General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2018

Oct 2018

Aug 31, 2024

T. V. Somanathan Takes over as Cabinet Secretary from Rajiv Gauba

T. V. Somanathan took over as Cabinet Secretary following the superannuation of Rajiv Gauba.
Gauba had been Cabinet Secretary since 2019 and completed an unprecedented five-year term. Until recently the Finance Secretary, Somanathan was named Cabinet Secretary on August 10 with a two-year tenure.
A 1987-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Somanathan is a qualified chartered accountant, cost accountant and company secretary. He has held important assignments at the Centre, including as Joint Secretary and later as Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office.

Aug 30, 2024

Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren Joins BJP Days after Quitting JMM

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a few days after quitting the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
Champai joined the saffron camp during a ceremony in Ranchi, with Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in attendance.
Champai led the JMM-led government in Jharkhand during a political crisis that arose from the arrest of Hemant Soren in a money laundering case earlier this year. His tenure as the CM was brief, lasting from February 2 to July 3. He resigned when Hemant Soren returned as CM on July 4.

Union Minister of Women and Child Development Launches New She-Box Portal to Make Workplaces Safe...

The Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Annapurna Devi, launched the new SHe-Box portal, a centralised platform aimed at making workplaces safer for women by addressing complaints of sexual harassment. The launch event, held in New Delhi, also included the introduction of a revamped ministry website.
The SHe-Box portal serves as a centralised repository of information related to Internal Committees (ICs) and Local Committees (LCs) across the country, covering both government and private sectors. It allows women to file complaints, track their status, and ensures timely processing by ICs, with real-time monitoring facilitated by a designated nodal officer.

Trinamool Congress Recognised as Opposition Party in Meghalaya Assembly

The Trinamool Congress was recognised as an Opposition party in Meghalaya Assembly while party leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was appointed as the Leader of Opposition (LoP).
Meghalaya Assembly Commissioner and Secretary Andrew Simons in a notification said that Mukul Sangma, a Member of the Meghalaya Assembly, was recognised by the Speaker as the LoP in the Assembly.
Ronnie V. Lyngdoh was recognised as the 'Opposition Chief Whip' in the Meghalaya Assembly.
The Trinamool Congress, headed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for the first time, out of the eight north-eastern states, has been recognised as an opposition party in Meghalaya Assembly.

Aug 29, 2024

ICAR-CIFE and VAMNICOM Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperative Management in Fisheries

In a significant stride towards fostering collaboration in the field of cooperative management within the fisheries sector, the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (ICAR-CIFE) and the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).This is an important step forward in realisation of the vision of establishment of 2 lakh PACS, Dairy and Fishery Cooperatives in every Panchayat.
The ceremony, held at the ICAR-CIFE campus in Mumbai, was graced by Dr. Ravishankar CN, Director and Vice Chancellor of ICAR-CIFE, and Dr. Hema Yadav, Director of VAMNICOM. Scientists, faculty members, and key team members from both institutions were also present on the occasion.
The MoU aims to bolster the synergies between ICAR-CIFE and VAMNICOM, paving the way for enhanced cooperative management practices in fisheries. Through this partnership, the institutions will collaborate on research, training and development initiatives that are expected to significantly impact the fisheries sector by improving cooperative management strategies and practices.

PM chairs 44th PRAGATI Interaction

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on August 28, chaired the meeting of the 44th edition of PRAGATI, the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments. This was the first meeting in the third term.
In the meeting, seven significant projects were reviewed, which included two projects relating to road connectivity, two rail projects and one project each of the Coal, Power and Water Resources sectors. The cost of these projects totalled more than Rs. 76,500 crore. The projects relate to the following states and UTs Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, Goa, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren to Join BJP

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren asserted that his decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party was taken in the interest of Jharkhand and he will resign from the JMM and as minister.
The senior tribal leader made it clear that he was not afraid of any situation.
Champai Soren had assumed office as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on February 2, 2024 shortly after his predecessor Hemant Soren resigned just before being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

Aug 28, 2024

Northern Railways Renames Eight Stations in Uttar Pradesh

The Northern Railways announced that eight railway stations in Uttar Pradesh were renamed. The change, which received approval from the relevant authorities, affects stations within the Lucknow division.
Following are the stations that were renamed: Kasimpur Halt was renamed to Jais City; Jais was renamed to Guru Gorakhnath Dham; Misrauli was renamed to Maa Kalikan Dham; Bani was renamed to Swami Paramhans; Nihalgarh was renamed to Maharaja Bijli Pasi; Akbarganj was renamed to Maa Ahorva Bhawani Dham; Wazirganj Halt was renamed to Amar Shaheed Bhale Sultan; and Fursatganj was renamed to Tapeshwarnath Dham.

Satish Kumar New Chairman and CEO of Railway Board

Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS) officer Satish Kumar was appointed as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Board, making him the first ever member from a Scheduled Caste community selected for the board's top post.
Kumar, whose tenure is set to begin on September 1, will replace the current chairperson and CEO of the board, Jaya Varma Sinha, who is superannuating on August 31. When she took charge on September 1, 2023, Sinha became the first woman to be appointed as the CEO of the board, the topmost post in the Indian Railways.
A 1986-batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer, Kumar has made significant contributions to railways throughout his career, spanning over 34 years.

Twelve Candidates Elected Unopposed to Rajya Sabha, Strengthening NDA Majority

Twelve candidates were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in elections for vacant seats in the Upper House of Parliament. This includes nine from the BJP, two from its NDA allies, and one from Congress.
With the BJP increasing its numbers in the Upper House of Parliament and its allies also gaining strength, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) now holds a majority. This boost will help the ruling alliance get bills passed smoothly.

Aug 27, 2024

Union FM Nirmala Sitharaman Inaugurates GST Bhawan at Udaipur

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the new GST Bhawan in Udaipur, located in the Hiran Magri area. The inauguration ceremony included Vedic chanting and the unveiling of the plaque to officially open the complex. The construction, which began in 2020, faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has now been completed. The GST Bhawan features a conference hall, meeting hall, data analytics cell, library, interrogation cell, and a guest house. Sitharaman emphasized the office's role in serving 13 districts and the importance of reducing GST-related grievances through effective information sharing. She highlighted the growth of small businesses post-COVID and the significant GST revenue contributions from sectors like zinc, lead, cement, tyres, and calcium phosphate.

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