General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2018

May 2018

Apr 16, 2024

Congress Drops Ex-Indian Hockey Captain Prabodh Tirkey as Candidate in Odisha

The Congress dropped former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey, who led the country to victory in the 2007 Asia Cup championship, as its candidate from Odisha's Talasara assembly constituency.
Tirkey was named as the Congress's candidate from the reserved seat for tribals earlier in April. He joined the party after quitting his job with Air India.
The Congress named freelance journalist Debendra Bhitria as Tirkey's replacement as it changed three candidates.

Actor Amit Sadh Joins Forces with STAIRS Foundation to Empower Indian Youth

Actor Amit Sadh announced his collaboration with STAIRS Foundation, marking a significant step towards youth empowerment and development in India.
STAIRS Foundation, recognised as a leading National Sports Promotion organisation, stands as one of the largest grassroots sports and youth development organisations in both India and globally. With a commitment to fostering the potential of the nation's youth, STAIRS has earned widespread acclaim for its impactful initiatives.

Rajasthan Leads in Seizures by EC Ahead of Lok Sabha Poll

Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra emerged as the four top states in terms of seizures made by the EC just weeks before the commencement of the polls.
The EC said that it is on track to make its highest ever seizures of inducements, as enforcement agencies have made a record seizure of more than Rs. 4,650 crore. According to official data on seizures made by the poll body between March 1 and April 13, 2024, Rajasthan led the states with seizures worth Rs. 778 crore , followed by Gujarat (Rs. 605 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs. 460 crore), and Maharashtra (Rs. 431 crore).

Apr 15, 2024

PM Modi to Campaign for NDA Candidates in Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the public meeting as part of the election campaign on Monday morning at Kunnamangalam in Alathur constituency in Thrissur District. He will attend the election campaign for NDA candidates T.N. Sarasu and Suresh Gopi, contesting in Alathur and Thrissur respectively.
After that, he will travel to Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram district. At Kattakkada, PM Modi will campaign for V. Muraleedharan and Rajeev Chandrashekar, the two Union Ministers contesting under the NDA banner from Attingal and Thiruvananthapuram constituencies respectively.

Apr 14, 2024

India Relocates Staff in Sittwe Consulate to Yangon

India relocated its staff from its consulate in Myanmarese city of Sittwe to Yangon in view of the precarious security situation in that region of Myanmar.
As per external Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, India is closely monitoring the security situation in that country.

Vandita Kaul New as Secretary of Department of Posts

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Vandita Kaul (IPoS) as Secretary of the Department of Posts.
Vandita is an Indian Postel Service (IPoS) service officer of the 1989 batch.
Presently, she is posted as a Member (Banking & Direct Benefit Transfer) of Postal Services.
For more than 150 years, the Department of Posts (DoP) has been the backbone of the country's communication and has played a crucial role in the country's social economic development. It touches the lives of Indian citizens in many ways: delivering mails, accepting deposits under Small Savings Schemes, providing life insurance cover under Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) and providing retail services like bill collection, sale of forms, etc. The DoP also acts as an agent for Government of India in discharging other services for citizens such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) wage disbursement and old age pension payments. With more than 1,55,000 post offices, the DoP has the most widely distributed postal network in the world.

Apr 13, 2024

Election Commission Eases Voting Process for Kashmiri Migrant Voters

The Election Commission of India has eliminated the requirement for Kashmiri migrant voters in Jammu and Udhampur districts of J&K to fill out 'Form M' to vote in the Lok Sabha polls.
This decision comes after years of demand from displaced voters in the region. However, migrants residing outside of these districts will still need to submit 'Form M', but can now self-attest the certificate required, instead of needing it attested by a gazetted officer. These changes were made in response to difficulties faced by Kashmiri migrant groups in filling out Form M for every election.
The J&K chief electoral officer has supported these changes, which aim to streamline the voting process for displaced voters.
Under the new system, Kashmiri migrant electors will be mapped with special polling stations in the zones they are registered or residing in, eliminating the need for Form M. The EC noted that the previous procedure created unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for Kashmiri migrant voters.

Apr 11, 2024

President of India Inaugurates Homoeopathy Symposium on World Homoeopathy Day

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated a two-day Homoeopathy Symposium organized by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy in New Delhi on World Homoeopathy Day (April 10, 2024). In her address, the President highlighted the following:
Homoeopathy has been adopted in many countries as a simple and accessible treatment method.
Institutions at the international, national, and local levels have been promoting Homoeopathy worldwide.
She appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of AYUSH, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, National Commission for Homoeopathy, National Institute of Homoeopathy, and other central government institutions in promoting Homoeopathy in India.
The theme of the symposium, "Empowering Research, Enhancing Proficiency," is highly relevant in the 21st century.
Research and proficiency will play a crucial role in increasing the acceptance and popularity of Homoeopathy.
Authentic medical research with facts and analysis is necessary to recognize the experiences of people who have benefited from Homoeopathy.
Encouraging scientific rigor will further increase people's confidence in this medical system.

Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand Resigns from Cabinet, Quits AAP

In a setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, its social welfare minister, Raaj Kumar Anand, resigned from both the party and the government on Wednesday, citing two key reasons. He alleged that the party was "mired in the quicksand of graft" and had no moral right to continue in government, and also accused it of "ignoring the Dalit community".
Dismissing the charges, the AAP said it had "sympathy" for Anand, and alleged that the BJP was using central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to "break our ministers and MLAs".
AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told reporters that Anand had been summoned by the ED on April 12. This was later confirmed by ED sources.

India Wins Key Posts in UN Bodies, Many Uncontested

India retained several positions in UN bodies, including a third consecutive term in the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), with the highest number of votes.
India secured 41 votes out of the 53 voting members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the highest amongst all winning member states. With 41 votes, the Indian nominees won the INCB seat. There were 24 candidates in the fray for five seats. Indian nominees also won uncontested elections to the Commission on the Status of Women for 2025-2029 and the Executive Boards of the UN Children's Fund, the UN Development Programme.
It also retained positions on the UN Population Fund, and the United Nations Office for Project Services for the 2025-2027 term. India also successfully placed its nominees on the Executive Boards of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and the World Food Programme, both for the 2025-2027 term. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar noted that India's nominee was re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board with the highest number of votes amongst all elected member states.

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