General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2019

Nov 2019

Jan 28, 2022

Kerala: Ordinance to Dilute Lokayukta Powers

Kerala government decided to bring an ordinance for amending the "Kerala Lokayukta Act", so that it would have the powers of rejecting report of anti-corruption body.
State cabinet recommended to the governor to issue ordinance for amending Kerala Lokayukta Act, 1999.
The amendment seeks to give powers to the government for either accepting or rejecting the verdict of Lokayukta, after providing an opportunity of being heard.
According to proposed amendment, Lokayukta would have only the powers of making recommendations or sending reports to the government.
Lokayukta is the Indian Parliamentary Ombudsman. He is executed into power for each of the State Governments in India. It is brought into effect through the Lokayukta Act. A person of reputable background is nominated for the post, which is created to address grievances quickly, against working efficiency and integrity of the government or its administration. Lokayukta cannot be dismissed or transferred by the government, once he is appointed. He can only be removed by passing an impeachment motion by state assembly.

Jagan Govt. Carves Out 13 New Districts in Andhra

The Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government carved out 13 new districts from the existing 13 districts in Andhra Pradesh by delimitation of their boundaries for better administration and development of the areas.
According to a notification, the reorganisation of the districts was done under the Section 3 of the Andhra Pradesh Districts (Formation) Act, 1974. It has called for objections or suggestions in writing on the proposal from the people, who are likely to be affected by this decision, to be submitted to the district collector within 30 days.
The new districts and their headquarters (in brackets) are: Srikakulam (Srikakulam), Vizianagaram (Vizianagaram), Manyam (Parvathipuram), Alluri Sitharama Raju (Paderu), Visakhapatnam (Visakhapatnam), Anakapalli (Anakapalli), Kakinada (Kakinada), Konaseema (Amalapuram), East Godavari (Rajamahendravaram), West Godavari (Bheemavaram), Eluru (Eluru), Krishna (Machilipatnam), NTR (Vijayawada), Guntur (Guntur), Bapatla (Bapatla), Palnadu (Narsaraopeta), Prakasam (Ongole), SPS Nellore (Nellore), Kurnool (Kurnool), Nandyal (Nandyal), Ananthapuram (Ananthapuram), Sri Satyasai (Puttaparthy), YSR Kadapa (Kadapa), Annamayya (Rayachoty), Chittoor (Chittoor) and Sri Balaji (Tirupati).

Parliament Launches Digital Sansad App

The Lok Sabha secretariat launched a new app, Digital Sansad that would make it easier for people to follow proceedings in Parliament, and also their own lawmakers. In addition, it would also help members of parliament access services such as checking personal updates like status of their notices, House bulletins, etc. As MPs are barred from using laptops inside the House, the app comes handy for parliamentary information for MPs during a debate in the House. In future, the MPs can log in for attendance, give questions for the Question Hour or submit notices for debates or adjournment motions.
The Digital Sansad app is available in both android and IOS platform and carries nearly all major content of the interlinked portal of Indian Parliament. A senior official claimed that the Digital Sansad is one of the few apps of a parliament internationally that offer a 360-degree view of legislative activities as well as services for members. It is a brainchild of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla who has sought to make parliamentary proceedings more accessible to people.

Jan 27, 2022

IAF's Fly-past Formations on 73rd Republic Day

India is celebrating its 73rd Republic Day. The Republic Day parade at the Rajpath this year witnessed the "grandest and largest" fly-past ever with the participation of 75 aircraft from the IAF to mark the 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav' celebrations.
Vintage as well as current modern aircraft, like Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mi-17, Sarang, Apache and Dakota displayed different formations -- including Rahat, Meghna, Eklavya, Trishul, Tiranga, Vijay and Amrit -- at the fly-past.
For the first time, viewers had the feel of a cockpit while watching the flypast on Republic Day on their TVs, smart phones or laptops.
Mesmerising footage from cameras fitted onboard aircraft that took part in the fly-past gave a glimpse of what the pilots saw from their cockpit. This was a whole new experience for the viewers and a welcome change from the past.

RPN Singh Quits Congress, joins BJP Ahead of UP Assembly Elections

Just weeks ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Congress leader RPN Singh quit the party and joined the BJP, in a setback to the grand old party, which is already battling for its existence in the state.
Singh, who was named as a star campaigner by the Congress for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, posted his resignation to party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Singh was also the Congress in charge for Jharkhand, where the party is in power along with the JMM.

Avinash Pande Made Jharkhand Congress Head

The Congress appointed veteran leader Avinash Pande the AICC general secretary in-charge of Jharkhand. Pande was AICC general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan when former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot led a rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in 2020.

