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By admin: Dec. 1, 2022

India assumes the Presidency of the UNSC for December month 2022

Tags: International News

According to the External Affairs Ministry, India has assumed the Presidency of the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) for the month of December 2022. India will be the President of the UNSC for one month as the 2 year term of India as a non-permanent member of the UNSC ends on 31 December 2022.

India became the non -permanent member of the UNSC on 1 January 2021. During its 2 year terms India has become the President of the UNSC for the second time .  Earlier it became President in August 2021.

According to the External Affairs Ministry during India’s Presidency two key events are scheduled in the UNSC. 

There will be a debate on ‘“Maintenance of International Peace and Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism’ and others will be on “Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Global Approach to Counter Terrorism - Challenges and Way Forward”. 

Both the sessions will be chaired by the External Affairs minister S. Jaishankar. 

India has been elected 8 times as a non-permanent member of the UNSC. India has been elected in 1950, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1991, 2011 and 2021.

The UNSC consists of 15 members. China, US, Russia, France and the United Kingdom are permanent members. Rest 10 non-permanent members are elected for a period of 2 years.

At present the UN has 193 member countries.

Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurates the first Coastal Security Conference in Chennai

Tags: place in news Defence Summits Person in news

Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurated the first Coastal Security Conference organised by the Indian Coast Guard under the aegis of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) at Chennai on 1 December 2022. Director General, Indian Coast Guard V S Pathania was also present at the occasion.

Defence Secretary called upon the member countries to take concerted measures to counter transnational crimes and address identified areas to make the seas safer.

The two day (1-2 December) conference is being attended by India, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

Theme of the conference: Collaborative Efforts for Coastal Security.

A range of issues including coastal security threat, collaborative response, international maritime law and role of empowered agencies, technological solutions for coastal security etc were discussed at the conference.

Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)

The CSC started as a trilateral maritime cooperation mechanism between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka in 2011. The membership of the Group was enlarged with the addition of Mauritius in March 2022. 

The Secretariat of the CSC is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The members have identified five pillars for cooperation, namely-

• Maritime Safety and Security; 
• Countering Terrorism and Radicalization;
• Combating Trafficking and Organised Crime; 
• Cyber Security, Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology and
•  Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

India to assume chairmanship of Wassenaar arrangement on 1 Jan 2023

Tags: International News

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced that India will assume Chairmanship of Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) on 01 January 2023 for a period of one year.

At the 26th annual Plenary of the WA held in Vienna, Austria on 30 November-01 December 2022, Ambassador Eoin O'Leary of Ireland handed over the Chairmanship to Ambassador Jagdeep Majumdar, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UN and International Organizations in Vienna.

India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) on 08 December 2017 as its 42nd Participating State.

Wassenaar Arrangement 

The Wassenaar Arrangement was established in July 1996 at Wassenaar, Netherlands.  It is a voluntary export control regime of 42 member countries. The member countries exchange information on transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods and technologies. 

The main aim of the Wassenaar agreement is to discourage its member countries from exporting conventional weapons and dual-use goods and technologies to countries which are a threat to global peace. 

The WA Plenary is the decision-making and governing body of the Arrangement. It is composed of representatives of all Participating States who normally meet once a year at Vienna, Austria. 

External Affairs' Minister : S.Jaishankar

Kirit Parekh panel suggest complete deregulation of Gas prices from 1 January 2026

Tags: committee Economy/Finance

The Kirit Parekh panel set up by the government of India to review the gas pricing formula in India has submitted its report to the Government of India on 30 November.  It has made a host of recommendations to deregulate gas prices in India by January 1, 2026. Deregulation here means the price of the gasses shall be decided by the market not by the government.

In September, the government constituted the committee, led by energy expert and former Planning Commission (since renamed NITI Aayog) member Kirit Parikh, to review the gas pricing formula for gas produced in the country with the aim to ensure a fair price.

Background to the Issue 

India is a major importer of gas in the world but there are certain gas fields in India which produce Natural Gases.

