SM Current Affairs November 2022 Set 02

PREFACE

It gives us great pleasure to release the monthly edition of the PRAVAHINI – Monthly e- Compendium & Weekly e-Periodicals of Current Affairs. The magazine’s members have shown considerable cooperation as well as devotion. We at successmantra.in work tirelessly to create this magazine and bring it to you with a great sense of gratitude.

The PRAVAHINI November-2022 eBook covers the current events that happened in the month of October. Current Affairs is a crucial component of any competitive exams including CLAT, AILET, DU-LLB, HM, CAT, IAS, PCS, SSC, CUET, Banking, MBA and various other competitive examinations.

Current Affairs play the bigger role in many competitive and government exams. It holds the power of making or breaking your chance of success. Therefore, the candidates should cover the Current Affairs thoroughly and smartly.

The PRAVAHINI November-2022 eBook is divided into different sections keeping in mind the need of various exams. The sections covered namely International, National, Economy, Ecology and Environment, Science & Technology, Legal Affairs, Sports, States News Makers and few others.

We would also be pleased to receive any suggestion that could assist us with the upcoming editions.

Success Mantra (GTB Nagar, Delhi) Website: www.successmantra.in Mail Id: [email protected]

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

INDIA'S 1ST MULTI-MODAL LOGISTICS PARK (MMLP)

• Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is going to develop India’s first multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had awarded RIL the contract to set up India’s first multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) close to Chennai.
• The Rs.1,424 project will be implemented under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which was launched in October 2021.
• The model concession agreement for this project is on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) model. The total concession period for the project is 45 years.
• The MMLP will be developed in 3 phases with the estimated developer investment of Rs.783 crore. The first phase will be completed by 2025.
• Where is India’s first MMLP situated?
• India’s first MMLP is being set up in Mappedu village in Thiruvallur district, near the automobile and electronics manufacturing clusters on the Sriperumbudur-Oragadam industrial belt.
• The project will also cater to the secondary market clusters of Ranipet, Ambur, Tirupur and Bengaluru that hosts leather, heavy machinery parts, automobiles, cement, sugar and chemical industries.

WHAT IS NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER?

• The government has declared certain databases related to the Census and the National Population Register (NPR) as critical information infrastructure.
• In a notification issued recently, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the decision was taken after exercising the powers conferred to it under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (Amended 2008).
• The Centre declares the computer resources relating to the Census Monitoring and Management System, the Self Enumeration and Civil Registration System (CRS) web portals, mobile applications for house listing, population enumeration and updating the NPR as critical information infrastructure (CII) of the office of the registrar general and census commissioner, it said.
• The linked databases, including the NPR database, the Census database and the CRS database, the computer resources set up and installed at the National Data Centre, the office of the registrar general and the census commissioner, Delhi, the Disaster Recovery Site and the data centers at Bengaluru and Lucknow have also been declared as CII, according to the notification.

WHAT IS 'EAT RIGHT STATION' CERTIFICATE?

• The Food Safety and Standard Association of India (FSSAI) awarded Bhopal Railway Station a 4-star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing ‘“high-quality, nutritious food to passengers”.
• Railway stations are awarded the certificate after an FSSAI-empaneled third-party audit agency rates them on a scale of 1 to 5 for food storage and hygiene practices.
• About the certification:
• The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.
• Chandigarh Railway station was the fifth Indian railway station to receive a 5-star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification in September 2021.

• The other railway stations with this certification include Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station (Delhi), Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus; (Mumbai), Mumbai Central Railway Station (Mumbai), and Vadodara Railway Station.
• Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.

INDIAN NAVY OFFSHORE SECURITY EXERCISE

• The Indian Navy conducted a structured exercise to evaluate organizational effectiveness in protecting offshore assets off Mumbai on an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) platform 150 km into the sea. The exercise was named ‘Prasthan‘ by the Indian Navy.
• Prasthan is conducted twice a year under the aegis of Headquarters, Western Naval Command. The exercise which is conducted every six months aims to integrate the efforts of all maritime stakeholders involved in offshore defense.
• The ‘Prasthan’ which is an offshore security exercise aims to examine various measures and protocols conceived to address security threats and other contingencies.
• The Indian Navy has included several crises such as bomb threats, blows out, fire, Terrorists, and medical evacuations during the exercise. The Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, ONGC, Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA), the Police fisheries, and customs were a part of the Prasthan exercise.

POSOCO RENAMED AS GRID CONTROLLER OF INDIA LTD.

