General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2018

Dec 2018

Sep 04, 2025

PM Modi Launched Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited, a landmark initiative aimed at providing affordable, digitally enabled credit access to rural women across Bihar. With an initial capital transfer of Rs. 105 crore, this new cooperative represents a major boost to the state's self-help group ecosystem under the Jeevika program.
The Jeevika Nidhi is a state-level cooperative society established to offer financial assistance at low-interest rates to members of cluster-level federations registered under the Jeevika initiative. It provides a much-needed alternative to microfinance institutions that often charge high interest rates ranging between 18% to 24%.
The initiative is jointly funded by the Bihar government and the Centre.

Nepal, Bhutan Citizens Not Required To Carry Passport, Visa to Enter India

The citizens of Nepal and Bhutan as well as Indians entering India by land or air from the two neighbouring countries will not be required to furnish a passport or visa, as earlier.
The members of the naval, military or air forces of India entering or exiting India on duty and the family members of any such person, when accompanying such a person on a government transport, will also not be required to carry a passport or visa, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) following the enforcement of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.

India Names Deepak Mittal as Next Ambassador to UAE

The Ministry of External Affairs appointed Deepak Mittal as India's next Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. A 1998-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Mittal has held key positions, including two stints in the Prime Minister's Office under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also served as India's Ambassador to Qatar between 2020 and 2022. Mittal played a pivotal role in establishing India's first formal diplomatic contact with the Taliban and in defending Indian nationals at international forums. He will succeed Sunjay Sudhir, the current Ambassador to the UAE, who is set to retire in September.

Sep 03, 2025

Giriraj Singh launches CCI's Farmer-centric Kapas Kisan App

Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh launched Kapas Kisan app, a new mobile application developed by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), under the Ministry of Textiles, to facilitate seamless procurement of cotton from Farmers under the Minimum Support Price scheme. The new mobile app empowers farmers with self-registration, slot booking and payment tracking. This app provides facility of payment tracking by farmers - bringing greater transparency, convenience and speed to the cotton procurement process.

TCA Kalyani Assumes Charge as New Controller General of Accounts

The government appointed TCA Kalyani, a 1991-batch officer of the Indian Civil Accounts Service, as the country's new Controller General of Accounts, the finance ministry said. Kalyani is the 29th officer to hold the post.
Kalyani succeeded S. S. Dubey, a 1989-batch officer of the Indian Civil Accounts Service, who was appointed to the post in March 2023.
A gold medallist from the University of Delhi and an alumna of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kalyani brings more than three decades of experience in public financial management, accounting, and governance.

Odisha Ranks 5th in E-Bus Adoption, Plans 1,000+ Fleet

Odisha is emerging as a green mobility leader, ranking fifth in India in terms of electric bus adoption. With 450 e-buses currently in operation, the state plans to more than double its fleet in the coming years as part of its clean transport initiative. This move aligns with India's broader efforts to promote eco-friendly urban transport under central government support schemes.
As per official data, India currently operates 14,329 electric buses, with the top-performing states being, Delhi: 3,564 e-buses, Maharashtra: 3,296, Karnataka: 2,236, Uttar Pradesh: 850 and Odisha: 450, respectively.

Sep 02, 2025

PM Modi Returns after Japan-China Visit, Attends SCO Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to New Delhi after a four-day visit to Japan and China from August 29 to September 1.
Addressing the 25^th SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, the Prime Minister called for stronger measures against terror financing and radicalisation. Referring to the Pahalgam terror attack, he urged the SCO to hold nations supporting cross-border terrorism accountable. He also congratulated Kyrgyzstan on assuming the SCO presidency.
The Summit discussions covered the SCO Development Strategy, global governance reform, counter-terrorism, peace and security, economic and financial cooperation, and sustainable development. Modi outlined India's vision of enhancing collaboration under three pillars – Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity.

