar banned liquor on April 1, 2016.

SC Collegium Clears 8 Names for HC CJs

The Supreme Court collegium led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi recommended new Chief Justices for eight High Courts, including the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Himachal Pradesh High Court.
According to the decision taken by the collegium, Justice Ravi Shankar Jha has been recommended to be the new Chief Justice in Punjab and Haryana High Court. He will replace Justice Krishna Murari who has been recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.
Justice L Narayana Swamy has been recommended to be the new Chief Justice in Himachal Pradesh High Court in place of Justice V Ramasubramanian whose name was cleared for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court.
According to a resolution adopted by the collegium, Justice Indrajit Mahanty has been recommended to be the new Chief Justice in Rajasthan High Court, replacing Justice S Ravindra Bhat who has been proposed for elevation to the top court as a judge.
Justice S Manikumar's name has been cleared as Chief Justice in Kerala High Court in place of Justice Hrishikesh Roy whose name has been recommended for elevation to the SC as a judge.

Aug 30, 2019

DoT Allocates Two Additional Frequencies For Community Radio

The Department of Telecommunications has allocated two additional dedicated frequencies for running Community Radio - 89.6 and 90.0 MHz.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Amit Khare said this while delivering the Valedictory Address of 7th National Community Radio Sammelan in New Delhi.
He also announced that on the lines of recent hike in advertisement rates for print and electronic media, the advertisement rates for Community Radio will be revised by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication within two months.
Mr Khare also announced that a Community Radio Cell will be set up in the Ministry for grievance redressal and collating actionable suggestions received from stakeholders.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry will establish Community Radio Stations in every district of the Country.

ADB President Meets Prime Minister Modi and Pledges $12 Billion in Support of New Flagship Initia...

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Mr. Takehiko Nakao met with India's Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi for the third time since Mr. Modi became Prime Minister and pledged to support the government's new flagship initiatives led by the Prime Minister.
He also met with Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Mr. Nitin Gadkari, and Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal.
At his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Nakao commended the government's vision to make India a $5 trillion economy during Mr. Modi's second term, and reaffirmed ADB's commitment to helping bolster the country's inclusive growth and rapid economic transformation to achieve this vision.

Mumbai Ranked 45th, Delhi 52nd on world's safe cities list

Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI), while Delhi stood at the 52nd position, a report by Economist Intelligence Unit said.
Cities in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region made up six of the top-10 safest cities with Tokyo taking the top spot.
Along with Tokyo, APAC cities dominated the SCI 2019. Singapore and Osaka came second and third, while Sydney and Melbourne also made it to the top-10 cities list.
Though Hong Kong dropped out of this group since 2017, Seoul has joined the top-10 cities' league taking eighth place with Copenhagen.
The Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019 ranks 60 countries worldwide across five continents and measures the multi-faceted nature of urban safety, with indicators categorised as digital, infrastructure, health and personal security.

IIT Guwahati Signs MoU With RD Grow Green India

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd. for safe drinking water.
The Technology Transfer Signing Ceremony was held at the IIT Guwahati campus between T G Sitharam, Director IIT Guwahati and Rajeev Saikia, MD, RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd.
Drinking water contamination is a major problem in most of the states including Assam. This "chemical-free" treatment technique might be useful to the citizens in rural and urban areas as well.
The initiative made by the team from IIT Guwahati has resulted in one of the successful incubation of a company within IIT Guwahati (RD Grow Green India Pvt Ltd) who have taken the challenge to supply contaminant-free drinking water in the Assam state, presently using the technology developed by Prof. M. K. Purkait.
The technology is based on the 'Apparatus and Method for Removal of Fluoride, Iron, Arsenic and Microorganisms from Contaminated Drinking Water' by Prof. Mihir Kumar Purkait, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati.
The technology is patented by Prof. Mihir Kumar Purkait under the Indian patent Number: 286481.

Aug 29, 2019

India Launches World's First Ever Facial Bio-Metric Data Based Seafarer Identity Document

India has become the first country in the world to issue Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID), capturing the facial bio-metric data of seafarers.
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, MoS (I/C) Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers launched the project in New Delhi. He also handed over the new BSID cards to five Indian seafarers.
The new facial biometric technology is a marked improvement over the two finger or iris based bio-metric data, with modern security features.
It will make the identification of the SID holder more reliable and efficient, while protecting their dignity and privacy. India had made a presentation on this technology at ILO .

Amit Shah Attends 49th Foundation Day Of BPR And D As Chief Guest

Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the 49th Foundation Day of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR and D). Shah was the chief guest at the event.
Shah lighted a lamp to inaugurate the event. Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy was also present at the event.

Aug 28, 2019

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Launches The Commencement Of Work For 10th City Gas Distribution

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the commencement of work for 10th City Gas Distribution (CGD) bidding round which will cover 50 Geographical Areas (GAs) in 124 districts.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the 10th CGD bidding Round on 22 November 2018.
The petroleum minister had distributed Letters of Intent to 12 successful bidders of the round on 1st March 2019.
After the completion of the 10th round, over 70% of the country's population and 52.73% of the area will be covered under the CGD.
As per the minimum work program approved by the PNGRB for the 10th round, 2.02 crore PNG domestic connections will be provided, 3578 CNG stations will open, and 0.58 lakh Inch-km steel pipeline will be laid.

DDA To Allow Pvt Players To Buy Land For Housing

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to auction land for residential projects to private developers for the first time, in an attempt to meet growing demand for housing in the national capital at a time when some of its more recent projects have drawn a tepid response.
The auction will be of plots that were earmarked as residential zones as per the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021, and the process could start as early as October, 2019.
Such plots were previously meant for Cooperative Group Housing Societies (CGHS) but allotments had been halted since 2005 following irregularities in the process. Bids will also be accepted from CGHS applicants.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Delhi's lieutenant governor Anil Baijal (DDA comes under him) . DDA is in the process of compiling a list of land parcels that will be put on auction, starting with a pilot project in Rohini.
The same model will then be followed in Dwarka and Narela.

Banjari Village Of Katni District To Become Integral Part Of Digital Map Of The Country

In Madhya Pradesh, Banjari village of Katni district will become an integral part of the digital map of the country. It is the first village in the state to be associated with Digital India, the Prime Minister's ambitious project.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology plans to build 1000 digital villages across the country in this phase, starting from Banjari Gram Panchayat of Madhya Pradesh.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India campaign, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has envisaged the Digital Village Project.
The digital village will not only help in providing connectivity in every village but it will also help in bridging the digital divide between rural and urban areas.
This will also open new jobs and employment. Akodara village of Sabarkantha district of Gujarat is the first digital village in the country.
In the next five years, under this campaign, one lakh digital villages of this kind will be planned by the ministry.

Delhi's Iconic Feroz Shah Kotla To Be Renamed As Arun Jaitley Stadium

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) decided to rechristen the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium in the memory of its former president who passed away recently.
The renaming will take place on September 12, 2019 at a function where a stand at the Kotla will be named after India captain Virat Kohli as announced earlier.
The ground will continue to be known as the Feroz Shah Kotla, as it is only the stadium that has been renamed by the DDCA.
Jaitley, during his tenure at DDCA, is credited with renovating the stadium into a modern facility, increasing its capacity to accommodate more fans besides constructing world class dressing rooms.
The function, to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, will be graced by the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.
The Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium is the second-oldest cricket stadium in India after Kolkata's Eden Gardens and was established in 1883. The stadium's capacity is currently at over 40,000.
It has played host to 34 Test matches, 25 ODIs and 5 T20Is. Besides that, it also hosts matches for the Delhi cricket team as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals.

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