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NATIONAL AFFAIRS - January 2020

Jan 2020

Nov 18, 2021

Congress Appoints New Secretary for Himachal, Chief of Punjab Women's Unit

The Congress appointed Bodhraj Bhardwaj as secretary of the party's Himachal Pradesh unit and Balbir Sodhi as president of Punjab Pradesh Mahila Congress.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also approved a proposal for appointing Perpeet Brar, Shahnaz Yasmin Haque and Pratima Singh as general secretaries and Sai Anamika Jha, Sashmita Behera, Shamima Raina, Priyanka Singh and Jansirani M as secretaries of the All India Mahila Congress.

Central Bureau of Investigation Gets 3 New Joint Directors

Senior IPS officers Vidya Jayant Kulkarni, Ghanshyam Upadhyay and Nawal Bajaj were appointed as Joint Directors in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Kulkarni, a 1998-batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed for a period of five years on a deputation basis.
Upadhyay, a 1999-batch IPS officer of Odisha cadre, would have his tenure till June 29, 2026.
Bajaj, who is from a 1995 batch and belongs to the Maharashtra cadre, will have a combined tenure of five years, i.e. up to June 6, 2026.

Indian Railways Gets First Pod Hotel at Mumbai Central Station

Passengers of Indian Railways and even common people can now avail of modern resting facilities at comparatively cheaper rates thanks to the first-of-its-kind pod hotel which has come up at the Mumbai Central station.
According to a senior Western Railway (WR) official, one has to pay Rs. 999 for 12 hours and Rs. 1,999 for 24 hours for staying in this pod hotel where facilities like WiFi, TV, a small locker, adjustable mirror, and reading lights etc. will be provided.
A pod hotel has several small bed-sized capsules and provides affordable overnight accommodation.

Nov 17, 2021

AIMIM to Make Foray into Rajasthan

The All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is set to make its political debut in Rajasthan.
It will be launching its state unit within the next two months. It is set to contest the 2023 Assembly election as the third political front in a possible alliance with regional parties.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who visited Jaipur to analyse the political situation in the state, said that the party would focus on Muslims and Dalits in an attempt to evolve an independent and credible leadership for them. The party would shortly establish its organisation and appoint office-bearers at various levels.

Ahead of Himachal Assembly Polls, BJP May Carve more Districts out of Kangra

As per reports, the BJP facing anti-incumbency in Kangra, the largest district of Himachal Pradesh in terms of population having 15 Assembly segments, the ruling party may carve out new districts out of it. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur gave an indication to this affect.
This is not for the first time that the BJP is contemplating creation of new districts. During the tenure of then CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, the party had posted ADCs in Palampur, Nurpur and Dehra as an indication of creating new districts.

AAP Begins Expanding Itself in Several States to be a National Party before 2024 General Election

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has begun moves to expand itself in several states so as to get status as a national political party before the 2024 general election.
The party wants to register its presence electorally across states, and in the immediate context other than the National Capital Territory of Delhi where it is in power, it has focused on Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa where Assembly elections will be held in February-March, 2022.
The party has started preparations in earnest for the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which will be held in the latter half of the next year.
The party has started working in Haryana,Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

Nov 16, 2021

UN Secretary General Guterres Appoints Shombi Sharp as UN Resident Coordinator in India

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Shombi Sharp of the United States as the UN Resident Coordinator in India.
Sharp has devoted more than 25 years of his career to promoting inclusive and sustainable development internationally, bringing experience he has acquired at the United Nations and externally to this new position.
Within the world organisation, he most recently served as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Armenia.
Sharp has held several leadership positions at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Kaiser-i-Hind: Arunachal's State Butterfly

State Cabinet of Arunachal Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, approved "Kaiser-i-Hind" as state butterfly.
Kaiser-i-Hind' is a large and brightly coloured butterfly.
It is an elusive swallowtail butterfly, which carries 'India' in its name.
It is found in China and now it has been approved as the State butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh.
Kaiser-i-Hind is scientifically known as Teinopalpus imperialis. In literal terms, it means Emperor of India.
It is found across six States along Eastern Himalayas at the elevations from 6,000-10,000 feet in a well-wooded terrain. They also flutter in Bhutan, Nepal, Laos, Myanmar, southern China and Vietnam.