There are broadly two types of Gas field in India.

One is called a legacy gas field. They are those gas fields that were allotted to Government owned ONGC and Oil India Limited (OIL).  The price of the gasses produced from these fields are decided by the government and they are provided to consumers at a highly subsidized price. Also ONGC and OIL neither give any royalty to the government nor share their profit with the government.

Such fields account for about 80 per cent of annual gas output of India.

Other Gas fields

The other gas fields are owned by private companies like Reliance, Vedanta. They have to give royalty to the government. In these gas fields there is pricing freedom but the maximum price is fixed by the government.

Recommendation of the Parekh Committee

• For the Legacy gas field it has recommended  a minimum price of USD 4 per Metric Million British Thermal Unit (mmBTU)  and the  maximum price at USD 6.5/mmBTU.
• It has recommended increasing the upper limit by USD 0.5/mmBTU   every year. The proposal is to implement this from 1 January 2027.
• For the other gas field it has recommended that the upper price limit shall be removed from 1 January 2026. This will give them full freedom to set prices and make marketing strategies.
• The committee has also recommended bringing natural gas under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST) to bring transparency in the pricing of gas.

Gas price mechanism in India 

The government sets the price of gas every six months, on April 1 and October 1 of each year, based on rates prevalent in gas-surplus nations such as the US, Canada and Russia in one year with a lag of one quarter.

NADA India to host Inclusion Conclave for the first time to focus on athletes with disabilities on 2nd December 2022

Tags: Sports Summits

India will host an Inclusion Conclave for the first time which will focus on anti-doping education and process for athletes with disabilities. The Conclave organised by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA India) with the help of  WADA  (World Anti-Doping Agency) Asia-Oceania office, will be held on 2 December 2022 in New Delhi.

The conclave will focus on developing a policy and legal framework on anti-doping as well as on educating the disable athletes on the anti -doping process and controls. 

Doping in sports means the use of unauthorized drugs by the athletes to enhance their performance in sports.

National Anti-Doping Agency or NADA 

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the national organization responsible for promoting, coordinating, and monitoring the doping control program in sports in all its forms in the country. It is the member of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) was set up on November 24, 2005 Under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 

Director General of NADA: Ritu Sain

Headquarters: New Delhi 

12th edition of Agni Warrior exercise between Indian and Singapore Armed Forces Concludes at Devlali

Tags: place in news Defence

The 12th edition of the bilateral Agni Warrior Exercise between the Indian and the Singapore  Army concluded at Field Firing Ranges, Devlali (Maharashtra) on 30 November 2022.

The exercise which commenced on 13 November 2022 involved showcasing joint firepower planning, execution and use of New Generation Equipment by the Artillery arm of both armies.

Exercise also included participation by both sides in a joint computer war-game as part of joint planning process. 

G-20 Finance Ministers meeting to be held in Bengaluru in February 2023: Nirmala Sithraman

Tags: place in news National

The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that Bengaluru, Karnataka will host a meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in February 2023. India assumed the Presidency of the G-20 on 1 December 2022.  

She announced this at the Vananam Startup Inclusivity Summit in Bengaluru. 

Mr Sitharaman has asked the Start-ups to utilise this event to showcase their profile to the visiting international guests. The Finance Minister said, different cities in India have been selected to host G-20-related meetings next year.

Election commission set up a polling booth for a single voter in Gujarat

Tags: State News

The Election Commission of India has set up a polling booth for a single voter in the Gir forest of Somnath district. This center has been built for Mahant Haridas Udasin of Baneshwar Mahadev Temple, situated in dense forests.

 Gir is the only sanctuary for Asiatic lions in the world.

The election to elect the 15th Legislative Assembly of Gujarat is being held on 1st and 5th of December 2022 and the counting will be done on 8 December 2022.The term of the  current and 14th Legislative Assembly will end on 18 February 2023.

