General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2022

May 2022

Jul 04, 2024

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj Gets Appointed to New Delhi Municipal Council

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the appointment of Lok Sabha MP Bansuri Swaraj as a member of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj, currently represents the New Delhi constituency in the Lok Sabha.
This appointment follows Bansuri Swaraj's electoral debut from the New Delhi seat, succeeding Meenakshi Lekhi, who held the position for the past decade.
A member of the NDMC plays a significant role in the governance and administration of the New Delhi municipal area. The NDMC members contribute to the formulation and implementation of policies related to urban planning, including land use, zoning regulations, and infrastructure development.

Dr. Gangadhar Appointed NMC Chairperson

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet appointed officiating chairperson Dr. B. N. Gangadhar as the head of the National Medical Commission (NMC) while appointing Dr. Sanjay Behari as president of Medical Assessment and Rating Board.
Dr. Gangadhar, former director of NIMHANS, was also the president of the autonomous Medical Assessment and Rating Board.

Government of India and ADB Sign $170 Million Loan to Strengthen Pandemic Preparedness and Response

India signed a $170 million policy-based loan with the Asian Development Bank to enhance the country's health system preparedness for pandemics.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the loan will help to consolidate and strengthen India's health system preparedness and response capacity to future pandemics.
The loan agreement 'Strengthened and Measurable Actions for Resilient and Transformative Health Systems Programme (Subprogramme 1)' was signed by Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission for ADB.

Jul 03, 2024

Rajinder Khanna Additional NSA, T. V. Ravichandran Appointed Deputy

Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) Rajinder Khanna, a former chief of India's external intelligence agency R&AW, was promoted as Additional NSA while T. V. Ravichandran, a 1990-batch IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, was made Deputy NSA in the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
Khanna, a 1978-batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre, served as the R&AW chief from December 2014 to December 2016. He has also led the R&AW operations desk and is known to be an expert on Pakistan and terrorism. He was appointed Deputy NSA (T&I) in January 2018. As in most other appointments, this signalled continuity in the NSCS too.
According to an order issued by the NSCS, Ravichandran is currently Special Director, Intelligence Bureau, and was appointed Deputy NSA for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge, which would initially be up to his date of superannuation, i.e. August 31, 2024. Afterwards, Ravichandran would be re-employed on contractual basis.

First-ever India-Belarus Consular Dialogue Held in Minsk

A wide gamut of consular issues ranging from welfare of the Indian students in Belarus to enhancing tourism between the two countries was discussed during the first-ever India-Belarus Consular Dialogue in Minsk, Belarus.
The Indian delegation was led by Aman Puri, Joint Secretary (Consular, Passport & Visa), while the Belarusian delegation was led by Andrei Kozhan, Head of General Directorate for Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.
The visiting Indian delegation also met with senior officials of the Belarusian Ministry of Sports and Tourism as well as representatives of the Indian student community in Belarus.
The two sides agreed to follow up on the decisions of the Dialogue and review them at the next edition of the India-Belarus Consular Dialogue which will be held in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date.

Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy Launches NIRMAN Portal

Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy launched a portal 'Noble Initiative for Rewarding Mains Aspirants of National Civil Services Examination (NIRMAN)' in New Delhi. In alignment with the vision 'Mission Karmayogi' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this is a unique CSR scheme by Coal India Limited for meritorious youth of its operating districts who have qualified the Preliminary round of UPSC examination (for Civil Services & Forest Service) in 2024. Secretary, Ministry of Coal Amrit Lal Meena, other senior officers of the Coal Ministry and CMDs of Coal Companies were present on the occasion.
The scheme is aimed towards providing support of Rs. 1,00,000 to the Preliminary examination qualified candidates with annual family income less than 8 lakh and belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, female or third gender; who are permanent residents of any of the 39 operational districts of CIL.

