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By admin: Jan. 1, 2023

PM to address 108th Indian Science Congress to be held in Nagpur

Tags: place in news National Science and Technology Summits

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC) on 3rd January, 2023 through video conferencing.  The 108 Indian national Science Congress is being organised by the Indian Science Congress Association from 3-7 January 2023 at the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University.

The 107 Indian Science Congress 2022 was held at the University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka in January 2022.  

Theme of the 108th Indian Science Congress 2023: Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment”.

The Congress will hold discussions on issues of sustainable development, women empowerment and the role of science & technology in achieving this. A special programme to showcase the contribution of women in science and technology will also be held, which will also witness lectures by renowned women scientists. 

Other Programmes at the ISC

Several other programmes will also be organised alongside ISC. Children’s Science Congress will also be organised to help stimulate scientific interest and temperament among children. Farmer’s Science Congress will provide a platform to improve the bio-economy and attract youth to agriculture. 

Tribal Science Congress will also be held, which will also be a platform for scientific display of indigenous ancient knowledge system and practice, along with focusing on the empowerment of tribal women.

Indian Science Congress Association 

The Indian Science Congress Association owes its origin to the two British Chemists, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P. S. Mac Mahon.  It was set up in Kolkata in 1914.

It was their view that scientific research in India would be stimulated if an annual meeting of research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the Advancement of Science could be arranged. 

Every year its members meet annually in the first week of January named Indian Science Congress. The first session of the Congress was held in 1914.

Inacio Lula da Silva sworn in as the President of Brazil for the 3rd time

Tags: Person in news International News

The veteran left wing Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as the President of Brazil for the third time on 1 January 2023 for a four year term. The oath taking ceremony was held in the Brazilian capital city of Brasilia. Geraldo Alckmin was sworn in as the Vice President of Brazil. 

Lula, who belongs to the Worker Party, led the country from 2003 to 2010 ,defeated the incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro in the bitterly contested runoff Presidential election  held in October 2022.  

 His victory has politically divided the country. The supporters of f Jair Bolsonaro have protested for over two months, alleging that the election was stolen and called for a military coup to stop Lula from returning to office in a climate of vandalism and violence.

Jair Bolsonaro has already left Brazil for the United States.  He has repeatedly said he does not wish to attend the inauguration of his successor, where he would be expected to hand over the presidential sash in a sign of a stable transfer of power.

Brazil 

It is the fifth largest country in the world area wise after Russia, Canada, China, and the United States.

It covers almost half of the South American Continent.

60% of the Amazon rainforest which is considered the lung of the earth lies in Brazil.

Capital: Brasilia 

Currency: Brazilian Real 

India assume the charge of the Wassenaar Arrangement

Tags: International News

India has assumed the chairmanship of the plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement on 1 January 2023 for 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 Jaideep Mazumdar, 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 that operates on consensus.  It is composed of representatives of all Participating States who normally meet once a year at Vienna, Austria. 

Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumes command of the IAF Western Command

Tags: Defence Person in news

Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumed command of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command on 01 January 2023.

The Air Marshal is a graduate of National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot in June 1985.  He is an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.  

Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha succeeds Air Marshal S Prabhakaran who superannuated on 31 December 2022 after putting in more than 39 years of distinguished service in the IAF. 

Indian Air force and its command structure 

It was set up on 8 October 1932.  It comes under the Union Defence Ministry.

President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Air Force.

Every year October 8 is observed as Air Force Day. 

Chief of Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari

Command structure of the Indian Air Force

International Year of millets 2023

Tags: Important Days

The year 2023 is being observed all over the world as the International Year of the millets. The Government of India aims to make the International Year of the millets a ‘People’s Movement’ and position India as the ‘Global Hub for Millets’. India is the largest producer of millets in the world.

Background to the International Year 

The Government of India proposed to the United Nations General Assembly to declare 2023 as the International Year of the Millets.

The proposal was accepted and passed by the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2021 and 2023 was declared as the International Year of Millets.

Celebration of the International Millet Year in India 

In the month of January 2023 the government of India and its ministries in collaboration with the state government will undertake a series of events to celebrate the International Years of Millets.

 The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries which will be organizing Millet Fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare along with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) will participate in a trade show on millets in Belgium.

The External Affairs Ministry through its embassy in Azerbaijan and Belarus will conduct Business to Business meetings and participate in food festivals in these countries to promote Indian millets. 

The Indian High Commission in Nigeria has planned a Millets Food Festival and a Millets Food preparation competition in January 2023.

In the month of January Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Punjab will be conducting millet centric activities including Mahotsav/ meals and food festivals, training of farmers, awareness campaigns etc. 

Importance of Millets 

Millet is one of the oldest known foods to humans. However its consumption in the world has declined due to the emphasis given to wheat and rice by the governments. 

It is also called coarse cereals or nutri cereals due to its high nutritive value.  To increase the consumption of millets in India the government of India declared millets as nutri-cereals and 2018 was declared as the National Millets Year in India.

The Government of India has set a target of production of 205 lakh tonnes of Nutri Cereals in the country by 2022-23. 

 Rajasthan is the largest producer of nutri-cereals in India followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka.

India and Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear assets and Prison inmates

Tags: National

According to the Ministry of External Affairs India and Pakistan exchanged the list of nuclear installations and facilities on 31 December 2022 as per the 1988 agreement which prohibits both the countries from attacking each other's nuclear installations. They also exchanged the lists of prisoners held in each other’s prisons, which include civilians, defence personnel and fishermen.

Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities

India and Pakistan are both nuclear weapon countries and to reduce tension between the two countries an Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities was signed between the two on 31 December 1998. 

Under this agreement both countries have to inform each other of the nuclear facilities on the 1st January of every calendar year. 

The agreement entered into force on 27 January 1991.This is the 32nd consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 01, 1992.

The term "nuclear installation or facility" includes nuclear power and research reactors, fuel fabrication, uranium enrichment, isotopes separation and reprocessing facilities, and any other installations with fresh or irradiated nuclear fuel and materials in any form and establishments storing significant quantities of radioactive materials.

Exchange of Prisoner’s list 

On this day both the countries also exchange the lists of prisoners held in each other’s prisons, which include civilians, defence personnel and fishermen. Pakistan shared a list of 705 detained Indians, 51 civilians and 654 fishermen. India shared a list of 434 Pakistanis in its custody, 339 civilians and 95 fishermen.

The 2008 agreement gives each side consular access to prisoners and requires them to exchange lists of prisoners in each other's custody each January and July month.