Exercise Sudarshan Prahar conducted by Army’s Sudarshan Chakra Corps in Rajasthan

Tags: place in news Defence

Indian Army’s Sudarshan Chakra Corps carried out Exercise Sudarshan Prahar in the deserts of Rajasthan. The exercise focussed on the synergised application of combat power through the integration of force multipliers & practicing new battle techniques in an integrated all arms environment showcasing high level of professionalism and offensive spirit.

General Officer Commanding In Chief of the Southern Command: Lieutenant General A K Singh

Command structure of the Indian Army 

The Headquarter of the Indian Army is at New Delhi with the President being the Commander in Chief of the Army.

Headquarters of the Indian Army: New Delhi 

Chief of Army Staff: General Manoj Pande 

The Indian Army has 6 operational commands and one Training command. Each command is headed by a General Officer Commanding in Chief with the rank of Lieutenant General.

Army Day is observed on 15 January every year.

Prime Minister Modi greets BSF on its 58th raising Day

Tags: Defence Important Days

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted the Border Security Personnel and their families on BSF (Border Security Force) 58^th raising day. Every year December 1 is observed as BSF day because the force was raised on this day in 1965.

BSF was set up after the 1965 India Pakistan war. It is a border force which is deployed along the International border with Bangladesh and Pakistan.

BSF is also known as the nation’s ’first line of defence'.

It is the world’s largest border force in the world.

It is one of the 7 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) which comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The other CAPF are Assam Rifles, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Force (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG) and Sashastra Seema BAL (SSB).

The BSF is the only force in the country to have the Camel Contingents and the Camel Mounted Band.

It is the only force in the world which has a female camel riding squad. 

It is the only CAPF to have a full-fledged Water Wing, Air Wing and even an Artillery Regiment of its own.

• Motto of BSF : Duty Unto Death,
• Headquarters: New Delhi,
• Director General: Pankaj Kumar Singh (IPS)
• First Director General : K F Rustamji

IDFC AMC to be renamed as Bandhan Mutual Fund as SEBI approves change in ownership

Tags: Economy/Finance

The name of the IDFC Asset Management Company Limited (AMC) which manages the Mutual Fund business of the IDFC will be changed to Bandhan Asset Management Company Limited.  The IDFC Mutual Fund (MF) is proposed to be renamed as Bandhan Mutual Fund with Bandhan Financial Holdings Limited (BFHL) becoming the Sponsor of the Mutual Fund. 

This has been done after Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved the change in ownership at the IDFC AMC. SEBI is the regulator of Mutual Funds in India.

The IDFC AMC was set up by IDFC financial company in 2010. It is the 9th largest Mutual fund in India.

In April 2022 a consortium of Bandhan Financial Holdings (BFHL), private equity firm ChrysCapital and Singapore's sovereign fund GIC had announced the acquisition of IDFC Asset Management Company for Rs 4,500 crore. Bandhan Financial Holdings (BFHL) is the promoter of the private sector bank Bandhan Bank.

The deal has already been approved by the Competition Commission of India and RBI.

Bandhan Financial Holdings (BFHL) will hold 60% of the shares in the IDFC AMC, and ChrysCapital and GIC will hold 20% each.

Bandhan Bank 

The Bandhan Bank started as an NGO and later it was converted into an NBFC -MFI (Micro Financial institution).

It was converted into a private sector bank in 2015.

The Bank’s Headquarters: Kolkata 

MD and CEO: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh

Tagline: Aapka Bhala. Sabki Bhalai.

Sanjay Kumar takes charge as Secretary of Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education GoI

Tags: Person in news

Sanjay Kumar took charge as Secretary Department of School Education & Literacy on 1 December, 2022 in Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.

Important facts

• Prior to this, he was the Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

• He succeeds Anita Karwal who held the position from November 28, 2020 to November 28, 2022.

• Sanjay Kumar also served as the principal secretary of education department in Bihar. He is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1990 batch.

• Kumar expressed his commitment towards providing quality, accessible and affordable education to  every student of the country.

