General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2022

May 2022

Jul 03, 2023

Ajit Pawar Joins Eknath Shinde Govt, Takes Oath as Maharashtra Deputy CM

In what is seen as a massive political development ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister in the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. Pawar, who will now share the deputy CM post with Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis, took the oath at the Raj Bhavan along with several of his NCP colleagues including senior politician Chhagan Bhujbal.
Ajit Pawar's sudden oath-taking ceremony came hours after he met some of his party leaders at his official residence in Mumbai. Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and party's working president Supriya Sule were among the leaders who were present at the meeting held at Ajit Pawar's official residence 'Devgiri', while state party president Jayant Patil was not present. Some NCP MLAs were also present in the meeting.

Startup20 Shikhar summit under India's G20 presidency begins in Gurugram, Haryana

The Startup20 Shikhar summit under India's G20 presidency began in Gurugram, Haryana today. The Startup20 Engagement Group is hosting the two day Startup20 Shikhar summit. Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash said, education and awareness play a vital role in nurturing a culturally sensitive startup ecosystem. He said, India's recent climb on the global innovation index can be largely attributed to the dynamic startup ecosystem. Mr Prakash said, startup-20 strives to create a conducive business environment across G20 nations and assist sach talents from diverse background to commercialize, scale up and innovation further.
On the occasion, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said, in India, the total investment in start-ups has gone up to 19 times. He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the startup movement in 2016. Mr Kant said the number of start-up has increased to 100 thousand from just one hundred startups. He said there is no shortage of funds for good startups with strong business models.

Parliamentary Standing Committee to hold meeting on Uniform Civil Code to seek views of stakeholders

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice will hold a meeting on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) today.
Committee head and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi informed that the panel will seek the views of the stakeholders on the matter. He added the meeting of the Committee is non-political as the panel has members from all political parties. The UCC proposes to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation. Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures.

Jul 02, 2023

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi Backtracks on Dismissal of Senthilbalaji from Cabinet

In an unprecedented move, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, unilaterally dismissed with immediate effect arrested Minister V. Senthilbalaji from the Council of Ministers, only to hurriedly backtrack on his decision late in the night.
Mr. Ravi had communicated that his order dismissing Senthilbalaji was put on hold with immediate effect.
Senthilbalaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money laundering case on June 14.

Jul 01, 2023

India, Israel to Boost ties in Agriculture

India and Israel are forging a robust partnership in the field of agriculture, focusing on advanced technological solutions. Through collaborative efforts, both countries aim to enhance agricultural productivity, conserve water resources and promote sustainable farming practices to convert 150 villages into model villages through Israeli technical support on key agri-technologies.
Israeli institutions and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are collaborating to advance agricultural technology.
Focus areas include water reuse, fertigation, drip irrigation, soil management, desalination, and advanced filtration.
Cooperation extends to areas like soilless agriculture, rainwater collection and treatment systems, and water security technologies.

India to Organise 3-Day Global Conference on Green Hydrogen

The central government will organise a three-day international conference on green hydrogen in the national capital on July 5-7.
The event to be held at Vigyan Bhawan, will bring together the global scientific and industrial community to discuss recent advances and emerging technologies in the entire green hydrogen value chain.
The conference will enable the sector stakeholders to explore the evolving green hydrogen landscape and innovation-driven solutions in the sector.
Apart from domain-specific research interactions on hydrogen production, storage, distribution and downstream applications, the conference will also discuss green financing, human resource up skilling and start-up initiatives.

Jun 30, 2023

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi Unveils List of Critical Minerals for India

Union Minister of Mines, Pralhad Joshi, unveiled India's first-ever report on Critical Minerals for India. The report identified 30 critical minerals essential for sectors including defence, agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals and telecom. This comprehensive list marked a milestone in India's pursuit of self-reliance and security in mineral resources, aligning with the vision of achieving 'Net Zero' targets. Joshi highlighted the country's inclusion as the newest partner in the Mineral Security Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States. The list aims to guide policy formulation, strategic planning, and investment decisions in the mining sector.

Jun 29, 2023

Centre Approves Ratification of Headquarters Agreement with CDRI

The Union Cabinet approved the ratification of the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of India and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
The CDRI was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the United Nations climate action summit on September 23, 2019 in New York.
It is a major global initiative launched by the government and is seen as India's attempt to obtain a global leadership role in climate change and disaster resilience matters.
Ratification of the Headquarters Agreement will facilitate grant of exemptions, immunities and privileges as contemplated under Section-3 of the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947 and will provide CDRI an independent and international legal persona so that it can carry out its functions internationally, more efficiently.
The CDRI is a global partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, academic and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.
Since its launch, 31 countries, six international organisations and two private sector organisations have become members of the CDRI. The CDRI has been expanding its membership consistently by attracting a wide variety of economically advanced countries, developing countries, and countries that are most vulnerable to climate change and disasters.

Sarbananda Sonowal Launches New CSR Guidelines 'Sagar Samajik Sahayog'

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, unveiled the new guidelines for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) called 'Sagar Samajik Sahayog' by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. The guidelines aim to empower ports to address local community issues more efficiently and collaboratively. The launch event was attended by Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, and Union Minister of State of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shripad Yesso Naik.
The revised CSR guidelines enable ports to initiate, implement, and accelerate projects for the welfare of local communities. The framework encourages local communities to actively participate as partners in the development and positive transformation of their regions. The Minister highlighted the potential of CSR as a catalyst for change and progress, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of empowering institutions and communities for a self-reliant India.
The new CSR guidelines primarily impact projects and programs related to activities specified in Section 70 of the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021.

Singh Deo Named Chhattisgarh Dy CM

Ahead of the Chhattisgarh elections later this year, the Congress named T. S. Singh Deo, state's Health Minister, as Deputy CM in a bid to address the raging factional war in the ranks.
The decision was taken by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to set the Chhattisgarh house in order and unite the cadres. Singh Deo had long been upset over being denied CM's post on rotation with incumbent Bhupesh Baghel, which party sources say was an understanding reached with the top brass when the Congress won the polls in 2018.
Singh Deo's appointment came after a meeting of Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with senior Chhattisgarh leaders, including CM Baghel and AICC general secretary in-charge Kumari Selja.

Maharashtra Cabinet Approves Renaming of 2 key Sea Links after Savarkar, Vajpayee

The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the renaming of two significant infrastructure projects. The Versova-Bandra Sea Link will now be named after Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, while the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will be renamed after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Smruti Shivdi Nhava Sheva Atal Setu'.
Rhe Versova-Bandra Sea Link would be known 'Veer Savarkar Setu'.

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