General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2018

Oct 2018

Apr 06, 2023

India, Japan Agree to Diversify Cooperation

India and Japan agreed to diversify cooperation in new and emerging domains such as defence space and cyber technologies.
The move was announced after the seventh India-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue. It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Japanese Vice-Minister of Defence for International Affairs Oka Masami.
A wide range of issues, including service-level exercises and engagements, regional security issues and cooperation in defence equipment and technology, were discussed during the meeting.

India Elected to Top UN Statistical Body

In a significant victory, India was elected to the UN Statistical Commission for a four-year period in a competitive election.
India secured an overwhelming 46 out of 53 votes. A second candidate is yet to be decided between South Korea and China.
India was elected by secret ballot while Argentina, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Republic of Tanzania and the United States were elected by acclamation for a four-year term beginning January 1, 2024.
The United Nations Statistical Commission, established in 1947, is the apex body of the global statistical system that brings together the chief statisticians of member states around the world. It is the supreme decision-making body for international statistical activities, responsible for the establishment of statistical standards and the development of concepts and methods, including their implementation at national and international levels.
The commission consists of 24 member states of the United Nations elected on the basis of equal geographic distribution by the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Five members are from African states, four from Asia-Pacific states, four from Eastern European states, four from Latin American and Caribbean states, and seven from Western European and other states.

Apr 05, 2023

AMU V-C Tariq Mansoor Resigns after Being Nominated to UP Legislative Council

A day after he was nominated to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, Tariq Mansoor resigned from the post of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor.
As per a notification issued by AMU registrar Mohammad Imran, pro-vice-chancellor Mohammad Gulrez will officiate as the vice-chancellor till Mansoor's successor is appointed.
Mansoor became the V-C of AMU in 2017. He has been associated with the university for many years and was the principal and chief medical superintendent of JN Medical College, AMU, from 2013 to 2017.

Access to Justice Highest in Karnataka

According to the India Justice Report (IJR) 2022, Karnataka topped the list of states and union territories in providing access to justice and three other southern states figured among the best five.
In the IJR, except for Delhi and Chandigarh, no state or union territory spends more than one per cent of its total annual expenditure on judiciary where the vacancy of judges in High Courts stands at 30 per cent.
As per the IJR, an initiative of the Tata Trusts launched in 2019, as of December 2022, the country had 19 judges for every 10 lakh people and a backlog of 4.8 crore cases. The Law Commission had suggested, as early as in 1987, that there should be 50 judges for every 10 lakh people in a decade's time.
The statistics were shared in IJR which ranked states and UTs on various parameters like vacancies in judiciary, budgetary allocations, infrastructure, human resources, legal aid, condition of prisons, functioning of police and state human rights commissions.
While Karnataka topped the chart among 18 large and mid-size states having a population of over 1 crore each, it was followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
The list of seven small states, having a population of less than 1 crore each, was headed by Sikkim, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

IIT Kanpur Hosts Y20 Consultation under G20 Presidency of India

The Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kanpur hosted the Youth20 (Y20) Consultation under the G20 Presidency of India. More than one thousand two hundred youth delegates from across India and abroad attended the two-day event.
The Y20 Consultation is a platform that brings young people together to connect, share ideas and experiences, and deliberate on finding innovative solutions to pressing global concerns. The Y20 Consultation, under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is a pan-India activity in the run up to the final Youth-20 Summit to be held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Amitabh Kant to Lead Panel to Examine Stalled Real Estate Projects

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry set up a 14-member committee headed by former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to examine issues related to stalled real estate projects and recommend various ways for their completion.
The committee would submit its report within six months from the date of its first meeting.
The 14-member panel will deliberate on the issues of legacy stalled projects and suggest ways to complete and hand over these projects to homebuyers in a time-bound manner, the order states.
The committee comprises top central and state government officials, including the secretary in the department of financial services in the Union Ministry of Finance, the principal secretary of the housing and urban planning department of Uttar Pradesh and the chairperson of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India.