PM addresses Manipur Sangai Festival via video message

Tags: Festivals State News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Manipur Sangai Festival via video message on 30 November.

Important facts

• Every year the State of Manipur celebrates the “Manipur Sangai Festival” from 21st to 30th November.

• It started in the year 2010 and over the years has grown into a great platform to showcase the rich tradition and culture of Manipur to the world.

• The theme of the festival is “Festival of Oneness”. It promotes a sense of belonging and creates pride in ownership of land among people.

• The festival showcases the glorious cultural heritage of the state and the love for art that is inherent in the various tribes living in the state of Manipur.

• Manipur’s famous martial arts- Thang Ta (a combination Spear and Sword skills), Yubi-Lakpi (a game played with greased coconut like rugby), Mukna Kangjei (a game that combines hockey and wrestling), and Sagol Kangjei- Modern Polo (believed to have evolved in Manipur) were all form part of the festival.

• Celebrated as the grandest festival in the state, the Manipur Sangai Festival helps in promoting Manipur as a world-class tourist destination.

• The festival is named after the state animal, the Sangai, a deer found only in Manipur.

About Sangai Deer

• It is an endemic and endangered subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur, India.

• It is found in its natural habitat only in Keibul Lamjao National Park, locally in the south eastern part of Loktak Lake.

• It is the state animal of Manipur. 

• IUCN status : Endangered

Scientists discover new drought-resistant wheat gene

Tags: Science and Technology

Scientists at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, England in collaboration with an international team of researchers, discovered the new ‘reduced height’ or semi-dwarf gene called Rht13 of wheat.

Important facts

• Rht13 is a new drought-resistant semi-dwarf wheat gene that can be grown in dry soils.

• This has raised a new hope for sowing wheat crops in water limited or drought prone environments.

• These genes allow seeds to be planted deeper into the soil, providing access to moisture, without adverse effects on germination of wheat varieties.

• Wheat varieties containing the Rht13 gene can rapidly increase yields and enable farmers to grow reduced hight wheat under dry soil conditions.

• Since the 1960s and the Green Revolution, short height genes have increased global wheat yields and improved their sustainable potential.

DigiYatra facilities starts at the Delhi, Varanasi and Bangalore airport

Tags: National

The Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated the Digi Yatra facility at the IGI Airport in New Delhi on 1 December 2022. This facility has also been simultaneously launched at the Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore, and the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi. Initially the DigiYatra facility will be only for domestic flights. 

Initially 7 airports were selected under the Digi Yatra facility. In the first phase it has been rolled out in Delhi, Varanasi and Bangalore. In the second phase it will be rolled out in 4 more airports by March 2023.

The Government plans to roll out the DigiYatra facility at GMR Hyderabad International Airport, Hyderabad, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport Kolkata, Pune International airport Pune, and at the Vijayawada International Airport, Vijaywada in the second phase by March 2023.  Later, the facility would be implemented across various airports in the country.

The beta version of the service was introduced at Delhi and Bengaluru airports on Independence Day this year.

What is DigiYatra? 

DigiYatra is based on facial recognition technology and will make the boarding process faster and seamless.

Passengers will have to register on the DigiYatra app through their respective Aadhaar cards to avail the service.

The initiative will automate the entry and verification of passengers at all airports checkpoints and will use facial features to establish a traveller’s identity and link it to their respective boarding passes. 

This will result in shorter wait times in lines, quicker processing times, and simpler procedures for the passengers.

Who developed the DigiYatra?

Digi Yatra has been promoted by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.  To develop a facial recognition system at the airports, Digi Yatra Foundation was set up in 2019.

The Digi Yatra Foundation is a joint venture of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Cochin International Airport (CIAL), Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL) & Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL). 

World AIDS Day

Tags: Important Days

World AIDS Day is observed every year on 1 December.

Important facts

• It is an opportunity for people around the world to unite in the fight against HIV, support people living with HIV, and remember those who have died from AIDS-related illness.

• AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is caused by the human immuno deficiency virus (HIV), has so far claimed the lives of 40.1 million people.

• At the end of 2021, there were 38.4 million HIV-positive persons worldwide, of whom 25.6 million were from the African region.

• HIV remains a serious public health concern affecting millions of people globally.

The theme of the 2022 World AIDS Day

• "Equalize" is this year's World AIDS Day theme. 

• It's a rallying cry to get serious about addressing disparities and doing everything we can to end AIDS.

• Therefore, it is important to increase patient access to HIV treatment, testing, and prevention services by improving the availability, quality, and usability.

Background of the day

• The day was first observed in 1988 by WHO. 

• The day was conceived by James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, two information officers for the Global Program on AIDS.

• These officers worked for the World Health Organization in the Global Program on AIDS.

• James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter took their proposal for a World AIDS Day to Jonathan Mann, director of the Global Program on AIDS, who liked the idea and recommended starting the first World AIDS Day on December 1, 1988.

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin dies aged 96

Tags: Person in news International News

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin  died on 30 November, 2022 at the age of 96 in Shanghai, of leukaemia and multiple organ failure. 

Important facts

• He was the first Chinese President to visit India in 1996 when India and China moved towards normalising the bilateral ties.

• Jiang was China's president from 1993-2003.

• Under his leadership, Hong Kong was peacefully handed over to China in 1997 and China joined the World Trade Organization, which laid the groundwork for China to become the world's second largest economy with high-speed development.

• Jiang Zemin took command of China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.

• He consolidated the powers of the Communist Party of China, weeded out internal dissent, and in 1999 cracked down on the religious sect Falun Gong, which was seen as a threat to the party.

• He is also credited with the country's further integration with the global order and higher status as a world power.

India - China relation in his tenure

• His visit to India in 1996 was seen as a major step towards the normalisation of India-China bilateral relations.

• During his visit, the two countries signed a comprehensive agreement to restore peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and reached a consensus on building a constructive and cooperative partnership.

• Both sides signed several agreements for confidence building in the military sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• Both sides also discussed reducing border troops.

• This was followed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to China in 2003, when both sides decided to appoint their respective Special Representatives (SRs) to explore a solution to the boundary issue under the framework of the Boundary Agreement.

• Jiang was then the chairman of the Central Military Commission and Hu Jintao took over as the Chinese President in 2002, a year earlier.

India’s Ambassador to US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu tenure extends for a year

Tags: Person in news

The tenure of India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has been extended for a year till January 31, 2024 by the government of India. Sandhu was to retire in January 2023.

Important facts

• Earlier, in 2020, Taranjit Singh Sandhu took charge as the new Indian Ambassador to the United States from his predecessor Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is now G20 chief coordinator.

• Sandhu was earlier India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. 

• Sandhu, an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1988 batch, has served in Washington DC thrice as the deputy chief of mission between 2013 and 2017, and then as ambassador from early 2020.

• He is considered a familiar face in Washington DC circles.

• During the tenure of Taranjit Singh Sandhu, there has been a lot of intensity in Indo-US relations.

Hornbill Festival begins at Naga Heritage village Kisama in Nagaland

Tags: Festivals State News

23rd edition of the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland started on December 1, 2022 at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama.

Important facts

•  Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, the chief guest of the Hornbill festival, was present at the opening ceremony.

• Nagaland Governor Professor Jagdish Mukhi was the chief host of the festival while Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was its host.

• The opening ceremony was followed by a cultural performance titled "This is Nagaland".

• It may be noted that India is assuming the G20 chairmanship from 1 December, which coincides with Nagaland Statehood Day and the start of the Hornbill festival.

• Organized by the Government of Nagaland, the Hornbill Festival showcases Nagaland’s deep-rooted traditions and its rich cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity, and grandeur. 

• This festival will continue till 10 December. Jio is the official media partner of the festival.

