General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2018

May 2018

Dec 17, 2023

Sultan of Oman's Maiden Visit to India

Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik's maiden three-day visit to India signalled a strong support to India from a West Asian power amid Arab-Israeli tensions over Gaza.
The Sultan arrived in India at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Murmu received the Sultan at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The sultan then inspected a Guard of Honour by the combined defence services.
India and Oman share a long-standing friendship rooted in historical, cultural, and economic ties. Furthermore, people-to-people contact between India and Oman can be traced back 5,000 years.
The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1955 and were upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2008.

PM Modi Inaugurate Surat Diamond Bourse

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly-built Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) building, the world's largest office complex, in Gujarat.
Built at a cost of approximately Rs. 3,500 crore, the building spans 67 lakh square feet of floor space and has the capacity to house nearly 4,500 diamond trading offices.
In August this year (2023), the building, which is part of the Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) City, was recognised by the Guinness World Records as the largest office building in the world.
Apart from offices, the Diamond Bourse campus has facilities such as safe deposit vaults, conference halls, multipurpose halls, restaurants, banks, customs clearance house, convention centre, exhibition centres, training centres, entertainment areas, restaurants, and a club along with security plans.

Telangana to be Divided into Three Zones to Decentralise Development

Telangana Government announced its resolve to decentralise the development in the State. It has accordingly planned to divide the State into three zones with Hyderabad as the centre. One zone will be the city within the outer ring road, second will be the area between the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) and the third zone would be covering the areas outside the regional ring road, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said.

Dec 16, 2023

Cabinet Okays Pact with US to Enhance Innovation Ecosystem

The Union Cabinet cleared a slew of pacts signed between India and nations such as the US, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Tanzania related to several key sectors like trade, electronic manufacturing and commerce.
The Cabinet approved the draft MoU between India and the US to enhance innovation ecosystems through an innovation handshake.
It would contribute significantly strengthening commercial opportunities in high tech sector.

Centre Launches New Car Programme for Safety Rating of Passenger Vehicles

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways introduced the "Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP)" for the safety rating of passenger cars. The ministry introduced the programme under rule 126E in CMVR (Central Motor Vehicles Rules), 1989.
The car assessment programme under this rule shall be applicable on the type approved vehicles of category M1, manufactured or imported in the country on or after October 1, 2023. Further, the BNCAP shall be a voluntary program monitored by the agency.
Under the new programme, the manufacturer or importer shall send the selected vehicles to the testing agency selected under sub-rule (4). The testing agency shall evaluate the vehicles in accordance with AIS-197 and submit the assessment report to the designated agency in FORM 70B.

Pune Surpasses China, Clinches Guinness World Record for Largest Reading Activity

In a momentous occasion for India, Pune etched its name in the prestigious 'Guinness World Record'books by hosting the largest reading activity in collaboration, surpassing China's previous record. In December 2023, at SP College, a remarkable total of 3,066 parents gathered to read aloud to their children, creating a magical atmosphere and leaving an indelible mark in history.
The previous record, held by China, stood at 2,884 simultaneous readers. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), along with the Maharashtra government, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), National Book Trust (NBT), and Sir Parashurambhau (SP) College organised the event with the ambitious goal of setting a Guinness World Record.

Dec 15, 2023

NITI Aayog and IFPRI Sign SoI to Strengthen Policy Frameworks for Agricultural Transformation and...

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) signed a Statement of Intent (SoI), aiming to fortify policy and program frameworks contributing to India's developmental objectives.
The five-year SoI grants IFPRI a broad mandate to support NITI's Agriculture Vertical in crucial areas. The SoI activities include developing and tracking Rural Transformation Indicators, supporting the design and evaluation of flagship programs, providing policy analytical tools, and generating evidence on India's agri-food trade in regional and global contexts. To ensure sustainable and inclusive agricultural and rural transformation, NITI Aayog has been actively guiding India's development programs through periodic monitoring and evaluation with a specific focus on agriculture.
IFPRI will provide policy analytics and support to NITI Aayog in mutually identified areas within the broader realm of food systems transformation, initially focusing on agriculture, rural development, trade, and climate change policies in India.

