General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2018

Dec 2018

Jun 04, 2021

Ranjitsinh Disale Becomes World Bank's Education Advisor

Ranjitsinh Disale, a school teacher from Maharashtra who received the Global Teacher Prize in 2020, has been named World Bank Education Advisor for the period June 2021 to June 2024.
The World Bank recently established a new Coach project aimed at improving in-service teacher professional development to help students learn their lessons at a faster pace.

Sukhpal Khaira, 2 Rebel AAP MLAs Joins Congress

Amid the increased political activity within Punjab Congress, Bholath MLA and former Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira along with two rebel AAP MLAs Pirmal Singh and Jagdev Singh Kamalu joined the party.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh inducted three legislators--Khaira along with Bhadaur MLA Singh, and Maur MLA Kamalu--into the party fold in a low-key event before his visit to Delhi to meet the party's three-member panel (constituted to resolve factionalism in Punjab Congress).

Indian Newspaper Society Wants to be Excluded from New IT Rules

The Indian Newspaper Soc¬iety has written to the Prime Minister and the Inform¬ation and Broadcasting Minister to exclude traditional newspapers from the recently ann¬ounced Infor¬mation Techn¬ology Rules for social media intermediaries and digital publishers. INS has said that news websites of traditional papers follow the same stringent guidelines for publication as followed by newspapers, and should be exempted from the new IT Rules.
The print media in India is responsible and credible, following stringent editing and fact checking norms by Editors every day. Our newspaper digital websites are produced from the newspapers newsroom and follow the same guidelines," INS has said in the letter to PM Narendra Modi. It has further said that exemptions should be provided to newspapers registered wfh the Registrar of Newspapers in India as they fall under the Press and Registration of Books Act.
The PRB Act is a Parliamentary law, and has "stronger legal force" than the IT rules, which are subordinate legislation under the IT Act, INS added. It also said the new rules amount to "regulatory overreach and is unnecessary to ask the news organisations to follow ano¬ther set of rules, which are meant primarily for categories of organisations and intermediaries who are not covered by the PRB Act".

Jun 03, 2021

Government Prohibits IB, CBI, Income Tax, CRPF Officers from Publishing Material without Prior Pe...

Government servants having worked in any intelligence or security-related organisations have been directed through a notification not to make any publication without prior clearance from the competent authority.
The Departments covered under the notification by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) include RAW, IB, DRI, CEIB, ED, NCB, ARC, Special Frontier Force, BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, NSG, Assam Rifles, SSB, DG Income Tax (investigation), NTRO, FIU, SPG, DRDO, Border Road Development Organisation, NSC, CBI, NIA and Natgrid.
These rules are part of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Amendment Rules 2020, notified on May 31, 2021.
The material that cannot be published by former government servants includes the domain of the organisation including any reference or information about any personnel and his designation and expertise or knowledge gained by virtue of having worked in that organisation.

Justice Arun Mishra Joins as New NHRC Chairperson

Former Supreme Court judge justice Arun Mishra took charge as the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.
Justice Mishra, who had created a flutter after praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event last year, is the eighth chairperson of the commission.
Justice Mishra is also the first non-CJI to be appointed to the NHRC chief post since the amendment of the Protection of Human Rights Act in 2019.
The post of NHRC chairperson was lying vacant after justice H L Dattu, a former Chief Justice of India (CJI), completed his tenure early December last year.

Cabinet Approves MoC between India and Japan on Sustainable Urban Development

Union Cabinet approved Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Sustainable Urban Development between India and Japan by suspending the existing MoU of 2007 on Urban Development.
To implement and strategise programmes on cooperation under MoC, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be constituted. JWG will meet once in a year in Japan as well as in India, alternately. Cooperation under MoC will continue for a period of 5 years, which can be auto-renewed for 5 years at a time.
It will promote strong, deep and long-term bilateral cooperation with respect to Sustainable Urban Development between India and Japan. It is expected to create employment opportunities in listed areas of sustainable urban development including Urban Planning, affordable housing, rental housing, Smart Cities Development, Urban Flood Management, water management, Sewerage & Waste Water Management etc.

Jun 02, 2021

India and Australia Look Forward to Convening 2+2 Dialogue Soon

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton held a telephonic conversation during which they reviewed the progress of various defence cooperation initiatives between the two countries, and resolved to convene a '2+2' ministerial dialogue at the earliest.
Both ministers reviewed the defence cooperation in the backdrop of the current regional situation and expressed satisfaction at the growing military ties between the two countries.
The '2+2 dialogue' between the Foreign and Defence Ministers was instituted as part of an overall goal to expand strategic cooperation between the two countries. India has such a framework for talks with a very few countries including the US and Japan.

IUML Moves SC against Move to Grant citizenship to Minorities

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has moved the Supreme Court against the Centre's move to grant citizenship to minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh currently residing in 13 districts in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab.
In an application filed in the top court, the IUML accused the Centre of going back on the assurance given to the court, which is seized of its petition challenging the validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. The Centre had said staying the CAA was not necessary as the rules had not been framed, it pointed out.

