General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2019

Nov 2019

Nov 25, 2019

Ban on Bodo Insurgents Extended

The central government issued orders to extend the ban on Assam-based Bodo insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) by another five years, citing that the terrorist outfit had continued to indulge in illegal and violent activities intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.
The NDFB, formed in 1986, seeks to obtain a sovereign Boroland for the Bodo people.
The ministry has extended the ban on NDBF under the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The ministry said the unlawful activities perpetrated by the NDFB had been "undermining the authority of the government, spreading terror and panic among people, causing carnage and ethnic violence, resulting in killings and destruction of properties of non-Bodos, inhabiting the Bodo-dominated areas in Assam". "For the aforesaid reasons", it added, "the central government is of the opinion that the NDFB's activities are detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India and that it is an unlawful association".

NSO Survey Debunks Swachh Bharat Claims

The latest National Statistical Office (NSO) survey on sanitation debunked the claims of an open defecation-free or ODF India made by the Centre's flagship Swachh Bharat scheme, although it did record great progress in toilet access and use in rural areas.
The survey showed that about 71% of rural households had access to toilets at a time the Centre was claiming 95%. On October 2, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the whole country was ODF with complete access to toilets.
The NSO survey was carried out between July and December 2018, with a reference date of October 1. Large States which had been declared ODF – that is, 100% access to toilets and 100% usage – even before the survey began included Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Others which were declared ODF during the survey period included Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
According to the NSO, almost 42% of rural households in Jharkhand had no access to a toilet at that time. In Tamil Nadu, the gap was 37%, followed by 34% in Rajasthan. In Gujarat, which was one of the earliest States declared ODF, back in October 2017, almost a quarter of all rural households had no toilet access, the NSO data showed. The other major States listed also had significant gaps: Karnataka (30%), MP (29%), Andhra Pradesh (22%) and Maharashtra (22%).

Nov 24, 2019

Leh Coldest Recorded Place In Ladakh, Mercury Marks Improvement In Kashmir

Leh town of Ladakh was the coldest recorded place at a low of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius, while the mercury in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir marked an improvement after plummeting several degrees below season's average over the past couple of days.
However, Jammu city recorded a dip in the maximum and minimum temperature as sun played hide and seek during the day.
Besides Leh, the nearby Kargil town and the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir also recorded sub-zero night temperatures of minus 3.8 and minus 1.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Law Students To Learn Indian Art Of Advocacy

Students enrolled in the bachelors laws programme at the Maharashtra National Law University in Nagpur will soon learn the ancient Indian logic of arriving at truth in a lawsuit. After decades of imparting legal knowledge sourced from ancient Greek and Latin principles, this is the first time any school here will attempt to teach aspiring lawyers how to apply Indian logic to analyse legal propositions.
Ancient Indian logic takes within its sweep the Baudhic and Jain knowledge systems that prescribe ways to arrive at the truth. A separate department called the Centre for Shastric Studies and Research in Law has been set up at the university to identify the principles to be included in various subjects such as the Indian Evidence Act, Administrative Law, Company Law, even the Indian Constitution.
Senior Supreme Court advocate P Narasimha, who is closely associated with the school, said principles of ancient Indian law will be an additional source of knowledge.

Nov 23, 2019

NITI Aayog Discusses Challenges and Opportunities in Assistive Devices Industry

NITI Aayog deliberated upon emerging opportunities in technological innovations, product development in assistive devices industry and policy interventions in the country.
The existing state of affairs pertaining to disability, assistive technology, allied industry and emerging opportunities in India was discussed.
Broad areas of discussion included regulatory control and capacity building in the sector; incentivisation for the private players to invest in the industry; formulation of a concrete set-up involving the government, private industries, innovation centres like the IITs and the NGOs in order to transform the present reality; building and encouraging entrepreneurship; an economically viable model inclusive of affordability, adaptability, functionality and productivity; and strengthening indigenous R&D and promoting mass manufacturing of assistive devices technology in India.

