General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Sep 12, 2022

In a First, Gujjar Muslim from J&K Sent to Upper House as Nominated Member

The government nominated Gulam Ali, a Gujjar leader from Jammu and Kashmir, to Rajya Sabha.
This is perhaps the first time a Gujjar leader from the region was sent to the Upper House as a nominated member.
"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-clause (a) of clause (I) of Article 80 of the Constitution of India, read with clause (3) of that article, the President nominated Gulam Ali to the Council of States to fill the vacancy caused due to the retirement of one of the nominated members.
Ali's nomination is considered to be significant as, before the abrogation of Article 370, the community had little representation in legislative bodies.

E-FAST- India's First National Electric Freight Platform

NITI Aayog, in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI), India, launched the country's first national electric freight platform – e-FAST India (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport – India). Supported by the World Economic Forum, CALSTART and RMI India, the platform brings different stakeholders together, from across the freight ecosystem. It will help strengthen partnerships and identify and support innovative freight solutions. The platform also aims to raise awareness on freight electrification bolstered by on-ground demonstration pilots and evidence-based research.

India's Eastern-most Military Garrison of Kibithu Named after Bipin Rawat

The strategically key Kibithu military garrison on the banks of the Lohit Valley, Arunachal Pradesh along the line of actual control (LAC) and a key road in this mountain hamlet were named after India's first chief of defence staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat, around nine months after he died in a helicopter crash.
As a young colonel, Rawat commanded his battalion, the 5/11 Gorkha Rifles, in Kibithu from 1999-2000 and contributed immensely to strengthening the security structure in the area.
The military garrison looks after the LAC in the sensitive sector. Chinese People's Liberation Army's Rima post is just opposite the Indian garrison.
Nestled in the mountainous and arduous terrain of the Lohit valley, Kibithu is located near the LAC and is the eastern-most military garrison of India.

Chhattisgarh CM Inaugurates 2 New Districts in the State

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur and Sakti as the 32nd and 33rd districts of the state.
Sakti is carved out from Janjgir-Champa while Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur has been demarcated from Koriya district.
The Chattisgarh Chief Minister said that people have been demanding the creation of the Manendragarh district for a very long time and it has been a long-term struggle to create Manendragarh as a district.

CM Sangma Launches 'Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act' Portal

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma launched the online portal of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) in presence of Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui and other officials in state capital Shillong.
The Chief Minister said that the digitised system will not only ensure the safety and security of the residents, but it will also act as a strong intelligence gathering system for authorities. It will be beneficial for monitoring and better implementation of other services and programmes of the government, especially in critical areas such as health care.
The digitisation process would connect more than 6,000 villages in the state to the online system.
The web-based system is first being rolled out in seven localities of Shillong- Nongrim Hills, Lapalang, Nongmynsong, Nongrah, Pohkseh, Riat Laban and Wahdienglieng.

Bihar CM Inaugurated India's Longest Rubber Dam on Falgu River

Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar inaugurated India's longest rubber dam 'Gayaji Dam' on the Falgu River in Gaya. The dam was built at an estimated cost of Rs. 324 crore. Experts from IIT (Roorkee) were involved with the project. There would be enough water in the dam round the year for the convenience of pilgrims. With its construction, now at least two feet of water would be available in the Falgu River near Vishnupad Ghat throughout the year for the devotees who come here to do Pind Daan.
The rubber dam on the Falgu River, which is a vast stretch of sand dunes, would draw more pilgrims and change the landscape. The dam, aimed at providing uninterrupted water supply to Vishnupad Temple in Gaya throughout the year.

Sep 11, 2022

Dharmendra Pradhan Participates in the India Ideas Summit Organised by US-India Business Council

Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the India Ideas Summit organised by the U.S-India Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce, International Affairs, South Asia. The theme of the event was "Maximising the Next 75 years of U.S. – India Prosperity." CEOs and top management of American companies were present at the occasion.

Sambasiva Rao New CPI Telangana Secretary

Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao was elected as Telangana state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
The former MLA was elected after a fierce contest between two contenders for the post. The result was announced after the late night election during the state conference held at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
While unanimous election of the new secretary was expected, a contest became inevitable after both Sambasiva Rao and Palla Venkat Reddy staking claim. In the election held amid high drama, Sambasiva Rao polled 59 votes while Venkat Reddy secured 45 votes.

