General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2018

May 2018

Jul 07, 2025

PM Modi in Argentina, First Bilateral Visit by an Indian PM in 57 Years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on a two-day visit of his five-nation tour that aimed to reinforce India's engagements with the Global South and focus on strengthening ties with the South American country.
This was the first bilateral visit to the South American country by an Indian Prime Minister in 57 years, and is thus historic.
PM Modi had previously visited the country in 2018 to attend the G20 Summit.
PM Modi held wide-ranging talks with President Javier Milei to further boost the India-Argentina partnership in key areas including defence, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, trade and investment.

Stalin Renames Govt. Hostels as 'Social Justice'

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced that all state-run hostels for underprivileged school and college students will now be referred to as "social justice hostels".
The change aligns with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government's core principles. There won't be any sort of discrimination, including gender or caste, under the DMK rule.
These reforms are not merely symbolic. They are part of the mission to build a future Tamil society rooted in equality, unity, and social justice.

Himachal Becomes First State to Use Face ID for Ration

Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to introduce Aadhaar-based face authentication (FaceAuth) for the distribution of ration to eligible beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Until now, authentication was carried out using either OTP-based or biometric methods. However, frequent challenges such as SMS delivery failures and biometric mismatches at the UIDAI end were causing inconvenience to the beneficiaries.
With the launch of the FaceAuth mechanism, the process has now been streamlined and made more accessible.

Himanta Sarma Launches 'Bodoland Speaks' To Promote Peace in Region

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated 'Bodoland Speaks: From Vision to Action', an initiative of the Bodoland Territorial Council under Bodoland Happiness Mission to promote peace in the region. At the programme, he announced that all government notifications will be translated into Bodo language in all 13 districts where people of the community reside.
Sarma also conferred Bodoland Lifetime Achievers Award on 18 personalities who contributed immensely to the enrichment of folk cultures in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

Jul 06, 2025

Puri to Become Odisha's Sixth Municipal Corporation

Puri, a famous pilgrimage and tourist town in Odisha, will now become a municipal corporation, as announced by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. This move came ahead of the Bahuda Yatra and is aimed at improving basic facilities in the town, which sees large numbers of visitors every year.
Puri will now join Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Berhampur, and Rourkela as the sixth municipal corporation in Odisha. The new status will help improve roads, cleanliness, water supply, drainage, and other civic services in Puri. Areas around Puri city, including 7–8 nearby gram panchayats from Puri Sadar and Brahmagiri blocks, will also be included in the new corporation.

India and Trinidad & Tobago Sign Six New Agreements to Boost Ties

India and Trinidad & Tobago signed six key agreements in Port of Spain to improve their partnership in many areas. These include work in infrastructure, medicine, culture, and sports. The deals were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country. This visit is seen as a big step toward building stronger ties between the two nations.
The six MoUs cover cooperation in:
Pharmaceutical standards
Quick development projects
Cultural exchange
Sports promotion
Diplomatic training
Sharing of official documents and research
The aim of these agreements is to create more jobs, better services, and stronger people-to-people connections between India and Trinidad & Tobago.

Amit Shah Lays Foundation Stone of India's First National Cooperative University in Gujarat

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the country's first national-level cooperative university, Tribhuvan Sahkari University (TSU) in Anand, Gujarat. The event marked a historic step toward institutionalising education and research in the cooperative space.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Union Ministers of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar and Muralidhar Mohol, as well as Gujarat's Education and Cooperation Ministers Rishikesh Patel and Jagdish Vishwakarma, were present at the foundation-laying ceremony.
The establishment of Tribhuvan Sahkari University (TSU) is being hailed as a forward-looking initiative aimed at transforming India's cooperative landscape.

Jul 05, 2025

Lucknow, Pune, Indore Ranked among India's Top-Performing Municipal Bodies

Municipal corporations of Lucknow, Pune, and Indore were recognised among the best-performing urban local bodies during the first national conference of ULBs held in Gurugram.
At the National Level Conference of Urban Local Bodies of States and Union Territories in Gurugram's Manesar, public representatives and administrative officers from these cities shared their best practices with counterparts from other states, fostering a collaborative exchange of innovative urban development strategies.

Northern Region Ministers' Conference on Civil Aviation Held in Dehradun

Northern Region Ministers' Conference on Civil Aviation 2025, organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, was held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand with the broad vision of 'unlocking the vast potential of aviation sector in the country', as put by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarappu Rammohan Naidu.
The session witnessed the participation of Ministers and senior officials from States/UTs of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Ladakh and Chandigarh, along with senior officials from Ministry of Civil aviation including Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Civil Aviation; Fiaz Ahmed Kidwai, DG DGCA; Vipin Kumar, Chairman, Airports Authority of India and Rajesh Nirwan, DG BCAS.
Participation of over 100 aviation industry players exemplified the significance of having closer collaboration with the State Governments.

Jul 04, 2025

India's First Disneyland Park Proposed in Manesar

Haryana is planning something big for fun and tourism. Manesar could soon be home to India's first Disneyland-style theme park, promising to turn the state into a major hub for fun and tourism.
The National Capital Region (NCR) could soon host India's first Disneyland amusement park, with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announcing a 500-acre mega entertainment hub in Manesar. The project is set to become a landmark in the state's tourism and infrastructure development.

First National Conference of Urban Local Bodies' Chairpersons

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Inaugurating the first-ever National Conference of Chairpersons of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of States and Union Territories in Manesar, Gurugram.
He mentioned that the Lok Sabha has increasingly witnessed late-night sessions and long-duration debates, reflecting a matured and responsible democratic culture. He called upon urban local bodies to incorporate structured procedures, including regular sittings, robust committee systems, and citizen engagement, to further strengthen grassroots democracy.
The two-day national conference marked a historic initiative to discuss the role of Urban Local bodies in strengthening the constitutional democracy and nation building through participatory governance structures in cities across India.
He reiterated that the theme of the conference, 'Role of Urban Local Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Democracy and Nation Building,' was timely and forward-looking.

Jul 03, 2025

MPEDA Hosts Inaugural National Skill Olympiad to Boost Seafood Value Addition

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, successfully held the grand finale of its first-ever National Skill Olympiad on seafood value addition at the Seafood Expo Bharat in Chennai. The initiative aimed to foster a skilled workforce and promote innovation in value-added seafood exports.
Emerging victorious in the closely contested final was Thanseer K. R. of Abad Foods, Malipuram, Kerala. The awards were presented by Member of Parliament and MPEDA Authority Member Hibi George Eden and D. V. Swamy, Chairman of MPEDA.

India Hosts First National Conference of Urban Local Body Chairpersons in Gurugram

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the first-ever National Conference of Chairpersons of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from States and Union Territories at the International Centre for Automotive Technology, Manesar, Gurugram. The two-day conference aims to elevate the role of Urban Local Bodies in a rapidly urbanising India and reinforce their importance in constitutional democracy and nation building.
The theme of the conference is 'Role of Urban Local Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Democracy and Nation Building'.

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