General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2018

May 2018

Mar 20, 2024

Vinay Kumar New Indian Ambassador to Russia

Vinay Kumar, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1992 batch, was named as the next Ambassador of India to Russia.
Russia has been a longstanding partner of India, with diplomatic ties between the two countries forming a cornerstone of India's foreign policy. Kumar replaced Pavan Kapoor, who was appointed as the new Secretary (West) in the MEA, as India's envoy in Moscow.
An IIT-Kharagpur graduate, Kumar joined the IFS in 1992. He has served as India's Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2018-2020. Kumar has also worked as a Joint Secretary (South) in the MEA and served in India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Jharkhand Governor Gets Additional Charge as Telangana Governor

President Droupadi Murmu gave Jharkhand Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry after accepting the resignation of Tamilisai Soundararajan who had stepped down from these posts.
C. P. Radhakrishnan is the 10th Governor of Jharkhand since 2023.

Election Commission Launches 'Mission 414' Campaign in Himachal Pradesh to Boost Voter Turnout

The Election Commission launched a special campaign 'Mission 414' in Himachal Pradesh to boost voter turnout in 414 polling stations with less than 60% voting during the last Lok Sabha polls.
Increasing Voter Turnout:
Conducting awareness campaigns and cultural events
Designating identified stations as model polling stations.
Involving booth youth icons and distributing special invitation cards to prospective voters.
Awareness campaigns and cultural events would be held besides making these 414 stations model polling stations. Booth youth icons from first time voters would be roped in and special invitation cards made by children would be given to prospective voters.

SC Orders ECI to Recognise 'Trumpet' As NCP Symbol

In a big win for the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction, the Supreme Court has directed Election Commission of India and State Election Commission to recognise 'Trumpte' as the official symbol of the NCP-Sharad Pawar. The Supreme Court also ordered the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP to issue public notice saying NCP's origianl 'clock' symbol is sub-judice and its use is subject to adjudication. The top court also directed the Ajit Pawar faction to make declaration about 'clock' poll symbol being sub-judice in all poll-related advertisements.
The Supreme Court also directed the Election Commission to not allot 'man blowing turha/trumpet' symbol to others for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls while ordering the ECI to recognise 'man blowing turha' as symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar for polls.

Assam Legislative Assembly Organises NeVA in Guwahati

Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in collaboration with the Assam Legislative Assembly organised National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in Guwahati for a paperless legislative process and enhanced connectivity with all the Government departments of Assam.
The NeVA implementation will revolutionise the operational dynamics of the Assam Legislative Assembly by facilitating the electronic laying of all paperless on the House, fostering seamless e-connectivity with government departments and advancing the Go Green initiative of the Union Government.
This endeavour is expected to yield significant environmental benefits as it will save thousands tonnes of paper.

Mar 19, 2024

Tamilisai Soundararajan Quits as Telangana Governor

Tamilisai Soundararajan resigned as the Governor of Telangana and the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. While the sudden decision came as a surprise, Soundararajanis expected to return to electoral politics and contest Lok Sabha elections 2024 from Tamil Nadu.
In September 2019, Soundararajan, the then-state president of the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP for five years, took to the office of Telangana Governor and later took additional charge as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry in February 2021.

Mar 18, 2024

Shipping Ministry Approves Rs. 645 crore for 10 New Waterways Projects on Brahmaputra in Assam

The shipping ministry approved Rs. 645 crore for 10 new waterways projects on the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
The projects will be implemented under 100 per cent funding from the central government under the Sagarmala programme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.
New projects are aimed at building new capacity along the Brahmaputra to boost River Tourism, public commute in Assam.

Model Code of Conduct (MCC) Guidelines for Lok Sabha Elections 2024

With the announcement of the election schedule by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has been enforced to ensure a fair electoral process in the world's largest democracy.
Here are the specific guidelines to be followed during this period:
1. Conduct at Places of Worship
Campaigning at places of worship (e.g., mosques, churches, temples) is strictly prohibited.
No appeals to caste or communal sentiments for securing votes.
2. Criticism and Personal Attacks
Criticism of other parties should be limited to policies, programs, and past records.
Avoid personal attacks or criticism unrelated to public activities.
Unverified allegations or distortions should be avoided.
3. Prohibition of Corrupt Practices
Parties and candidates must avoid all forms of corrupt practices such as bribing voters, intimidation, impersonation, and canvassing near polling stations.
Distribution of liquor on polling day or 48 hours before is strictly prohibited.
4. Respect for Private Property
Parties cannot use private property for campaign materials without permission.
5. Peaceful Political Activities
Ensuring peaceful political meetings and processions without obstructing those organised by other parties.
No removal of posters issued by other parties.
6. Regulation of Rallies
Procession routes and timings must be adhered to without deviation.
Authorities must be informed to ensure proper regulation.
7. Traffic Management
Organisers must ensure minimal disruption to road traffic during processions.
Long processions should be organised in manageable segments.
8. Prohibition of Effigy Burning
Carrying and burning effigies representing members of other political parties or leaders is not allowed.
9. Regulation of Candidate Camps
Avoiding large gatherings and serving food at candidate camps near booths.
Ruling parties cannot monopolize government facilities or accommodations for campaign purposes.
10. Election Manifesto and Freebies
While election manifestos are not considered corrupt practices, the distribution of freebies can influence voters and should be carefully considered.
These guidelines aim to maintain the integrity of the electoral process and ensure a level playing field for all participants.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Date Out, Polls to be Held in 7 Phases

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held from April 19 to June 1 in seven phases, the Election Commission of India announced. The results will be declared on June 4.
The voting for the first phase will be held on April 19, second phase on April 26, third phase on May 7, fourth phase on May 13, fifth phase on May 20, sixth phase on May 25, and the seventh phase on June 1.
The Lok Sabha, referred to as the House of the People, consists of 545 members in total. The vast majority, 543 of these members, are directly elected by the public, with each representing a single constituency. However, the remaining two members are not elected through this process. Instead, they are nominated by the President of India.

