General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2017

Sep 2017

Mar 12, 2025

Amit Shah, Addresses 'Shashwat Mithila Mahotsav-2025'

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, addressed the 'Shashwat Mithila Mahotsav-2025' in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, The event was graced by several dignitaries, including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Rajya Sabha Member Sanjay Kumar Jha.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted Gujarat's long-standing tradition of welcoming people from across the country and the world. He emphasised that Gujarat has always embraced diverse ideologies and lifestyles. Acknowledging the contributions of people from Bihar, particularly those from Mithilanchal, he said that they have played a significant role in the development of the state. He assured them that they are safe, respected, and always welcome in Gujarat.

Mar 11, 2025

Muslim Literacy Rate Sees 9.4% Increase in a Decade

The literacy rate among Muslims in India has shown a significant improvement over the years. As per the Census 2011 data, the literacy rate among Muslims aged 7 years and above rose to 68.5%, marking an increase of 9.4 percentage points from 59.1% in Census 2001. However, this figure remained lower than the all-India literacy rate of 73.0% in 2011. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24 further highlights an improvement, showing the Muslim literacy rate at 79.5%, compared to 80.9% for all religious communities.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs plays a crucial role in improving the educational and socio-economic conditions of six notified minority communities, including Muslims. The government has implemented several schemes focused on educational empowerment, economic development, and infrastructure enhancement to uplift these communities.

India Takes Part in the 69th Session of UNCSW in New York

A delegation of the Government of India led by Smt. Annpurna Devi, Union Minister, Women and Child Development (WCD), participated in the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which started on 10th March 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The Minister reaffirmed the Government of India's unwavering commitment to the empowerment, protection, and holistic development of women and children across the nation. Addressing in the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Minister outlined the progress of India on gender equality addressing the 12 critical areas of concern.
She highlighted the transformative impact of flagship schemes, which have significantly contributed to improving health, nutrition, education, and economic opportunities for women and children.
Emphasising the need for strengthened implementation and outreach, the Minister reiterated the government's resolve to ensure that every woman and girl has access to their rights and entitlements. She said that the welfare of women and children is at the core of our nation's progress. Through a multi-pronged approach, we are working towards a future where every woman is empowered and every child is nurtured in a safe and supportive environment.
The session witnessed large-scale participation from all UN member states, intergovernmental organisations, the private sector, philanthropists, academia, civil society, women's collectives, and UN agencies.
CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality, the rights and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the forthcoming session of the Commission will be held from 10th to 21st March, 2025.

Dr. Jitendra Singh Chairs the 34th Meeting of SCOVA

Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare is committed towards the welfare of Central Government pensioners. It has been mandated with the task of formulation of pension policies and redressal of pensioners' grievances in active coordination with other Ministries/Departments of Government of India. Further, the Department also actively engages with the Pensioners' Welfare Associations, representing lakhs of Central Government pensioners across the country.
To institutionalise the coordination among DoPPW, Ministries/Departments and Pensioners' Welfare Associations, the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) was constituted by Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare in 1986 under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions with Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare as Secretary.
The SCOVA consists of 15 non-official members, representing Pensioners' Welfare Associations and Official Members represented by Ministries/ Departments of Government of India. It provides a feedback on program implementation of the Department, discusses critically important policy issues relating to Pensioners and mobilizes voluntary efforts to supplement Government action.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions chaired the 34th meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies at New Delhi on 11th March, 2025. The SCOVA works as a consultative forum of Voluntary Agencies i.e. Pensioners' Welfare Associations. It provides Pensioners' Welfare Associations, an institutional forum for raising issues concerning pensioners' welfare directly before the concerned Ministries/ Departments through constructive deliberations.
In the 34th SCOVA meeting, Pensioners' Welfare Associations from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Gujarat would be participating. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Controller General of Defence Accounts, Department of Expenditure, Central Pension Accounting Office, Ministry of Railways, Controller General of Communication Accounts, Department of Posts, Department of Financial Services, Department of Personnel and Training, Department of Telecommunications and Indian Bank also participated in the meeting to discuss the issues concerning pensioners.

