General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2022

May 2022

Mar 27, 2024

Climate Activist Sonam Wangchuk Ends His Fast in Leh

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended the 21 days hunger strike he was leading for the statehood of Ladakh and the protection of the fragile Himalayan ecology. Wangchuk, however, stressed that it was the end of his hunger strike and not the movement as women protesters would go on the 'climate fast' from tomorrow.
Wangchuk ended his hunger strike hours after he made a fresh appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil promises made to the people.

Abhay Thakur India's New Ambassador to Myanmar

Senior diplomat Abhay Thakur, who is at present an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of External Affairs, was appointed as the country's next ambassador to Myanmar.
The 1992-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) had served as sous-sherpa of the G20 process during India's presidency of the influential bloc.
Thakur's appointment as India's ambassador to the conflict-torn nation comes at a crucial juncture.
Myanmar has been witnessing widespread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021.

Election Commission's Saksham App Revolutionises Voting Accessibility

In a determined effort to ensure accessibility and inclusivity in the electoral process, the Election Commission introduced the Saksham App. This initiative aims to address the needs of voters above 85 years of age and Persons-with-Disabilities (PWDs) with a 40 per cent benchmark disability, allowing them to cast their votes from the comfort of their homes.

Mar 26, 2024

G. Janardhana Reddy Rejoins BJP

Former Karnataka Minister and mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy rejoined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
The Gangavati MLA, who is an accused in an illegal mining case, had formed the 'Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha' (KRPP) ahead of the state assembly polls last year (2023), snapping his two-decade-old association with the BJP.
Reddy merged his KRPP with the BJP as he, along with wife Aruna Lakshmi and some family members, joined the party in the presence of its veteran leader and former Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa, state President B. Y. Vijayendra, and others.

Mar 22, 2024

India Launches 'Operation Indravati' to Evacuate Nationals from Haiti to Dominican Republic

India launched 'Operation Indravati' to evacuate its nationals from Haiti to the Dominican Republic, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated.
Amid violence and looting in the impoverished Caribbean nation, a control room and an emergency helpline number were opened to evacuate distressed Indian nationals from Haiti.
Haiti has been under a state of emergency after some armed groups attacked the country's largest prison in Port-au-Prince, killing and injuring police and prison staff and enabling some 3,500 inmates to escape.
The armed groups now control 80 per cent of Haiti's capital, according to United Nations estimates, while continuing to fight for the rest. While Henry was out of the country, gangs laid siege to the country's main airport to prevent his return.

Fourth Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Start-up Forum in New Delhi

The fourth edition of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Start-up Forum, organised in New Delhi, focused on building partnerships among SCO Member States to further strengthen the start-up ecosystem in the region.
The forum witnessed the participation of high-level officials from government, industry, and academia. The event, aimed at promoting innovation, creating job opportunities, and inspiring young talent, brought together over 15 SCO start-ups showcasing their products and services at a showcase window.
The forum also provided an opportunity for the participants to attend a workshop on 'Establishing a Seed Fund: A Strategic Approach to Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship'. The workshop, led by Start-up India, provided an interactive session on various models of setting up seed funds to support early-stage start-ups.

ED Arrests Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal after 10th Summon

Arvind Kejriwal, whose campaign against corruption in 2011 birthed the Aam Aadmi Party and paved the way for his ascension as Delhi's Chief Minister, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
He became the first serving Chief Minister to be arrested, after months of skipping summons by the investigation agency – nine in total – and calling them illegal.
His arrest came hours after the Delhi High Court declined to grant Kejriwal interim protection from coercive action by the ED.
The case pertains to alleged kickbacks received by the AAP and its leaders in implementation of the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy.

Mar 21, 2024

CPM's Jitendra Chaudhary Sworn in as Tripura's New Leader of Opposition

Tripura CPM secretary Jitendra Chaudhary was sworn in as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, weeks after the TIPRA Motha, which used to be the principal Opposition party, switched sides to join the BJP-led government.
The CPM, which has 10 MLAs, is now the principal Opposition in the 60-member Assembly.
Chaudhary served as a minister in the Left Front government under Manik Sarkar till 2013 and as a Lok Sabha MP till 2018.

President Accepts Paras' Resignation, Gives Kiren Rijiju Additional Charge

President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Union Food Processing Industries Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras. Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
Paras resigned as he accused the BJP of doing injustice with his Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) by excluding it from the seat-sharing deal with allies for the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar.

Ex-Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu Joins BJP

Former Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu joined the BJP, amid a possibility that he may be fielded in the Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar in Punjab.
He joined the party in the presence of its general secretaries Tarun Chugh and Vinod Tawde, who highlighted Sandhu's distinguished family lineage. His father Bishan Singh Samundri was a well-known educationist and founding vice-chancellor of the Guru Nanak Dev University.

Mar 20, 2024

Vinay Kumar New Indian Ambassador to Russia

Vinay Kumar, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1992 batch, was named as the next Ambassador of India to Russia.
Russia has been a longstanding partner of India, with diplomatic ties between the two countries forming a cornerstone of India's foreign policy. Kumar replaced Pavan Kapoor, who was appointed as the new Secretary (West) in the MEA, as India's envoy in Moscow.
An IIT-Kharagpur graduate, Kumar joined the IFS in 1992. He has served as India's Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2018-2020. Kumar has also worked as a Joint Secretary (South) in the MEA and served in India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Jharkhand Governor Gets Additional Charge as Telangana Governor

President Droupadi Murmu gave Jharkhand Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry after accepting the resignation of Tamilisai Soundararajan who had stepped down from these posts.
C. P. Radhakrishnan is the 10th Governor of Jharkhand since 2023.

Election Commission Launches 'Mission 414' Campaign in Himachal Pradesh to Boost Voter Turnout

The Election Commission launched a special campaign 'Mission 414' in Himachal Pradesh to boost voter turnout in 414 polling stations with less than 60% voting during the last Lok Sabha polls.
Increasing Voter Turnout:
Conducting awareness campaigns and cultural events
Designating identified stations as model polling stations.
Involving booth youth icons and distributing special invitation cards to prospective voters.
Awareness campaigns and cultural events would be held besides making these 414 stations model polling stations. Booth youth icons from first time voters would be roped in and special invitation cards made by children would be given to prospective voters.

SC Orders ECI to Recognise 'Trumpet' As NCP Symbol

In a big win for the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction, the Supreme Court has directed Election Commission of India and State Election Commission to recognise 'Trumpte' as the official symbol of the NCP-Sharad Pawar. The Supreme Court also ordered the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP to issue public notice saying NCP's origianl 'clock' symbol is sub-judice and its use is subject to adjudication. The top court also directed the Ajit Pawar faction to make declaration about 'clock' poll symbol being sub-judice in all poll-related advertisements.
The Supreme Court also directed the Election Commission to not allot 'man blowing turha/trumpet' symbol to others for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls while ordering the ECI to recognise 'man blowing turha' as symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar for polls.

Assam Legislative Assembly Organises NeVA in Guwahati

Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in collaboration with the Assam Legislative Assembly organised National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in Guwahati for a paperless legislative process and enhanced connectivity with all the Government departments of Assam.
The NeVA implementation will revolutionise the operational dynamics of the Assam Legislative Assembly by facilitating the electronic laying of all paperless on the House, fostering seamless e-connectivity with government departments and advancing the Go Green initiative of the Union Government.
This endeavour is expected to yield significant environmental benefits as it will save thousands tonnes of paper.

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