General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2018

May 2018

Feb 09, 2024

PM Modi-led Panel Clears Names for Lokpal Chief, Vigilance Commissioner

Supreme Court judge Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar was elected as the new chairperson of Lokpal, and Aeratu S. Rajeev, Managing Director (MD) of Bank of Maharashtra, was picked for the post of Vigilance Commissioner (VC) by a committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Khanwilkar was confirmed as a permanent judge in the Bombay High Court in April 2002. He served briefly as the chief justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court and was then appointed the chief justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court in November 2013. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in May 2016 and served a six-year term until his retirement in July 2022.
A.S. Rajeev was appointed as the MD and CEO of the Bank of Maharashtra in December 2018. His tenure was to end on December 1, 2023, but he was given an extension until May 31, 2024 in November 2023. Before BoM, he was the Executive Director of Indian Bank and during this time, he was the Director of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Ex-Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique Resigns from Congress after 48 Years

Former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique resigned from the Congress with immediate effect. Baba Siddique had been associated with the Congress for 48 years.
Baba Siddique was the MLA for three consecutive terms in 1999, 2004 and 2009, and had also served as a Minister of State (MoS) for Food & Civil Supplies, Labour and FDA (2004–08). He had also served as a Municipal Corporator earlier for two consecutive terms (1992–1997).
The move came just days after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders said that Siddique was expected to join the faction of the party led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Siddique's resignation is another setback to Congress in a span of few weeks. In January, senior Congress leader Milind Deora, considered a close friend of Rahul Gandhi, announced his resignation from the grand-old party, bringing an end to his family's 55-year association with Congress. He later joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Announces Free Bus Travel for Transgender Community

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a government initiative declaring free bus travel for the transgender community within the national capital. Emphasising the long-standing neglect faced by marginalised groups, Kejriwal underscored the importance of extending equal rights and privileges to all members of society, regardless of gender identity.
Kejriwal outlined the plan for expedited Cabinet approval and swift implementation of the scheme, aimed at providing tangible benefits to the transgender community within a few weeks.
This initiative builds upon the government's commitment to promoting inclusivity and social welfare.

Feb 08, 2024

Sharad Pawar Faction Gets New Name

A day after it recognised the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Election Commission allotted the group led by NCP founder Sharad Pawar the name of 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
While passing its final order in the dispute between the two sides, the ECI had asked Sharad Pawar to send a list of three preferences for a name to be used by the faction in the elections to six Rajya Sabha seats on February 27.

Delhi Hosts First ever EU-India Roundtable on Countering Terrorist Exploitation of Unmanned Aeria...

The first ever European Union (EU)-India Track 1.5 dialogue on countering the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by extremists and non-state actors took place in New Delhi.
The day-long EU-India roundtable sought to better understand the range of current and emerging threats particularly involved with consumer-grade UAS technology. Participants from the EU and India also discussed best practices regarding regulatory, tactical and investigative responses to addressing UAS threats in both regions.
This roundtable was part of a series of ongoing counter-terrorism engagements between the EU and India, building on recent activities under the EU project Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia (ESIWA).
This EU-India roundtable was organised by the ESIWA project, in partnership with the National Security Guard of India, and the EU Delegation to India.

Feb 07, 2024

EC Gives NCP Name, Symbol to Ajit Pawar Group

Ahead of the 2024 General Elections, the Election Commission (EC) ended the long-running dispute between the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Ajit Pawar faction and the Sharad Pawar faction.
The election body gave the Ajit Pawar camp the party's name and symbol, a decision that came after more than 10 hearings of distinguished legal teams.
Further, Sharad Pawar was provided special concession to name his new political formation in view of imminent Rajya Sabha elections, which was to be utilised by February 7, 2024.
The EC noted that the 'test of legislative majority' helped Ajit Pawar faction clinch NCP symbol in view of disputed internal organisational elections.

