General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Sep 11, 2024

Amit Shah Re-Elected as Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Official Language

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, was unanimously re-elected as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language. Following the formation of the new government, the committee held a meeting in New Delhi to reconstitute itself, leading to Shah's re-election. He previously served as the Chairperson from 2019 to 2024. Shah expressed gratitude for the unanimous support and discussed his vision for Hindi's role in government and education.
Under Shah's leadership, the Committee has worked to enrich Hindi by integrating words from local languages, creating a Shabdkosh, and developing software for automatic translation of all languages in the Eighth Schedule. This initiative aims to advance Hindi's acceptance and functionality in government work.
The Parliamentary Committee on Official Language was established under Section 4 of the Official Languages Act, 1963, in 1976, comprising 30 members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Tripura's Rajib Bhattacharjee, Assam's Ranjan Das Sworn in as Rajya Sabha MPs

Two newly-elected members of the Rajya Sabha, including Tripura BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharjee and former Assam MLA Mission Ranjan Das, were sworn-in at New Delhi.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar administered the oath to the two members of Parliament in presence of BJP National President and Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda and others.
Bhattacharjee was elected after he got 47 of the 60 votes and defeated his opponent former CPI(M) MLA Sudhan Das.

Rajesh Verma Assume Charge as CAQM Chairperson

Rajesh Verma, an officer of the 1987 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Odisha Cadre, took charge as the new full-time Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM). Verma was appointed for a period of three years. He has an experience of over three and half decades and expertise in public administration and governance.
Verma has an extensive experience of working in different departments of the Central and State Governments including President's Secretariat, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Power, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd. (REC), New Delhi, Departments of Education, Steel & Mines, Agriculture and Energy under Government of Odisha, Industrial Development Corporations under Government of Odisha and Government of Rajasthan. He has been key stakeholders to addressing the issue of air pollution in these organizations/ departments.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was established as a statutory body by the government in August 2021 as an overarching body to carry out air quality management in Delhi NCR.

Sep 10, 2024

Vinay Goyal Assumes the Role of State Mission Director of NHM

Vinay Goyal officially assumed the role of State Mission Director for the National Health Mission (NHM). He succeeded K. Jeevan Babu, who has moved to the Kerala Water Authority as Managing Director. Goyal, an IAS officer of the 2016 batch, also took charge as Director of the Kerala State IT Mission and Project Director at eHealth Kerala. In his new roles, he aims to advance Kerala's digital and health infrastructure.
Goyal has a distinguished career with experience across various sectors. He has served as Director of the Scheduled Tribes Development Department, Director of the Backward Classes Development Department, Secretary of the Kerala State Housing Board, Managing Director of Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Ltd, CEO of Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited, and District Development Commissioner of Thiruvananthapuram. His extensive experience positions him well for his new responsibilities.

Arun Goel Appointed as India's Ambassador to Croatia

Arun Goel was appointed as India's next Ambassador to Croatia, succeeding Raj Kumar Srivastava. The Ministry of External Affairs announced his new role. Goel, a retired 1985-batch IAS officer from the Punjab cadre, previously served as the Election Commissioner of India from November 21, 2022, to March 9, 2024.
Arun Goel's career is marked by significant contributions across various government sectors. He took voluntary retirement before his appointment as Election Commissioner. His academic credentials include a Postgraduate degree in Development Economics from Churchill College, University of Cambridge, and an M.Sc. in Mathematics.

Nuclear to LNG, India & UAE ink 4 Key Pacts to Expand Energy Ties

India and the United Arab Emirates signed four pacts to expand energy cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the visiting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
An agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts.
Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) also inked an MoU for operation and maintenance of Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.
The fourth pact is a production concession agreement for Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 1 between Urja Bharat and ADNOC. A separate pact was inked between the Gujarat government and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC on setting up food parks in India.

Sep 09, 2024

Dr. V. K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog Inaugurates National Conference on 'Universal Access ...

Secretary and Bharat Lal, Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India were also present.
The day-long conference, organised by NHRC in collaboration with the Sankala Foundation and supported by the NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, brought together practitioners, government officials, leading experts, innovators and policy makers in the field of healthcare and digital healthcare technology to explore the way forward for universal access to affordable and quality healthcare services especially for people living in rural, remote and hilly areas.
Paul underlined the following five key principles for digital health solutions to embrace:
Use of digital technologies and scaling them for saturation
Creating new technologies like robotics, AI etc., but in a way that it does not increase the digital divide, and can be easily used by those who are not digitally literate
Ensure solutions are within the ambit of rights and promote inclusivity, protection of human rights and further democratisation, with attention to protect the beneficiaries from cyber fraud
Digital solutions should promote or create an ecosystem of ease of living and not make it more complex for people
Digital solutions must enhance quality of life, embrace wellbeing, include traditional knowledge, and accelerate our healthcare actions

Manipur CM Biren Singh-led Political Delegation Meets Governor, Submits Memorandum

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh accompanied by the Speaker, cabinet ministers, and BJP MLAs met Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya.
The delegation reportedly submitted a memorandum with a charter of demands to the Centre through the Governor, apprising the Union Government about the prevailing situation in Manipur.
Speculation is rife that Singh has reportedly threatened to resign if the Centre failed to meet his demands, including handing over the unified command to the state.

Sep 08, 2024

PM Modi to Not Address UNGA Session, Jaishankar to Deliver Speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not address the annual debate at the United Nations General Assembly session later this month, according to a revised provisional list of speakers issued by the UN.
PM Modi is scheduled to travel to New York later this month and address a mega community event on September 22 at the 16,000-seater Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island. He will also address the UN's landmark 'Summit of the Future' that is being convened at the world body's headquarters on September 22 and 23.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is now expected to address the General Debate, instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 28.

Sep 07, 2024

Olympian Bajrang Punia Named Working Chairman of All India Kisan Congress

Indian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress party, ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections next month. They met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi before holding a press conference where party leader K. C. Venugopal confirmed their membership.
Wrestler Bajrang Punia was also appointed as the Working Chairman of the All India Kisan Congress, hours after he joined the party along with Vinesh Phogat.

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