General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2022

May 2022

Jun 09, 2023

PESB Picks Sanjay Swarup to be the Next CMD of CONCOR

Sanjay Swarup is set to be next Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), a PSU under the Ministry of Railways. Swarup was picked for the post by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) panel. Presently, he is serving as Director (International Marketing & Operations) in the same organisation.
Swarup was picked for the post of CMD of CONCOR from a list of eight candidates, who were interviewed by the PESB panel in its selection meeting. Out of eight candidates, six candidates were from CONCOR and one each from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Indian Railways Service of Electrical Engineering (IRSEE).
As Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of CONCOR, Swarup will be Chief Executive of the company. He will be accountable to the Board of Directors and Government. He will also be responsible for the efficient functioning of the corporation, and for achieving its corporate objectives and performance parameters.

Jun 08, 2023

Mansukh Mandaviya Releases Fifth State Food Safety Index

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya released the fifth State Food Safety Index in New Delhi. The Index is an annual assessment released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
In the index the Large State category was topped by Kerala followed by Punjab and Tamil Nadu, and Goa, Manipur, and Sikkim topped the index in the Small States category, respectively. Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, and Delhi got the awards in the Union Territories category.
Launched in 2018-19, the State Food Safety Index serves as a tool to propel States and Union Territories to enhance their performance and establish robust food safety ecosystems within their jurisdictions. The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States and UTs. It measures the performance of states on five significant parameters of Food Safety.
The parameters include Human Resources and Institutional Data, Compliance, Food Testing Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training and Capacity Building, and Consumer Empowerment. It aims to create a competitive and positive change in the food safety ecosystem. The index helps in providing safe and nutritious food to the citizens. Eat Right Challenge aims to promote and encourage healthy eating habits and enhancing the overall food safety and sustainability.

Vyapam Scam Whistleblower Anand Rai Joins BRS

Prominent social activist from Madhya Pradesh, Anand Rai, joined the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Anand Rai, who brought to light the Vyapam scam that created a sensation in Madhya Pradesh, joined the party in the presence of BRS national President and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragati Bhavan.
Rai is a popular RTI and tribal rights activist and enjoys good support from people.
Prominent tribal rights organisation Jai Adivasi Yuvashakti Sangathan (JAYS), which is fighting for the rights of tribals, declared its support for the BRS party.

Jun 07, 2023

Sachin Pilot Likely to Float Party on June 11

The compromise enforced by the Congress leadership in its Rajasthan unit appears to be falling apart as speculation is rife that Sachin Pilot is likely to walk out and announce a new party, 'Pragatisheel Congress', on June 11, the death anniversary of his father Rajesh Pilot.
The former Deputy CM is reportedly being helped with the groundwork for the formation of the new party by Prashant Kishor's IPAC. There is talk about Pilot joining hands with Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and AAP.

Jun 06, 2023

Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Concludes Successful Five Day Trade Mission to India

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) wrapped up its productive trade mission to India after a series of fruitful meetings and discussions with Indian business and industrial associations in New Delhi and Mumbai. Organized by the Sharjah Exports Development Centre, the trade mission aimed to explore potential investment advantages and lucrative opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties.
In New Delhi, the meetings took place alongside the "UAE-India Business Forum," a significant event hosted by the Chamber as part of the second leg of the trade mission. One of the key outcomes of these discussions was the shared interest in further solidifying ties, with the Indian side expressing its intention to organize a high-level trade delegation visit to Sharjah.
The business gatherings served as an effective platform to discuss potential investment advantages and trade opportunities across diverse economic sectors. Both sides expressed a strong desire to enhance cooperation and trade exchange, explore areas of joint work, exchange experiences, and learn from best practices. The meetings also aimed at developing the exports of commercial and industrial enterprises and introducing the private sector to rewarding opportunities in promising sectors.

