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By admin: Sept. 10, 2022

Army’s Kibithu base in Arunachal Pradesh renamed after first CDS, late General Bipin Rawat

Tags: place in news Defence Person in news State News

To honour the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) late General Bipin Rawat, the Kibithu military garrison in Arunachal was named as General Bipin Rawat garrison on 10 September 2022.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• Kibithu is a small hamlet near Walong on the banks of the Lohit Valley in Arunachal Pradesh close to the India-China border.
• Gen Rawat commanded his Battalion 5/11 Gorkha Rifles as a Colonel at Kibithu from 1999-2000.
• The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh (Retd), Brigadier BD Mishra, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and other senior military and civilian dignitaries were present on the occasion along with daughters of the late CDS.
• General Bipin Rawat and his wife along with senior Army and Air Force officers died in a Helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu 8 December 2021. He was going to the  Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu to address the faculty and student officers of the ‘Staff Course.
• He was the 27th Army chief and was the first Chief of Defence Staff. He was appointed to the Chief of Defence Staff post on December 31, 2019.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Arunachal Pradesh :

• It is the easternmost region of India. It is also called ‘Land of the Dawn-lit-Mountains’ or land of rising sun.
• It shares its International border with China, Bhutan and Myanmar.
• Arunachal Pradesh finds its mention in the literature of Kalika Purana and the great Hindu Epic Mahabharata. It is believed to be the Prabhu Mountains of the Puranas.
• It was earlier called as North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and it was renamed as Arunachal Pradesh in 1972. It was a Union Territory.
• It became a state on 20 February 1987.
• Governor of the State:  (Retd), Brigadier BD Mishra 
• Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
• Capital: Itanagar 

Army chief witnesses “Exercise Parvat Prahar” in eastern Ladakh, as India China starts disengagement in Ladakh

Tags: place in news Defence Person in news

The Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande who is on a two day (10&11 September) visit to Ladakh witnessed the Army war game code named “Exercise Parvat Prahar” on 10 September 2022.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• His visit assumes significance because the disengagement process between India and China at the Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area (Patrolling Point-15), has already started in the area. The process which started on 8 September will be completed by 12 September 2022.
• Tensions arose between the two neighbouring countries in eastern Ladakh in May 2020, when China arbitrarily deployed its army in the area. India-China army came face to face at patrolling point 15 and finally led to a bloody clash in June 2020.
•  Both India and China have agreed to dismantle and verify the temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of the LAC in eastern Ladakh and they will go back to the area they held before the Chinese incursion.
• This disengagement process follows the sixteenth round of talks between the Corps Commanders of India and China that was held at Chushul Moldo Meeting Point (in eastern Ladakh) on July 17, 2022.

India joins 3 pillars of the US led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)

Tags: Economy/Finance International News

India has decided not to join the trade pillar of the United States-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) for now but has agreed to join the other three pillars: supply chains, tax and anti-corruption and clean energy.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• This was declared by the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goel at the end of the trade ministers first in person meeting of the IPEF, held in Los Angeles, United States on 9 September 2022.

Why India has not joined the Trade pillar :

• The Minister said that the trade pillar which deals with trade requires commitment of the member countries on environment, labour, digital trade, and public procurement.
• He said that India is not certain what benefit it will get by joining this trade pillar.
• He expressed the fear that the trade pillar may set high standards of compliance which may discriminate against the developing countries.
• Giving an example he said that the United State has set a high standard on environment protection which is applicable on the energy companies. It has set stringent norms for power plants so that they are low polluting and more environment friendly. This mandates investment in new technology which makes the power produced costly.
• If India follows the US standards then it will adversely impact India’s economic development. India needs cheap power so that it is accessible to all. It cannot afford costly powers.
• Similar concerns are also there in the field of labour, digital trade, and public procurement.

Fisheries sector record all time high production and Export as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana turns two years old

Tags: Government Schemes

The flagship central government scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY), focused on sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the country completed 2 years on 10 September 2022.