• India’s national grid operator Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) was renamed as Grid Controller of India Limited.
• The Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India) is a wholly owned central government enterprise that comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Power.
• Previously, it was a fully owned subsidiary of the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (Powergrid) – the central public sector undertaking (PSU) owned by the Union Power Ministry.
• It was set up in March 2009 to take care of the power management functions of the PGCIL. It was later made a separate company, with PGCIL being involved only in setting up transition links.
• Grid-India, as a separate company, was given the load dispatch functions. It oversees the operations of the national load despatch center (NLDC) and 5 regional load despatch centers (RLDCs). The NLDC is the apex body that ensures the integrated operation of the national power system.

PM MODI UNVEILED 'STATUE OF PROSPERITY'

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 108 feet tall bronze statue of Sri Nadaprabhu Kempegowda in Bengaluru. The ‘Statue of Prosperity’ is made to commemorate the contribution of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda who is the founder of Bengaluru.
• The statue was conceptualized and sculpted by Ram V Sutar, who also curated the Statue of Unity. The ‘Statue of Prosperity’ is made with 98 tonnes of bronze and 120 tonnes of steel.
• About Nadaprabhu Kempegowda
• Nadaprabhu Hiriye Kempe Gowda is also known as Kempe Gowda. He was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire.
• The capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru, was fortified by Kempe Gowda in 1537. He erected many Kannada inscriptions in the region. Kempe Gowda was one of the most well-educated rulers of all time.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AMENDS AADHAR RULES

• The Central Government amended the Aadhaar regulations requiring card holders to update relevant documents supporting Aadhaar information at least once every 10 years.
• The amendment of the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations require updation of supporting documents of Aadhaar information at least once every 10 years from the date of enrolment.
• The update is not mandatory but can be encouraged to maintain the accuracy of the data in the Central Identities Data Repository. This regulation is limited to updating demographic information and does not involve biometric data like fingerprints.
• How does this help the government?
• As of June 2022, more than 133 crore Aadhaar cards have been distributed. However, the actual number of Aadhaar card holders is less due to deaths.
• Increasing accuracy of Aadhaar related information can help the government eliminate leakages of government schemes’ benefits that occur due to inaccurate information of Aadhaar cards.
• Over 100 government schemes (650 state government schemes and 315 central government schemes) use Aadhaar authentication to eliminate deduplication and remove ghost beneficiaries.

MADHYA PRADESH SET TO IMPLEMENT PESA ACT

• The Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act is set to be implemented by the state government of Madhya Pradesh to prevent the exploitation of the tribal population.
• The formal announcement of the Act’s implementation was made on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (November 15).
• Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act aims to ensure self-governance via the traditional gram sabhas for people living in Scheduled Areas in the country.
• The Scheduled Areas are places that are mainly dominated by tribal communities. These regions were not covered by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment or Panchayati Raj Act.
• The PESA Act aims to extend the provisions of Part IX of the Indian Constitution to the Scheduled Areas. It enables the Panchayats and Gram Sabhas to implement the system of self-governance in these regions.
• The Act allows the setting up of a Gram Sabha for a village in the scheduled area. Every gram sabha will act as an autonomous body that manages certain aspects of the scheduled area, especially the resource management.
• The Act also allows the gram panchayats to decide on matters that are related to minor forest produce, land, and small water bodies along with the implementation of government schemes.
• They will also maintain records of migrant laborers for the elimination of the practice of bonded labor in the scheduled areas.

UIDAI ENROLLMENT OF PRISONERS

• Recently, as a special measure to enroll prison inmates across the country, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has agreed to accept the Prisoner Induction Document (PID) as a valid document for enrolment or update of Aadhaar.
• Though the campaign to extend Aadhaar facility to prisoners was launched in 2017, the process did not take off on expected lines since enrolment to the scheme required valid supporting documents prescribed by the UIDAI.
• What is the Unique Identification Authority of India?

• Statutory Authority: The UIDAI is a statutory authority established on 12th July 2016 by the Government of India under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, following the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016. The UIDAI was initially set up by the Government of India in January 2009, as an attached office under the aegis of the Planning Commission.
• Mandate: The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (Aadhaar) to all the residents of India.
• The overall Aadhaar saturation level in the country has crossed 93%, and in the case of the adult population it is nearly 100%

NCW LAUNCHED DIGITAL SHAKTI 4.0

• The fourth phase of the Digital Shakti Campaign was launched recently by the National Commission for Women (NCW).

• The Digital Shakti Campaign is a national-level campaign that was launched in 2018 to digitally empower and skill women and girls to ensure their safety in cyberspace.
• Through this initiative, over 3 lakh women across India have been made aware of cyber safety measures, reporting and redressal mechanisms, data privacy and technology usage.
• Over the past decade, there has been a surge in the number of cybercrimes in India. A majority of these crimes targeted women. Some of the reasons behind this are the prevalence of huge gender inequality and the lack of digital literacy.
• Also, most of the women who are victims of cybercrimes do not file complaints due to the absence of support from family or law enforcement and the lack of awareness.

