General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2019

Nov 2019

Mar 04, 2020

Government Appoints Sanjay Kumar Panda as Ambassador to Turkey

Senior diplomat Sanjay Kumar Panda was appointed as India's Ambassador to Turkey.
Panda, a 1991 Indian Foreign Service officer, is presently Consul General, Consulate General of India, San Francisco. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
Panda's appointment to the post came at a time when India-Turkey relations are under strain.
Last month, India had asked Turkey to refrain from commenting on the internal affairs of the country and also cautioned Ankara against encouraging cross-border terrorism.
India's reaction came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the country after communal riots in Delhi left at least 42 people dead.

Jharkhand Announces Financial Assistance to Jobless Youth

The Jharkhand government presented the Rs. 85,000 crore budget for the financial year 2020-21.
Presenting the budget, state Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon announced Rs. 5000 to Rs. 7000 per annum assistance to unemployed graduate and post-graduate youth.
Oraon also proposed subsidised lungi dhoti and sari to 57 lakh poor families of the state.
The state government also introduced the plan to provide 100 units free electricity and 100 'mohalla clinics' across the state.
Moreover, one meal at the price of Rs. 5 will be given to poor people under the Mukhyamantri Dal Bhat Yojna (MDBY) to tackle severe poverty in the state.

U.N. Rights Body to Move Supreme Court on CAA

In an unprecedented and rare move, the Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced that it plans to file an application in the Indian Supreme Court, asking to be impleaded in the petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
And the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the United Nations body had no right to file a petition that will ask the court to appoint the Commissioner for Human Rights as an assistant or 'amicus curiae' in the case.
The OHCHR plan has been criticised by diplomatic and legal experts here, including one of the 22 petitioners in the case, as an "overreach" by it.
The High Commissioner (Michelle Bachelet) intends to submit an 'amicus curiae' brief shortly on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Indian Supreme Court, in accordance with the Court's established procedures, and she has informed the Indian Permanent Mission in Geneva of her intention," Rupert Colville, OHCHR spokesperson based in Geneva, confirmed.
The amicus curiae will focus on providing an overview of relevant and applicable international human rights standards and norms to support the Court's deliberations in the context of its review of the CAA.

Mar 03, 2020

PM Modi Thinking of Going Offline

Social media was abuzz after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced, on social media, that he was thinking of giving up social media this Sunday.
"This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube," he said on Twitter. It wasn't immediately clear whether the Prime Minister, one of the most followed people on social media, plans to give up these platforms for good, or merely practice digital detox, which he has previously advocated, for a day a week.
PM has 53.3 million followers on Twitter, 44 million followers on Facebook, 35.2 million followers on Instagram, and 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube.

Centre Declares National Chambal Sanctuary in MP as Eco-sensitive Zone

The Centre declared the National Chambal Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, home to gangetic dolphins and 75 per cent population of critically endangered species gharial, as eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
The ministry also directed the Madhya Pradesh government to prepare a Zonal Master Plan, which shall provide for restoration of denuded areas, conservation of existing water bodies, management of catchment areas, watershed management, groundwater management, soil and moisture conservation, needs of local community and such other aspects of the ecology and environment that need attention.
Spread over 435 square kilometres, the National Chambal Sanctuary lies across Sheopur, Morena and Bhind districts of Madhya Pradesh with a length of more than 400 kilometers.
It is home to naturally living population of 75 per cent of gharial. The sanctuary also harbours national aquatic animal – the fresh water gangetic dolphins, nine species of fresh water turtles and more the 180 species of migratory birds.
In its notification, the government prohibited any new construction of hotels and resorts within one kilometre from the boundary of the wildlife sanctuary or up to the extent of the ESZ, whichever is nearer.

AP Appoints Subhash Chandra Garg as Adviser to Y. S. Jagan

The Andhra Pradesh government appointed retired former Union finance secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg, as adviser to Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, to help the cash-strapped state mobilise resources.
Garg was given the rank of a cabinet minister in the state government and a tenure of two years. The order said Garg, in the capacity of adviser to CM (resource mobilisation) shall spend 15 days in a month on the assignment including 7-10 days at the state headquarters.

D. P. Pandey Takes over as First Director General of the Territorial Army

Lieutenant General D. P. Pandey took over as the first director general of the Territorial Army. Until now, the Territorial Army — a voluntary force comprising around 55,000 men — has been headed by an additional director general of major general rank. Lieutenant General Pandey has previously served as the army's additional director general of public information.