Scindia Launches AI-powered App for India Mobile Congress 2025

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launched an AI-powered mobile application for the upcoming India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, terming the platform a gateway to connections, collaborations and outcomes.
The 9th edition of IMC, themed 'Innovate to Transform', will be held from October 8-11 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in Dwarka, New Delhi.
The app comes with real-time features including live streaming of sessions, AI-driven personalised recommendations, networking tools for startups and participants, and a built-in chatbot for instant event assistance. It also offers short AI-generated video highlights, live polls, contests, and an interactive photo booth.

Rajit Punhani Takes over as FSSAI Chief

Rajit Punhani took charge as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Punhani, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, has over three decades of administrative experience across the Centre, states and international platforms.
Punhani is an economics (honours) graduate from St Stephen's College, Delhi, and holds an MBA in finance from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

India Launches Adi Vaani: AI Translator for Tribal Languages

The government launched the Beta Version of Adi Vaani which is India's first AI powered translator for tribal languages. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs said that this translation tool is a step toward inclusive tribal empowerment and preservation of India's rich linguistic diversity. Adi Vaani is developed under Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh to bridge communication gaps between tribal and non-tribal communities. The project combines advanced AI technologies to protect and promote the tribal culture across India. This initiative strengthens India's constitutional values of cultural diversity, positioning the nation as a global leader in AI-driven preservation of endangered languages.

Aug 31, 2025

PM Modi Receives Daruma Doll during Japan Visit

During a two-day visit to Japan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with a Daruma doll by the Chief priest of Shorinzan Daruma-Ji Temple, Rev Seishi Hirose, in Tokyo. The traditional Japanese doll, which was gifted to PM Modi as a gesture of goodwill between the two nations, is a symbol of good luck and holds a significant place in the country's culture.

Dept. Posts Partners With MapmyIndia to Implement DIGIPIN

In a move toward digitising India's address infrastructure, the Department of Posts (DoP) under the Ministry of Communications signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MapmyIndia – Mappls. This collaboration aims to advance the development and implementation of DIGIPIN—a Digital Address Code (DAC) system designed to uniquely identify every address in India through precise geo-location.
DIGIPIN stands for Digital PIN, a standardised digital address system that assigns a unique geocode to every property or location in India. Unlike traditional PIN codes, DIGIPIN is geo-referenced, allowing users to find, verify, and navigate to exact addresses with high accuracy.

National Annual Report & Index on Women's Safety (NARI) 2025

Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar and Mumbai emerged as the safest cities in the country for women, while Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Srinagar and Ranchi were ranked the lowest, according to the National Annual Report & Index on Women's Safety (NARI) 2025.'
The nationwide index released, based on a survey of 12,770 women across 31 cities, placed the national safety score at 65 per cent, categorising cities as "much above", "above", "below" or "much below" this benchmark.

Aug 30, 2025

MoS Margherita Inaugurates 5th Edition of ASEAN-India Youth Summit in Goa

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, inaugurated the 5th edition of the ASEAN-India Youth Summit in Goa.
Over 100 young leaders from ASEAN Member States, Timor-Leste & India deliberated on the theme "Connecting the Youth: Shaping our Future".

Centre Names Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel as IMF Executive Director

The government approved the appointment of former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Dr. Urjit Patel as Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a three-year term.
Patel's appointment follows the abrupt termination of Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian's services, which ended his term about six months early. He is widely regarded as a key architect of India's inflation-targeting framework for monetary policy.
A Kenyan-born Indian economist, Patel began his career at the IMF over 30 years ago. He initially worked in Washington, D.C., before moving to India in 1992 as the IMF's deputy resident representative in New Delhi.
He became the 24th governor of the RBI in 2016, succeeding Raghuram Rajan. In 2018, he became the first RBI governor to resign for personal reasons, serving the shortest term since 1992.

India, Canada Hit Reset, Name New Envoys

Almost ten months after India and Canada expelled each other's High Commissioners in a tit-for-tat move, both countries announced their new envoys. The development came two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney agreed on the early return of High Commissioners as part of the constructive steps to restore stability.
New Delhi named Dinesh Patnaik, a 1990-batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is currently serving as India's ambassador to Spain, as its High Commissioner to Canada, and Ottawa named Christopher Cooter as its High Commissioner to India.

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