G20 Health Working Group Meeting Held in Hyderabad

The third meeting of the G20 Health Working Group (HWG) concluded in Hyderabad on June 6. The third HWG meeting had a main event and also a side event, with a focus on collaboration on R&D in Medical Counter Measures (MCMs). Co-branded events with the Global Vaccine Research Collaborative and a Joint Finance Health Task Force meeting were also on the cards.
Apart from India, delegates from 19 G20 member states, 10 invited countries, and 22 international organisations participated in the third HWG meeting. The HWG proposed deliverables, including mapping of ongoing initiatives in health emergencies, prevention, preparedness and response, and the launch of a climate change and health hub to work on the interface of climate change and its impact on health.
During the HWG meetings held in Thiruvananthapuram and Goa in January and April this year (2023) respectively, the health priorities were introduced and discussed in detail.

Mekedatu Project: Karnataka Urges Tamil Nadu's Support for Balancing Reservoir

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar raised a pitch for the contentious Mekedatu Project balancing reservoir across Cauvery River near Kanakapura and appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to be generous.
The Mekedatu project aims to create a balancing reservoir on the Cauvery River in Karnataka. It involves the construction of a reservoir near the town of Kanakapura, which would help regulate water flow and provide drinking water to Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka. Additionally, the project intends to support agricultural activities in the Cauvery basin and ensure water availability for farmers in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Jun 05, 2023

StartUp20 Engagement Group Meet Ends

The StartUp20 Engagement Group meeting culminated in Goa with a call of action for G20 nations to invest USD one trillion for start-up ecosystems by 2030.
The two-day meeting ended on a positive note with all participating delegations agreeing on the policy communique drafted during the conference, Chintan Vaishnav, Chair of StartUp20 Engagement Group, said.
This was the third meeting of the engagement group, with the first two rounds taking place in Hyderabad in Telangana and Sikkim.
The five actions the participants agreed to were to create and adopt definition framework for start ups, to create a network institution to support start ups and start up ecosystem across G20 nations, to increase and diversify access to capital, to ease market access and to emphasise the inclusion of underrepresented communities, and to create ability to scale start ups of global interest.

Integrated Command and Control Centre Set up in Srinagar under Smart City Mission

A state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) was set up on the outskirts of Srinagar city under the Smart City Mission.
The Centre will act as the "brain and nerve" for all Smart City IT-related interventions. It will be responsible for GIS mapping and will have a digital address for all the properties in the City. The Centre is also tasked to lay a 175 km long fibre net for uninterrupted services to the locals.
The ICCC will also have a traffic management system, early warning system, location-based targetted surveillance and messaging service. The system will also provide a monitoring traffic system to keep a check on violations and also provide other traffic-related services. A portal, as well as an app, were set up that will serve as a platform for the people to avail of the services provided by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

India G20 - South Centre Event on International Taxation Concludes

Keeping in view the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India's G20 Presidency to attempt to voice the views of the Global South on important international issues, a two-day event on International Taxation was organised on June 1 to 2, 2023 at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), Nagpur in collaboration with South Centre, a Geneva-based intergovernmental policy research think-tank of 55 developing countries, including India.
The G20-South Centre Capacity Building Event on International Taxation titled 'Two Pillar Solution – Understanding the Implications for the Global South' comprised of two panel discussions on the Two-Pillar Solution and its alternatives. The discussions during the event focussed on the ramifications of the Two-Pillar Solution for the developing economies. The event also included a workshop on Tax Treaty Negotiations. This event is an initiative of the Indian Presidency to bolster capacity building for Indian tax officials of both senior and middle management levels in the area of International Taxation, with a global south perspective.
NADT, the apex training institute for the officers of the Indian Revenue Service, hosted the two day Indian G20 Presidency event. The event also included a cultural evening where the vibrant culture of the state of Maharashtra was showcased to the participants and concluded with an excursion for the foreign delegates to explore the rich heritage of Nagpur.

India-US to Deepen Cooperation in Top Defence Technologies

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin met in New Delhi and exchanged ideas on several issues of mutual interest. The two leaders highlighted the cooperation in specific niche technologies in maritime, military, and aerospace domains to boost capabilities.
The two also discussed the greater transfer of technology, to India from the US, co-production, and building indigenous capacities between the two nations in line with India's Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
Another point of discussion between them was ensuring that countries in different regions - Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia and Indo-Pacific retain their freedom of action in line with their national priorities and are not coerced into poor choices.
The US defence secretary also held wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

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