General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2017

Feb 2017

Jan 22, 2020

SC on Speakers

The wisdom of the legislature in entrusting Speakers (of the state assembly or parliament) with the responsibility of ruling on the disqualification of lawmakers who defect (shift parties) needs to be revisited, the Supreme Court ruled in a case on defection of a Congress MLA from Manipur.
The judgment comes at a time when a discussion is already underway among presiding officers of legislatures on how to secure the legislative Speaker's dignity in the matters related to the defection of lawmakers. As first reported earlier, in two conferences in as many months, many presiding officers have expressed the view that their role vis-à-vis the tenth schedule should be limited and other mechanisms must be evolved to decide cases of defection. The tenth schedule deals with the anti-defection law.
A top functionary of the Lok Sabha said that a panel has already been constituted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the issue and that many assembly Speakers have voluntarily sought a reduction of their power as far as the tenth schedule is concerned.

Goa Lokayukta Indicts Former CM

The Goa Lokayukta has indicted former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and two officials for renewing mining leases, including 31 in a single day in 2015, which the Supreme Court later cancelled in 2018. It has asked Goa's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to file a case against Parsekar and the two officials—P. K. Sain and Prasanna Acharya--for alleged corruption and recommended a further probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Sain is a former mines secretary and Acharya ex-director of mines. Parsekar headed a Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state from 2014 to 2017.

TMC to Introduce Anti-CAA Resolution

Bengal's parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee said that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will introduce a resolution in the state assembly later in January 2020 demanding the withdrawal of the amended citizenship act.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee followed Kerala and Punjab, saying her government too would pass a resolution in the assembly.

Trade in Focus of Brazil President's Visit

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will arrive in India for a four-day visit, during which he will be the chief guest at the annual Republic Day parade 2020 and hold talks with the Indian leadership on bolstering trade and investment.
Bolsonaro will be accompanied by seven ministers, the chairman of Brazil-India Friendship Group in Brazil's Parliament, senior officials and a delegation of over 80 businessmen.
According to Brazil's ambassador André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, India and Brazil will sign more than 15 agreements and launch an action plan for their strategic partnership during the visit.
This is Bolsonaro's first state visit to India. Former Presidents of Brazil have been the chief guest at the Republic Day parades in 1996 and 2004.

Jan 21, 2020

DPIIT launches paperless licensing process for petroleum service stations

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) launched paperless licensing process for petroleum service stations such as retail outlets storing and dispensing petrol/diesel for motor conveyances. It was launched through Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) under the Petroleum Rules, 2002.
Paperless application and grant of licence process for road tankers for transportation of petroleum under the rules has already been launched earlier this month.

IKEA launches online store in Pune

Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA has launched its online store in Pune, its second market in India after Mumbai to have online presence first without a physical store.
This is in line with IKEA's plans to reach many more Indian customers faster and provide affordable home furnishing solutions. Per Hornell, market and expansion manager, IKEA India, "Maharashtra is a very important market for IKEA, and we see a lot of potential in Pune. IKEA's priority is to meet consumer expectations by being affordable, accessible and sustainable."
Customers can either assemble the product themselves or book IKEA's assembly services.

Govt names two new JS-ranked officers under CDS

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the appointment of two joint secretaries in the newly-created department of military affairs under the defence ministry. Rajeev Singh Thakur, a 1995 batch IAS officer from Rajasthan cadre, and Shantanu, a 1997 batch officer from Tripura cadre, have been posted to the DMA, headed by India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. Their appointments are among the 31 JS-level postings approved by the committee.
Apart from the two joint secretaries, the department will be staffed with two 13 deputy secretaries, 25 under secretaries, 22 section officers and a support staff of around 100 people.
The DMA is an addition to the four existing verticals in the defence ministry --- the departments of defence, defence production, defence research and development and ex-service welfare.
As CDS, Rawat is the principal military adviser to the defence minister on all matters related to the tri-services. He took over as the country's first CDS on December 31.
The DMA will oversee key matters relating to India's neighbouring countries including border disputes and incidents, development of infrastructure in forward areas and deployment of forces. These countries include China, Pakistan and Bhutan.

Jan 20, 2020

Mumbai to Get Back Mounted Police

Acccording to Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Mumbai will get a mounted police unit for traffic and crowd control after a gap of 88 years, and the horses will be deployed on duty after taking part in the Republic Day Parade at Shivaji Park this year.
The mounted police unit, which would patrol the streets of the bustling metropolis, was disbanded in 1932 due to growing vehicular traffic.

Water, Power, Pollution Fight in AAP 'Guarantee'

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal released a "guarantee card" ahead of the February 8 state assembly polls, promising that the government's flagship schemes — free water, electricity and bus rides — will continue if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is re-elected.
Kejriwal made at least eight new commitments, including deploying 'mohalla marshals' in residential areas, reducing pollution to a third, and making bus rides free for students.
Releasing the "Kejriwal ka guarantee" card, the party chief said that these would be distributed in every household in Delhi so that people did not fall for the "lies" that he alleged were being spread by opposition parties. "The opposition is saying many of our schemes will only last till March 31, so this is our guarantee that these schemes will continue for the next five years; 24-hour electricity will continue and 200 units of free power will continue. Free water for those who consume up to 20,000 litres a month will also continue. All schemes of the AAP government will continue.
He released the card, which bears his photo and the party's election slogan "Achche beete paanch saal, lagey raho Kejriwal", by signing it.

Panel To Study Impact Of Verdicts On Society

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice plans a study to assess the impact of legislations and court judgements on the society.
The study is being carried out months after Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu in October called for the need for a Legislative Impact Assessment (LIA), saying that it will help in realising the stated objectives of various laws. Naidu had said that a detailed assessment is required at both pre-legislation and post-legislation stages.
At a meeting last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Bhupender Yadav-led 28 member panel unanimously agreed to start work on the study.

