General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2017

Feb 2017

Jan 17, 2020

Limit Time to Apply Under CAA: Assam

The Assam government requested the Union Home Ministry to impose a three-month time limit to apply under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, and not keep it open ended.
As per a government source, since the CAA rules are yet to be framed, the Assam government asked the Centre to consider relaxing the norms and introducing a three-month period, beyond which no one could benefit under the Act.

IUML Plea to Stay CAA Implementation

Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) moved a plea in the Supreme Court to stay the operation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 which got notified on 10 January this year.
It has also moved a separate application to direct the Union of India to clarify as to whether the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) are linked and to further clarify as to whether a pan India NRC will be prepared and its exercise be implemented across India.
If the operation of the Amendment Act is not stayed, the issue will become 'fait accompli' as once the citizenship is given to a person under the legislation, it cannot be taken away.
Therefore since the Amendment Act is pending adjudication before this court, it would be in the interest of justice, that the operation of the Amendment Act, including such procedures under the Amendment Act for granting citizenship to illegal migrants be stayed until the matter is decided by the court.

Agreement Signed to End the Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis

Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over the signing of an agreement between the central government and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives under which around 34,000 internally displaced people will be settled in Tripura.
Shah said that around 34,000 Bru refugees will be settled in Tripura under the new agreement and the state would be given a package of around Rs. 600 crores for their rehabilitation.
They would get all the rights that normal residents of the states get and they would now be able to enjoy the benefits of social welfare schemes of Centre and state governments.
The agreement was signed in front of Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and Bru refugee representatives.

India to Invite Imran for Shanghai Council Meet

There could be a fresh beginning between India and Pakistan at diplomatic level later this year when India plays host to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India will extend invitation to all heads of state including Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan for the SCO meet.
The meeting is held annually at the prime minister's level and it discusses the SCO's program and multilateral economic and trade co-operation," Raveesh Kumar told mediapersons in New Delhi.
The SCO head of state meeting is expected to be held in the second half of the year. This is the first instance when India will be hosting the meeting of the council of heads of government of the SCO.
Dominated by China, the SCO has emerged as a significant grouping of emerging economies. It was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001. Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the founding members.
India became part of the SCO as "observer" in 2005 and got full membership of the grouping in 2017.

Jan 16, 2020

Postal Ballot now for PwDs and super Senior Citizens too

Person with disabilities(PwDs) and people over 80 years of age can now cast their vote in Delhi Assembly Election through postal ballot.
For the first time, Delhi Metro, Northern Railway Employees and media persons covering polling can also use postal ballot facility to cast their votes.
Till now, voting through postal ballot was available to armed forces and those assigned in poll duties. The employee of essential service can fill the form 12(D) and submit before 19th of this month to avail the postal ballot facility. Nodal officers have been deployed for this process for essential service employees.

Budget Session of Parliament to commence on January 31

The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and subject to the exigencies of government business, is likely to conclude on April 3 with a recess in between, an official communication.
President Ram Nath Kovind will address a joint sitting of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the central hall of Parliament at 11 am on January 31.
The President has summoned the Rajya Sabha to meet, January 31, 2020, at New Delhi.

Centre accepts Justice Dhingra committee report on Delhi Police's role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots

Central government told the Supreme Court that it has accepted Justice Dhingra committee report into the role of Delhi Police in 1984 anti-Sikh riots and that it will take action accordingly.
A Bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde has allowed the petitioner S Gurlad Singh Kahlon, a member of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, to file suggestions on the report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The petition has sought an inquiry into the role of 62 policemen named in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
The apex court had in January 2018 constituted the SIT, headed by former Delhi High Court judge Justice SN Dhingra and comprising retired IPS officer Rajdeep Singh and serving IPS officer Abhishek Dular, to supervise further probe into the 186 riots cases, in which closure reports had been filed earlier.

