General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2018

May 2018

Feb 24, 2024

Election Commission of India Assigns New Symbol to Sharad Pawar's NCP Faction

The Election Commission allotted a new symbol for Sharad Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party.
Sharad Pawar's faction of the NCP was allotted the symbol of 'Man Blowing Turha'.

Japan Commits Rs. 12,800 Crore for Diverse Projects in India

The Japanese government committed a loan of 232.209 billion yen (about Rs. 12,800 crore) for nine projects related to various sectors in India.
The projects included North East Road Network Connectivity, Project for Promoting Start-up and Innovation in Telangana, Project for the Construction of Chennai Peripheral Ring Road, Project for Promoting Sustainable Horticulture in Haryana and Project for Climate Change Response and ecosystem Services Enhancement in Rajasthan.
The road network connectivity projects aim to improve infrastructure development in India's north-east region, while the Chennai peripheral ring road project aims to alleviate traffic congestion and strengthen connections to the southern part of the state.
The agreement to this effect was signed between Vikas Sheel, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, and Suzuki Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan to India.
The project in Nagaland will help develop tertiary level medical service delivery by developing a medical college hospital contributing towards universal health coverage. A unique project in Telangana will help discover entrepreneurial skills with focus on women and rural population and support business expansion of MSMEs.

ADB Funds $23 Million for Fintech Advancement in Gujarat

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) sanctioned a USD 23 million loan aimed at bolstering fintech education, research, and innovation within the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in India.
GIFT, a state-owned enterprise, serves as a hub for nurturing fintech ecosystems and financial services in India, being the nation's premier international financial services centre.

Feb 23, 2024

Swami Prasad Maurya Launches New Party

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya launched his new political party, the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party (RSSP), in Delhi.
The launch of the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party (RSSP) came days after Maurya resigned from his MLC seat and severed connections with the Samajwadi Party.

India and Greece Agree to Double Bilateral Trade by 2030

India and Greece agreed to double their bilateral trade by the year 2030. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held bilateral and delegation level talks in New Delhi. During the meeting, both the countries deliberated on range of issues and expressed their commitment to enhance cooperation in the field of space, pharma, shipping, communication, defence, agriculture and maritime, and air connectivity.
This was the first bilateral Head of State or Government level visit from Greece to India after 15 years. The last Prime Ministerial visit from Greece to India took place in 2008.

Finance Minister Chairs 28th Meeting of Financial Stability and Development

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 28th meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) in New Delhi. The FSDC deliberated on issues related to macro financial stability and India's preparedness to deal with them. Its members also decided to strengthen inter-regulatory coordination.
Bhagwat Karad, Minister of State for Finance, also joined the FSDC meeting, along with distinguished dignitaries and officials representing various financial regulatory bodies, including RBI governor and secretaries of finance, expenditure, economic affairs, revenue, and financial services. Apart from these, chief economic advisor, SEBI chairperson, PFRDA chief and IFSCA chairman also attended the meeting.
The FSDC, inter alia, deliberated on issues related to macro financial stability and India's preparedness to deal with them. The ongoing inter-regulatory issues were also discussed to support GIFT IFSC in its strategic role to become one of the world's premier international financial centres and perform its envisioned role of facilitating foreign capital and financial services for the domestic economy.

Feb 22, 2024

Indo-Bangla Inland Waterway Connectivity Terminal Launched in Tripura's Srimantapur

A new inland waterway terminal and a permanent jetty at the Indo-Bangla inland waterway protocol route between Sonamura and Daudkandi was inaugurated at Srimantapur in Tripura's Sepahijala district, nearly four years after the route was started.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, who joined the inaugural event via videoconferencing, said that the new infrastructure would help to strengthen the trade and economic relations between India and Bangladesh.

PM Opens Raisina Dialogue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 9th edition of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, and the keynote address was delivered by the Chief Guest Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic (Greece), Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The Raisina Dialogue is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the international community.
The 9th Raisina Dialogue witnessed participation of representatives from over 100 countries including Ministers, former Heads of State and Heads of Government, Military Commanders, Captains of Industry, Technology Leaders, Academics, Journalists, Scholars on Strategic Affairs, Experts from leading Think Tanks, and Youth.
The theme of the 2024 edition is 'Chaturanga: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create'.