Jammu and Kashmir completes highest 11,400 km road length under PMGSY in 2019

Jammu and Kashmir has achieved the highest road length in the country this year (2019) so far under a Centre's rural roads' programme with the completion of around 11,400 kilometres covering 1,838 habitations.
This includes 1,161 km for the current financial year (2019) against the total sanctioned road length of 19,700 km.
The work is being carried under the centrally-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which is a mega flagship programme with the main objective of providing connectivity to rural areas.
The programme is being implemented by the Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Department of the Union Territory.

Gadkari Directs NHAI to Issue free FASTags at Toll Booths

Union Road and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to issue FASTags free until December 1, 2019, ostensibly to encourage people to move towards cashless and seamless travel.
Free FASTags will be available at all points of sale of the NHAI and they will also be made available at other places having a high potential of sales. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is putting in deposit money of Rs 150 on behalf of each user for now.
Almost 90 per cent toll plazas are ready with FASTag infrastructure as of now and only some new toll plazas will face teething issues.
The government had announced that it would make FASTags or electronic toll collection system mandatory across all 537 toll plazas from December 1, 2019.

Nov 22, 2019

UIDAI Operationalizes 21 Aadhaar Seva Kendras

Unique Identification Authority of India, UIDAI has operationalized 21 Aadhaar Seva Kendras as part of its plan to open 114 stand-alone Aadhaar enrollment and centres across the country.
These are in addition to 35,000 Aadhaar Enrollment Centers run by Banks, Post Offices and State Governments.
These centres will be operational all days of the week including weekends, from 9.30 A.M. to 5.30 P.M. They will be closed only on public holidays. The centres will have the capacity to handle up to 1,000 enrollment and requests per day.
UIDAI plans to set up 114 Aadhaar Seva Kendras in 53 cities across the country.
While Aadhaar enrollment is free, a nominal charge of 50 rupees is payable for updating details like adding a mobile number to Aadhaar and updating address.

Bengalureans To Get Free WiFi One Hour Each Day

Bengaluru, India's information technology capital, will get free WiFi services for one hour each day, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka CN Ashwath Narayan said.
The proposed scheme, which will take nine months to be implemented, follows similar efforts by Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh governments which have tried to offer data as a commodity to their people.

Nov 21, 2019

CCEA Approves Amendments Proposed in Toll Operate Transfer Model by NHAI

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA, has approved the amendments proposed in the Toll Operate Transfer (TOT) Model by National Highways Authority of India.
The Model would facilitate efficient toll realization through private sector. The CCEA approval will ensure a wider set of assets for Monetization and providing a more attractive model for the investors.
The fund generated from such monetization shall be utilized for development of highways in the country, which will benefit users throughout the country.
Around 75 operational National highways projects have been identified for potential monetization using the TOT Model, and bundled into 10 separate bids to attract economics of scale for the private sector.

Govt May Need ₹8,754 Crore To Conduct Census 2021 In 16 Languages

The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) expects Census 2021, which will be conducted in 16 languages, to cost around ₹8,754 crore.
"Certain changes have been made in the questionnaire on the suggestions of Technical Advisory Committee," the minister said in a written reply in the Lower House.
In September, 2019 Home Minister Amit Shah had said the mammoth nationwide exercise will be carried out in 16 languages.
The reference date for the census will be 1 March, 2021, but for snow-bound Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it will be 1 October, 2020.

Report on 'Road Accidents in India-2018'

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released the 'Road Accidents in India, 2018'.
It is an annual publication brought out by the Transport Research Wing of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways which reports on accidents, related deaths and injuries, calendar year-wise, based on information supplied by the Police Departments of States and UTs.
As per the Report, Road accidents in the country have increased marginally by 0.46 % during 2018 with the year seeing 4,67,044 road accidents as against 4,64,910 in 2017.
The fatalities during the same period have also risen by about 2.37% and 151471 persons were killed in 2018 as against 1,47,913 in 2017.
Road accident injuries have however showed a decrease of 0.33% in 2018 as compared to 2017.

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