India Energy Week 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India Energy Week 2024 in Goa and also dedicated to the nation the permanent campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) apart from laying foundation stones for various projects costing more than Rs. 1,330 crore.
PM Modi also addressed Viksit Bharat, Viksit Goa 2047 programme.
The PM inaugurated the ONGC Sea Survival Centre at Betul village in South Goa.

Feb 06, 2024

Champai Soren-led JMM-Cong Govt Wins Trust Vote in Jharkhand Assembly

The Champai Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress coalition government won the floor test in the Jharkhand assembly.
The ruling alliance got 47 votes including that of a nominated member in the 81-member House. The opposition NDA alliance received 29 votes.
The floor test was necessitated after the new government under Champai Soren was sworn-in just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly elections.

Don't Use Children in Poll Campaign, Election Commission Tells Parties

With the Lok Sabha elections just couple of months away, the Election Commission directed political parties and candidates not to employ children in any form of election campaigning process.
Emphasising its zero-tolerance policy on the use of children in any election-related activities, the EC, in an advisory to all parties, said that they should not involve children in any manner, including holding a child in arms, carrying a child in a vehicle or in a rally.
This prohibition extends to the use of children to create the semblance of a political campaign in any manner including use through poem, songs, spoken words, display of insignia of political party or candidate.

Telangana to Switch to 'TG' as New Abbreviation, Replacing 'TS'

The Congress ruled Telangana is set to adopt its new abbreviation as 'TG', replacing the earlier 'TS', a cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced.
The state will also adopt a new state anthem – 'Jaya Jaya Ho Telangana', it was decided in the key meeting ahead of the state's budget session. The new anthem is composed by Andre Sri, an award-winning Indian poet and lyricist.

Feb 05, 2024

Pawan Kumar Assumes Charge as Chief Adviser (Cost) in Ministry of Finance

Pawan Kumar, ICoAS, assumed charge as Chief Adviser (Cost), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, in Level-17 (Apex level).
Kumar is a 1992-batch officer of the Indian Cost Accounts Service under Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. Prior to assuming the charge Kumar was holding the charge of Additional Chief Adviser (Cost).
Kumar is a qualified Cost Accountant and possesses a diverse work experience in various capacities at different Ministries/Departments and autonomous bodies like Tariff Commission, Delhi Development Authority, Director General of Trade Remedies, Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Public Enterprises etc.
Kumar played a pivotal role in development of a web-based Online Dashboard for performance evaluation of CPSEs in Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance. This initiative was conferred 'Gold Award' in the 'e-Governance' category in 2022, by a leading think tank.

Punjab Governor Resigns in a Sudden Move

In a surprise move, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit resigned from the post, while also stepping down as the administrator of the Union territory (UT) of Chandigarh, the joint capital of the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.
Purohit took charge as the Punjab Governor in September 2021, after serving as the Tamil Nadu Governor for four years.
He had an eventful tenure ever since, during which he remained at loggerheads with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab over several issues, including Punjab Raj Bhawan's pending assent to legislations.

Abhay Thakur, India's New Ambassador to Russia

Abhay Thakur, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1992 batch, was named India's ambassador to Russia. Formerly the High Commissioner to Mauritius and Nigeria, Thakur replaced the present ambassador Pavan Kapoor of 1990 batch.
Kapoor was appointed as new Secretary (west) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Thakur is an engineer-turned-diplomat. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1992. Thakur played a distinguished role as Office on Special Duty (OSD) at Ministry of External Affairs during the New Delhi G20 Leaders Summit.

Apurva Chandra New Health Secretary

Apurva Chandra, 1988-batch IAS officer from Maharashtra cadre, was appointed as the new Health Secretary, according to an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Chandra was handling the position of Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare for a month as an additional charge, along with serving as the Secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
Senior bureaucrat Sanjay Jaju was appointed as the new I&B Secretary in place of Chandra.
Eight other senior officers were appointed in different central government departments and in the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle affected by the Centre.

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