General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Jun 18, 2022

Government Issues Draft Guidelines for Operationalisation of Ro-Ro, Ro-Pax ferry Services along I...

Government issued draft guidelines for operationalisation of Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax ferry services along the coast of India for Stakeholder Consultation. The guidelines encompass the two aspects of ferry operation namely - concessions for terminal operation and license for operation of Ro-Pax vessels.
These guidelines would homogenise and streamline the development and operations of ferry services, along with, promoting ease of doing business by eliminating unnecessary delays.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, under its Sagarmala Programme, embarked on developing an ecosystem for the promotion of Ro-Ro ferry and waterway transportation in the country.
This mode of transportation has multiple benefits including reduced travel time, reduced logistics cost and lower pollution in comparison to conventional mode of transportation.

Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as New PCI Chief

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai was appointed as the chairpaerson of the Press Council of India (PCI). Justice Desai recently served as the chairman of the Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir, which was established to redesign the Union Territory's assembly constituencies.
Since Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad (retd) completed his tenure as PCI chairperson and demitted office in November 2021, the position has been empty.
The appointment of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as PCI chairwoman was accepted by a committee that included Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and PCI member Prakash Dubey.

Chidambaram Resigns from Maharashtra Seat

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P. Chidambaram resigned from his seat in Maharashtra, following his election to the Rajya Sabha from the state of Tamil Nadu.
On June 11, the BJP registered a win by bagging eight out of 16 Rajya Sabha seats in the four states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana) while Congrees bagged five seats in a fiercely contested battle.
The biennial elections to the Upper House of Parliament were held for six seats in Maharashtra, four each in Karnataka and Rajasthan along with two seats in Haryana.

Jun 17, 2022

2020-21: Female Labour Participation Increased to 25.1%

The all-India female labour force participation rate (LFPR) in usual status increased 2.3% in 2021 to 25.1% as compared to 22.8% a year ago, showed the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) annual report for July 2020-June 2021 released in June 2022.
For rural, female labour force has increased 3% to 27.7%, while urban women participation rate has seen a 0.1 rise to 18.6% as compared to last year. LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in the labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population.

IBBI Amends Rules for Swifter and more Streamlined Redressal of Grievances

With a view to putting in place a streamlined and swift complaint handling procedure, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) amended rules pertaining to redressal of grievances filed against insolvency professionals.
IBBI amended the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Grievance and Complaint Handling Procedure) Regulations, 2017 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Inspection and Investigation) Regulations, 2017.
The mechanism of complaint or grievance redressal and subsequent enforcement action was amended to have expeditious redressal and also to avoid placing undue burden on the service providers.

Jun 16, 2022

India to Host 10 ASEAN Foreign Ministers at Special Conclave

India is hosting the Foreign Ministers of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations from June 16 to 17 to mark the 30th anniversary of its relations with the 10-nation grouping.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers along with Secretary General of ASEAN Lim Jock Hoi will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Presidential Polls: Mamata Suggests Farooq Abdullah's, Gopal Krishna Gandhi's Names

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee suggested the names of Farooq Abdullah and Gopalkrishna Gandhi as opposition candidates for the presidential poll. She convened a crucial meeting of the opposition parties to field a joint candidate for the presidential election 2022. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar once again declined to be the joint opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential election. "Leaders of all parties requested Sharad Pawar to contest the President's election and be the joint candidate, but he declined the offer.
At least 17 parties including Congress, Samajwadi Party, NCP, DMK, RJD and the Left parties attended the meeting at the Constitution Club of India in Delhi. However, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Odisha's ruling BJD have stayed away from the Opposition parties meeting.

Cabinet Approves Agreement between India, UN on 'Way Finding Application' to be Used in Palais de...

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for signing of an agreement between the Government of India and the United Nations on a 'Way Finding Application' to be used in the Palais des Nations, United Nations Office at Geneva.
The United Nations is an international organisation founded in 1945. It is currently made up of 193 member states. India is a founding member of the United Nations.
The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), consisting of five buildings and 21 floors, is housed at the historic Palais des Nations.
The project of development of 'Way Finding Application' has been conceptualized as donation from the Government of India to UN on the occasion of its 75th anniversary in 2020. The estimated financial implication for development deployment and maintenance of the App is USD 2 Million.

Jun 15, 2022

Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela to be Hosted in 200 Locations

With an aim to connect the youth with more opportunities for on-ground training within corporates and further a chance to get employment, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will be organising the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela every month. The PM National Apprenticeship Mela will take place across 200+ locations in India.
The primary goal of this programme is to encourage the hiring of apprentices from these cities, as well as to assist employers in identifying and developing their potential through training and practical skillsets bringing value to their workplace.
Candidates will also receive Apprenticeship certificates recognised by the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) at the end of their training period, which will give them industry recognition.

PM Inaugurates Jagatguru Sreesant Tukaram Maharaj Shila Mandir at Dehu in Pune

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sant Tukaram became not only a ray of hope for the present society but for the future also. The Prime Minister said this while addressing devotees after inaugurating the Shila Mandir of Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj at Dehu village near Pune. He said that Veer Savarkar sang abhangs (devotional poetry in praise of Lord Vitthal) of Sant Tukaram while in jail during India's freedom struggle.
Sant Tukaram was a Warkari saint and poet, famously known for Abhanga devotional poetry and community-oriented worship through spiritual songs known as Kirtans. He lived in Dehu. A Shila Mandir was built after his demise, but it was not formally structured as a Temple. It has been rebuilt in stone masonry with 36 peaks, and also carries an idol of Sant Tukaram. Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the statues of Vitthal-Rukmini in the main temple of Dehu. He also worshiped the symbolic pillar of Bhagwat Dharma built in front of the Shila Mandir.

PM Modi Chairs First National Conference of Chief Secretaries in Dharamshala

Implementation of the National Education Policy, urban governance, and crop diversification figured prominently in the agenda of the national conference of Chief Secretaries, in Dharamshala, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was a significant step towards further strengthening the partnership between the Centre and the State Governments.
Apart from Chief Secretaries of States and UTs, over 200 senior officials and domain experts, including those engaged with the Union government, participated in the conference, which had sessions on economic growth in partnership with the states.

Jun 14, 2022

West Bengal Assembly Passes Bill to Make Mamata Banerjee Chancellor of State Universities

The West Bengal Assembly passed a bill to make Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the chancellor of all state universities, a position traditionally held by the state Governor. The West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed by 182 votes in favor against 40 not in favor in the 294-member Assembly.
State Education Minister Bratya Basu introduced the bill and said that there was "nothing wrong" in Chief Minister taking over as the chancellor. The BJP opposed the bill and alleged that appointing the Chief Minister as chancellor would lead to direct "political interference" in the state's higher education system.

J&K Ranks Highest among UTs in National E-governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA)

Jammu and Kashmir, assessed for the first time, ranked the highest among Union Territories with an overall compliance of nearly 90 per cent for national e-governance service delivery assessment (NeSDA). Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh released the NeSDA 2021 Report which provides suggestions for governments to further enhance their e-Governance service delivery systems.
Meghalaya and Nagaland are the leading State Portals with an overall compliance of more than 90 per cent across all assessment parameters among the northeast and hill states.Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh had a compliance of more than 85 per cent among the Remaining States category.

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