General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2019

Aug 2019

Jan 17, 2022

PM Modi Address World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a 'State of the World' special address at the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda via video conference.
The virtual event will be held from January 17 to 21 and will also be addressed by several Heads of State including Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, European Commission President Ursua von der Leyen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Chinese President Xi Jinping, among others.

Indian Railways' Mission Amanat

Operation Mission Amanat: Indian Railways launches a new initiative to track lost belongings of passengers! From now, Indian Railways travellers do not have to worry about their luggage while travelling. In case of lost belongings, one can easily track their lost items and get them back. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) plays a major role to ensure the safety and security of passengers as well as their luggage and belongings. In this direction, the RPF has taken a new initiative by launching "Mission Amanat", making it easier for the railway passengers to get back their lost luggage. According to a press release issued by Western Railways, under the new Mission Amanat initiative, the details of lost luggage and belongings along with photos are posted on the official website of the zonal railway.

Former Kanpur Police Commissioner, Joins BJP

Aseem Arun, a former Kanpur police Commissioner, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Union Minister Anurag Thakur welcomed Arun to the saffron party and said that the latter had seen how the Yogi Adityanath government crushed the mafia to restore law and order in the state.
Arun, a 1994 batch IPS officer, had resigned earlier this month to join politics and is likely to contest the Kannauj Assembly seat.

Mansukh Mandaviya Releases Commemorative Postal Stamp on COVID-19 Vaccine

As India completed one year of Covid-19 vaccination, claimed to be the world's largest and most successful vaccination drive, a total of 157 crore vaccine doses were given across the country.
As per the World Health Organisation (WHO) data, the global average of persons fully vaccinated per 100 population is 50.03, whereas that in some of the world's most populous countries such as India are (44.72%), US (61.07%), China (82.69%), Brazil (67.27%) and Russian Federation (43.57%).
Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, released a commemorative postal stamp on Covid-19 vaccine to mark the 1st anniversary of India's national Covid-19 vaccination programme. The commemorative stamp design features a healthcare worker inoculating a senior citizen with Covid-19 vaccine, along with an image of 'Covaxin' vial, India's indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine.

Jan 16, 2022

World's Largest khadi National Flag on display in Jaisalmer

The Monumental National Flag, which is the world's largest national flag made of Khadi fabric, was put on a grand public display along the India Pakistan border in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan to celebrate "Army Day".
The Monumental National Flag was displayed at Longewala, which was the center stage of the historic battle between India and Pakistan in 1971.
This was the fifth public display of the National Flag since its unveiling in Leh on October 2, 2021. It was, later on, displayed at Hindon Airbase on the occasion of Air Force Day on October 8, 2021 and at the Red Fort on October 21, 2021, that marked the completion of 100 crore Covid-19 vaccinations in India. On December 4, 2021, the Monumental National Flag was displayed at the Naval Dockyard near the Gateway of India in Mumbai to celebrate Navy Day.

Defence Ministry Launches Raksha Pension Shikayat Nivaran Portal

The Defence Ministry set up an online portal 'Raksha Pension Shikayat Nivaran Portal' to resolve pension-related grievances of ex-servicemen (ESM) and their dependents.
The portal will allow them to lodge grievances directly with the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW.
An application of the portal will auto-generate and forward SMS and email to the applicants on their registered number and email, intimating confirmation and tracking status.

Jan 15, 2022

Indian Railways Re-designate Post of 'Guard' as 'Train Manager'

The Indian Railways re-designated the post of 'guard' as 'train manager'. Senior officials in the railway ministry said that the issue was being demanded for quite some time.
The revised designation is more in consonance with their existing duties & responsibilities and will improve the motivation level of Guards now 'Train Manager.'
According to the revised designation document, dated January 13, assistant guard will now be 'assistant passenger train manager', goods guard will be 'goods train manager', a senior passengers' guard will be 'senior passenger train manager' and mail or express train guard will be mail/express train manager.

