General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2018

Nov 2018

Apr 29, 2023

Rajnath Singh Chairs SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Delhi

The Defence Ministers of India, Russia, China and other member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) deliberated on pressing regional security challenges and related issues at a conclave hosted by New Delhi.
The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Russia's Sergei Shoigu, Tajikistan's Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran's Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and Kazakhstan's Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov were among those who attended the meeting in Delhi.
The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Inaugurates Summit on Farm Machinery Technology

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Summit on Farm Machinery Technology, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Tractor and Mechanisation Association (TMA) in New Delhi. Mr. Tomar said that there are about 85 per cent of small farmers in the country, who should get the benefit of technology and machinery.

Apr 28, 2023

NITI Aayog Releases Report Titled Promoting Millets in Diets: Best Practices across States and UTs

NITI Aayog released a report titled Promoting Millets in Diets: Best Practices across States and Union Territories of India. The report was released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman K. Bery in the presence of Member (Health) Dr. V.K. Paul, Member (Agriculture) Dr. Ramesh Chand, and CEO B. V. R. Subrahmanyam. The report presents a set of good and innovative practices adopted by state governments and organizations in various aspects of the millet value chain, especially production, processing, and consumption. The report will serve as a guiding repository to revive and mainstream millets in our diets.

Apr 26, 2023

Rajesh Kumar Singh Takes Charge as Secretary, DPIIT

Senior IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Singh assumed the charge of secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Singh replaced Anurag Jain, who was appointed as secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Before DPIIT, Singh was serving as Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Singh is an Indian Administrative Service officer of 1989 Batch from Kerala cadre.
He has held many important positions in the Union Government as Commissioner - DDA, Joint Secretary - Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Joint Secretary - Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare and Chief Vigilance Officer - Food Corporation of India.

Y20 Pre-Summit under India's G20 Presidency to take place today in Ladakh

The Y20 Pre-Summit under India's G20 Presidency started from 26th April and will continue till 28th April in Ladakh. It will bring together over 100 delegates from 30 countries to discuss issues concerning the youth of the world.
The meeting will focus on five Y20 themes, including climate change, peace-building, and health. The event will provide a platform for open discussions and interactive sessions to address the challenges faced by young people and formulate a roadmap for their development. The Summit will also have parallel Deliberation and Negotiation sessions on each of the Y20 themes. It is the second Y 20 Pre-Summit after the first was held at Guwahati in February this year.

Maharashtra cities top ease of moving index, Delhi shows max decline in transport reliability

Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra topped the list of 40 prominent cities in terms of ease of movement and ease of reaching destination in 2022, according to a study carried out by a not-for-profit entity. In the list, Mumbai ranked second and Coimbatore came third, followed by Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Indore.
The second edition of 'Ease of Moving Index' by the Ola Mobility Institute (OMI) Foundation was released based on the survey of more than 50,000 citizens, focus group discussions and government data. As per the report, Aizawl in Mizoram emerged as a top performer in clean mobility, while almost everyone in Nagaland's capital Kohima had a bicycle. Among the cities, mobility spend was the lowest in Jabalpur and Kanpur emerged as the safest city to travel on public transport.

Apr 25, 2023

PM Modi Inaugurates India's First Water Metro in Kochi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India's first water metro that connects 10 small islands around Kochi with boats running on hybrid power.
The Rs. 1,137 crore project, funded by German funding agency KFW and the Kerala government, provides a cheap mode of transport for commuters and tourists. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the water metro proves that urban transport can be environment friendly.

PM Modi to flag off Vande Bharat Express along with several development projects in Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flaged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station. Prime Minister Modi also layed the foundation stone and dedicate various projects to the nation worth more than three thousand two hundred crore rupees in Kerala.
Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express is between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod, passing through 11 districts , covering a distance of around 588 kilometres in around eight hours. It has 8 stoppages and the train operate on all days except Thursdays. The regular services begin from Kasaragod station. The Vande Bharat Express is expected to be faster by around one hour compared to Rajdhani running on the same route. Prime Minister also layed the foundation of various rail projects including redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Varkala Sivagiri railway stations. Mr Modi also dedicate the rail electrification of Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad section. He also dedicate the Kochi water metro to the nation.

First Army formation to reach Dhaka during 1971 Bangladesh war celebrates 60 years

The HQ 101 Area was raised on the outskirts of Meghalaya's capital Shillong in 1963 as the 101 Communication Zone soon after the Chinese aggression. It went beyond its role of providing logistic support to all formations and units in the northeast to take part in active combat. The HQ 101 Area was raised on the outskirts of Meghalaya's capital Shillong in 1963 as the 101 Communication Zone soon after the Chinese aggression. It went beyond its role of providing logistic support to all formations and units in the northeast to take part in active combat. The Area undertook counter-insurgency operations in Mizoram from 1966-69. During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, it took part in operations in the Sylhet and Mymensingh districts of present-day Bangladesh, then East Pakistan. I
t was the first formation to reach Dhaka on the morning of December 16, 1971, leading to the surrender by Pakistan that afternoon, earning it the name "First in Dacca".

Centre Launches 'Operation Kaveri' to Rescue Indians Stranded In Sudan

India launched 'Operation Kaveri' to rescue its citizens stranded in Sudan amidst violent conflict between the country's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
India has positioned two heavy-lift military transport aircraft in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in violence-hit Sudan as part of its contingency plans to evacuate its stranded nationals.
The development came even as France and Saudi Arabia have evacuated some Indians along with citizens of other countries as part of their evacuation mission from Sudan.

Apr 24, 2023

Kerala Launches 'One Panchayat, One Playground' to Revive Sports Culture

The Kerala government launched a project for reviving the sports culture in the State by opening quality playgrounds in every panchayat of the southern state.
The 'One Panchayat, One Playground' project was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kallikkad here where he said that a good sports culture was essential for building a healthy and happy society.
The playgrounds would serve as a hub of local gatherings and social interactions. "It is with this goal in mind that the 'One Panchayat, One Playground' project has been devised.
The project will address the lack of quality playgrounds in around 450 local bodies in the State.
Within three years, the playgrounds will be built and for the first phase of the project, a list of 113 panchayats has been prepared.

First-ever Waterbody Census: West Bengal Tops List among States, Sikkim at the Bottom

West Bengal has the highest number of water bodies in India whereas Sikkim has the least number of water bodies, the first Census of Water Bodies by the Ministry of Jal Shakti revealed. This census is in convergence with the 6th Minor Irrigation (MI) Census under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme "Irrigation Census" launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
West Bengal houses the highest 7.47 lakh water bodies whereas Sikkim has the least number of water bodies with only 134, according to the survey.
The census aims to create a national database of all water bodies in the country by collecting information on their size, condition, encroachment status, storage capacity, and other important aspects. The census covered both rural and urban areas and captured photographs of water bodies using a mobile app developed for the purpose.

Asia-Pacific Leaders' Conclave on Malaria Elimination Commences

The Asia-Pacific Leaders' Conclave on Malaria Elimination was held in New Delhi. This conclave, hosted by the Government of India in partnership with the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA), aimed to bring together leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss and strategize on ways to eliminate malaria in the region. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, presided over the conclave.
The Asia-Pacific Leaders' Conclave on Malaria Elimination was an important step towards addressing this challenge. The conclave provided a platform for leaders from across the region to share their experiences, insights and best practices on malaria elimination. It also served as an opportunity to strengthen partnerships and collaborations between countries in the region, as well as with international organizations, towards the common goal of eliminating malaria.

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