Nov 15, 2021

Tenure of ED, CBI Chiefs Extended

Days before the winter session of Parliament, the government passed two Ordinances extending the tenures of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) chiefs to up to five years.
The chiefs of the central agencies currently have a two-year tenure. The Ordinance is clearly aimed to ensure the continuance of current ED chief S. K. Mishra, who is already on an extension, having reached 60 in 2020. His term would have come to an end on November 17.
Both Ordinances have been signed by President Ram Nath Kovind.
The chiefs of the top agencies can be given extensions, according to the Ordinances, every year for up to three years after they complete the two-year term.

West Bengal to Get Seven New Integrated Check Post

The government of India has decided to establish seven new Integrated Check Post (ICP) in West to ensure better connectivity and security.
This decision comes after a high-level meeting that was held in Kolkata between the Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and other senior officials of the West Bengal government. The meeting was convened to discuss pending land acquisition cases for construction of border fence and road projects, Border Out Posts and Integrated Check Posts.
Of these seven ICPs, five will be established on the Indo-Bangladesh border and one each on the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan border by the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI).

Mahua Moitra Appointed TMC's Goa Unit in-charge ahead of Assembly Polls

The TMC, which is looking to expand its footprints nationally, appointed firebrand Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra as the state in-charge of the party's Goa unit, months ahead of the assembly polls there.
The party had earlier nominated former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro for bypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat in West Bengal.

Nov 14, 2021

Former Goa CM Luizinho Faleiro Nominated to Rajya Saba by TMC

Former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro, who joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in September, will be the party's nominee in the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-poll in West Bengal.
TMC, the second-largest opposition party in Parliament, will have no problem getting Faleiro elected in the Upper House as it has an absolute majority in the West Bengal assembly.
The vacancy in the Rajya Sabha has arrived after the resignation of Arpita Ghosh in September. Ghosh resigned just days before Faleiro joined the TMC.
Former Goa CM Faleiro is considered to be a prized asset for the TMC that wants to contest Goa assembly elections in February 2022 as part of its plan to expand beyond West Bengal to consolidate its position as a major player in national politics.

Jyotiraditya Scindia Launches Online e-GCA Platform

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched an online platform called e-GCA (e-Governance for Civil Aviation). It is an online platform through which the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will offer its 298 services including pilot licensing. During the launch of eGCA, Scindia also unveiled a case study 'DGCA take off on a digital flight' which showcases the journey and challenges of DGCA for the implementation of e-GCA.
e-GCA (e-Governance for Civil Aviation) is an e-governance platform that has been implemented by the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for rendering 298 services including pilot licensing and medical examination.
e-GCA is a portal for the dissemination of information and providing online, speedy service delivery in a secure environment. It offers an end-to-end solution including several software applications, connectivity with all the regional offices. It aims at enhancing the efficiency of the various services of DGCA and increasing accountability and transparency across all DGCA functions.
The online platform e-GCA has been developed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as Service Provider and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as Project Management Consultant.
"Through this transformation (DGCA to e-GCA), we have achieved a number of objectives of becoming a single window online service platform", said Scindia.

Govt. Eases Claim Settlement Process under Investor IEPFA

The government has simplified the claim settlement process under the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA), including allowing self-attestation of documents instead of the current requirement of notarisation. IEPFA, which comes under the administrative control of the corporate affairs ministry, has been set up for administration of investor funds under the companies law. The authority has the mandate to promote investor education and protection, refund unclaimed shares, dividends and other amounts that have been transferred to it to the rightful claimants.

Punjab Assembly Polls: Aam Aadmi Party Announces First List of Candidates

The Aam Aadmi Party announced its first list of 10 candidates for the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.
All of the 10 candidates are sitting MLAs.
Senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, has been given ticket from Dirba seat, while Aman Arora will contest from Sunam assembly constituency.
Saravjit Kaur Manuke will contest from Jagraon seat and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo.
Jai Kishan Roudi has been given ticket from Garhshankar seat, Manjit Bilaspur from Nihal Singh Wala, Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, Budhram from Budhlada, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Barnala, and Kulwant Pandori from Mehal Kalan.

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