PM MODI INAUGURATED KASHI TAMIL SANGAMAM

• The Prime Minister of India inaugurated the month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• This programme is an initiative by the Government of India as a part of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav '' and to uphold the Spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat .
• What is Kashi Tamil Sangamam?
• Kashi Tamil Sangamam celebrates many aspects of the historical and civilisational connection between India’s North and South.
• The broader objective is to bring the two knowledge and cultural traditions (of the North and South) closer, create an understanding of our shared heritage and deepen the people-to-people bond between the regions.
• It is being organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with other ministries like Culture, Textiles, Railways, Tourism, Food Processing, Information & Broadcasting etc. and the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

• The endeavor is in sync with National Education Policy (NEP), 2020’s emphasis on integrating the wealth of Indian Knowledge Systems with modern systems of knowledge. IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is the two implementing agencies for the programme.

PM MODI DEDICATED KAMENG HYDROPOWER PROJECT

• PM Narendra Modi dedicated the Kameng hydropower project to the nation.
• About Kameng hydropower station
• The 600 MW Kameng hydropower project was developed by the state-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO). It is situated in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district.
• tretching across more than 80 km, this project was developed at the cost of some Rs.8,200 crore. This run-of-the-river scheme makes use of the flows from Bichom and Tenga rivers – the tributaries of River Kameng.
• It has 2 dams (Bichom and Tenga) and a powerhouse having four units of 150 MW each to generate 3,353 million units of electricity each year.
• The water from the two dams is transported via a Head Race Tunnel into the powerhouse in West Kameng to drive 150 MW vertical turbines in each of the four units.

PM MODI TO INAUGURATE BENGALURU TECH SUMMIT

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the silver jubilee edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS 22) virtually.
• The inauguration ceremony will be attended by several global leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy, UAE, Omar Bin Sultan Al Olama, Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts, Finnish Minister of Science and Culture Petri Honkonen, and Martin Schroeter, Chairman and CEO, Kyndryl, US.

• Bengaluru Tech Summit 22, which has attracted more than 575 exhibitors, will witness at least 9 MoUs being signed and the launch of more than 20 products.
• For the first time, startups belonging to 16 states of the country are also participating in the Bengaluru Tech Summit 22.
• Over 350 experts of international repute will talk about the recent technological developments during the conference themed “Tech4NextGen”.

FIRST GREENFIELD AIRPORT IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first Greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh — the Donyi Polo Airport at Itanagar — and dedicated the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station to the nation. Northeast India will now have 16 airports.
• The name of the airport reflects the traditions and rich cultural heritage of Arunachal Pradesh and the age-old indigenous reverence to the Sun (‘Donyi’) and the Moon (‘Polo’) in the state.
• The foundation stone for this airport was laid by the PM in 2019.
• The airport, which has been developed in an area of over 690 acres, at the cost of more than Rs 640 crore is expected to play a major role in improving connectivity and will also contribute to the growth of trade and tourism in the region, said Dilip Sajnani, Director, Airport Authority of India.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

'YEAR 2022' ASEAN-INDIA FRIENDSHIP YEAR

• The year 2022 has been declared as the ASEAN-India Friendship year, as ASEAN and India commemorate 30 years of partnership. A series of events has been planned to celebrate the occasion throughout the year.
• As a part of this programme, an Indian media delegation is on a visit to Singapore and Cambodia under the ASEAN-INDIA Media exchange programme from 8th November to 13th November.

• On the first leg of the visit the delegation visited the Singapore-India Chambers of Commerce and Industries (SICCI) and had an exchange of thoughts on topics such as India-Singapore relations with a specific focus on business-friendly policies and the expectations of the business community in Singapore from India.
• The delegation also called on the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Mr. P. Kumaran and got a detailed understanding about how the strategic partnership between India and Singapore has shown its resilience and both sides look forward to further strengthening this important relationship.

MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON 'NO MONEY FOR TERROR'

• The 3rd Ministerial “No Money for Terror” Conference will set to be held on November 18 and 19 this year in New Delhi, India.
• The Ministerial No Money for Terror (NMFT) Conference aims to create platform for international discussions on countering terror financing.
• The conference includes discussions on technical, legal, regulatory and cooperative aspects of the terrorism financing. It aims to set pace for other high-level official and political discussions focusing on terror finance.
• The inaugural edition of this conference was held in Paris, France, in 2018. The second edition of the NMFT took place in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019.
• The third edition was set to take place in India in 2020 but was postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic that caused the global-level restrictions on travel.