Jan 26, 2022

India, Israel Launch Commemorative Logo to Mark 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties

India and Israel launched a commemorative logo to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The logo features the Star of David and the Ashoka Chakra- the two symbols that adorn the national flags of both countries- and forms the numeral 30 depicting the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations. This special logo symbolises the strong friendship, love and admiration that exists between the people of Israel and the people of India. It also depicts the growing strategic partnership between the two sides.
The logo was unveiled virtually at an online event in the presence of Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilonand and Ambassador of India to Israel Sanjeev Singla.

Budget Session Part I: Different Timings for Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will meet at separate times of a day for five hours each to ensure Covid distancing norms during the Budget Session beginning January 31.
Lok Sabha will meet at 11 am on February 1 for the presentation of the Union Budget and it will meet from 4 pm to 9 pm from February 2 to February 11, when the first part of the session concludes.
During sittings of the Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers and their galleries will be used for sitting of members in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The second part of the session will be from March 14 to April 8. But the timings of sittings are not yet clear for the Part II of the session.

Chanchal Kumar is New MD of NHIDCL

Chanchal Kumar was appointed as the Managing Director, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH). He is appointed in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet also approved the extension in the central deputation tenure of Ashutosh Jindal, Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat for 1 year beyond February 16, 2022 to February 16, 2023.

Under-bridge in Gujarat's Rajkot Named after General Bipin Rawat

The Gujarat government named an under-bridge in Rajkot after General Bipin Rawat to honour the country's first Chief of Defence Staff who died in a chopper crash in December.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the under-bridge located in Laxmi Nagar area virtually.
Earlier, Rajkot Mayor Pradeep Dav had asked the CM to suggest a name for the structure, which was built at a cost of Rs. 48 crore.

Jan 25, 2022

J&K LG Approves 15% Reservation for Women in Non-gazetted Police Posts

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha approved 15 per cent reservation for women in non-gazetted police posts.
Sinha announced the reservation coinciding with the National Girl Child Day, asserting that this is just the beginning.
"For women and girls to be agents of change, J&K government is committed to ensure Nari Shaktis' social and economic empowerment while redressing long-standing inequalities to build a more just and resilient society", Sinha said.

Punjab polls: BJP Announces Seat-sharing with Amarinder

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), announced its seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Punjab assembly election.
According to the division, the BJP is set to contest the Punjab polls on 65 seats, while the Punjab Lok Congress, led by former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, will field candidates on 37 constituencies.

Jerri Hamlet First 'Milk Village' of J&K

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the administration declared Jerri settlement in Reasi district as the first 'Milk Village' of the Union Territory and sanctioned 57 more dairy farms under the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme (IDDS) for the hamlet. The village, which houses 73 individual dairy units with 370 cows, will give the local farmers financial security.
The scheme also has a provision for milking machine, bulk milk cooling unit at 50 per cent subsidy (maximum Rs. 5 lakh), paneer making machine, khoya making, Dahi making, cream separator, ice cream making machine, butter and ghee making machine (max subsidy Rs. 3. 5 lakh), milk van (maximum subsidy Rs. 2 lakh), milk ATM subsidy of Rs. 5 lakh.

Jan 24, 2022

Amit Shah Launches District Good Governance Index in J-K

Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually launched the District Good Governance Index (DGGI) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah said that it is in continuation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "commitment to providing a transparent and people-friendly administration" to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
This move makes Jammu and Kashmir the first Union Territory in the country to have a Good Governance Index.
The event was organized jointly by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and Jammu and Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development in association with the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad.
The District Good Governance Index of Jammu and Kashmir was prepared by DARPG in collaboration with the government of Jammu and Kashmir in pursuance of the announcements made in the "Behtar e-Hukumat - Kashmir Aelamia" resolution adopted on July 2, 2021, in the Regional Conference on Replication of Good Governance Practices held in Srinagar.

Govt. Appoints New Chairperson to PMLA Adjudicating Authority

Vinodanand Jha, a 1983-batch retired IRS officer was appointed as the chairperson of the PMLA Adjudicating Authority located in the national capital.
Mr. Jha was serving as the Member (Finance and Accounts) in the Authority since September 2018.
He was appointed to this post after he retired from service as the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Pune.
The three-member Authority is mandated to adjudicate the cases of attachment of assets orders issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and order for its continuity and further confiscation or release, considering the merits of the investigation.
The Authority is a mechanism provided under the PMLA to safeguard the interests of the accused against coercive action.

Republic Day: Mahatma Gandhi's favourite 'Abide With Me' Hymn Dropped from Beating Retreat Ceremony

According to a brochure released by the Indian Army, one of Mahatma Gandhi's favourite Christian hymns "Abide With Me" was dropped from this year's Beating Retreat ceremony on January 29.
"Abide With Me", written by Scottish Anglican poet and hymnologist Henry Francis Lyte in 1847, has been part of the Beating Retreat ceremony since 1950.
This year's ceremony will conclude with 'Sare Jahan Se Acha', the brochure stated.
Beating Retreat is a centuries-old military tradition dating from the days when troops disengaged from battle at sunset.

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