National Youth Parliament Programme 2.0 Open to Citizens across the Country

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India has unveiled an upgraded version of the National Youth Parliament Scheme (NYPS) web portal, known as NYPS 2.0. Unlike the previous version, which was limited to students of recognised institutions, NYPS 2.0 is open to all citizens across the country regardless of economic status, gender, caste, creed, religion, race, region and place. Participation can be facilitated through the following ways: -
Institution Participation: All educational institutions can participate in this category by organising the Youth Parliament sittings as per the guidelines available on the portal. The students from classes VI to XII may be selected for the "Kishore Sabha" sub-category and Under Graduate and Post Graduate level students may be selected for the "Tarun Sabha" sub-category.
Group Participation: A group of citizens can participate in this category by organizing the Youth Parliament sittings as per the guidelines available on the portal.
Individual Participation: An individual citizen can participate in this category by attempting a quiz on the theme of 'Bharatiya Democracy in Action'.

Mar 10, 2025

President Droupadi Murmu Leads the Celebration on International Women's Day

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu inaugurated a National Conference on the theme 'Nari Shakti Se Viksit Bharat' in New Delhi. This conference was organised by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to celebrate the International Women's Day.
The President greeted fellow citizens on International Women's Day and said that this day is an occasion to honour women's achievements, raise awareness of their rights, and dedicate ourselves to promoting gender equality.

Anju Rathi Rana Appointed As the First Woman Law Secretary

India reached a significant milestone in its legal and administrative history with the appointment of Anju Rathi Rana as the country's first woman law secretary. A distinguished Indian Legal Service (ILS) officer, Rana's appointment marks a historic moment in the Ministry of Law and Justice. The government issued an official notification regarding her appointment.
The position of Law Secretary, officially known as the Secretary, Legal Affairs, has long been held by men. Anju Rathi Rana now broke this tradition by becoming the first woman to assume this prestigious role.
Anju Rathi Rana's career spans decades of service in the legal sector. Before her appointment as law secretary, she had an illustrious career in the Delhi Government. She served as a public prosecutor for 18 years, playing a crucial role in handling legal cases and prosecuting offenders on behalf of the state.

Mar 09, 2025

Jharkhand: BJP Picks Babulal Marandi as Legislative Party Leader

Former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi was chosen as the BJP legislative party leader in the state Assembly, clearing the way for his elevation as the next leader of Opposition in the House.
Marandi was picked for the post unanimously in the presence of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, central observer Dr. K. Laxman, BJP national vice president Dr. Laxmikant Bajpai and state in-charge Nagendra Nath.

DARPG Deepens Collaboration with Right to Services Commissioners of 10 States

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances deepened its collaboration with the Right to Services Commissioners from 10 States for improving service delivery and effective redressal of public grievances.
As part of this initiative, the DARPG will undertake the following activities:
Next Gen Technology options to be adopted for Integration of RTS Portals of States with CPGRAMS portal and Reverse Integration through Web API's to be pursued
Citizen Grievances on CPGRAMS portal for improving Service Delivery of State Governments to be mapped and shared with Right to Services Commissioners for notifying such services/ digitization of the services
Best practices in Improving Service Delivery through the Right to Service Commissioners to be documented

Mar 08, 2025

Sahitya Akademi Organises "Festival of Letters 2025"

Sahitya Akademi, India's premier literary institution working under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is organising its annual Festival of Letters at Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi from March 7 to 12, 2025. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Government of India, inaugurated the festival.
This is Asia's Largest Literature Festival with about 700 writers from different parts of the country representing more than 50 languages participating in the festival that spans over 100 sessions. The theme of the festival is 'Indian Literary Traditions'.

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