EAST TIMOR TO BECOME 11TH MEMBER OF ASEAN

• The AEAN members agreed in principle to admit East Timor as the 11th member of the bloc.
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional bloc founded on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand. Its member states are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. East Timor was added as a new member of this regional grouping.
• About East Timor
• Timor Leste or East Timor is a half-island nation in the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands. It is situated at the southern extreme of the Malay Archipelago. It occupies the eastern half of the Island of Timor.
• It is bounded by the Timor Sea to the southeast, the Wetar Strait to the north, the Ombai Strait to the northwest and the western Timor (part of Indonesian territory) to southwest.
• East Timor was previously part of Indonesian territory. Indonesia occupied the island nation in 1976. Hundreds of thousands have died on the island while resisting the annexation of Indonesia.
• Due to global pressure, the Indonesian government authorized a referendum in 1999 to determine the future of East Timor.
• In the UN-supervised referendum, the country voted to secede from Indonesia. It was recognized by the United Nations in 2002. This makes it the youngest democracy in Asia.

INDIA & FINLAND AGREEMENT ON DIGITAL PARTNERSHIP

• India and Finland agree to carry mutual cooperation between the two countries to a new level and enhance partnership in areas such as digital partnership in Future ICT, Future Mobile Technologies and Digital Education.

• The decision was taken during a meeting between Finland’s Minister of Education and Culture Petri Honkonen and Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh at North Block in New Delhi.
• He was accompanied by a high level delegation which later held a separate meeting with the Indian delegation in the presence of the two Ministers.
• Honkonen’s visit comes in the wake of the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin during a Summit meeting on 16 March last year.

METHANE ALERT & RESPONSE SYSTEM (MARS)

• The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) was launched at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
• The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) is a satellite-based system that enables governments to detect methane emissions and take measures to address them.
• This data-to-action platform is part of the global endeavor to tackle climate change by curbing greenhouse emissions.
• It was set up as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy to gain policy-relevant data required for mitigating emissions.
• This will be the first publicly available global system connecting methane detection with the notification processes transparently.
• It will use state-of-the-art satellite data to detect and identify notable greenhouse emission events and notify concerned stakeholders. This data will also be used for supporting and tracking the progress of the mitigation efforts.
• If requested, MARS partners will provide technical or advisory services like assessing mitigation opportunities available in specific regions.

FIRST EVER FEMALE PRESIDENT OF SLOVENIA

• Natasa Pirc Musar, won the second round of Slovenia’s Presidential elections. Natasa Pirc Musar becomes the first female President of the country. She won 58.86 percent of votes in the runoff, while the opposition right-wing politician and the former Foreign Minister Anze Logar won 46.14 percent of votes.
• The new President of Slovenia, an EU, and NATO member state will replace Borut Pahor. Borut Pahor has been active in politics for 30 years.
• Borut Pahor was formerly a fashion model who served two five-year terms and is often referred to in public as the Instagram President for his use of the social network.
• About Natasa Pirc Musar
• Natasa Pirc Musar is a Slovenian Attorney and book author, former Information Commissioner, Journalist, and the former President of Slovenia’s Red Cross.
• She is best known for her rulings and the books on freedom of information, high-profile legal cases, in which she represented Slovenia-born Melania Trump, the Social Democratic Political Party of Slovenia, and other notable clients.

WHAT IS PARIS PEACE FORUM?

• The fifth edition of the Paris Peace Forum is being organized.
• The Paris Peace Forum is a French non-profit organization established in 2018. It hosts an annual gathering of world leaders and heads of international organizations as well as leaders from civil society and private sector from across the world.
• The goal of the annual event is not to directly address international conflicts but to offer an international arena for initiating dialogue between a multitude of both private and civil society actors.
• Each year, the forum showcases projects that provide concrete and effective solutions to governance challenges.
• It completes the existing world agenda of multilateral gathering by specifically focusing on global governance-related issues. Economic and financial issues are dealt with at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) and security issues at the Munich Security Conference.

G20 SUMMIT HELD IN BALI, INDONESIA

• The 2022 G20 Bali summit is set to be held on November 15 and 16 this year.
• The summit in Bali is the 17th meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) countries that represent 85 percent of the global GDP, 75 percent of the global trade and 66 per cent of the global population.
• The G20 summit will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. Indonesia’s presidency commenced on December 1, 2021. It will end during this summit.
• The theme for the event is ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’. As part of the G20 Agenda, 3 working sessions will be organized. They are:
• Sustainable energy transition
• Global Health Architecture
• Digital transformation
• Who will be attending the 2022 G20 Summit?
• The G20 summit will be attended by leaders of Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and the U.K. and the US
• Russian President Vladmir Putin, and leaders of Brazil and Mexico will not be taking part in this event. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was invited to address the summit virtually.

