1. Maharashtra becomes the first state in the country to approve Good Governance Regulations
Tags: State News
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde approved the first Good Governance Regulations in the country.
An Overview of the News
The purpose of the rules is to enhance accountability, accessibility, dynamism and transparency in state administration.
A separate cell will be set up to address the effects of climate change.
The rules also include expanding the scope of 'Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendra' for end-to-end online services to citizens within the prescribed time limit.
Citizens' complaints will be redressed at a speedy pace.
The chief minister's direction to develop the rules was given in September last year.
The rules were drawn up in consultation with ministerial officials, experts and NGOs.
161 department-wise indices have been prepared to evaluate the performance of good governance.
About Maharashtra
It is a state located in the western part of India and covers a significant part of the Deccan Plateau.
Chief Minister - Eknath Shinde
Governor - Ramesh Bais
Official Animal - Indian giant squirrel
Official Bird - Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
Official Dance - Lavani
2. Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated CoE-SLM at ICFRE in Dehradun
Tags: State News
Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM) at the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun on 20 May 2023.
An Overview of the News
The CoE-SLM was announced by the Prime Minister of India during the 14th Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019.
CoE-SLM aims to promote South-South cooperation and address issues of land degradation through sustainable land management practices.
Specific activities of the CoE-SLM include setting LDN targets, developing drought risk and early warning systems, mainstreaming gender considerations, promoting good governance of land rights and entitlements, and addressing the effects of land degradation on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. involves assessing.
Bhupendra Yadav released two publications during the inauguration: "Technical Paper on the Pathway to Achieving LDN in India" and "Compendium of Sustainable Land Management Practices."
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)
It is an autonomous organisation.
It operates under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India.
ICFRE conducts research, training and education in forestry and related disciplines.
Establishment - 1986
Parent Organization - Ministry of Environment and Forests (India)
3. Libyan parliament suspends its prime minister Fathi Bashagha
Tags: Person in news International News
Recently, the Libyan Parliament has decided to suspend the Libyan Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha from his post.
An overview of the news
The suspension reflects the internal conflicts and challenges facing the government in the country.
Fathi Bashagha has served as Prime Minister of Libya, leading the Government of National Accord (GNA).
He has been an influential figure in Libyan politics, contributing to stabilization efforts during a challenging period.
Reasons of suspension
The Libyan parliament's decision to suspend Fathi Bashagha stemmed from various factors and internal disputes.
These include allegations of mismanagement, corruption, or policy disagreements.
Impact on Libyan governance
The suspension of Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha has significant implications for Libya's governance and stability.
This highlights the internal power struggle and the need for political consensus among various factions within the country.
This event may lead to a reshuffle in government positions and possible changes in the political landscape.
Political disorder and fragmentation
Libya has been experiencing political disorder and fragmentation since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
The suspension of the prime minister underscores the challenges faced by the Libyan government in achieving stability, consolidating power and meeting the needs of its people.
About Libya
Libya is a country located in North Africa. Most of the country lies in the Sahara desert.
Capital - Tripoli
Currency - Libyan dinar
Chairman of the Presidential Council - Mohamed al-Menfi
4. Bank of Baroda launches Electronic Bank Guarantee
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
Bank of Baroda partnered with National e-Governance Services Limited (NESL) to launch the Electronic Bank Guarantee (BG) system on digital platforms.
An Overview of the News
It aims to significantly reduce the turnaround time for issuance of electronic bank guarantees as compared to the traditional paper-based process.
The electronic bank guarantee system is accessible through Baroda INSTA, the digital platform of Bank of Baroda.
The digital approach enhances convenience, security and efficiency in the issuance of inland bank guarantees.
The system reduces manual paperwork, streamlines processes and promotes digital transformation in the banking sector.
About Bank of Baroda (BoB)
It is an Indian public sector bank headquartered in Vadodara, Gujarat.
It is the second largest public sector bank in India after State Bank of India and has a global presence with over 100 overseas offices.
The bank was established on 20 July 1908 by Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the Maharaja of Baroda.
On 19 July 1969, the Government of India nationalised Bank of Baroda along with 13 other major commercial banks.
After nationalisation, the bank became a profit making Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).
5. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways ranked 2nd on Data Governance Quality Index
Tags: INDEX National News
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has been ranked second among 66 ministries in the Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) assessment for the December quarter (Q3) of FY23.
An overview of the news
The ministry scored 4.7 out of 5, indicating its commitment to excellence in data governance.
Conducted by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, the DGQI survey aims to measure the maturity level of administrative data systems and their use in decision making of various ministries and departments on the implementation of central sector schemes.
MoPSW's success in DGQI assessment was aided by the concerted efforts of the National Technology Center for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) at IIT Madras, which was tasked to improve MoPSW's Management Information System (MIS) in compliance with DGQI standards I went.
Six key indicators
The DGQI assessment covers six key themes including data generation, data quality, use of technology, data analysis, access and dissemination, data security and human resource capability, and case studies.
Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI)
The Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) survey is conducted by NITI Aayog's Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office.
The survey aims to evaluate the performance of different Ministries /Departments in implementing Central Sector Schemes (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).
6. 1st Ministerial meeting of India-EU Trade and Technology Council
Tags: Summits International News
The first ministerial meeting of the India and the European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC) will be held in Brussels on 16 May.
An overview of the news
The meeting will be co-chaired by the Ministers of External Affairs, Commerce and Industry and Communications, Electronics and Information Technology from the Indian side.
