General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2018

Dec 2018

Nov 25, 2021

India, Finland Agree to Explore New Areas of Cooperation

India and Finland agreed to explore cooperation in new areas like startups, health and pharmaceuticals, space and vocational education.
The two sides also carried out a comprehensive review of their bilateral ties at the 11th India-Finland foreign office consultations that took place in Helsinki.
Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation during their terms at UN Human Rights Council (2022-2024), and in other multilateral for a.
The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West) in the MEA while the Finnish team was headed by Matti Anttonen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Andhra Pradesh Assembly Passes Resolution, Asks Centre for Caste-based Census of Backward Classes

The Andhra Pradesh assembly unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to take up caste-based census to enumerate the population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The British enumerated castes in the decadal censuses from 1881 to 1931 but the practice was discontinued thereafter. The census has since counted the number of people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. OBC are believed to account for over 50% of India's population.
Andhra Pradesh's backward classes Minister Chelluboyina Srinivasa Venugopala Krishna introduced the resolution, which was adopted through a voice vote. Opposition Telugu Desam Party stayed away from the proceedings.

TMC MLA Madan Mitra Named Paschim Banga Parivahan Nigam Chairman

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra was named as the chairman of the Paschim Banga Parivahan Nigam while another party leader Rabindranath Ghosh was appointed as the chairman of the Uttarbanga Unnayan Parishad.
Mitra, the MLA of Kamarhati, was a former Transport Minister of the state from 2011 to 2018.
Three party leaders -- Binay Krishna Barman, Sabitri Mitra, and Mridul Goswami -- were made vice presidents of the Uttar Banga Unnayan Parishad.

Nov 24, 2021

Shimla, Coimbatore, Chandigarh Top Niti Aayog's First SDG Urban India Index

Shimla topped the list of cities scoring highest on urban Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) index. Coimbatore and Chandigarh were at second and third position in the ranking of urban SDG index. Thiruvananthpuram, Kochi, Panaji, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Ahmedabad and Nagpur were among the list of top 10 cities.
The Niti Aayog launched the SDG Urban Index & Dashboard (2021-22) which ranked 56 urban areas on 77 SDG indicators across 46 targets of the SDG framework. The index and dashboard will further strengthen SDG localization and institute robust SDG monitoring at the city level. It highlights the strengths and gaps of ULB-level data, monitoring, and reporting systems.
Out of 56 urban areas ranked in the index, 44 were with population of above one million. Twelve were state capitals with population of less than a million.

KIA Commissions Rosenbauer Firefighting Simulator, First in South Asia

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) became the first airport in South Asia to commission a Rosenbauer Tactical Simulator which allows firefighters to train in a realistic environment and be battle-ready for extreme aircraft fire emergencies.
The simulator will also help the firefighters master the tactical use of Rosenbauer Panther trucks as well as operate High Reach Extendable Turrets (HRET). The state-of-the-art facility will be open for firefighters from other airports (in India and abroad), State Fire Departments and Defence Forces, according to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).
The simulator provides Incident Commanders, Crew Commanders and Lead Firefighters an opportunity to gain experience in the tactical use of CFTs through turret control and application of firefighting agents, command and control, vehicle operation and basic driving and positioning skills.

Chhattisgarh Panchayat Provisions (Extension of the Scheduled) Rules, 2021

Government of Chhattisgarh has formulated draft rules called "Chhattisgarh Panchayat Provisions (Extension of the Scheduled) Rules, 2021", under PESA Act, 1996.
PESA Act stands for "Panchayat (Extension of the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996". This act was enacted by Central government to ensure self-governance through gram sabhas for people in scheduled areas.
The act recognises the right of tribal communities & residents of scheduled areas, legally in order to govern themselves through their own systems of self-government.
It also acknowledges the traditional rights of tribals over natural resources.
PESA also empowers gram sabhas to play a significant role in approving development plans and controlling all social sectors.

Patalpani Railway Station to be Named after Tribal Icon Tantya Bhil

Continuing the tribal outreach and accusing Congress of crediting only one family for achieving Independence, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced to name Patalpani railway station near Indore and two other landmarks in that city after tribal icon Tantya Bhil.
Notably, Bhopal's Habibganj railway station was recently named after Rani Kamalapati, a tribal queen.

Congress Leader Kirti Azad Joins TMC

Congress leader Kirti Azad joined the Trinamool Congress in the national capital in the presence of party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Besides Azad, former JDU general secretary Pavan Varma also joined the TMC.
Varma, a former advisor to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was expelled from the ruling JD(U) in 2020.
Azad was suspended from the BJP for openly targeting the then Union finance minister Arun Jaitley over alleged irregularities and corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association in December 2015. He joined the Congress in 2018.