WHAT IS G7's GLOBAL SHIELD FUND

• Global Shield Fund coordinated by G7’s president Germany and the V20 group of climate-vulnerable countries, aims to rapidly provide pre-arranged insurance and disaster protection funding after events such as floods, droughts and hurricanes hit.
• A G7-led plan dubbed “Global Shield” to provide funding to countries suffering climate disasters was launched at the N. COP27 summit, although some questioned the effectiveness of the planned scheme.
• The Scale Of The Funding:
• Backed by 170 million euros ($175.17 million) in funding from Germany and 40 million euros from other donors including Denmark and Ireland, the Global Shield will in the next few months develop support to be deployed in countries including Pakistan, Ghana, Fiji and Senegal when events occur.

PAN INDIA COASTAL DEFENCE EXERCISE 'SEA VIGIL 2022'

• The third edition of the ‘Pan-India’ Coastal Defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-22’ will be conducted from 15 to 16 November 2022.
• This National Level Coastal Defence Exercise was conceptualized in 2018 to validate various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since ‘26/11’.
• Coastal Security being a major sub-set of Coastal Defence construct, the concept of ‘Sea Vigil’ is to activate the Coastal Security apparatus across India and assess the overarching Coastal Defence mechanism.
• The exercise will be undertaken along the entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India and will involve all the Coastal States and Union territories along with other maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
• The exercise is being conducted by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Coast Guard and other ministries entrusted with the task of maritime activities.

WHO ARE THE 'KURDISTAN WORKERS' PARTY OR PKK'?

• Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK is responsible for the bombing that killed six people and injured several dozen on Istiklal Avenue in Türkiye’s Istanbul. The attack is said to have been ordered from Kobani – a majority Kurdish city in northern Syria bordering Türkiye.
• The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was founded by the Marxist revolutionary Abdullah Öcalan in 1978 to create an independent Kurdistan.
• Its guerrilla forces fought against the Turkish army from 1984 until Öcalan was captured in 1999, when 40,000 Kurdish civilians were killed.
• The PPK declared a ceasefire in 2013. However, this ceasefire collapsed after Turkey joined the war against the Islamic State in 2015 and started bombing PKK targets in Iraq.
• Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye cracked down PKK militants as well as Kurdish civilians, including lawmakers and activists.
• Who are the Kurds?
• The Kurds are the major ethnic group who live in the mountainous geo-cultural region called Kurdistan. Kurdistan spans from southeastern Turkey in the west to northwestern Iran in the east and from northern Iraq to northern Syria in the south to Armenia in the north.

INDONESIA JUST ENERGY TRANSITION PARTNERSHIP

• Indonesia Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) was launched at the G20 Summit’s side event Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII).
• Indonesia Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) is a long-term political agreement between the Indonesian Government and International Partners Group (IPG), with the US and Japan as joint leads, along with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the European Union, Canada, Italy, Norway, and Denmark.
• Indonesia is among the world’s top 10 greenhouse gas emitters. The JETP will help the country to achieve an accelerated shift from fossil fuel dependence to renewable energy sources. It seeks to minimize emissions from the power sector, phase down coal usage and create a strategy based on expansion of renewable energy.

FRANCE END OPERATION BARKHANE IN AFRICA

• On November 9, France ended the decade-long Operation Barkhane in Africa. This comes amid the deteriorating ties between France and countries in the Sahel –Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea – following a series of military coups.
• France launched Operation Serval in January 2013 in the Sahel in North Africa. The operation was limited to countering Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda, who have taken up control of northern Mali.
• In 2014, this Operation Serval was scaled up and renamed as Operation Barkhane. The upgraded operation’s objective is to assist local armed forces in preventing resurgence of non-state armed groups across the Sahel region.
• It launched counter-terror operations in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad. As part of this mission, some 4,500 French personnel were deployed alongside the local joint counter-terrorism force.

RED CROWNED ROOFED TURTLE

• India has proposed improving the protection of the red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
• Red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga) is a freshwater turtle native to India and Bangladesh. It is currently on the brink of extinction.
• The turtle species is already classified as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Its survival is threatened because of habitat loss caused by pollution and hydrological projects in Gangal lowlands of northern India and Bangladesh.
• It is also facing threats from illegal consumption and illegal international trade. Historically, this species was found in central Nepal, northeastern India, and Bangladesh and in Burma.
• However, the population in these regions dwindled as these turtles were harvested for meat and shells. They also died because of drowning in fishing nets, water pollution and other challenges. Currently, India is implementing a captive breeding program for this species and has initiated conservation efforts as well.