To commemorate the day, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, held an event in New Delhi with Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry as Chief Guest.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Achievement of the Fisheries sector :

• The Ministry released the achievement of the scheme on the occasion. 
• The fish production in the country reached an all-time high of Fish production reaching 161.87 lakh tons (provisional) during 2021-22 as compared to 141.64 lakh tons during 2019-20.
• The growth rate of the sector from 2019-20 to 2021-22 was 14.3%.
• The export reached an all-time high of 13.64 lakh tonnes valuing Rs 57,587 crores (USD 7.76 billion) dominated by exports of shrimps. 
• India exports fish to 123 countries in the world and it is the 4th largest exporter of fish in the world.

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY) :

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) on 10th September 2020 digitally.
• The main motto of PMMSY is ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ in the fisheries sector.
• PMMSY is designed to address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, modernization and strengthening of value chain, traceability, establishing a robust fisheries management framework and fishers’ welfare.

Duration of the scheme :

• It is a five year scheme from 2020-21 to 2024-25. It is being implemented in all the States and Union Territories.

PMMSY aims at :

• enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25,
•  doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers,
•  reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10% and 
• Generation of additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in fisheries sector and allied activities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Budget allocation :

• The government has allocated Rs 20,500 crores for a period of 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).

Points to remember :

• According to the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in 2020, India was the 4th largest fish producing country in the world. 
• China was the largest producer followed by Indonesia and Peru.
• India was the 2nd second largest producer of fish in the world through aquaculture.
• The term aquaculture broadly refers to the cultivation of aquatic organisms like fish, plants, algae and other organisms in controlled aquatic environments for any commercial, recreational or public purpose. 
• Andhra Pradesh is the largest fish producing state in India.
• Blue revolution: It refers to the increase in the production of aquaculture.
• National Fish Farmer’s Day is celebrated on 10th July every year.

Rajasthan Government launches Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Scheme’ to provide 100 days of employment

Tags: Government Schemes State News

The Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on 9 September 2022 launched the ‘Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Scheme’ to provide 100 days of employment in a year to families residing in urban areas of the state.  The scheme was announced by the government in the state budget 2022-23.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Employment under the scheme :

• The scheme provides that eligible persons will get a minimum 100 days of employment in a year.
• This scheme will be implemented in all the urban local bodies of the state.
• At least 50 people will be given employment in each ward of urban local bodies.

Who are eligible ?

• People who are in the age group of 18 -60 years and living in the urban areas are eligible for jobs under the scheme. 

Budget for the scheme :

• Government of Rajasthan has allocated Rs 800 crore for the scheme 

Nature of works offered :

• According to the government the scheme will offer works related to environment protection, water and heritage conservation, garden maintenance, and removing encroachments, illegal sign boards, hoardings, banners, sanitation, cleanliness and other such works.

Wages offered under the scheme :

• Under the scheme unskilled labour will be provided a wage of ₹259 per day, skilled workers will be given ₹283 each day and mates will be given ₹271 per day.
• The government will credit the wage payment in the bank accounts of the beneficiary within 15 days.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

About Rajasthan :

• Rajasthan ‘Land of Kings’ or ‘Land of Kingdom’ is India’s largest state by area and shares International boundary with Pakistan.
• The State was formed on 30th March 1949.  On this day the Rajputana State was merged into the Dominion of India. 
• The state has the famous bird sanctuary, Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur
•  Apart from this state has 4 national tiger reserves namely 
• Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur district, 
• Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota district, 
• Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district and
• Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary (India’s 52nd tiger reserve).
• Governor: Kalraj Mishra 
• Capital: Jaipur It is also known as Pink City.

First National Conference on Sustainable Coastal Management in India inaugurated

Tags: National State News National News

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the first National Conference on Sustainable Coastal Management in India in Bhubaneswar on 10 September.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• The conference focused on increasing the climate resilience of India's coastal communities and discussing steps to be taken towards coastal management.