HC Fines Punjab and Haryana Rs. 100 cr Each

Punjab and Haryana were fined Rs. 100 crore each for causing damage to the catchment area of Sukhna Lake.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and H. S. Sidhu also ordered the demolition of all the structures in the catchment area and ordered that those whose building plans were approved would be relocated and compensated with Rs. 25 lakh each.
The order came in a 2009 suo motu petition initiated over the depleting water level in the lake. The lake was created by Le Corbusier in 1958. By 1988, 66% of the original water holding capacity of the lake was lost due to silting. Though check dams were constructed in the catchment area, the water level has again started going down. The lake has the capacity of 500 hectare-metres against the original capacity of over 1,074 hectare metres.
The Rs. 200 crore fine would be deposited with the ministry of environment, forest within three months and would be utilized for restoration of the lake.

J&K Renames Historic City Chowk as 'Bharat Mata Chowk'

The historic City Chowk, which was a commercial center in Old Jammu, was renamed as 'Bharat Mata Chowk'. A resolution in this regard was passed by the General house of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), after which it was done.
Along with this, the starting point of the circular road near Panjtirthi in the city has also been changed to 'Atal Ji Chowk' in the memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
This is the first major change in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) after becoming a union territory (UT).
The tricolor is hoisted at City Chowk in Jammu on the occasion of Republic Day and Independence Day every year. BJP leaders have been demanding to change the name of this square to Bharat Mata Chowk for many years.

Soon Passengers can Access Wi-Fi Aboard Domestic Flights

Indian airlines have finally been given a go-ahead to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services to passengers after an official notification from the central government.
The Pilot-in-Command may permit the access of Internet services by passengers on board an aircraft in flight, through Wi-Fi on board, when laptop, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, e-reader or a point of sale device is used in flight mode or airplane mode.
Currently, this service is available only for defence personnel. However, all devices using in-flight Wi-Fi will have to be on airplane mode.

Punjab Prohibits Online Supply of Food from FBOs Not Possessing Hygiene Rating

Punjab government's Food and Drug Administration has prohibited Online Food Supply Aggregators (OFSAs) related to those Food Business Operators (FBOs) who are not possessing hygiene rating, by invoking provisions under Section 18(1)(a) of food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to ensure safe food to public.
It also prohibits OFSAs from sourcing the food from FBOs where rating is less than three out of five.
The prohibition orders would be effective for one year beginning April 30, 2020.

Mar 02, 2020

Norwegian Minister Takes Part in Mithi River Clean-up

In an attempt to strengthen the Indo-Norway relations and tackle climate change and environmental pollution, Norway's Minister of International Development and Foreign Affairs, Dag Inge Ulstein, has invited state Minister of Tourism and Environment, Aaditya Thackeray to Norway in May to get a first-hand experience of his country's work in the area of waste management.
Ulstein, who is on a three-day tour in India to focus on Norway's agenda of sustainable development goals, shared his concern on the rising problems due to plastic waste with Thackeray. Ulstein participated in a clean-up drive at the Mithi River along with city-based environmentalists and local residents living at the adjoining areas of the river.
The 17.84 km river, which meets the Arabian Sea at Mahim creek, starts at the Vihar and Powai lakes and passes through several areas of the city's suburbs. However, the river has been reduced to an open drain full of garbage in the last few decades. When the river was not as polluted as it is today, it used to serve as an important stormwater drain for Mumbai.

PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone for Bundelkhand Expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway in Chitrakoot, Uttar Ptadesh.
To be built at a cost of Rs. 14,849 crore, the expressway will pass through Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun districts.
The expressway will be supplementing the nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor announced by the Central government in February 2018.
This expressway will link Bundelkhand to the national capital Delhi through Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Yamuna Expressway as well as play a vital role in the development of the region.

Param Bir Singh Takes Charge as Mumbai Top Cop

Param Bir Singh, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was appointed as the new police commissioner of Mumbai. Singh, who was director general (DG) of the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), will replace Sanjay Barve who retired. Barve was given two extensions of three months each.
The state home department issued the concerning order, which also announced that Bipin K Singh, additional director general (ADG) of ACB, will take over as acting DG till further notice.

MoU between Indian Air Force and Savitribai Phule Pune University

As a unique initiative of Indian Air Force, the IAF and Savitribai Phule Pune University entered into an academic collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a 'Chair of Excellence' at Department of Defence & Strategic Studies.
To pay tribute to the legend and commemorate the centenary birth year of the MIAF, the IAF named it as "Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Chair of Excellence". The Chair will enable IAF officers to pursue Doctoral Research and higher studies in Defence & Strategic Studies and allied fields.
The chair will facilitate research and higher studies in the area of National Defence and allied fields of Air Force officers. The chair would facilitate inculcating astrategic outlook and building a pool of strategic thinkers.

Mar 01, 2020

Tribal Affairs Ministry Launches Capacity Building Programme of ST Representatives in LSG & '1000...

Arjun Munda, the Union Tribal Affairs Minister launched the "Programme for Capacity Building of Scheduled Tribe (ST) Representatives in Local Self Governments (LSG)" in Bhubhaneswar, Odisha in the presence of Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Navin Patnaik and Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs.
Arjun Munda also launched "1000 Spring Initiatives" and an online portal on GIS (Geographic Information System)-based Spring Atlas with hydrological and chemical properties of the Springs during the event.