UK INDIA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SCHEME

• The UK-India Young Professionals Scheme was announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the G20 Summit that was held in Bali, Indonesia.
• The UK-India Young Professionals Scheme will provide Indians places to work in the United Kingdom for up to two years. It will benefit 3,000 degree-holding Indians aged 18 to 30 years.
• This scheme will be implemented from the early 2023 on a reciprocal basis. The initiative will strengthen the Mobility Partnership and Migration between the countries as agreed in 2021.
• This scheme makes India the first visa-national country to benefit from the scheme. It was launched by the United Kingdom amid the huge labor shortages in the country.

JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE - KEEN SWORD 23

• The joint military exercise – Keen Sword 23 – is being held from November 10 to 19 this year. Exercise Keen Sword is a joint and bilateral field training exercise between the US military and the Japan Self-Defence Force.
• It is held once in two years to boost the preparedness and interoperability between the military personnel of Japan and the United States. This biennial exercise has been held since 1986.
• This exercise provides opportunities for the US military and the JSDF to train together across various mission areas in realistic scenarios. Its ultimate goal is to build credible deterrence amid growing Chinese aggression in the region.

• It aims to create comprehensive scenarios to challenge the critical capabilities required to support the security of Japan and the stability of the Indo-Pacific.

WHAT IS CUTTACK'S BALIYATRA?

• Baliyatra made it into the Guinness World Record for making 22,000 paper boats in 35 minutes. The Guinness Record was created to raise global awareness about Cuttack’s Baliyatra.

• Baliyatra literally means “voyage to Bali''. It is one of India’s largest open-air fares. The festival commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between the ancient Kalinga (present-day Odisha) and Bali and other South and Southeast Asian regions that include Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
• The origin of the nine-day festival can be traced back to more than a thousand years.
• The celebrations commence on Kartik Purnima (full moon night in the month of Kartik). This is the day when sadhavas (traders) traditionally began their voyage across the sea, when the winds are favorable for the boita (boats).
• The most popular items for trade between Kalinga and Southeast Asia are pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, silk, camphor, gold and jewelry.

ECONOMIC affairs

AMENDMENTS IN ELECTORAL BOND SCHEME

• The Electoral Bond Scheme has been amended by the Indian Government.
• The Union Finance Ministry issued a notification amending the Electoral Bonds Scheme to allow the sale of electoral bonds for extra 15 days in the year of general elections to the Legislative Assembly of States and UTs with legislature.

• The notification allows the Central Government to open an additional one-week window for issuing electoral bonds starting from November 9, 2022.
• Prior to this notification, these bonds can be bought by any individual in a period of 10 days each in the months of January, April, July and October as specified by the Central Government.
• What are electoral bonds?
• The Electoral Bonds Scheme was launched in 2018 to provide an alternative for cash donations to political parties. Electoral bonds are financial instruments through which anyone can donate money to political parties.
• The electoral bonds can be bought by donors from authorized branches of the State Bank of India using cheque or a digital mechanism. The donor can give these bonds to the political party or parties of their choice.
• The political parties can choose to encash electoral bonds within 15 days of receiving them and fund their electoral expenses. This retains the anonymity of the donor while also ensuring transparency.

IMPORTANT DAYS & DATES

NATIONAL EDUCATION DAY OBSERVED ON 11TH NOVEMBER

• The National Education Day is observed annually on November 11 in India. In India, National Education Day is celebrated every year on November 11 as it marks the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who was India’s first education minister after independence.
• He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously, India’s highest civilian honor in 1992.
• The day is observed to celebrate the work done by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in the education sector during his tenure as the education minister.
• In 1920, he was elected as a member of the foundation committee to establish Jamia Millia Islamia at Aligarh in UP. He also assisted in shifting the university campus from Aligarh to New Delhi in 1934. Now, the main gate of the campus is named after him.
• National Education Day 2022: Theme
• This day is celebrated to acknowledge and honor Maulana Azad’s contribution to the country’s education system. The theme for National Education Day 2022 is “Changing Course, Transforming Education.”