Apr 04, 2023

Nagaland Hosts Fourth B20 Session

Nagaland is hosting the fourth and final event of B20 being organised in north-east region, which is the official G20 dialogue forum for the global business community.
The B20 conference is being held in Kohima from April 4-6 will witness 64 overseas delegates from 29 countries.
The main Business 20 conference will be graced by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
The Nagaland government made elaborate arrangements, not only to showcase investment and partnership opportunities in the state but also to provide a unique experience for visiting delegates with exposure to Nagaland's culture, local cuisine, art, festivities, and scenic beauty.
The north-east region of India has been of significant focus for B20 India initiatives, with four conferences planned across the region to showcase the vast potential and opportunities in the NE.
The first three conferences held in Imphal, Aizawl and Gangtok were successful in their objective of highlighting the untapped potential of the north-east region.

Prime Minister Modi Inaugurates Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Central Bureau of Investigation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The event took place at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. He also inaugurated the newly constructed office complexes of the CBI in Shillong, Pune and Nagpur. Apart from these, he released a postage stamp and commemorative coin marking the celebration.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister conferred the President's Police Medal to 18 officers of CBI for their distinguished Service. He also gave away Gold Medal to three officers for Best Investigating Officers.
The Central Bureau of Investigation was established by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India dated April 1, 1963.

G. Kishan Reddy Virtually Hosts 1st India-Central Asia Culture Ministers' Meet

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region G. Kishan Reddy hosted the first India-Central Asia Culture Ministers' Meeting through video conferencing.
The Culture Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. The India-Central Asia Summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in January 2022 had laid emphasis on promoting cultural cooperation for better understanding of culture between the Central Asian countries and strengthen our age-old cultural linkages which bind our people together.

Apr 03, 2023

Sarbananda Sonowal Launches App of National Logistics Portal (Marine) Sagar-Setu

Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal launched the App Version of National Logistics Portal (Marine) Sagar-Setu in New Delhi.
The app has been envisaged with deliverables covering features like a Login Module, Service Catalogue, Common Application Format, Letter of Credit, Bank Guarantee, Certification, and Track and Trace, etc. It will provide real-time information on activities that are generally not within reach of the importer, exporter, and customs broker. It also enables digital transactions for payments required for the clearance process of import and export like container freight station charges, shipping line charges, and transportation charges.
As per Sonowal, the Sagar-Setu app of the National Logistics Portal (Marine) would help custodians with easier access to functionalities on a handheld device.

India, Philippines Agree to Bolster Defence Ties

The 4th Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting between India and the Philippines was held in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary in Ministry of Defence Amitabh Prasad, while the Philippines delegation was headed by Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs, Department of National Defence Pablo M. Lorenzo.
Both sides reviewed the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation and discussed effective and practical initiatives to further expand the engagements. The co-chairs reaffirmed their commitment to implement the 2006 agreement concerning defence cooperation, based on mutual trust and understanding, common interest and shared values of democracy and the rule of law.

Tripura Hosts First-ever G20 Summit of State

Tripura hosted the first-ever G20 summit of the State commencing on April 3 and 4.
'Clean Energy for a greener future' was the theme for the G20 Science event held at the Hapania International Fair ground on April 3 and 4.
This was a big opportunity for the state to showcase its wealth and resources before the global stage.
It was decided that the conclave would be held in Guwahati but Prime Minister Narendra Modi batted for hoisting such an event in Agartala.

Apr 02, 2023

Second G20 Sherpa Meet under India's G20 Presidency in Kerala

The second G20 Sherpas meeting under India's G20 Presidency concluded in the picturesque village of Kerala's Kumarakom on April 2.
The meeting was chaired by India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.
The four-day gathering of over 120 delegates from G20 Members, 9 invitee countries, and various international and regional organizations held multilateral discussions on G20's economic and developmental priorities as well as on addressing contemporary global challenges.
India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant also led discussions with the G20 Troika comprising India, Indonesia and Brazil.

Rajnath Singh Attends Combined Commanders' Conference-2023

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the Combined Commanders' Conference-2023 in Bhopal.
The Combined Commanders' Conference-2023 was held on the theme 'Ready, Resurgent, Relevant'. Look forward to it'.

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