Congress Appoints Mohan Prakash as its Senior Observer for Uttarakhand Polls

The Congress appointed senior party leader Mohan Prakash as observer for overseeing its election campaign management in Uttarakhand.
Prakash, a former general secretary of the AICC, will discharge his duties in close coordination with the AICC in-charge for Uttarakhand Devendra Yadav.
Uttarakhand goes to polls in a single phase on February 14 and the results will be out on March 10.

Now, Republic Day Celebrations to Start from January 23

Republic Day celebrations will begin every year from January 23 instead of January 24 to include the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
This is in line with the Modi government's focus on celebrating/commemorating important aspects of our history and culture.
The Narendra Modi-led government had earlier announced that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary would be celebrated as Parakram Divas.
The other such days, which have become an annual affair, are:
August 14 — Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
October 31 — Ekta Divas or National Unity Day (The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel)
November 15 — Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (The birthday anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda)
November 26 — Constitution Day
December 26 — Veer Baal Divas (A tribute to the four Sahibzadas)

Jan 14, 2022

Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP) 2021 - 2022

Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar launched the Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP) 2021 - 2022 virtually while stressing on the importance of water sanitation, and hygiene and the role these factors play in determining the health of the students, attendance, dropout rate, and learning outcomes. He added that having the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools secures a healthy school environment and protects children from illness and exclusion.

Lovlina Borgohain Appointed by the Assam Government as DSP

Champion boxer and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain was appointed by the Assam government as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the state police force.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the boxing star with an appointment letter at a ceremony in Guwahati. He assured her of a monthly sum of Rs. 100,000 - apart from her salary - that is meant to cover requirements for training. Sarma also said a road in Guwahati would soon be named after her.
Borgohain is the second sportsperson from the state to be appointed a DSP in Assam Police as per a new sports policy. In February last year, top sprinter Hima Das was given the same honour.

Goa Assembly Polls 2022: BJP to Contest All 40 Seats

Ahead of the 2022 Goa Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has shortlisted the names of candidates for 40 seats for recommendation to the party`s parliamentary board.
The BJP leader also announced that the final list of candidates will be declared by the BJP parliamentary board in Delhi soon.
Notably, Goa will go to the polls on February 14. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

Assam, Meghalaya Reach Understanding on 6 Disputed Areas

Assam reached an understanding with Meghalaya on resolving six of the 12 areas of dispute along the border between the states and will sign a memorandum of understanding later this month, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Guwahati after a meeting with his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma.
Last year, the two chief ministers agreed to sort out the differences in a phased manner and decided to first focus on six of the 12 disputed areas along the inter-state border.
The six areas that were taken up first for resolution are Tarabari, Gizang, Hahim, Boklapara, Khanapara-Pilangkata and Ratacherra. The areas fall in Kamrup, Kamrup (Metropolitan) and Cachar districts of Assam and West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya.

Jan 13, 2022

S. Somanath New ISRO Chief

S. Somnath, an eminent rocket scientist, was appointed as the chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). K Sivan, the outgoing chairperson, will be completed his extended term.Sivan was appointed as the ISRO chief in January 2018 and was given a one-year extension till January 14, 2022.
Somanath's appointment as the Space secretary and the Space Commission Chairman is for a combined tenure of three years from the date of joining of the post, inclusive of an extension in tenure beyond the age of superannuation in public interest.

NCP to Ally with SP for UP Polls; Contest in Goa, Manipur

In a significant political development, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar announced that his party would contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur.
While the NCP would be joining the SP-led alliance in Uttar Pradesh, in Manipur, the party is cobbling up an understanding with the Congress, with which it shares power in Maharashtra's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Indu Malhotra to Head SC Panel to Probe PM's Security Breach

The Supreme Court appointed a five-member committee headed by former apex court judge Justice Indu Malhotra to probe the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab.
The bench also appointed the Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Director General of Police of Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of Punjab as members to the panel.
The top court's order has come on the plea of an organisation, Lawyers Voice, seeking a thorough investigation into the breach in Modi's security in Punjab to ensure there is no such incident in the future.

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