India is only the second country after the US with which the European Union (EU) has a TTC, and the two sides agreed to launch the strategic mechanism during the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to India in April 2022.
The TTC aims to deepen trade and investment ties between India and the European Union, as well as foster greater cooperation on technology and innovation.
About India-EU Trade and Technology Council
The trade and technology council was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during Ms Leyen's visit to India in April 2022.
Three Working Groups under the TTC
1. A Working Group on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity
2. A Working Group on Green and Clean Energy Technologies
3. A Working Group on Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains
India-EU Trade relation
India is the 10th largest trading partner of the European Union, accounting for 2.1% of the total trade in goods.
The EU is India's third largest trading partner, accounting for €88 billion in goods trade in 2021 or a little over 10% of total Indian trade.
Trade in services between the two sides reached €30.4 billion in 2020.
About European Union
The European Union is a group of 27 European countries.
The United Kingdom which was the founding member of the European Union has left the organisation.
It was founded on 1 November 1993
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
7. Badminton Asia appoints Umar Rashid as chairman of the Technical Officials Committee
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
Badminton Asia appointed Umar Rasheed, joint secretary of the Badminton Association of India (BAI), as the chairman of the Technical Officials Committee.
An Overview Of the News
As chairman of the technical officials' committee, Rasheed will oversee the development and implementation of rules and regulations to elevate officiating standards in badminton tournaments across the country.
Rashid is committed to strengthening the governance of badminton in India and the region, by upholding the integrity of the game and ensuring high quality officiating in all tournaments.
Rashid also serves as the General Secretary of the Assam Badminton Association, contributing significantly to the development of badminton in Assam and the Northeast region of India.
Badminton Association of India (BAI):
It serves as the governing body for badminton in India.
BAI is registered as an association under the Societies Act.
Since 1936, BAI has been responsible for organizing and hosting national level badminton tournaments in India.
Establishment -1934
Headquarters - New Delhi
President - Himanta Biswa Sarma
Badminton Asia Championship:
It is an annual badminton tournament organized by the governing body Badminton Asia.
The tournament has been held since 1962 and has been an annual event since 1991.
8. Rajasthan Housing Board got National Award for Real Estate
Tags: Awards National News
On April 26, 2023, the National Real Estate Award was presented to the Rajasthan Housing Board by the Central Government Agency National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO).
An overview of the news
National Real Estate Development Council National President Rajan Bandelkar and RERA Delhi Chairman Anand Kumarpresented the award to Rajasthan Housing Commissioner Pawan Arora at a national level function.
The Rajasthan Housing Board was honored with the award for registering the maximum number of housing projects in the country under RERA, selling the maximum number of houses and doing excellent work in the field of real estate.
Earlier in the function, Rajasthan Housing Commissioner was specially invited for a panel discussion on the topic 'Real Estate in the Era of RERA'. He was also honored on this platform.
Rajasthan Housing Board has become the biggest organization to register 101 project RERA numbers.
Under the leadership of Housing Commissioner Pawan Arora, the board has received a total of 15 awards in the last four years.
These include World Book of Records in house sales, Scotch Award-2021, Award of Excellence, Honor by National Real Estate Development Council, National Housing Award, I.B.C. and prestigious awards like 'Star of Governance-Gold Award'.
9. National Panchayati Raj Day: 24 April
Tags: Important Days
Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated every year on 24th April to commemorate the enactment of the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 of the Constitution in the year 1993.
An Overview of the News
The day is celebrated to acknowledge national local self-governance and democratic decentralisation.
The theme of National Panchayati Raj Day 2023 is 'Sustainable Panchayat: Building Healthy, Water Sufficient, Clean & Green Villages.'
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is the nodal ministry responsible for empowering, enabling and ensuring accountability of Panchayati Raj Institutions for achieving inclusive growth with social justice and efficient service delivery.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the National Panchayati Raj Day celebrations in Madhya Pradesh and laid the foundation stone and inaugurated projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore.
He virtually attended the house warming ceremony of 4.11 lakh beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and launched the integrated e-Gram Swaraj and GeM portal for public procurement at the panchayat level.
He launched the campaign "Joint steps towards development" for inclusive development.
He laid the foundation stone and inaugurated various railway projects worth about Rs 2,300 crore and 5 projects of Jal Jeevan Mission worth about Rs 7,853 crore.
About Madhya Pradesh
It is the second largest state of India by area after Rajasthan.
Forests occupy 25.14 percent of its area.
Governor - Mangubhai Patel
Chief Minister - Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Capital - Bhopal
10. Telangana Governor approves three bills passed by the state government
Tags: State News
Telangana Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan has given her assent to three bills passed by the state government.
An Overview of the News
The bills passed by the governor are the Telangana Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Telangana Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
The Telangana Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 aims to amend the current tax structure for motor vehicles in the state.
Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the existing provisions relating to the governance structure of the university.
The Telangana Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 aims to amend the existing laws relating to municipal corporations and municipalities in the state.
About Telangana
Telangana is a state located in the southern region of India, with Hyderabad as its capital.
One of the most iconic landmarks in Hyderabad is the Charminar, a 16th-century mosque with four arches and four towering minarets. It is located in the heart of the city, overlooking Lad Bazaar.
Chief Minister - K Chandrasekhar Rao
Governor - Tamilisai Soundararajan
Official Animal - Chital
Official Bird - Indian Roller
Official flower - Senna auriculata
Official Song - Jaya Jaya Hey Telangana