General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Feb 23, 2022

Delimitation Panel on Jammu and Kashmir Gets Two-month Extension

The term of the Delimitation Commission, mandated to redraw the assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir was extended by two months to complete its task.
The panel's term was to end on March 6, but according to a Law Ministry notification, it was extended by two months -- till May 6 this year.
As per reports, the panel needed more time to ready its final report.
Formed in March 2020, the panel was granted a one-year extension last year.
Headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, it has Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and the state election commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir as its ex-officio members.

Manipur Flag-hoisting Tradition

Before setting off on the campaign trail for the Manipur elections, being held on February 27 and March 3, candidates are holding a special 'flag-hoisting ceremony' in their respective constituencies. The practice, unique to Manipur, cuts across parties, ethnicities, religions and communities.
The ceremony is usually held in the courtyard of the candidate's home on an auspicious date in the calendar. While the event simply involves the candidate hoisting the party flag, followed by a prayer by a priest and blessings by community elders, its scale and ceremony vary from candidate to candidate.

Sanjeev Sanyal Inducted into Economic Advisory Council to PM

The Finance Ministry's Principal Economic Adviser Sanjeev Sanyal was inducted into the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister as a full-time member.
Mr. Sanyal was made the Principal Economic Adviser in February 2017. The EAC to the PM is headed by former Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy.

Feb 22, 2022

Jaishankar Discusses Key Regional and Global Issues with French Counterpart

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held wide-ranging and productive talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian. They discussed key regional and global issues, particularly the India-EU relationship, and exchanged perspectives on the situation in Afghanistan, Iranian nuclear deal and the Ukraine crisis.
They also discussed key regional and global issues, particularly the India-EU relationship and the priorities of the French Presidency of the EU Council that began on January 1, 2022.
Jaishankar appreciated the French initiative of hosting an EU Ministerial Forum on Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific on February 22, 2022, where he will participate along with several other Ministers from Indo-Pacific and EU countries.

Ram Nath Kovind Conducts Fleet Review of Indian Navy

President Ram Nath Kovind conducted a Fleet Review of Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam.
Visakhapatnam hosted the Fleet Review for the second time.
First Fleet Review was hosted in 2006 by the then President of India APJ Abdul Kalam.
The Fleet Review is done with the aim of assuring the country of preparedness, high morale and discipline of Indian Navy.
This year marked the twelfth Fleet Review.
Every President of India reviews the Indian Naval Fleet, once during their office term, because he is the Supreme Commander of Indian armed forces.
So far, 11 Fleet Reviews have been organized. The first fleet was conducted in 1953, under President Rajendra Prasad. Of all, two reviews in 2001 and 2016 were international, in which vessels from other countries also took part.

Feb 21, 2022

60.7% turnout in Tamil Nadu Urban Civic Body Polls; Lowest in Chennai

Tamil Nadu registered a poll percentage of 60.70 per cent in the February 19, 2022 urban local bodies election that witnessed an interesting multi-cornered contest with the constituents of the opposition AIADMK alliance contesting on their respective party's own strengths, rather than remaining together, against the DMK combine.
Among the 21 corporations, which went to polls, the Greater Chennai Corporation registered the lowest turnout of 43.59 per cent while Karur polled the maximum of 75.84 per cent, according to the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC).

President, Vice President and PM Modi greet people of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram on their stat...

President Ram Nath Kovind has greeted the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram on their statehood day. In a tweet, Mr Kovind said, endowed with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, both the states exemplify unity in diversity. He wished both the states to make rapid strides in development while living in harmony with nature.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has greeted the people of Arunachal Pradesh on their state formation day. In a tweet, Mr Naidu said, Arunachal Pradesh is known for its pristine natural beauty, diverse flora and fauna, rich cultural heritage and hospitable people. He conveyed best wishes for the all-round growth and prosperity of Arunachal Pradesh.
Mr Naidu greeted people of Mizoram on their state formation day. He said, known for its exotic culture, varied biodiversity, emerald forests and sparkling waterfalls, Mizoram is truly a sight to behold. The Vice President hoped that the state and its people will scale newer heights of progress in the times to come.

Uttar Pradesh Records Over 63 per cent Voter Turnout

Uttar Pradesh recorded an average voter turnout of more than 63% in the third phase polls of the seven-phase state assembly election across 59 constituencies spread over 16 districts, according to data available with the election commission.
The average voter turnout in the first phase (February 10) was 62.43% and in the second round (February 14) of the 2022 UP polls, it was 64.44%.
In the 2017 assembly elections, the average poll percentage in these 16 districts was 62.21%.
While the third phase polls, which was held from 7am to 6pm, largely remained peaceful, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was shot at about 400 metres from the polling station in Avadh Nagar locality of Mainpuri City. Police said the accused was arrested later and is believed to be a worker belonging to the Samajwadi Party (SP).
In the 2017 elections, the BJP won 49 of the 59 seats while the SP settled for nine. The Congress got one seat, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) drew a blank.