India, ADB Sign $200 Million Loan Agreement for Uttarakhand Power System Project

The Centre signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for availing a $200 million loan from the latter to improve the quality, efficiency, and reliability of power supply in the state of Uttarakhand.
The signatories to the loan agreement for the Uttarakhand Climate Resilient Power System Development Project were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry and Hoe Yun Jeong, Deputy Country Director and Officer-in-Charge of ADB's India Resident Mission, for ADB.
The ADB funding for the project will strengthen power system infrastructure and help Uttarakhand in achieving its goal of providing 24x7 power to its residents.

Dec 14, 2023

India Hosts 27th World Investment Conference in New Delhi

Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Government of India, hosted the 27th World Investment Conference (WIC) from December 11-14, 2023 at the India International Convention & Expo Centre - Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.. The event, under the aegis of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), was a groundbreaking platform for global investment promotion and innovation stakeholders.
This year's (2023) conference was themed 'Empowering Investors: IPAs Pioneering Future Growth'.
WIC, an annual flagship event of World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), serves as a platform for global investment promotion and innovation stakeholders. This year (2023), the conference brought together Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs), international organisations, academia, and the private sector, including startups, to discuss investment policies and trends, providing a unique opportunity for collaboration, trade, investments and knowledge sharing.
Spanning over four days, the WIC was the largest WIC ever, with participation from more than 1000 attendees, over 50 IPAs and various multilateral agencies. Some of the marquee sessions included a Meeting of 'IPAs of G20 Nations' and IPAs of G20 Compendium on Sustainable FDI, Meeting of World Investment for Development Alliance (WIDA), a coalition of 13 multilateral organisations including UNCTAD, WEF, WBG, UNESCAP and WAIPA, and a roundtable on "The India Opportunity: Investing in an Emerging Economy Poised for a Fast-Track Growth. Invest India may also release white papers on key topics such as E-Commerce, Electronics, Sustainable textiles and Responsible AI.
The World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies was created in 1995 in Geneva, as a non-governmental organisation. Its mission is to empower and support investment promotion agencies in the important work they do to develop their economies; to be a voice for IPAs internationally; and to serve as a bridge between the public and private sectors. The association has more than 120 member agencies representing more than 100 countries.
This was the first time that the World Investment Conference was held in India.

Parliament Security Breach

The Delhi Police registered a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Parliament security breach.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.
Around the same time, two other accused -- Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi -- sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside Parliament premises.
Police said the four were part of a group of six people who planned the incident.

Mercer's Survey: Pune 2nd in India for Quality of Living after Hyderabad

In a release of the Quality of Living Index 2023 by Mercer, a renowned global consultant for businesses, Pune secured the second-best position in terms of 'quality of life' in India. The city trails just behind Hyderabad, marking a significant improvement from the previous rankings.
The Quality of Living City Index by Mercer positions Pune at 154th, with Hyderabad slightly ahead at 153rd, and Bengaluru following closely at 156th. Vienna (Austria), Zurich (Switzerland), and Vancouver (Canada) clinched the top three spots globally in that order, according to the 2023 index.

Dec 13, 2023

Bhajan Lal Sharma Newly Elected Chief Minister of Rajasthan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) picked Bhajan Lal Sharma as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He won the recently concluded elections from the Sanganer assembly seat, defeating Congress's Pushpendra Bhardwaj with over 48,081 votes.
Bhajan Lal Sharma's name as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan was proposed by BJP's Vasundhara Raje, who was also among the contenders for the top post. His name was announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The BJP's Bhajan Lal Sharma's political journey in Rajasthan has been marked by significant achievements. He has served as the State General Secretary for the BJP four times.
Prem Chand Bairwa, who won the Dudu seat, and former MP Diya Kumari, who secured the Vidhyadhar Nagar Assembly seat against Congress' Sitaram Agarwal, were named Deputy Chief Ministers in Rajasthan.

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