WORLD PNEUMONIA DAY OBSERVED ON 12TH NOVEMBER

• World Pneumonia Day is a global event observed every year on 12 November to spread awareness and educate people to combat Pneumonia disease, which is a world’s biggest infectious killer of adults and children, responsible for the majority of deaths of children below five around the world.
• The day is also focused on creating ample opportunity and encouragement for the global action mainly in the low and middle income countries to fight the toll due to pneumonia and other respiratory infection.
• World Pneumonia Day 2022: Theme
• This year 2022, World Pneumonia Day theme is based on the Worldwide Pneumonia Awareness Campaign – “Pneumo Light 2022”, with a theme and slogan “Pneumonia Affects Everyone”, with an aim to amplify the effect of awareness campaigns by illuminating monuments worldwide.
• This year 2022, with the support of 42 countries 228 monuments will be illuminated to mark the World Pneumonia Day, with an intention to raise visibility of World Pneumonia Day, 2022 globally.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR TOLERANCE OBSERVED ON NOV. 16TH

• International Day for Tolerance is observed on November 16 every year with an aim to build tolerance among diverse cultures and spread the message that tolerance is an integral part of society.
• The day is specifically recognized to educate people about the harmful consequences of intolerant society and its impact on the nation.
• International Day of Tolerance: History
• The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 51/95 proclaiming November 16 as International Day for Tolerance back in 1996. The action followed the adoption of a Declaration of Principles on Tolerance by UNESCO’s Member States on the same day in 1995.
• In 1995, the UN paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 125th birth anniversary by kickstarting the commemoration of International Tolerance Day.

NOVEMBER 15TH CELEBRATED AS JANJATIYA GAURAV DIWAS

• November 15 is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas or Tribal Pride Day to honor tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
• On November 10, 2021, the Union Cabinet declared November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ marking the birth anniversary of the revered leader and saluting his contributions to India’s freedom movement.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a museum in Ranchi in memory of Birsa Munda also known as Dharti Aaba.
• Who is Birsa Munda?
• Born in 1875, Birsa Munda led a rebellious movement against British colonial rule and conversion activities in the areas of the Bengal Presidency, which today are part of Jharkhand.
• His rebellion in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada, and Bandgaon helped in the revival of traditional tribal culture. Birsa Munda gave the slogan of ‘Abua Raj Ete Jana, Maharani Raj Tundu Jana,’ which translates as “Let the queen’s kingdom end and our kingdom be established.”
• Birsa Munda died at the young age of 25 in British custody at the Ranchi jail. However, in his limited years, Birsa Munda’s contribution to tribal causes earned him the title of ‘Bhagwan’ or Lord.

NATIONAL PRESS DAY OBSERVED ON 16TH NOVEMBER

• National Press Day is observed on November 16 every year to acknowledge and honor the Press Council of India (PCI).
• The day marks the presence of an independent and responsible press in the country. The Press Council of India also examines the quality of reportage of the Indian press and keeps a check on journalistic activities.
• National Press Day: History
• In the year 1956, the First Press Commission decided to form a body with statutory authority which has the responsibility of maintaining the ethics of journalism.
• The Commission felt that a managing body was required in order to connect with the people of the press and also to arbitrate on any issues that arose.
• In 1966 on 16 November, the PCI was formed. The National Press Day of India is since then celebrated on November 16 every year to commemorate the establishment of the council.
• According to the Press Council of India’s official website, the council is traditionally chaired by a retired Supreme Court Judge and 28 additional members of which 20 are members of the media outlets operating in India.
• Five members are nominated from the Houses of the Parliament and the remaining three represent cultural, legal and literary fields.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE

• The UN General Assembly has declared November 18 as the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence.
• The new World Day is aimed at bringing global visibility to the trauma of child sexual abuse, with the hope that governments will take action to fight it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), millions of children experience sexual violence each year.
• The resolution invites all member states, relevant organizations of the UN system and other international organizations, world leaders, faith actors, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders to commemorate this World Day each year in a manner that each considers most appropriate.
• It encourages commitments to raising public awareness of those affected by child sexual abuse and the need to prevent and eliminate child sexual exploitation, abuse and violence, and the imperative to hold perpetrators to account; ensuring the access of survivors and victims’ to justice and remedies.

WORLD'S CHILDREN'S DAY OBSERVED ON 20TH NOVEMBER

• World Children’s Day is celebrated on November 20 annually. The day aims to promote international togetherness and awareness among children as well as to improve their welfare.
• November 20 marks the anniversary of the UN General Assembly adopting a Declaration and Convention on children’s rights.
• This year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) wants to remind world leaders to “fulfill the promise of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child”.
• World Children’s Day 2022: Theme
• The theme for International children’s day is, “Inclusion, for every child”. This theme means that every child belonging to any society, community or nationality is entitled to equal rights.