Organiser of the Conference :

• The conference is being organised by the Green Climate Fund Supported Project - Enhancing Climate Resilience of India's Coastal Communities.

The objective of the Conference :

• Bringing officials from all 13 coastal states of India under one roof to focus on three interrelated themes of coastal and marine biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation and coastal pollution.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Enhancing climate resilience of India’s coastal communities :

• 'Enhancing the Climate Resilience of India's Coastal Communities' (2019-2024) is a 6-year project implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with the support of UNDP.

• The project aims to enhance the climate resilience of the most vulnerable populations, especially women, in the coastal regions of India.

• The project is supported by the Green Climate Fund.

Eminent archaeologist B B Lal passes away

Tags: Person in news

Archaeologist Braj Basi Lal, who led an excavation at the Ramjanmabhoomi site in the mid-1970s and was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2021 passed away on September 10.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• He was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India between 1968 and 1972.

• He has worked extensively on archaeological sites associated with the Harappan civilization and the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

• He has also served on several UNESCO committees and was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in the year 2000.

• He is best known for his theory of a temple-like structure beneath the now-demolished Babri Masjid.

• He was born in 1921 in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.

• He developed an interest in archaeology after completing his post-graduation in Sanskrit from Allahabad University.

• During more than 50 years, he worked on more than 50 books and 150 research papers published in national and international journals.

अतिरिक्त जानकारी - 

His findings in the Ramjanmabhoomi site in Ayodhya :

• Lal commenced a project in 1975 titled, ‘Archaeology of the Ramayana sites’.

• The project was funded by ASI, Jiwaji University, Gwalior and the Department of Archeology in the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

• Under this, five sites related to Ramayana were excavated, including Ayodhya, Bharadwaj Ashram, Nandigram, Chitrakoot and Shringverapur.

• Under his leadership the ASI had proved the existence of an ancient temple at the site.

World Suicide Prevention Day

Tags: Important Days

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed every year on 10 September.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• Its objective is to spread awareness about mental health among the people and prevent the increasing cases of suicide.

• According to an estimate by WHO, around the world 7,03,000 suicides occur every year.

• By raising awareness we can reduce the incidence of suicide around the world.

• The theme of the year 2022 - 'Creating hope through action' means "Creating hope through action among people".

• Through this theme, a message has been given that those thinking of committing suicide should not give up their hope in any way.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Background :

• The day was started in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization.

• This day is sponsored by the World Federation for Mental Health and World Health Organization.

King Charles III, Britain's new monarch

Tags: Person in news International News

Charles Philip Arthur George, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II was proclaimed as the King of the United Kingdom in a ceremony at the St James's Palace, London on 10 September 2022. Before becoming the King he was known as the Prince of Wales.

The new monarch of the United Kingdom is proclaimed at  St James's Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Head of the Commonwealth :

• King Charles is now officially the Head of the Commonwealth .Commonwealth is an association of 56 Independent countries .
• He is also now the Head of State of 14 countries namely; Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

• Prince Charles has now become Britain's monarch, and his son William has been made Prince of Wales and William's wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.

• Charles said he was given the position by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 1958 when he was just nine years old.

• Formerly Prince of Wales, Charles is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II. He was born in 1948.

• Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981, they have two sons, William and Harry.

• Princess of Wales Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997, later Charles married Camilla Parker on 9 April 2005.

• Charles will be succeeded by his eldest son, Prince William.

NITI Aayog approves 32 beneficiaries under PLI scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing

Tags: National National News

The Empowered Committee headed by CEO, NITI Aayog Parameswaran Iyer on 9 September approved the first ever disbursement of incentive for mobile manufacturing under the large-scale electronics manufacturing’ sector.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• This is the first time that a mobile manufacturing unit has also been selected under the PLI scheme.

• 32 beneficiaries have been approved under the PLI scheme operated for large size electronics manufacturing units.

• Of these, 10 companies are related to mobile manufacturing in which five are domestic and five are foreign companies.