Jan 15, 2020

Housing Ministry Launched e-Commerce Platform For Real Estate Sector

To bring the trust back in the real estate sector, housing ministry launched an e-commerce platform to facilitate homebuyers in identifying genuine properties.
The online platform is for projects that have received occupancy certificates (OCs) and is expected to create a seamless, safe and transparent home-buying experience for home buyers. The ministry official said that it will create positive sentiment for the real estate industry, boosting confidence and faith amongst home buyers, enhancement of liquidity flow in the industry and contributing to growth of the economy.
After the launch, the portal will be open for one month only for the real estate developers to register their projects following which the portal will be opened for home buyers with a 45-day sale peridot starting February 14, 2020.

CM Thackeray To Launch First Girder Of MTHL

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will launch the first girder of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) corridor, aimed at providing improved connectivity between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai.
The girder, a support beam used in construction, will be installed near a temporary access bridge near Sewri Fort.
The MTHL corridor, first planned in 1967, had failed to take off for want of approvals from the Centre. The BJP-Shiv Sena government started work on the project in 2017 after receiving necessary clearances. MMRDA said currently, 22 per cent of the work has been completed.

Register Drones By January 31 Or Face Action: Aviation Ministry

The Aviation Ministry announced a scheme providing a window up to January 31, 2020 for voluntary registration of all drones and their operators, days after top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US drone attack.
Those who fail to register will face action under the Indian Penal Code and the Aircraft Act.

Jan 14, 2020

Dharmendra Pradhan flags off 3,121st Bulk LPG Tanker Truck

The Special National Vendor Development Program (NVDP) on Petroleum and Steel sectors for SC/ST Entrepreneurs was held on 13 January 2020. It was organized by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI). The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off 3121st Bulk LPG Tanker Truck during the program.
The measures taken by GoI for the SC/ST community including National Infrastructure Pipeline and Ujjwala connections were discussed.
♦ The government initiated an Rs.100 lakh crore worth of National Infrastructure Pipeline to open 75,000 petrol pumps. Out of the total, 25,000 pumps have been reserved for the SC/ST community.
♦ Out of a total of 8 crore Ujjwala connections, over 3 crore connections are handed over to the SC/ST community.
Participants:
Around 700 SC/ST medium and small enterprises from across the country participated in the Special NVDP.

Jan 13, 2020

PM Launched Multimodal Development Projects For Kolkata Port

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched projects worth Rs.600 crore during the grand Sesquicentenary Celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust on 12 January 2020. PM announced that the Kolkata Port Trust is to be renamed as Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee to mark the on 150th-year celebrations of Kolkata Port Trust.
The Multimodal development projects include upgraded Ship repair facility at Netaji Subhash Dry Dock, upgraded railway infrastructure of Kolkata dock system for smooth cargo movement and riverfront development scheme of the Kolkata Port.
GoI is taking several other measures to expand the inland waterways connectivity through an integrated transport policy.
It is also modernizing old Ports and developing new Ports through the Sagarmala project.
Various projects are being carried out for the expansion of water-based tourism in the country.
He released a commemoratives stamp on the 150th years of the Kolkata Port Trust.

UP To Build Rs 234-Crore Zoo Named After Ashfaqullah Khan

The UP Cabinet approved a proposal to set aside Rs 234 crore for construction of a zoological garden named after Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan in Gorakhpur. The zoo will come up across over 121 acres.
The objective was to attract tourists and increase employment opportunities.Freedom fighter Ashfaqullah Khan was sentenced to death along with Ram Prasad Bismil for the Kakori train robbery, commonly known as the Kakori conspiracy of 1925.
In an another significant decision, the Cabinet also approved the rules for settlement of retail shops of cannabis (bhaang). There was already a provision under the Excise Policy 2019-2020 to allot cannabis retail shops through e-lottery, which would now be undertaken in keeping with specific rules for the same.

Home Minister Amit Shah Launches Country's First Cyber Crime Prevention Unit AASHVAST In Gandhinagar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated various people centric projects of Gujarat Police and Indian Postal Department at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shah called for effective use of technology to keep law and order situation in control. He said the two projects VISWAS and AASHVAST will play a key role in preventing crimes in the state.
The projects include Video Integration and StateWide Advance Security-VISWAS project, 'Netrang' project to establish Command and Control Room in 33 districts, online portal to pay E Challan and Cyber Crime Prevention Unit-AASHVAST which will have a dedicated service helpline for victims of cyber crimes.

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