RDSO Becomes First Standards Body to Join 'One Nation, One Standard' Scheme

Lucknow-based RDSO, which sets standards for the railway sector, has become the first standards body in the country to join the central government's 'One Nation, One Standard' scheme that aims to ensure quality products to Indian consumers.
The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) has now been recognised as a 'Standard Developing Organisation' by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which is implementing the scheme.
The partnership will help RDSO, the sole R&D wing of the railways ministry, to realign its standard formulation procedures as per the code of good practices mentioned under the WTO-Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO-TBT).
The recognition will be valid for three years.
The objective of the government's 'One Nation, One Standard' scheme, launched in 2019, is to ensure there is a synergy and no overlap in the standardisation work in the country, thereby building a 'Brand India' identity in the long run.

Dr. Vinay K. Nandicoori Appointed as Director of Cellular and Molecular Biology

Dr. Vinay K Nandicoori was appointed as the new Director of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.
Nandicoori is a well-known molecular biologist and has been a scientist at the DBT-National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.
His research interest extensively spans molecular signalling networks in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the micro-organism that causes TB. His research has found national and international relevance and recognition.

Swapan Dasgupta Renominated to Rajya Sabha

BJP's Swapan Dasgupta, who had resigned from Rajya Sabha to contest West Bengal assembly election, was renominated to the Upper House of the parliament by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Dasgupta will complete the remainder of his term till April 24, 2022, as per the President's order.
The BJP leader contested the state election from Tarakeswar constituency where he lost to TMC's Ramendu Sinharay.
The central government has also nominated noted lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani. Jethmalani has been nominated to Rajya Sabha to fill the seat that has fallen vacant due to the demise of Raghunath Mohapatra for the reminder his term.

Jun 01, 2021

Kuldiep Singh Gets Additional Charge of NIA

CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh has been given the additional charge of the Director-General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and replaced Y. C. Modi, who retired.
Modi, a 1984-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was appointed chief of the federal anti-terror probe agency in September 2017.
Consequent upon superannuation of Y. C. Modi, DG, NIA, on May 31, 2021, the competent authority has approved that Kuldiep Singh, Director General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), shall hold additional charge of the post of DG, NIA, till the appointment and joining of the successor or until further orders.

Maharashtra Govt. Extends EWS Quota to Marathas

The Maharashtra government extended benefits under the economically weaker section (EWS) quota to the Maratha community, days after the Supreme Court scrapped a separate reservation in jobs and education for the dominant social group.
A government order (GO) to this effect was issued by the General Administration Department (GAD).
At present, a 10 per cent EWS quota is in force for those sections of the society which are not covered by any kind of reservations. The central law on the EWS quota was enacted more than two years ago to allow reservation for the poor in jobs and education among the general category.
The GAD order said that the Maratha community, which has been classified as a Socially and Economically Backward Class (SEBC), can avail the 10 per cent EWS quota.

Alapan Bandopadhyay Retires as Bengal Chief Secretary

West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay retired from his office and simultaneously appointed Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a media briefing announced that she has appointed Alapan Bandopadhyay as her chief advisor for the next three years. Meanwhile, H. K. Dwivedi has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the state.

CBDT Chairman Mody's Tenure Ends; Mohapatra Given Additional Charge

J. B. Mohapatra, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, was given the additional charge as CBDT chairman after the extended tenure of incumbent P. C. Mody ended.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) frames policy for the Income Tax Department.
As per the order issued by the department of revenue, which is under the Union finance ministry, Jagannath Bidyadhar Mohapatra, member CBDT, shall discharge the duties and responsibilities of the post of chairman, CBDT, in addition to his own duties for a period of three months or till appointment of a regular chairman, whichever is earlier.

EAM Jaishankar to Chair BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to chair a meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Foreign Ministers through video conferencing. In this meeting, the leaders will exchange views on COVID-19 pandemic, global and regional issues of concern, sustainable development, and countering terrorism.
India as the current BRICS Chair will convene the standalone meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/ International Relations on June 1, 2021.
Brazil Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Alberto Franco Franca, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and South African Foreign Minister Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor are expected to participate in the meeting.

Justice Vikramjit Sen to Head Digital Media Content Regulatory Council

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman of its newly formed self-regulatory body Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC).
Besides, six other eminent industry members which include filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, writer and director Tigmanshu Dhulia, filmmaker and writer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, content producer and distributor Banijay Group CEO and founder Deepak Dhar would also be part of the self-regulatory body.
This Council also includes - Sony Pictures General Counsel Ashok Nambisan and Star and Disney India Chief Regional Counsel Mihir Rale.

May 31, 2021

Experts Fear Biodiversity Loss in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

A slew of infrastructure projects have been proposed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to give a major boost to tourism and business there, according to information released by the central government. While these will transform the islands substantially, experts are worried that this would cause loss of biodiversity and have a negative impact on the indigenous people in the ecologically sensitive islands.

Kerala Assembly Passes Resolution Seeking Recall of Lakshadweep Administrator

The Kerala legislative assembly passed a unanimous resolution demanding the recall of Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel over the recent draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (2021) and new rules which have sparked protests on the island.
The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. "The people of Lakshadweep are undergoing a difficult situation. Their culture and tradition are under threat following dictatorial measures being taken by the administrator ignoring local protests. Even their food habits and livelihood are under threat," said the resolution. It also pointed out the island's long-standing relations with the state and said the Sangh Parivar is making the island another laboratory and people of the country will not allow that to happen.

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