REPORTS & INDEXES

CLIMATE CHANGE PERFORMANCE INDEX 2023

• Climate Change Performance Index 2023 was released jointly by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.
• The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is released every year at the UN Climate Change Conference. It is an instrument that ensures transparency in national and international climate politics.
• Since 2005, it has provided a standardized assessment of countries’ climate protection performance. It currently tracks the countries’ progress toward the goals set by the Paris Agreement.
• It uses a standard framework to compare the environmental performance of 59 countries and the European Union, which together account for 92 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The index assesses the climate protection performance of these countries using 14 indicators in four categories:
• GHG Emissions
• Renewable Energy
• Energy Use
• Climate Policy

FIRST-EVER WORLD WILDLIFE TRADE REPORT

• The first-ever World Wildlife Trade Report was released at the 19th Conference of Parties to CITES, which is being held in Panama from November 14 to 25 this year.
• This conference is the fourth such meeting to be held in Central and South America and the Caribbean since the CITES came into force in 1975. It is the first COP to CITES to be held in the region since 2002.
• The World Wildlife Trade Report provides insights and assessment of the global trade of animals and plants that are regulated by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
• The CITES ensures the regulation of the international trade of wild animals and plants so that their survival is not threatened.
• What are the key findings of the report?

• Some 3.5 million CITES shipments were reported in direct trade by exports between 2011 and 2020. This accounts for 1.3 billion individual organisms and 279 million kg of products reported by weight.
• Asia and Europe are the top exporters and importers of wildlife trade. Asia accounted for 37 per cent of export transactions and 31 per cent of import transactions.
• Asia and Africa account for the highest proportion of the global export value. The annual revenue generated by the global legal trade in wildlife (CITES and non-CITES) is around 220 billion USD.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

INDIA SET TO LAUNCH VIKRAM-S?

• India is set to launch Vikram-S on November 15 from Indian Space Research Organisation’s launchpad at Sriharikota – an island in Andhra Pradesh.
• Vikram-S, a single stage suborbital launch vehicle, is India’s first privately developed rocket.
• It was developed by a Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace.
• During its maiden launch under Mission Prarambh (beginning), it will carry 3 customer payloads in a sub-orbital flight to help validate the majority of technologies in the Vikram series of space launch vehicles.
• About the payloads
• Of the three payloads launched aboard the Vikram-S under Mission Prarambh, two are for Indian customers and one is for a foreign customer.
• One of them is Funny-Sat. Weighing 2.5 kg, this payload will be sent to space by a Chennai-based aerospace startup Spacekidz. It was developed by students from India, the United States, Singapore and Indonesia.

MISCELLANEOUS

GLACIERS AT MANY UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

• Glaciers at many UNESCO World Heritage sites including Yellowstone and Kilimanjaro National Park will likely vanish by 2050, the UN agency warned, urging leaders to act fast to save the rest. The warning followed a study of 18,600 glaciers at 50 World Heritage sites.
• The study “shows these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to CO2 emissions, which are warming temperatures”, UNESCO said.
• The glaciers were losing 58 billion tonnes of ice every year, equivalent to the combined annual water use of France and Spain, and were responsible for nearly five percent of observed global sea-level rise, the agency explained.
• “But it is still possible to save the glaciers in the remaining two thirds of sites if the rise in temperatures does not exceed 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial period.” Countries have pledged to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — a goal the world is set to miss on current emission trends.

E-WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2022

• The Indian Government issued notification on E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, which will come into effect from next financial year.
• What are E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022?
• The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 was published by the Ministry of Environment, forest and climate change on November 2, 2022.
• The new rules will come to effect from April 1, 2023. They will apply to all businesses and individuals involved in manufacturing, sales, transfer, purchase, refurbishing, dismantling, recycling and processing of e-waste or electrical and electronic equipment.
• Under the new rules, the number of items that have been categorized as e-waste has been increased from 21 to 106.
• It includes all electrical devices and radiotherapy equipment, nuclear medicine equipment and accessories, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), electric toys, air conditioners, microwaves, tablets, washing machine, refrigerator, iPad and others.
• This includes electronic components, consumables, parts and spares that make the electronic products operational.

WHAT IS NICOBARI HODI CRAFT?

• Recently, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands has filed an application, seeking the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Nicobari Hodi craft.
• This is the first application from the Union Territory seeking a tag for one of its products. Earlier, the government awarded the GI tag to Mithila Makhana.
• What is Nicobari Hodi?
• The hodi is the Nicobari tribe’s traditional craft. It is an outrigger canoe, very commonly operated in the Nicobar group of islands. The technical skills for building a hodi are based on indigenous knowledge inherited by the Nicobarese from their forefathers.
• The hodi is built using either locally available trees or from nearby islands, and its design varies slightly from island to island.
• Considerations to be taken into account include the length of the finished canoe, which has to be 12 times that of its width, while the length of the undressed tree trunk has to be 15 times this width.
• Hodis are used for transporting people and goods from one island to another, for sending coconuts, for fishing and racing purposes. The tuhet, a group of families under a headman, consider the hodi an asset. Hodi races are held between islands and villages.