India's Longest Transportation Tunnel Opens in Jammu

The longest transportation tunnel of the country on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he flagged off the first electrified train of the Kashmir valley.
The official added that the Prime Minister also inaugurated the 48.1-km-long Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section. This longest tunnel, which is 12.77 km long and known as T-50, falls between the Khari-Sumber section.
T-50 is supposed to be the most challenging of the 11 tunnels in the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangadal section.
According to railway officials associated with the project, the tunnel survey work started around 1996 but the tender was awarded in December 2013 so it took around 10 years to operationalise it.

Feb 21, 2024

India Contributes 1 Million USD to Poverty and Hunger Alleviation Fund

India contributed 1 million US Dollars to the Poverty and Hunger Alleviation Fund established by India, Brazil, and South Africa, IBSA. The fund is aimed at alleviating poverty and hunger. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj handed over the cheque to the Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Dima Al-Khatib.
The IBSA countries, India, Brazil and South Africa, each contribute one million dollars annually to the Fund in a spirit of partnership and support for Southern-led, demand-driven, transformational projects in developing countries.
India's contribution to the IBSA Fund has cumulatively exceeded USD 18 million since the Fund was established in 2004 and became operational in 2006. UNOSSC serves as the Fund Manager and Secretariat of the IBSA Fund.

World Bank to Collaborate with Goa Government for Finance Facility to Combat Climate Change

The Government of Goa announced a groundbreaking partnership with the World Bank to establish a pioneering Blended Finance facility aimed at bolstering climate resilience. As per reports, this unprecedented initiative marks a significant step towards accessing and mobilising concessional finance to implement low-carbon and climate-resilient investments in Goa, setting an example for other coastal states in India.
The announcement of the Blended Finance facility was made during the 2024 edition of the World Bank's India Climate and Development Partners' Meet, a prestigious annual conference held in Panaji from February 19 to 21.
Under the framework of the Blended Finance facility, the Department of Environment, Government of Goa, signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with key financial institutions, including the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), and the Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

Chandigarh Mayor Election: Supreme Court Declares AAP-Congress Candidate Kuldeep Kumar as Winner

The Supreme Court declared AAP-Congress mayoral candidate Kuldeep Kumar as the winner in Chandigarh Mayor election. A bench of Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud, Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra passed the verdict after it dismissed Returning Officer Anil Masih's explanation on why he had declared the eight votes of the AAP candidate to be invalid.

Sonia, Nadda among 41 Elected Unopposed

The Rajya Sabha elections saw 41 candidates getting elected without any opposition, including former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, BJP president J. P. Nadda, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L. Murugan, and BJP's new entrant Ashok Chavan. The remaining 15 seats in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on February 27. The BJP emerged as the biggest winner, securing 20 seats, followed by the Congress (6), Trinamool Congress (4), YSR Congress (3), RJD (2), BJD (2) and NCP, Shiv Sena, BRS and JD(U) one each. The returning officers declared these 41 candidates as winners on the last date of withdrawal of nominations, as there were no other contenders for these seats.

Feb 20, 2024

Department of Fisheries Signs a MoU with Open Network for Digital Commerce

The Department of Fisheries signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) in the presence of Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State Dr. L Murugan, Secretary (Fisheries) Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Joint Secretary (Inland Fisheries), Sagar Mehra, MD, ONDC T. Koshy and other esteemed dignitaries at New Delhi. Parshottam Rupala also released a booklet 'From Catch to Commerce, Increasing Market Access through Digital Transformation'.
The objective of the collaboration of Department of Fisheries with ONDC is to provide a digital platform and empower all stakeholders including traditional fishermen, fish farmers producer organisation, entrepreneurs from fisheries sector to buy and sell their products through e-market place. ONDC is a unique platform of e-marketing that will play a significant role in fisheries sector by connecting fishermen, fish farmers, FFPOs, self-help groups and other fishermen cooperatives in a structured manner.

Centre Agrees to Discuss Demands for Ladakh's Statehood

The Centre agreed to discuss the demands for Ladakh's statehood, the inclusion of the Union Territory in the 6th Schedule of the Constitution and the setting up of an exclusive public service commission for the high-altitude region.
The agreement was arrived at a meeting held between the High Powered Committee (HPC) for Ladakh headed by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and a 14-member delegation of the Apex Body of Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), representing various organisations of the Union Territory.

Empowering Indian Ports: Govt. Launches 'Sagar Aankalan' Guidelines

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the 'Sagar Aankalan' guidelines for Indian port performance index. The move aims at enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of Indian ports.
The 'Sagar Aankalan' guidelines for National Benchmarking of Indian Ports Performance will be enforced across all seaports in India, with the goal of boosting their efficiency and competitiveness.

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