General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

May 23, 2018

Rare Black Panther Spotted in Odisha

In a first, a black panther has been spotted in Odisha's Sundergarh forest.

Odisha is the ninth state where a black panther has been reported.

Melanistic leopards are also found in other states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Rohingya Entering India

According to Manipur police, Rohingya refugees displaced from Myanmar's Rakhine region are increasingly entering India through human trafficking corridors along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border.

More than 300,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar and taken refuge in Bangladesh.

Industrialist Bansidhar Panda Passes Away

Bansidhar Panda, the well-known industrialist from Odisha and founder of Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA), passed away at the age of 87. He was known for his close ties with former chief minister Biju Patnaik.

Nipah Virus

With 10 deaths reported from Kerala and two more being suspected as cases being related to Nipah virus, Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda said that all measures are being taken to contain the epidemic.

Teams from AIIMS and National Centre for Disease Control have been camping in Kerala and Nadda.

According to World Health Organisation, Nipah virus causes severe nerve damage in humans and animals and its symptoms include fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation and mental confusion.

Pigs and fruit bats are the major carriers of the virus.

May 22, 2018

Navy's All-women Crew Arrived in Goa

Indian Navy's six-member all-women crew arrived in Goa after circumnavigating the globe in over eight months on board the naval vessel INSV Tarini. The expedition, christened 'Navika Sagar Parikrama', was flagged off from the INS Mandovi boat pool here on September 10, 2017.

The crew covered 21,600 nautical miles in the Indian-built sailing vessel INSV Tarini that visited five countries and crossed the Equator twice. It sailed across four continents and three oceans, and passed south of the three Great Capes - Leeuwin, Horn and Good Hope.

The expedition was completed in six legs, with stopovers at the Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), Cape Town (South Africa) and Mauritius.

India Will Welcome Any Peace Move

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India will take any statement from Pakistan towards peace between the two countries seriously. She also stated that the security forces will fully honour the ceasefire announced by the government.

These comments come in the backdrop of Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa's call last month for peaceful resolution of disputes, including Kashmir, through talks.

Arunachal on Commercial Aviation Map

A wartime airstrip laid 66 years ago helped Arunachal Pradesh create history by becoming the last of the eight north-eastern States to be on India's commercial flight service map.

IAF's Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs

Indian Air Force can track and detect the state-of-art Chinese Chengdu J-20 fighters, which are reported to have stealth capabilities. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI radar can see the Chengdu J-20 hundreds of kilometres away.

India is planning to upgrade the Su-30 MKIs with Russian Phazotron Zhuk-AE Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars which can track 30 targets and engage six of them simultaneously.

May 21, 2018

IFFCO Celebrates World Honey Bee Day

In a first, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) celebrated World Honey Bee Day at FMDI Auditorium in Gurugram. The event was organised in collaboration with Indian Farm Forestry Development Cooperative Limited (IFFDC) - a subsidiary dedicated to farm forestry.

United Nations and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have recently announced to commemorate May 20, 2018 as the first ever 'World Honey Bee' Day in order to spread awareness about honey bee and bee keeping.

May 20, 2018

India's First Long-range Artillery Gun

India's first indigenous, long-range artillery gun 'Dhanush' is all set to take a test at Jaisalmer's Pokhran field firing range. The test will be conducted next week.

'Dhanush' has been developed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and manufactured by Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory (GCF).

Yeddyurappa Resigns

The political thriller in the state of Karnataka had a rather timid climax when a visibly emotional B. S. Yeddyurappa of BJP announced he will give his resignation as CM just minutes before he was to prove majority in the assembly.

Tripura Reserves Police Posts for Women

According to Education and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath, the Tripura government will reserve 10% of the posts in the state police for women. Currently, 4% of the police personnel in the state are women.

May 19, 2018

Pakistan Voices Concern over Kishanganga Project

Pakistan has voiced concern over the inauguration of the 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric Project in Jammu and Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying inauguration without resolution of a dispute between the two countries will tantamount to violation of the Indus Water Treaty.

Modi will inaugurate the power project in Bandipora district.

BJP Legislator Asked to Prove Citizenship

An MLA of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam has been served a notice to prove his citizenship amid the exercise to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) that is nearing completion.

Kishore Nath and six members of his family were served the notice on Friday by the Foreigners' Tribunal No 1 on suspicion of being doubtful voters. Mr. Nath, 53, represents the Barkhola Assembly seat in southern Assam's Cachar district.

High-level Bureaucratic Reshuffle

In a high-level bureaucratic reshuffle, the Union government named Secretaries for the important Ministries of Commerce, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Information and Broadcasting, Education and Steel.

The reshuffle involves appointments of over two dozen top bureaucrats.

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