General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2018

Dec 2018

May 25, 2021

Three Shortlisted for CBI Chief's Post

A high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shortlisted three names, CISF Director General Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Sashastra Seema Bal DG Kumar Rajesh Chandra and Home Ministry Special Secretary VSK Kaumudi, for the post of CBI Director.
Jaiswal, a 1985-batch IPS officer, is a former Maharashtra DGP. He is at present the CISF Director General.
Chandra, a 1985-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, is at present posted as the SSB DG, while Kaumudi, a 1986-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, is posted as the Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the MHA.

UP Poll on Mind, BJP-RSS Brass Draws Image Makeover Strategy

Ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year, top BJP and RSS leaders met to devise a strategy to counter growing perceptions against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over handling of the second Covid wave.
PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were present at the meeting between the BJP and and the RSS to discuss the impact of the pandemic on the image of the party and its governments at the Centre and UP. BJP president JP Nadda, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and UP general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal were present too.

India and Israel Sign work Programme for Cooperation in Agriculture

India and Israel have signed a three-year joint work programme till 2023 with an aim to enhance cooperation in the field of agriculture.
So far, four such joint work programmes have been successfully completed. Under this programme, Centres of Excellence (CoEs) were set up to train farmers about Israeli farm and water technologies.
However, under the new work programme, Villages of Excellence (VoE) -- a model ecosystem in agriculture -- will be created across eight states alongside 13 CoEs within 75 villages and will promote the increase of net income and better the livelihood of the individual farmer, transforming traditional farms into modern-intensive farms based on IIAP standards.

May 24, 2021

Shiv Sena Targets Maharashtra Governor over Delay in Nominations

The Shiv Sena expressed hope that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari would take serious cognisance of the Bombay High Court's observations on the delay in the nomination of 12 members to the Legislative Council under the governor's quota.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut wondered what research was being done on the file that was sent by the state government to the governor in November last year recommending 12 names for nomination. "Is anybody doing a PhD on it?
The Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government to file a reply explaining why the governor was taking such a long time to decide on the nomination of members to the Legislative Council, despite the 12 names having been submitted on November 6 last year.

Haryana Launches 'Sanjeevani Pariyojana'

Haryana launched an anti-Covid "Sanjeevani Pariyojana". It provides a supervised and quick medical care at home for people, with mild to moderate symptoms of covid-19, residing in rural areas.
"Sanjeevani Pariyojana" was launched to extend medical care in rural areas where awareness regarding the second wave of COVID-19 and related treatment remains low. It is an important step of bringing medical care for the people who need it most. Under it, scope of medical advice has been expanded beyond qualified doctors as it mobilises 200 final year & pre-final year medical students and interns by connecting them to consultants and experts.
This initiative comprises of an Integrated Command and Control Centre to manage critical resources such as ambulance tracking, oxygen supply, hospital beds availability besides, door-to-door awareness campaign. Thus, it helps the district administration in keeping a bird's eye view of entire healthcare system.

May 23, 2021

West Bengal Appoints Gyanwant Singh as ADG and IGP of State CID

In a major reshuffle in its IPS cadre, the West Bengal government appointed Gyanwant Singh as the ADG and IGP of the state CID, replacing Anuj Sharma.
As per an order, Sharma was moved as the ADG and IGP of West Bengal Armed Police.
Singh will also share the charges of additional director security.
Ajey Mukund Ranade, who was the ADG and IGP of (Training), was made the advisor (security and vigilance) of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL).

S. Jaishankar to Begin Five-day Visit to United States

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will begin a five-day visit to the United States from Monday with a focus on procurement of coronavirus vaccines from American companies as well as explore the possibility of their joint production.
Jaishankar will hold discussions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken besides meeting senior officials of the Biden administration during his visit from May 24 to 28.

May 22, 2021

Sachidanand Srivastava is Delhi Police Chief

The MHA announced its decision to appoint Sachidanand Srivastava, a 1985-batch UT cadre IPS officer, as the regular Commissioner of Police, Delhi. Srivastava is scheduled to superannuate on June 30. Srivastava, currently holding the additional charge of Commissioner of Police, Delhi, was appointed the Commissioner of Police.

Mamata to Contest Bypoll from Bhawanipore

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will contest bypoll from the Bhawanipore assembly constituency as sitting MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay resigns from the seat.
Chattopadhyay formally submitted his resignation to West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay. He confirmed that Mamata Banerjee will be contesting from Bhawanipore as she needs to get re-elected to the assembly within six months to hold on to the Chief Minister's chair.
Banerjee had in the last two assembly elections contested and won from the Bhawanipore but this time she decided to contest from Nandigram against turncoat Suvendu Adhikari. However, Banerjee lost the seat to Adhikari.

India Invited to Join G7 Health Ministers' Summit virtually

India is among the guest countries invited to join virtually at the 2021 G7 Health Ministers' Meeting to be held at Oxford University on June 3 and 4 to bring together the world's leading democracies to agree on life-saving action in critical areas of global health.
The University of Oxford has been chosen for its role at the heart of the global fight against COVID-19, with world-leading clinical trials and its not-for-profit partnership with AstraZeneca on COVID-19 vaccines.
Attendees will come together to address the issues of global health security, antimicrobial resistance, clinical trials, and digital health and the discussions will inform the G7 Leaders' Summit in Cornwall a week later between June 11 and 13.
Oxford is the birthplace of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and at the heart of British life sciences. Oxford is a perfect location to stage pivotal meetings on how the world readies itself to combat future health threats.

May 21, 2021

Sharad Pawar Appoints Former PC Chacko as Kerala NCP Chief

Former senior Congress leader PC Chacko was appointed as the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) new Kerala president by party supremo Sharad Pawar.
Chacko thanked Sharad Pawar for the decision and assumed charge at Thiruvananthapuram.

West Bengal Government Approved Setting up of Legislative Council

Keeping with the promise made in the Trinamool Congress(TMC) manifesto, the Mamata Banerjee government has approved the setting up of the Legislative Council or Vidhan Parishad in West Bengal. The decision was made earlier this week and will have to be approved by Parliament before coming into effect. And this may be another flashpoint between the Centre and the state.
The question is whether Mamata Banerjee can get it or not, considering the relationship she has with the Central government. It will be difficult for her to get this Vidhan Parishad because she needs the Central government's nod. This has to be passed in Parliament with a certain majority according to Article 169 of the Indian constitution, said political analyst Suman Bhattacharya.
While the decision to give the nod for the Legislative Council might take months, the West Bengal government hopes to bring back the Upper House in the state which was abolished in 1969 by the coalition government of Left parties as it was considered a symbol of elitism.
Six states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, have a Legislative Council.

India Climbs to 3rd Spot on EY Index

India has moved a notch higher at the third spot on EY's Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index due to exceptional performance on the solar photovoltaic (PV) front. India has moved one position above (3rd) from the previous index (4th), this is primarily because of the exceptional performance on the solar PV front.
The US retains the top position on RECAI 57, China has remained a buoyant market and maintains the second position. India also committed to setting up 450 GW for renewable energy power capacity (installed) by 2030 in the recent climate summit hosted by the US.

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