General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2018

Nov 2018

Jun 22, 2022

Draupadi Murmu is the NDA's Candidate for the Upcoming Presidential Elections

After hectic deliberations, the BJP central leadership picked Draupadi Murmu as the NDA's candidate for the upcoming presidential elections 2022 which will be held on July 18. Murmu, a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha minister, is pitted against the opposition's joint candidate Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP leader and a former Union Minister who quit the saffron party several years ago after being apparently sidelined.
The Narendra Modi-powered BJP is comfortably placed in the electoral college with a vote value of 10.86 lakh although it lacks nearly 2 per cent of votes for a majority.

MoHUA NIPUN Initiative

An Innovative project called "National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN) was launched by Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri.
The NIPUN Initiative was launched for skill training of 100,000 construction workers.
It was launched under the flagship scheme of "Deendayal Antyodaya-Yojana National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)".
Under the scheme, construction workers would be trained through fresh skilling and upskilling programs. This move will provide work opportunities to them in foreign countries also.
Implementation of NIPUN project is divided into the following three parts: Training by means of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) at construction sites, Training through Fresh skilling by Plumbing and Infrastructure SSC and International Placement through builders, industries, and contractors.

Ruchira Kamboj Appointed as Next Permanent Representative of India to UN

Ruchira Kamboj, currently Indian ambassador to Bhutan, was named as the next Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at New York. She will succeed T.S. Tirumurti.
T.S. Tirumurti, who was given a three-month extension in service after his retirement in March in view of his key role in dealing with the fallout of the Ukraine crisis at the UN Security Council. India is in the second year of a two-year term as a non- permanent member of the Security Council.
Kamboj was the all India women's topper of the 1987 civil services batch and the topper of the 1987 IFS batch. She has served in various capacities in Indian missions in France, Mauritius and South Africa and as the high commissioner to South Africa during 2017-19.

Presidential Election: Yashwant Sinha is Opposition Candidate

Yashwant Sinha, a former Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, was named the joint opposition candidate for President polls. The BJP is yet to announce its pick for the July polls.
Opposition leaders, who gathered at the Parliament annexe for the meeting convened by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, unanimously agreed on Mr Sinha's name.
The joint statement appealed to the BJP and its allies to support the candidature of Mr. Sinha so that the nation can have a "worthy Rashtrapati elected unopposed".
A committee has been formed to steer Yashwant Sinha's campaign.
Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had earlier declined to run for President.

Jun 21, 2022

Presidential Poll: Gopalkrishna Opts Out

The Opposition was back to the drawing board on the issue of fielding a joint candidate for the July 18 presidential election with Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, opting out of the race saying a candidate for the highest office must inspire national consensus besides opposition unity.
Gopalkrishna pulled out on the eve of a key Opposition meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar hosted to finalise the presidential election nominee of the non-BJP camp.
The TMC is now said to be mulling the name of its vice-president Yashwant Sinha as a probable candidate after Gopalkrishna and NC patron Farooq Abdullah opted out.

PM Inaugurates Fully Electrified KRCL Rail Network

Prime Minister Narendra Modi remotely inaugurated the 741-km electrified Konkan Railway Corporation rail network from Bengaluru. Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said in Udupi that the project is a step towards 100% electrification of the Indian Railway network.
Ms. Karandlaje, who is the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and also MP from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, led the celebrations at the Udupi Railway Station under KRCL.
Speaking after flagging off an electric loco-hauled freight train, the Minister said that with the complete electrification between Thokur near Mangaluru and Roha in Maharashtra, KRCL will save close to Rs.300 crore annually, apart from saving Rs.150 crore on fuel and a further Rs.120 crore on maintenance cost.

New Delhi Hosts National Summit on Cyber Security and National Security

At Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital, the Ministry of Home Affairs organised a National Conference on Cyber Safety and National Security (Cyber Apradh Se Azadi, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav). Union Minister Amit Shah was the Chief Guest. The seminar was part of the country's efforts to raise public awareness about cybercrime prevention.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, held functions on Cyber Hygiene, Cyber Crime Prevention, Cyber Safety, and National Security at 75 locations across the country under the banner "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav". The Union Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Development of the North Eastern Region, G. Kishan Reddy, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra, and senior officials from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Culture, and States and Union Territories, as well as representatives from various organisations, were all be present at the conference.

Jun 20, 2022

India and Vietnam Launch Joint Logo Commemorating 50 years of Diplomatic Relations

Marking 50 years of India-Vietnam diplomatic relations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar along with his counterpart from Vietnam, Bui Thanh Son launched a joint logo depicting longstanding India-Vietnam partnership.
The image represents long-standing friendship between India and Vietnam symbolically through a peacock and a crane, the birds of national importance in the two countries respectively. It also includes the numeral 50 to denote the 50 years of diplomatic relations and the national flags of India and Vietnam at its Centre.
The logo was selected jointly by the two sides through a contest open for nationals of both countries.