Jul 02, 2024

Sujata Saunik Becomes First Woman Chief Secretary of Maharashtra

Sujata Saunik, a 1987 batch IAS officer, became the first female Chief Secretary of Maharashtra when she took over from retiring Chief Secretary Nitin Kareer. Incidentally, Kareer had taken the charge of this post from Saunik's husband Manoj Saunik.
Earlier, Sujata Saunik worked as additional chief secretary in the Home Department and General Administration Department, Government of Maharashtra. She is the 45th Chief Secretary of Maharashtra since 1960, when the state came into being.

Jun 30, 2024

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Successfully Concluded "One Week, One Theme" Ca...

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) successfully concluded the "One Week, One Theme" campaign, which focused on the pivotal theme of Energy and Energy Devices (EED) at IIP Dedradun.
Following the success of the 'One Week One Lab' (OWOL) program conducted by all CSIR laboratories in 2023, Jitendra Singh, Hon'ble Minister (S&T), proposed the observance of the 'One Week One Theme' event in 2024. The OWOT event aimed to showcase innovative approaches and technological advancements developed by CSIR laboratories focused on each of the eight themes of CSIR. Each Theme's road map and activities focused on substantial contributions toward public, private, strategic, and societal benefits.

World Bank Lends $1.5 Billion Push to Power Green Hydrogen Market

The World Bank approved a $1.5 billion loan to help India accelerate low-carbon energy development by promoting a market for green hydrogen as well as electrolysers and renewable energy penetration.
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved $1.5 billion in financing to help India accelerate the development of low-carbon energy. The operation will seek to promote the development of a vibrant market for green hydrogen, continue to scale up renewable energy, and stimulate finance for low-carbon energy investments.
India is the fastest-growing large economy in the world, and the economy is expected to continue to expand at a rapid pace. Decoupling economic growth from emissions growth will require scaling up renewable energy, especially in hard-to-abate industrial sectors. This, in turn, will require an expansion of green hydrogen production and consumption as well as a faster development of climate finance to boost the mobilization of finance for low-carbon investments.

After 2 Decades, Odisha Gets a Chief Secretary from Outside the State

The new BJP government in Odisha appointed 1990-batch cadre officer Manoj Ahuja as the new Chief Secretary after the retirement of incumbent Pradeep Kumar Jena. He was also appointed as secretary of the general administration department.
Haryana native Ahuja, who was on central deputation since 2017, was repatriated to the parent cadre, Odisha, on the request of the state government. Ahuja is first person from outside Odisha to serve as the top administrator of the state in two decades.
Ahuja, who has vast administrative experience, was last posted as the Union agriculture secretary. He had earlier served in key positions like special director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Admin (LBSNAA) and chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Jun 29, 2024

India Contributes USD 1.169 Mn to Continue Promotion of Hindi at UN

The Government of India made a whopping contribution of USD 1,169,746 for 'Hindi @ UN' project to expand the use of Hindi in the United Nations. The Government of India has been making continuous efforts to expand the use of Hindi in the United Nations.
As part of these efforts, 'Hindi @ UN' project, in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information, was launched in 2018 with an objective to enhance the public outreach of the United Nations in Hindi language, and to spread greater awareness about global issues among millions of Hindi-speaking people around the world, read a press release from India's Permanent Mission to UN, New York.

Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Walks Out of Jail after Getting Bail

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren was released from jail after he was granted bail by the High Court in a money laundering case linked to a land scam.
Soren was granted bail in the case by the court two weeks after the court had reserved its order on the plea.
A single bench of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay granted bail to Soren on a Rs. 50,000 bail bond and two sureties of the same amount.
Soren, the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 31 in connection with its investigation into the money laundering case. He was lodged in Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi since then.

Vikram Misri India's New Foreign Secretary

Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri was appointed the next foreign secretary, according to an official notification. The 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service officer will take charge on July 15, a day after the incumbent Vinay Kwatra's tenure ends.
Misri was India's ambassador to China between 2019 and 2021 and is known to have a good network in the Chinese establishment. He is believed to have played a key role in the talks with China after tensions flared following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020.
He was private secretary to three Prime Ministers — Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi. On January 1, 2022, he succeeded Pankaj Saran as Deputy NSA in the National Security Council Secretariat.

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