Mughalsarai Railway Division Renamed

Following the renaming of Uttar Pradesh's Mughalsarai railway station in 2018, the Centre in a notification issued changed the name of the railway division as well from Mughalsarai to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Railway Division.
The names of other Railway offices in this Division, bearing the name "Mughalsarai", may also be changed accordingly.
The Mughalsarai railway junction station comes under the East Central Railway zone. It is one of India's busiest junctions catering to nearly 500 trains a month and home to the largest railway marshalling yard in Asia.

Gujarat Ranked Top For Water Efficiency, Delhi Among Worst Performing States

Gujarat has been ranked the best for parameters on efficiency targets in the review of state and Central government water departments by the ministry of Jal Shakti. Rajasthan is the third best and Delhi is among the worst performing states, according to the ranking for 2019 circulated to different state governments recently.
Among the seven Central departments reviewed, the Survey of India has got the top billing followed by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and Central Water Commission. The Central Pollution Control Board, the country's pollution watchdog, has got the lowest rank, in the ranking for the year 2019.

Congress to Battle for Delhi in Alliance

Having announced the names of 54 candidates, the Delhi Congress only has one more day to release the list of remaining 16 contenders who will represent the party in the February 8 assembly elections.
Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra confirmed that the party has finalised an alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on four seats to woo Purvanchali voters. In Burari, Kirari, Uttam Nagar and Palam, the RJD contenders will seek votes under the Congress banner.
The Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 years till the 2015 defeat, will be contesting the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections in partnership with another party for the first time.

Jan 19, 2020

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Calls for Population Control Law

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat pressed for a law for controlling the burgeoning population of the country, reigniting a debate that the lawmakers should bring a legislation in Parliament in this regard.
The Sangh Parivar chief said at a meeting of about 40 senior RSS functionaries that this law will not have any relation to any particular religion and will be applicable to all.
Bhagwat's remark has triggered speculation that a law making the two-child norm mandatory, not temples in Varanasi and Mathura, are next on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) agenda.
Addressing a gathering at the Moradabad Institute of Technology (MIT), Bhagwat said that RSS will support any law that calls for two children only.

Punjab Assembly Passes Resolution against CAA

Punjab Assembly passed a resolution against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act that was cleared by Parliament last month, the second assembly after Kerala to call for scrapping the law.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh later told that his government would also move the Supreme Court against the CAA. Kerala had earlier this week joined the 60-odd petitioners who have already approached the top court against the law that lets the government fast-track citizenship request of people on grounds of religion.

SC Clears Way for International Airport at Goa's Mopa

The Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the construction of an international airport at Goa's Mopa by lifting the suspension it had imposed on its environmental clearance (EC) in March 2019. It ordered that the construction should be subject to strict compliance with the conditions recommended by the Union environment ministry's expert appraisal committee (EAC). The construction should be done under the supervision of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
The work on the Rs. 3,000 crore project for building the second international airport in Goa over 2,131 acres at the foothills of the Western Ghats was halted for nine months. Officials are hoping the work would soon be resumed and say they can set a revised deadline of early 2022 for the completion of the project's first phase. The project was initially scheduled to be completed by September 2020.

Jan 18, 2020

Banned NDFB Unit in Assam Calls Truce

Banned National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), an insurgent group active in Assam, signed an agreement with the government for suspension of operations.
According to the pact, the NDFB, under the leadership of its 'president' B. Saoraigwra, will abjure violence and join in peace talks with the government. The tripartite agreement was signed by representatives of the NDFB and the central and Assam governments.
Active members of the NDFB including Saoraigwra were brought back from Myanmar earlier in January 2020.

BJP Names 57 of 70 Candidates for Delhi Polls

The BJP announced the names of 57 candidates for the Delhi assembly elections that will take place on February 8, 2020.
Out of the 57 names, 11 are from SC community, while four are women. The AAP has already announced the names for all the 70 seats.
The BJP, however, did not name its candidate against AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Non-BJP States Object to Methodology of NPR

A few states that are not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) objected to some aspects of the new National Population Register (NPR) at a meet convened by the Union home ministry to discuss the house-listing phase of Census 2021 and NPR.
While some states have protested the NPR, West Bengal and Kerala said that they will not participate in the exercise as it is a stepping stone to a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). The states said that the combination of the proposed nationwide NRC and an amended citizenship law is divisive in nature. The government said that the objective of NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of all usual residents.

Merger Plan of RSTV and LSTV in Final Stages

The merger of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Television is in its final stages, with the six-member Committee expected to submit its final report in two weeks time, i.e. by Febrauary. There has been overwhelming demand that live transmission of the proceedings of the two houses should not be disrupted.
The Committee was constituted on November 7, 2019 and consists of Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash; Additional Secretary to the RS Secretariat A. Rao; the Lok Sabha Secretariat's Ganpati Bhatt; Financial Advisor to RS TV Shikha Darbari; and CEOs of RS TV and LS TV, Manoj Kumar Pandey and Aashish Joshi, respectively. The mandate laid down for the Committee was "to work out the modalities and prepare the guidelines for pooling resources, manpower and technology for the merger of the two channels".

CAT Quashes Appointment of Dinkar Gupta as Punjab Police Chief

The central administrative tribunal (CAT) quashed the appointment of Dinkar Gupta as the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP).
The CAT directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and empanelment committee to prepare a list of three officers strictly in accordance with the Supreme Court judgment in Prakash Singh's case and complete the exercise.
A 1987-batch IPS officer, Gupta succeeded Suresh Arora as the Punjab DGP in February 2019, superseding five senior officers.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

October GK, September GK, August GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services and Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26