Committees & Government Bodies: Point-Wise Current-Affairs/GS Articles 2020 (Including PIB)- Download PDF

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Mar 23, 2021
1 Changes in J&K (DTE 16 to 30 November 2020) [ Science/Technology, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies, Down-to-Earth ]
Changes in J&K
DDCs
- District Development Councils (ddcs) —district-level self-governing bodies
- Union government amended the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, and the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996, to create DDC
- Every district in Jammu and Kashmir will be
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Mar 10, 2021
1 Lok Sabha Passes Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Lok Sabha Passes Major Port Authorities Bill 2020
- The Lok Sabha passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020.
- The bill seeks to reorient the governance model in central ports to landlord model, whereby port infrastructure is leased to private operators.
- The bill aims at decent
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2 DNA Technology Regulation Bill [ Science/Technology, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
DNA Technology Regulation Bill
- The DNA Technology Regulation Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in July 2019.
- The bill was then referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
- Recently, the committee in a draft report pointed out some provisions i
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3 Parliament Passes Bill to Give Statutory Status to Aviation Regulators [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Parliament Passes Bill to Give Statutory Status to Aviation Regulators
- Parliament passed a bill which seeks to improve India’s safety ratings.
- It also seeks to provide statutory status to regulatory institutions, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
- The
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4 RBI Issues Draft on Rupee Interest Rate Derivative [ Economy, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
RBI Issues Draft on Rupee Interest Rate Derivative
- The RBI has proposed allowing Foreign portfolio Investors (FPI) to undertake exchange traded rupee interest rate derivatives transactions.
- These transactions are subject to an overall ceiling of Rs. 5,000 crore.
- Interest rate
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5 Rajya Sabha Passed Banking Regulation Amendment Bill, 2020 [ Economy, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Banking Regulation Amendment Bill 2020
- Recently, Rajya Sabha passed Banking Regulation Amendment Bill, 2020 to bring cooperative banks under RBI supervision.
- The central government amended the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 in the wake of deteriorating condition of cooperative ba
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6 Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill 2020 [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill 2020
- The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 amends the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
- The Act regulates the acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution by individuals, associations, and comp
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7 Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 [ Govt. Schemes/Projects, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020
- The Union Cabinet has approved the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 to be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament.
- The Bill will include Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi as official languages in the newly created Uni
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8 Factoring Regulation Amendment Bill 2020 [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Factoring Regulation Amendment Bill 2020
- The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on September 14,2020.
- The Bill seeks to amend the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011.
- It aims to widen the scope of entities which can engage in factoring business.
Factoring Regulation Act, 2011
- Acco
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Mar 10, 2021
1 National Commission Allied and Healthcare Professionals Bill 2020 [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
National Commission Allied and Healthcare Professionals Bill 2020
- The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on September 15,2020.
- The Bill seeks to regulate and standardize the education and practice of allied and hea
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2 Draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2020
- The Union and State governments function in the federal framework enshrined in Indian constitution.
- The electricity is in the concurrent list.
- Historically, states have played a dominant role in electrification.
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3 Code Social Security 2020 [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Code Social Security 2020
The Code on Social Security received Presidential assent recently.
It subsumes nine regulations relating to social security, retirement, and employee benefits, such as
- The Employees Compensation Act, 1923
- The Employees State Insurance Act, 1948
- The Emp
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4 Farmers Empowerment and Protection Agreement Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020 [ Agriculture/Agro Industries, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Farmers Empowerment and Protection Agreement Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020
- The government has undertaken landmark agricultural reforms, freeing the farmers from restrictions on sale of their produce and ending the monopoly of traders.
- The Bill frees the farmers to
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5 Draft Transgender Persons Protection Rights Rules [ Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Draft Transgender Persons Protection Rights Rules
- Recently, the Central government put to an end the requirement of a medical examination for trans persons applying for a certificate of identity in its latest draft rules framed under Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Ac
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6 RBI Releases Framework for New Umbrella Entity for Retail Payments [ Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
RBI Releases Framework for New Umbrella Entity for Retail Payments
The Reserve Bank of India released the final framework for authorization of anew umbrella entity (NUE) for retail payments.
The guidelines demand that applicants have at least
- Three years of experience in the pa
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7 Positivity Rate and EIA Notification 2020 (DTE 15-31 September 2020) [ Environment/Ecology, Committees/Govt. Bodies, Down-to-Earth ]
Positivity Rate
- A low positivity rate means that testing levels are sufficient for the scale of the epidemic and surveillance is penetrating the community enough to detect resurgence. A high positivity rate indicates that testing is limited to people with high suspicion and may
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Jan 21, 2021
1 Pesticide Management Bill 2020 [ Agriculture/Agro Industries, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies, Down-to-Earth ]
Pesticide Management Bill 2020
- The proposed Pesticides Management Bill, 2020 aims to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968.
- The legislation is riddled with lacunae and requires in-depth deliberations by a Select Committee of Parliament before it can come into effect.
