Delhi polls: BJP shortlists three probable candidates for each seat

After a survey, the BJP hass stepped up its candidate selection process for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls. The party has short-listed three most potential candidates for each 70 Assembly seats and now the top national leaders will take the final call. The party is expected to declare candidates around mid-December, so that candidates have enough time for campaigning. The party has been out of power in Delhi since 1998. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has dominated the electoral scene in the Assembly polls so far, routing the BJP in 20215 and 2020.

Allotment of fresh seats to all MPs in Lok Sabha soon

Lok Sabha Speaker will, in days to come, allot a seat of division numbers to all MPs. Most of the parties have sent their list of preferred seats. Front-row seats are considered coveted and usually earmarked for senior members and floor leaders. The Congress, which has 99 lawmakers in the Lower House, already submitted the request to the office of Lok Sabha Speaker. The Congress has sought front-row seats in the Lok Sabha for its four members - Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Alappuzha MP KC Venugopal, Jorhat lawmaker Gaurav Gogoi and Mavelikkara MP Kodikunnil Suresh. As Leader of Opposition, Rae Bareli MP Gandhi is already entitled to a designated front-row seat, set to be right opposite to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s seat. The Samajwadi Party, the third largest bloc in the Lok Sabha after the BJP and the Congress, might get two front-row seats that the party has requested for its President Akhilesh Yadav and Faizabad lawmaker Awadhesh Prasad. DMK’s senior-most lawmaker TR Baalu is also expected to get a front-row seat.

BUREAUCRACY

IAS Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas's Dream to Transform Balasore into a Vibrant Tourist Destination

IAS Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas belongs to the 2018 batch, Odisha cadre, and is currently posted as District Collector Balasore, Odisha. Before this, he served in various administrative capacities in the government and has been widely appreciated for his transformative approach.

Regarding His Vision for Balasore, his focus is on developing the district as a vibrant tourist destination. “The major target for me in the district is tourism,” he stated. Elaborating further, he added, “Chandipur is the best location in the district. We are exploring ways to make it more tourism-friendly by providing basic facilities and promoting it as a vibrant destination for travelers.”

Additionally, he is keen on enhancing the district’s rich art, craft, and handicrafts. “Baleswar boasts diverse art and craftsmanship. With the involvement of self-help groups, we are seeing good progress. However, these artisans need better branding and skill enhancement through training and handholding,” he explained.

H S Verma likely to be next Member (O&BD), Railway Board?

Hari Shankar Verma, DG Safety, Railway Board, is expected to be appointed as next Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board upon the superannuation of present incumbent Ravinder Goyal on November 30, 2024.

Mukul Saran Mathur is also Member (O&BD), Railway Board

Mukul Saran Mathur, Additional Member (Commercial), Railway Board, has been assigned an additional charge of Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board. He is an IRTS officer.

Kailash Makwana takes over as DGP, MP

Kailash Makwana has taken over the charge as Director General of Police (DGP), Madhya Pradesh. Makwana, who belongs to a 1988 batch IPS officer, succeeded incumbent Sudhir Saxena retired in November.

Deepam Seth joins as DGP, Uttarakhand

Deepam Seth has taken over the charge as Director General of Police (DGP), Uttarakhand. Seth, who belongs to a 1995 batch IPS officer, succeeded incumbent Abhinav Kumar retired in November.

Sunil Chaudhary is Head of Forests in UP

Sunil Chaudhary has been appointed as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Head of Forests in Uttar Pradesh. He is a 1989 batch IFS officer of UP cadre.

Army Day function to be held in Pune

As per the government's policy, the Army Day function will be held in Pune. The Day falls on January 15 every year.

No Defence Expo this year

The Ministry of Defence is not going to organize the Defence Expo this year. The Defence Expo is organized every two years. The Expo was held during the Covid in 2020. But in 2024 the Ministry skipped. The Expo 2022 was organized in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Aero India to be held in Bangaluru

The Ministry of Defence will organize the next Aero India in Bangaluru from February 10-14, 2025.

6.69 lakhs SIM cards and 1,32,000 IMEIs blocked

With a view to deal with cyber crimes including digital arrest in a comprehensive and coordinated manner, the MHA has taken up various steps. It has set up the ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’ (I4C) as an attached office to deal with all types of cybercrimes in the country. As per information, more than 6.69 lakhs SIM cards and 1,32,000 IMEIs as reported by Police authorities have been blocked by the Government. At I4C, representatives of major banks, Financial Intermediaries, Payment Aggregators, Telecom Service Providers, IT Intermediaries and representatives of States/UTs Law Enforcement Agency are working together for immediate action and seamless cooperation to tackle cybercrime.I4C has imparted cyber hygiene training to 7,330 officials of various Ministries/ Departments and to more than 40,151 NCC cadets.

20 candidates for Senior Admin Officer, DRDO

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has shortlisted 20 candidates for the post of Senior Administrative Officer, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the Ministry of Defence. The marks of interviewed candidates, cut off marks, etc. will be uploaded on the commission’s website after the completion of recruitment process or within thirty days, whichever is later.

General Upendra Dwivedi launches online learning platform for Army

General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), has launched an online learning platform for the Indian Army nicknamed as “Eklavya”. This enables Headquarters Army Training Command to seamlessly integrate any number of training establishments of the Indian Army, each capable of hosting an extensive range of courses. Student officers are permitted to register for multiple courses simultaneously. A total of 96 courses by 17 Category ‘A’ Training Establishments of the Indian Army have already been hosted on the platform. There are three categories of courses hosted on the Eklavya platform. The Eklavya also has the functionality of a searchable “Knowledge Highway”, wherein various journals, research papers, articles, etc are uploaded under a single window.

23 IDAS officers get NFSG

As many as 23 Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officers have been given placement in the (Non-Functional Selection Grade) of Junior Administrative Grade with effect from January 1, 2025. These officers are: Mayank Tyagi, Ms Amrita Panda, Ms Pooja Bhat, Prashant Dubey, Nidhi Sharma, Vasud Ganesh Torsekar, Abhinav Dudi, Rejoy Krishnan, Ms Yashasvi Bansal, G P Praveen Reddy, Sandeep Kumar Yadav, Manivelan K, Ashish Kumar Verma, K Purushothaman, Ashish Yadav, Kamal Singh Choudhary, Dhiraj Kumar, Ashwini Kumar Pandey, Pankaj Prakash D Singh, Saurabh, Manender, Siva Sankar Bandi and Premsagar Meena.

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