International Conference on Standardisation of Alternate Medicines, 'ICoSDiTAUS-2020' Held in New...

The two-day International Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha Systems of Medicine, ICoSDiTAUS-2020, was held in New Delhi on 25^th and 26^th February 2020. The conference concluded with the adoption of the "New Delhi Declaration on Collection and Classification of Traditional Medicine (TM) Diagnostic Data".
16 countries came together for the cause of Traditional Medicine at this conference including Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Serbia, Curacao, Cuba, Myanmar, Equatorial Guinea, Qatar, Ghana, Bhutan, Uzbekistan, India, Switzerland, Iran, Jamaica and Japan.
ICoSDiTAUS-2020 is the biggest ever international event dedicated to standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies of Traditional Medicine in terms of the broad level of participation covering virtually all the continents.
The inaugural address was made by Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO – SEARO on 25^th February 2020.

NCAER Releases 1st Edition of Land Records and Services Index 2020: MP Emerges as Top Performer, ...

Madhya Pradesh is the best performing state in terms of digitising land records, followed by Odisha, according to the NCAER Land Records and Services Index.
Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu are the other states in the top five. The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) released India''s first land records and services index.
From sixth to tenth positions, are West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, respectively.
The index is based on data collected over 2019-20 on two aspects of the supply of land records-the extent of digitisation of land records and the quality of these land records, said an NCAER statement.
"The first component, which aims to assess whether a state has made all its land records digitally available to citizens, looks at three dimensions-the text of the land records (also called the record of rights), the official map associated with a land record (also called cadastral maps), and the property registration process," it said.
The second component of the index assesses if the land records are comprehensive and reliable are -- ownership details updated as soon as a sale occurs, the extent of joint ownership, type of land use, land area on the record and on the map, and whether encumbrances are being recorded, including other claims on the property such as mortgages and court cases.
Shekhar Shah, Director General, NCAER said that the index will help formulate state action plans to attain the goal of secure, assured land records that mirror ground realities and are generated by efficient titling services.

Maharashtra Legislative Council Passes Bill Making Marathi Compulsory Subject in Schools in the S...

The Maharashtra State Legislative Council unanimously approved a bill making Marathi compulsory subject in schools in the state. According to reports, there will be penalty levied on the schools which do not comply with the new rule.
The Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools 2020 bill was passed in the upper house of the state. The same will be forwarded in the Legislative Assembly.
Although a bill is first introduced and approved in the Assembly first following which it is given to the Council In this case however the Council Chairman has allowed the concerned minister to introduce the bill in the Upper House first. As per reports, the legislation stated that the schools which do not comply with the provisions of the bill passed a penalty of up to Rs. 1 Lakh will be levied on the schools.
The bill has covered all the schools in the state irrespective of the boards they are affiliated to. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackrey while addressing the house said that he is happy that the bill has been passed by the council and he will also pursue the centre on the patter of granting Marathi the status of a classical language.

Feb 29, 2020

India to Attend Signing of US-Taliban Deal

India will be represented by its envoy to Qatar at the signing of a deal by the Taliban and the US at Doha on February 29 on the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
Ambassador P. Kumaran's presence at the ceremony, however, should not be interpreted as a sign of India's involvement in any way with the negotiations with the Taliban or the planned deal.
India remains committed to an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process that retains the gains and constitutional structures put in place in Afghanistan over the past 19 years," the person added.
However, this will be the first time India will be officially represented at an event involving the Afghan Taliban.

MP Tops the List for Outgoing Patients for Treatment under PM-JAY: NHA

According to the analysis carried out by the National Health Authority (NHA) on the portability feature of the Narendra Modi government's flagship insurance scheme, PM-JAY -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (generally referred to as the Ayushman Bharat) availed by 81,254 patients. People can seek treatment in other states under the PM-JAY, and MP (Madhya Pradesh) tops the list for outgoing patients at a number of at least 11,765. It sends its patients to Gujarat, where People have been treated under 'portability' option, which allows patients to go to the best hospital in any state to avail of free treatment.
As per the analysis, MP is followed by UP (Uttar Pradesh), which has sent 4,288 patients to Uttarakhand, and 3,572 patients to Maharashtra. While Bihar, in turn, has sent 3,258 patients to UP. The states of MP and UP contribute nearly half of portability cases by volume and value.

Bihar Passes Resolution to Conduct Caste-based Census

The Bihar Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to conduct a caste-based census in the state.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was advocating conducting a caste-based census since a long time.
The Chief Minister had earlier proposed a caste-based census in the Assembly, which was passed unanimously on Thursday.
Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary announced the passing of the proposal in the House.
As per Road Construction Minister Nandkishore Yadav, the resolution would now be sent to the central government.

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