Nov 23, 2021

CCPA Issues Notice to Amazon, Flipkart, 3 others for Selling Sub-standard Pressure Cookers

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued notices to five e-commerce entities, including Amazon, Flipkart and PaytmMall, as well as various sellers for offering pressure cookers that are non-compliant with BIS norms.
As part of celebrations of 75 years of Independence - 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', CCPA has initiated a country-wide campaign to prevent sale of spurious and counterfeit goods that violate Quality Control Orders published by the Centre.

Home Minister Amit Shah Lays Foundation Stone for 'Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum'...

The Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually laid the foundation stone for Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum to be constructed at Luangkao Village in Tamenglong District of Manipur. The museum will be constructed under the funding of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with an estimated cost of 15 crore rupees.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Shah stated that the museum would be constructed, honouring the contribution made by freedom fighters of the state during the freedom struggle against British Rule. He said that construction of such a museum and paying respect to freedom fighters would imbibe a sense of nationalism among youths of the country.

AP Assembly Passes Bill to Repeal Act Intending 3 Capitals for the State

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed a Bill to repeal the controversial AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020, that was intended to establish three capitals for the state.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, however, told the Assembly his government would bring a "comprehensive, complete and better" Decentralisation Bill.

Shri Bhupender Yadav Flags off First Ever All India Survey on Domestic Workers

Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Shri Bhupender Yadav flagged off the first ever All India Survey on Domestic workers being conducted by Labour Bureau, Chandigarh. Domestic workers (DWs) constitute a significant portion of total employment in the informal sector.
However, there is a dearth of data on the magnitude and prevailing employment conditions of DW. Hence, with the view to have time series data on domestic workers, Government of India has entrusted Labour Bureau to conduct an all-India survey on DWs.

Nov 22, 2021

Andhra Tops IPF Smart Policing Index 2021

Assam Police secured the third position among 29 states and Union Territories in the Indian Police Foundation's list of 'Smart Policing' index. Assam Police secured the third rank in the country with an overall rating of 7.89 out of 10. Andhra Pradesh was ranked first with a score of 8.11 and Telangana secured the second position with 8.10 points.
The Indian Police Foundation (IPF), a multidisciplinary think tank and policy advocacy platform, conducted the "IPF SMART Policing Survey 2021" in 29 states and Union Territories of the country and published its report.

BJP Elevates Vinod Tawde to General Secretary

The BJP made several new appointments in its national team, including elevating Vinod Tawde to the post of general secretary and designating Rituraj Sinha as its national secretary.
The appointments come ahead of assembly elections in five states, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand. This will further strengthen the organisation before these polls.
Tawde was elevated to the post of general secretary to fill up a vacancy created after Bhupender Yadav became Union Minister.

Rajasthan Cabinet Reshuffle

Fifteen ministers - eleven cabinet and four ministers of state - were sworn in in Rajasthan, in a much-awaited expansion of the Ashok Gehlot ministry.
Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office to the new ministers.
The 11 cabinet ministers include three - Mamta Bhupesh, Bhajan Lal Jatav and Tikaram Jully-- who have been elevated from minister of state (MoS) to cabinet rank, while two -- Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena -- are those who were sacked last year for rebelling and have been reinducted as cabinet ministers.
Hemaram Choudhary, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Ramlal Jat, Mahesh Joshi, Govindram Meghwal and Shakuntla Rawat were also sworn in as cabinet ministers.
Zahida, Brijendra Singh Ola, Rajendra Gudha and Murari Lal Meena were sworn in as MoS.
The council of ministers in Rajasthan now has 19 cabinet ministers and 10 MoS, apart from the Chief Minister.

Nov 21, 2021

Indore Secures India's Cleanest City Title for 5th Time in a Row

Indore was adjudged India's cleanest city for the fifth time in a row in the Central government's annual cleanliness survey report released in 2021.
The second and third positions in the 'cleanest city' category of the 'Swachh Survekshan Awards, 2021' were secured by Surat and Vijayawada, respectively.
Varanasi was the adjudged the ''cleanest Ganga town'' in the survey announced by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
Chhattisgarh was adjudged India's cleanest state.
President Ram Nath Kovind gave away awards to winners.

Indian Police Foundation (IPF) Survey on Citizens Perception

Indian Police Foundation (IPF) conducted a survey on citizens' perception. In the survey, Delhi Police was ranked at seventh spot, among Indian states and union territories (UT).
President and CEO of IPF, N Ramachandran, notes that they received responses from 1,61,192 people in India.
Delhi Police was ranked for their sensitivity towards public, good behaviour, accessibility, accountability and strict conduct.
Delhi police was ranked at fifth position in technology adoption and at 10th spot for smart policing.
States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Nagaland, scored least on the Smart Policing List.
Bihar has been ranked last with respect to responsible policing, public trust in police and integrity & corruption free service.
IPF is a multi-disciplinary think tank, working for police reform and improvement of policing through capacity building, research, and policy advocacy. It is driven by coalition of progressive police professionals who believe that it is possible to transform police positively by means of collective action of police, citizens, State governments, Central Governments and political leadership.

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