Man they call terrorist has built 12,430 new classrooms, says Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated over 12,000 "high-tech" classrooms spread across 240 government schools in the Capital.
More than 3.5 lakh students have switched to government schools from "elite" private institutions since the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Delhi, he said.
Mr. Kejriwal said they have built over 20,000 new classrooms in Delhi in the last 7 years. The Education Minister (Manish Sisodia) said, 3,70,000 students switched from elite private schools to Delhi's government schools.
According to Mr. Kejriwal, the process of creating 11,000 classrooms, which was started around 3 years ago, has resulted in 12,430 classrooms.

Feb 20, 2022

Chetan Ghate Succeeds Ajit Mishra as Director of Institute of Economic Growth

The Institute of Economic Growth appointed Chetan Ghate as the new director succeeding Ajit Mishra.
Ghate, who was a member of the Reserve Bank of India's first monetary policy committee between 2016-2020, is the winner of the 2014 Mahalanobis Memorial gold medal for the best research economist in the country under the age of 45.
He has a Ph.D in economics from Claremont Graduate University, California in 1999. His research areas include macroeconomics, monetary economics, economic growth and the Indian macro-economy.
Ghate has been a professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi for over 18 years. He is also a member of the advisory committee of the national accounts system (ACNAS) in the ministry of statistics and programme implementation.

Mamata Reposes Faith in Abhishek by Re-appointing Him as TMC General Secretary

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee re-appointed her nephew Abhishek Banerjee as TMC national general secretary as she constituted the new office bearers' team, packing it mainly with old-timers loyal to her.
Two other senior leaders, Subrata Bakshi and Chandrima Bhattacharya, have also been given the vice-president's post in the organisation.
Banerjee's trusted lieutenant and Housing Minister Firhad Hakim were given the charge of coordination between her and the national working committee, while state minister Aroop Biswas has been appointed as the national treasurer.
Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Shekhar Ray and Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar are the new party spokespersons of Parliament's Upper and Lower Houses respectively.

Feb 19, 2022

CBI Issues Lookout Circular against Former NSE Head Chitra Ramkrishna

The Central Bureau of Investigation issued a lookout circular against Chitra Ramkrishna, the former CEO of the National Stock Exchange over alleged irregularities. This comes a day after the income tax department raided the premises of Ramkrishna as part of a tax evasion investigation. Look-out circulars were also issued against another former CEO Ravi Narain and former COO Anand Subramanian.
Chitra Ramkrishna is also facing allegations of irregularities over the appointment of Anand Subramanian as NSE's group operating officer and advisor to the managing director.
Chitra Ramkrishna was the MD and CEO of the National Stock Exchange, between 2013 and 2016.

2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blasts: Special Court Awards Death Sentence to 38 Convicts

A special court awarded the death sentence to 38 convicts for three offences under Section 302 of the IPC and Section 10 and 16(1) (2) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their involvement in the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts, while the remaining 11 convicts got life imprisonment on similar charges.
The judgement comes 10 days after special court judge A. R. Patel declared 49 of the total 78 accused as guilty under various offences of the Indian Penal Code, including for murder, sedition and waging war against the state, as well as under offences of the UAPA and Explosive Substances Act.
On July 26, 2008, bombs went off in several parts of Ahmedabad including the state government-run civil hospital, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run LG Hospital, parked bicycles, cars, buses among others. As many as 56 people died and more than 200 were injured.
The Indian Mujahideen (IM) had claimed responsibility for the attack. The explosions took place six years after the Gujarat riots in 2002.

Centre Approves Project to Connect Pillars of Criminal Justice System

The Centre approved the implementation of Phase II of the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) project by the Ministry of Home Affairs at a total cost of Rs. 3,375 crore during the period from 2022-23 to 2025-26.
This phase, closely monitored by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will be a step towards ensuring effective and modern policing.
The project will be implemented as a central sector scheme.
ICJS is a national platform for enabling integration of the main IT system used for delivery of Criminal Justice in the country. It seeks to integrate the five pillars of the system viz Police (through Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network Systems), e-Forensics for Forensic Labs, e-Courts for Courts, e-Prosecution for Public Prosecutors and e-Prisons for Prisons.

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