• Paget Electronics Pvt Ltd, a domestic company, is the first beneficiary company approved by the Empowered Committee to receive the incentive.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

About PLI scheme :

• It is an initiative that provides incentives to domestic industries to promote production at the local level.

• Through this scheme, the government aims to incentivize companies to increase the sales of manufactured products in domestic units.

• The objective of the scheme is to make domestic manufacturing globally competitive and to become a global champion in manufacturing.

• The government has launched this scheme with an outlay of around Rs 2 lakh crore for 14 sectors including Automobiles and Auto Components, White Goods, Pharma, Textiles, Advanced Chemistry Cell and Specialty Steel.

Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog - Suman Bery

NITI Aayog CEO - Parameswaran Iyer

Vande Bharat 2 : Railways to introduce new avatar of high-speed train

Tags: National National News

Indian Railways is going to introduce Vande Bharat-2, the new avatar of the high-speed train Vande Bharat.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Features of Vande Bharat 2 :

• It will be equipped with more advancements and improved features like 0 to 100 Kmpl speed in just 52 seconds, maximum speed up to 180 Kmph, lesser weight of 392 tons instead of 430 tons, and WI-FI facility.

• The new Vande Bharat will also have 32-inch LCD TVs which were 24 inches in the earlier versions.

• The 15 percent more energy efficient AC with the dust free clean air cooling of the traction motor will make travel more comfortable.

• The facility of side recliner seats which is being provided to the executive class passengers will now be made available for all classes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

About Vande Bharat Express :

• The first Vande Bharat Express was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February 2019.

• These trains have a self-propelled engine which can save diesel and reduce electricity usage by up to 30%.

• The first Vande Bharat Express was manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.

• It was manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ programme, at a cost of about Rs 100 crore.

• Currently, two Vande Bharat Expresses are operational - first between New Delhi and Varanasi and the second from New Delhi to Katra.

• These trains can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph. 

• In the Union Budget for 2022-2023 the government has proposed the development and manufacture of 400 new Vande Bharat trains in the next three years.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announces commencement of the Swachh Amrit Mahotsav

Tags: National National News

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will launch the 15-day Swachh Amrit Mahotsav from September 17 to mark the completion of eight years of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• The Swachh Amrit Mahotsav will focus on motivating citizens to take steps towards building garbage free cities.

• It will start on September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. September 17 will be celebrated as Service Day.

• Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri released the official logo for 'Swachh Amrit Mahotsav' - 'Ek Aur Kadam Swachhta ki Ore'.

• It shows the resolve to intensify and strengthen the 'Jan Andolan' in the world's largest cleanliness programme.

• The Minister announced for the first time the launch of 'Indian Swachhata League' (ISL), an inter-city competition to be held among the youth of cities on September 17, 2022.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

About Swachh Bharat Mission :

• Launched - on 2nd October 2014

• Launched by - Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• Aims  -  to achieve the vision of a ‘Clean India’ by 2nd October 2019.

• Slogan - One step towards cleanliness

• It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2009.

• The first phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission lasted till October 2019.

• Phase 2 is being implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

NITI Aayog, WRI launches e-FAST - India’s first national electric freight platform

Tags: National National News

NITI Aayog, in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI), India, launched the country’s first national electric freight platform – e-FAST India (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport – India) on 8 September.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• This will help strengthen partnerships and identify and support innovative freight shipping solutions.

• The platform aims to raise awareness on freight electrification, driven by on-ground pilots and evidence-based research.

• It will also support scalable pilots and help formulate policies aimed at accelerating goods electrification in India.

• The freight sector plays a vital role in India's economy in enabling the delivery of goods and vital resources.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

World Resources Institute (WRI) :

• It is a global research organisation with over 1,000 experts and other staff around the world.

• It was started in 1982 in Washington, DC to address global environmental and development challenges.

• It spans over 60 countries with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, Mexico, India, Indonesia and the United States.

• India Resource Trust holds a license from WRI to use the "WRI India" trademark.