Sep 10, 2022

India's First RRTS Corridor to Use an App-based Token-free Ticketing System

The nation's first Regional Rapid Transit System (India's first RRTS corridor), the Delhi-Meerut RRTS line, would incorporate an automatic fare collection (AFC) system and tickets with QR codes for riders. In order to purchase the AFC system, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) had requested bids in accordance with the Modi administration's "Make In India" standards.

PM Addresses Inauguration Ceremony of 'Kalam no Carnival' Book Fair

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the inauguration ceremony of 'Kalam no Carnival' Book Fair organised by Navbharat Sahitya Mandir in Ahmedabad via video message.
The Prime Minister expressed delight that the tradition of the book fair started by 'Nav Bharat Sahitya Mandir' in Ahmedabad is getting richer with each passing year. He acknowledged that the book fair has become a platform for new and young writers, and it is also helping in expanding the literature and knowledge of Gujarat.
'Kalam no Carnival' is a huge convention of books in Hindi, English and Gujarati languages.

President Droupadi Murmu Launched Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

President Draupadi Murmu launched the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan virtually. The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan aims to eliminate tuberculosis from India by 2025.
The `Abhiyaan' was launched in the presence of Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare (HFW) Mansukh Mandaviya, and Minister of State (HFW) Bharati Pravin Pawar, among other dignitaries.
The President also launched the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative which forms a vital component of the `Abhiyaan'. The Ni-kshay Mitra portal provides a platform for donors to provide various forms of support to those undergoing TB treatment.

Sep 09, 2022

Tomar Inaugurates National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign-2022

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Minister, inaugurated the National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2022-23 at NASC, Pusa, New Delhi. In his address to the Conference, he stated that according to the 4th Advance Estimates (2021-22), the country's food grain production is estimated at 3157 lakh tonnes, which is 50 lakh tonnes more than the production of food grain in 2020-21. Total pulse and oilseed production is expected to reach a record 277 and 377 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, respectively.

NCW Organizes Consultation on 'Inclusion Amplified, Transwomen in India: Problems & Prospects'

The National Commission for Women organized its first-ever Consultation for transwomen; 'Inclusion Amplified, Transwomen in India: Problems & Prospects' to address the misconceptions leading to stigma attached with the individuals of the community and spark a conversation with regard to their acceptance and participation in the society.
Through this Consultation, the Commission sought to offer a broad platform to academicians, researchers, social activists, policy makers, civil society members, and transwomen themselves to analyze problems which they face in various arenas and to discuss future directions and policy proposals for the welfare of transwomen.
Ms. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, National Commission for Women, Ms. Meeta Rajivlochan, Member Secretary, NCW, Ms. Radhika Chakravarthy, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Asholi Chalai, Joint Secretary, NCW and senior officials of the Commission graced the occasion.

Sep 08, 2022

Amit Kumar Appointed as Next Ambassador of India to Republic of Korea

Amit Kumar, an IFS officer of the 1995 batch, was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea.
Earlier, the position was held by Sripriya Ranganathan, an Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer of the 1994 batch. Before joining the Foreign Services, Ranganathan obtained her Master's Degree in History, with a specialisation in Modern Indian History, from Delhi University.
She served in Myanmar as the second in command at the Embassy of India, Yangon. Her other overseas postings were in Ankara and Hong Kong.

Government Sets Up Kirit Parikh Committee to Moderate Gas Prices

The government set up a panel to review the formula that dictates the pricing of gas produced by companies like ONGC and Reliance as it looks to moderate the steep increase that producers would have otherwise got. The committee under former planning commission member Kirit Parikh would suggest a fair price to the end consumer.
The panel, which will include representatives of the gas producers association as also producers ONGC and OIL, has been asked to submit its report by the month-end.

Digital India Mission: Uttar Pradesh Tops in Use of e-Prosecution Portal

Uttar Pradesh, with 9.12 million cases, ranks at the top in the number of disposal and entry of cases through the e-Prosecution portal managed by the Union government under its Digital India Mission. According to the figures till the end of August, Madhya Pradesh followed in second spot at 2.31 million, Bihar with 859,000, Gujarat with 487,000 and Chhattisgarh with 383,000 cases. UP also ranked at the top in disposal of online cases on this portal, with about 470,000 entries, followed by 170,000 for MP and 125,000 for Gujarat. The portal launched by states two years ago is an initiative of the home, IT and law ministries for helping courts and the prosecution system in accelerating criminal trials in heinous crimes.

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