Ex-UP Bureaucrat Sehgal is Prasar Bharati Head

Retired bureaucrat Navneet Kumar Sehgal was named the new Chairman of Prasar Bharati, a post that had been lying vacant for four years.
He succeeded A. Surya Prakash, whose term ended in February 2020. Sehgal was appointed Chairman for three years.
Meanwhile, Sheyphali Sharan was appointed as the Principal D-G of the Press Information Bureau, the ministry's publicity arm.

Maharashtra Renames Ahmednagar as 'Ahilyanagar'

After renaming Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv respectively, the Maharashtra cabinet decided to rename Ahmednagar as Ahilyanagar after Ahilyabai Holkar and Velha tehsil in Pune district as Rajgad. Velha was the first capital of the Maratha Empire under the Maratha warrior king Shivaji.
The proposal to rename Ahmednagar was first announced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in May 2023, on the 298th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar.
The event was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar.
The Cabinet also announced the renaming of the following railway stations in Mumbai, which previously had British-era names.
The approved changes include: Curry Road to Lalbaug, Sandhurst Road to Dongri, Marine Lines to Mumbadevi, Cotton Green to Kalachowki, Charni Road to Girgaon, Dockyard Road to Mazgaon, King Circle to Tirthakar Parshivnath and Mumbai Central Station as Nana Jagannath Shankarsheth Station.
A proposal for the same has been sent to the railways ministry.

Mar 17, 2024

Nitish Expands Cabinet, Inducts 21 New Ministers

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his cabinet, which is less than two months old, by inducting 21 ministers. The inductions raised the strength to 30, just six short of the constitutional limit for the state.
At a ceremony organised inside the Raj Bhavan, 12 members of ally BJP and nine of the Chief Minister's JD(U) were administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Arlekar.

MHA Ranks among 10 Top Ministries in Grievance Redressal Assessment Index

The Ministry of Home Affairs has consistently ranked amongst the top 10 ministries in 2023-24 in the grievance redressal assessment index (GRAI), performing well in all 15 specified indicators.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah, the MHA is committed to ensuring timely redressal of public grievances on the centralised public grievance redressal and monitoring system (CPGRAMS).

MPs Arjun Singh, Dibyendu Adhikari Join BJP

Two sitting parliamentarians from the Trinamool Congress, Barrackpur MP Arjun Singh and Tamluk MP Dibyendu Adhikari, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Arjun Singh, who had earlier joined the BJP in 2019 after quitting TMC and defeated the then-TMC candidate on the Barrackpore seat, returned to TMC again in 2022 even as he remained a BJP MP on Parliament record.

Mar 16, 2024

Manohar Lal Khattar, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal in BJP's Second List of 72 Candidates for Lok Sabha

Three former Chief Ministers, nine Union Ministers, two Rajya Sabha MPs and 15 women figured in the BJP's second list of candidates.
Manohar Lal Khattar, who resigned as Haryana Chief Minister and vacated his Karnal Assembly seat, will be contesting for Lok Sabha from the Karnal seat.
While Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was retained from Nagpur, Piyush Goyal, a senior minister and Rajya Sabha MP, will be contesting from Mumbai North.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur will again contest from his Hamirpur constituency in Himachal Pradesh.
BJP's media cell head Anil Baluni, who is currently a Rajya Sabha MP, has been fielded from Uttarakhand's Garhwal constituency.

Centre Forms Committee to Look into Ayushman Bharat Implementation

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the formation of an expert committee to review the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
The 16-member committee, chaired by V. K. Paul, Member (Health) at NITI Aayog, will oversee the progress of AB-PMJAY in terms of beneficiary identification, hospitalisation, and modes of implementation.
A key task of the committee is to suggest measures to prevent fraud or misuse of the scheme. Additionally, the committee will discuss ways to provide linkages with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs).
The committee also includes Health Secretary Apurva Chandra, Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Authority (NHA), former NHA CEO Indu Bhushan, and representatives from private entities such as Apollo Hospitals, Nathealth, and Yashoda Super Speciality Hospitals, among others.

Gyanesh Kumar, S. S. Sandhu Appointed as New Election Commissioners

Retired bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as Election Commissioners by a high-powered panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the first time that Election Commissioners were appointed in accordance with the new Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 brought in by the government in December 2023.
According to the Act, a selection committee headed by the Prime Minister and comprising a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha selects members of the EC. In the current committee, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the Cabinet Minister and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury represents the Opposition, being the Congress leader of the House in Lok Sabha.

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