- Bharat Krish
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2 Online Policy Roundtable on Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture [ Economy, Agriculture/Agro Industries, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Online Policy Roundtable on Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture
- Recently, during an online policy roundtable NASSCOM interacted with the industry.
- The roundtable discussed NITI Aayog’s draft discussion paper on Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA).
- The
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3 Ministry of Defense Sets New Rules for Land Transfer [ Economy, Defense, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Ministry of Defense Sets New Rules for Land Transfer
- The Ministry of Defense recently approved the land transfer rules.
- Under the new rules the armed forces can receive infrastructure equivalent in value to the land under their control.
- The land is to be used for public utilit
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Dec 4, 2020
1 Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020
- Recently the central government has introduced the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 to amend various provisions in the Electricity Act 2003.
- The bill addresses the critical issues weakening the commercial and investment activities in the elec
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Oct 18, 2020
1 INAE Invites Nomination for INAE Young Entrepreneur Award 2020 [ Awards, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
INAE Invites Nomination for INAE Young Entrepreneur Award 2020
- The INAE young Entrepreneur award is instituted to recognize and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation among young engineers.
- The award is preferentially given to innovations/inventions/concepts what have been a
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Sep 3, 2020
1 Centre Wants to Ban a Host of Pesticides [ Committees/Govt. Bodies, Down-to-Earth ]
Centre Wants to Ban a Host of Pesticides
- Agricultural Ministry issued a draft notification to ban the chemicals.
- These chemicals have been found to be harmful for humans and animals.
- In the notification, all stakeholders can submit suggestions and objections till June 27.
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Aug 22, 2020
1 Gender Rights: Reflection, Commitment and Action [ Economy, Committees/Govt. Bodies, Yojana ]
- India has ratified various international treaties and human rights conventions to secure gender equality.
- The principles of the Constitution enshrined in the Preamble guarantees:
  - Social equality
  - Social justice
  - Promotes the dignity of the women
- Fundamental rights laid down i
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Jul 7, 2020
1 Lalit Kala Academy Awards [ Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Lalit Kala Academy Awards
- 61^st annual Lalit Kala Academy Awards conferred on March 4,2020.
- This year 15 meritorious artists were honored by the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
- Lalit Kala academy awards are conferred to give recognition to people who have done tremendous work
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Jun 11, 2020
1 Nanavati Commission and the Findings on 2002 Godhra Train Carnage (Important) [ Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
The final report of retired Justice G T Nanavati and AH Mehta Commission was tabled in December 2019 in Gujarat Legislative assembly. The commission was formed to probe the 2002 Godhra train carnage and the riots that followed. The first report of the commission was submitted in
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May 18, 2020
1 Uighurs in China: Atrocities and Details [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
A Turkic minority ethnic group. One of the 56 recognized ethnic groups in China. Mostly Muslims. Recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China.
- Uyghur is an official language of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region formerly known a
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Apr 30, 2020
1 The Union: Privilege Motion [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Breach of privilege motion was moved against PM and Defence Minister. Misleading of the Parliament on the Rafale fighter jet deal issue. The members of Parliament, individually and collectively can enjoy certain rights and immunities.
- Enables them to effectively discharge their
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Apr 29, 2020
1 Lateral Entry, Anti-Surveillance Laws, NPE (Language), Strengthening Civil Societies [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Launch of lateral entry of joint secretaries by the Union government. A measure of reform in bureaucracy.
Role of IAS Officers in Governance
- Selected through the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the UPSC.
- IAS officer’s explicit approval is required for functioning
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2 Elections: Usage of VVPATs and ETPBS in Elections and Electoral Bonds Case [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
VVPAT
Voter verifiable paper audit trial (VVPAT) is an independent system attached to an EVM. Allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended. A slip is printed on the VVPAT printer containing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate voted as soon as
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Apr 26, 2020
1 Government Policies /Interventions: Draft Indian Forest Act, 2019, Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, UNCLOS [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Forest Act
Recently released by the Union government. Proposal of an overhaul of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Indian Forest Act, 1927 was imposed by the British rulers to take over Indian forests.
Draft Indian Forest Act, 2019
- Forest officials could govern areas declared as for
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Apr 24, 2020
1 US President on Golan Heights [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Backing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights by the United States. Seized from Syria in 1967.
Significance
- President of the US decided to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
- To move the US Embassy to the city.
- Welcomed by the Israel.
- Offensive to Palestinians
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2 Libyan Crisis and Need of the Peace Talk [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
A peace initiative. By the Tripoli based government of Libya.
Need of the Peace Talk
- Attempts by Mr Haftar led LNA to oust the government of Mr. al-Sarraj (GNA) and to capture Tripoli.
- Favorable view taken by the United States.
- Aimed at stabilizing the war torn country.