India Inks Key Pacts with Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam

India signed several agreements with Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had a series of bilateral engagements on the margins of the special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers meeting.
This was the first time that India hosted such a special meeting to mark the 30th anniversary of relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The foreign ministers agreed on several initiatives to drive ASEAN-India ties.
India and Indonesia signed an agreement on exemption from visa requirement for diplomatic and official passport holders and witnessed the exchange of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the National Narcotics Board of Indonesia on combating trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, and an MoU between the National Sugar Institute in Kanpur and the Politeknic Perkebunan LPP in Yogyakarta.
India and Vietnam inked an MoU on cybersecurity between India's Cert-In and Vietnam's VNCERT.

First-ever Balika Panchayat to Promote Participation of Girls in Politics

The country's first-ever girl Panchayat, "Balika Panchayat", which was started in several villages of Gujarat's Kutch district, aims to promote the social and political development of the girls and ensure their active participation of girls in politics.
This is a unique initiative of the Women and Child Development Welfare department of the Gujarat Government under the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign. It started in Kunaria, Maska, Motagua, and Vadsar villages of the Kutch district.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is also planning to begin the girl panchayat across the country.
"Balika Panchayat" is managed by people in the 11-21 age group and its main objective is to promote the social and political development of the girl child and to remove the evil practices from the society such as child marriage, and the dowry system.

B. S. Patil Sworn in as Lokayukta of Karnataka

Former Karnataka High Court judge, Bhimanagouda Sanganagouda Patil was sworn in as the Lokayukta of Karnataka. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office to Justice Patil. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, ministers in the State Government and legislators attended the programme, and greeted Justice Patil.
Justice Patil, who served as the Upalokayukta of Karnataka, was elevated to the post of Lokayukta on June 14. The post of the head of the anti-corruption ombudsman in Karnataka was vacant after the end of the tenure of Justice P. Vishwanath Shetty in January 2022, served in the post for five years.

Jun 19, 2022

Congress Appoints Jairam Ramesh Head of its Communication, Media Wing

The Congress appointed Jairam Ramesh as the AICC general secretary in-charge of communication, publicity and media, replacing Randeep Surjewala.
Surjewala was relieved of his current responsibility as the general secretary in-charge of communication and will continue as the general secretary in-charge of Karnataka.
The party had resolved to revamp its communication and media department at its three-day brainstorming session in Udaipur in May 2022.

47th Meeting of GST Council to be Held in Srinagar

The 47th GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will meet on June 28 and 29 in Srinagar.
This is the second time that the GST Council meeting is being held in Srinagar. Before the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017, the 14th meeting of the Council was held on May 18 and 19 in the city.
The 47th GST Council meeting assumes significance as it is expected to discuss the report of the panel of state ministers on rate rationalisation and also the tax rate on casinos, race courses and online gaming.
The GST Council, chaired by the Union Finance Minister and comprising state counterparts, is also expected to discuss certain simplifications in procedures.

Jun 18, 2022

Government Issues Draft Guidelines for Operationalisation of Ro-Ro, Ro-Pax ferry Services along I...

Government issued draft guidelines for operationalisation of Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax ferry services along the coast of India for Stakeholder Consultation. The guidelines encompass the two aspects of ferry operation namely - concessions for terminal operation and license for operation of Ro-Pax vessels.
These guidelines would homogenise and streamline the development and operations of ferry services, along with, promoting ease of doing business by eliminating unnecessary delays.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, under its Sagarmala Programme, embarked on developing an ecosystem for the promotion of Ro-Ro ferry and waterway transportation in the country.
This mode of transportation has multiple benefits including reduced travel time, reduced logistics cost and lower pollution in comparison to conventional mode of transportation.

Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as New PCI Chief

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai was appointed as the chairpaerson of the Press Council of India (PCI). Justice Desai recently served as the chairman of the Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir, which was established to redesign the Union Territory's assembly constituencies.
Since Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad (retd) completed his tenure as PCI chairperson and demitted office in November 2021, the position has been empty.
The appointment of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as PCI chairwoman was accepted by a committee that included Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and PCI member Prakash Dubey.

Chidambaram Resigns from Maharashtra Seat

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P. Chidambaram resigned from his seat in Maharashtra, following his election to the Rajya Sabha from the state of Tamil Nadu.
On June 11, the BJP registered a win by bagging eight out of 16 Rajya Sabha seats in the four states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana) while Congrees bagged five seats in a fiercely contested battle.
The biennial elections to the Upper House of Parliament were held for six seats in Maharashtra, four each in Karnataka and Rajasthan along with two seats in Haryana.

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