About Hornbill Festival

• Hornbill Festival is celebrated in Nagaland every year in the first week of December. It is also called “Festivals of Festivals”.

• It is one of the biggest indigenous festivals of the country.

• It is organised by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, supported by the Union Government.

• This Festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima. 

• The objective of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and to showcase its extraordinary traditions.

• The festival is named after the bird 'Hornbill' which is the most revered and admired bird for the Nagas.

• The festival is a tribute to this bird, known for its qualities of grandeur and alertness.

Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-III squadron, commissioned in Chennai

Tags: Defence National News

With a view to further strengthen Coast Guard Area East, 840 Sqn (CG), an Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk-III squadron was commissioned by DG VS Pathania on 30 November at ICG Air Station, Chennai.

Important facts

• The commissioning of 840 Sqn (CG) marks a significant progress towards self-reliance in helicopter manufacturing, in line with the government's vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

• It will provide a fillip to the capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard in the security sensitive waters of Tamil Nadu and Andhra region.

• A total of 16 ALH Mk-III aircraft have been inducted into the Indian Coast Guard in a phased manner and four of these aircraft are positioned in Chennai. 

• Since induction, the squadron has flown over 430 hours and conducted numerous operational missions.

About ALH Mk-III helicopters

• The ALH Mk-III helicopters, indigenously manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

• It features state-of-the-art equipment including advanced RADAR as well as Electro optical sensors, Shakti engines, full glass cockpit, high-intensity search light, advanced communication systems, automatic identification system as well as search-and-rescue homer. 

• The facility will enable the squadron to conduct maritime reconnaissance, and conduct search and rescue operations over extended ranges, operating day and night from ships.

• The aircraft has the ability to switch from an offensive platform with a heavy machine gun for transfer of critically ill patients to a benign platform carrying ICUs.

ICG conducts 24th National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan and Preparedness Meeting

Tags: Defence National News

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on 30 November conducted the 24th National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) and Preparedness Meeting in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Important facts

• Director General, ICG V S Pathania, who is the Chairman of NOS-DCP, chaired the meeting.

• During the meeting, national capabilities were reviewed with the objective of ensuring collective preparedness to respond to any oil and chemical spill contingency in Indian waters.

• The meeting was attended by around 100 delegates including representatives from various ministries, central and state government departments and agencies, state pollution control boards, ports and companies dealing with oil spills.

• Currently, as the third largest importer of crude, India receives a large volume of oil through ships.

• Similarly, India stands sixth in the world as a major chemical importer country.

Risks of oil and chemicals spill 

• Spills of both oil and chemicals pose inherent risks to coastal populations, marine ecosystems, industry and the ancillary tourism industry as well as various establishments in India's maritime zones and associated coastlines.

• Hence, preventive measures are required to be taken by the Central Coordinating Agency, Ports, Ship Owners, Oil Handling Facilities, Coastal States and other relevant stakeholders to prevent any possible marine spillage.

About Indian Coast Guard (ICG)

• It is an Armed Force, Search and Rescue and Maritime Law Enforcement agency under the Ministry of Defence.

• It was established in August 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 as an independent Armed force of India.

• It is the fourth largest Coast Guard in the world.

• It has played a vital role in securing Indian coasts and enforcing regulations in India's maritime zones.

• It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Prasanth Kumar of GroupM media elected as the President of AAAI

Tags: Person in news

Prasanth Kumar has been elected as the President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for fiscal 2022-23 at its annual general body meeting on 29 November 2022. Prasant Kumar is presently CEO, South Asia of GroupM Media (India) Pvt Ltd.

Rana Barua, Group CEO of Havas Group India was unanimously elected Vice-President of the Association.

Kumar has an experience of over 25 years in the Industry.  Before joining GroupM, he held positions at Pepsi, The Hindu, The Media Edge, and McCann Erickson.

He has served as AAAI's vice president from 2020 to 2022.

The 'Advertising Agencies Association of India' (AAAI) was formed in the year 1945 to further the interests of the advertising industry.