The
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3 US Government’s Response - Swiss EU treaty, Brexit, [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
American investigating agencies cracked down two IT staffing companies running “bench-and-switch” scheme. Arrest of four Indian-Americans. The perpetrators face a maximum potential penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Swiss-EU Treaty
- A battle in the share trading b
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Apr 20, 2020
1 India at SCO Summit and Indo-US COMCASA Agreement [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
To attend the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) summit as a full member. Both India and Pakistan became part of the grouping last year which was finalized at the summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan. Under the SCO Summit India enjoys an opportunity to showcase the kind of powe
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Apr 18, 2020
1 Approval on Kartarpur Corridor and Status of Rohingyas [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Kartarpur Corridor
Approved by the Cabinet. To enable smooth passage of pilgrims willing to visit Pakistan’s Kartarpur Sahib. Kartarpur Gurudwara stands on the bank of River Ravi, about 120 km northeast of Lahore.
- Kartarpur Sahib is also supposed to be Guru Nanak’s final restin
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Mar 3, 2020
1 Need for a New Antique Law and Anomaly Amendment to the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
- Material culture- Groups such as littérateurs, historians, anthropologists and curators.
- Laws have been framed with the agenda to preserve India’s material culture.
- Rationality at the time of India’s Independence- Doesn’t fit with the country’s requirements.
Concerns
- Unders
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Mar 2, 2020
1 Dam Safety Bill 2018: Provisions and Bill to Address Issues Concerning Dam Safety Including [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Recently re-introduced in the Lok Sabha. 36 dam failures so far in the country. A lack of a uniform law and an administrative regime for dam safety.
- Water is listed as a state subject.
- Dam safety bill was first of all introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2010.
Provisions
- To help
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2 Upgradation of Medical Colleges/Hospitals [ Policy/Governance, Health, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Government of India has decided to establish many new medical colleges in different states of the country. Its main aim is to establish district hospitals and medical colleges. Maximum number of medical colleges have been proposed for the state of Rajasthan.
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Feb 24, 2020
1 Crime Against Children [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Bills, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Recently the POCSO Act has been amended to make it more effective. It has been made more proactive in dealing with crimes against children, child abuse in the country. Uttar Pradesh accounts for maximum number of crimes against children, whereas Nagaland constitutes the least amo
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Feb 22, 2020
1 Going Online as Leaders’ Programme, Key Characteristic, Outcomes of the Project [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs recently announced the second phase of the program. The first phase was organized in March 2019. GOAL (Going Online as Leaders) is an initiative of Facebook to make tribal youth self-capable and self-reliant.
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Feb 14, 2020
1 Financial Assistance to Sports Academies [ Policy/Governance, Sports, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
The government of India recently has provided financial assistance for the Khelo India Scheme. The assistance is provided to organizations run by the government under Khelo India Scheme to academies run by Sports Authority of India as well as different Non-SAI academies accredite
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Feb 7, 2020
1 Union Budget for 2020-21 [ Policy/Governance, Economy, Health, Appointments, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Fy21 Estimates: Fiscal deficit seen at 3.5 % of GDP. Net market borrowing pegged at 5.36 trln rupees. Gross market borrowing at 7.8 trln rupees. Pegs nominal GDP growth at 10%. Receipts seen at 22.46 trln rupees. Total spending seen at 30.42 trln rupees. ETNow: Pegs divestment t
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Jan 7, 2020
1 Carbon Credit Smoke Screen CO2 emissions [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies, Down-to-Earth ]
In 2018 COP24 in Katowice (is a city in southern Poland) finalises elements of the Paris Rulebook on the format for national targets, financial reporting, transparency requirements, and the global stocktake. In 2019 Russia Agreement. The US triggers one-year countdown to final wi
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Dec 24, 2019
1 2G Ethanol plant in Panipat [ Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
The government is planning to set up twelve 2G ethanol bio-refinery plants in 11 states in India including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with an investment of 10,000 crores. Indian Oil has
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Dec 23, 2019
1 Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) [ Agriculture/Agro Industries, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Zero budget means without using any money or credit to purchase any inputs and other expenses in farming and natural farming means farming with nature and without chemicals. Farmers use products from nature like cow dung as manure. Zero Budget Natural Farming does not involve pes
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Dec 19, 2019
1 Plastic Waste in Development of Roads [ Health, Environment/Ecology, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Non-Biodegradable plastic waste is one of the biggest threats to the environment and human health. To tackle the challenges of plastic waste the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway converting plastic waste with the Bitumen to build green, all-weather sustainable roads and High
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2 Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan [ Health, Environment/Ecology, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan is launched under the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to create awareness about drive and cleanliness program in 50 identified beaches. The beaches were identified from 10 coastal States/UTs these are Andhra Pradesh, Ke
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3 Increase in Ex-gratia for fatal coal mine accidents [ Policy/Governance, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
The central government has increased the ex-gratia amount to Rs. 15 lakh from Rs. 5 Lakh for fatal accidents in the coal mine. This compensation will cover more than 3.5 lakh families of workers of Coal India.
- It covers both the permanent and con
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Nov 26, 2019
1 Index of Industrial Production [ Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Index of Industrial Production comprises of eight core industries and non-core industries. It is an index which shows the growth rates in different industry groups of the economy. There is a separate index for eight core industries and collective index that is index of Industrial
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Last Updated:Mar 23, 2021