DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Nov. 12, 2024

First all women battalion for CISF

Tags: Defence

First all women battalion for CISF

Why in news?

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) approved the first all-women battalion of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Women in CISF:

• Presently, there are 7% women personnel in the CISF, which has a total strength of 1.77 lakh personnel. A battalion comprises around 1,000 personnel.
• Currently CRPF is the only Paramilitary Force in the  Country which had 6 Mahila (Ladies) Battalions.

Significance:

• Technical expertise:
• In modern warfare, technical skills and decision-making are more important than brute strength.
• Military readiness:
• Allowing women in combat roles can help address the military's recruitment and retention issues.
• Effectiveness:
• Restricting women to certain roles limits commanders' ability to choose the most qualified person for the job.
• Gender equality:
• Allowing women in combat roles is a step towards gender equality. 

India’s Renewable Energy Sector

Tags: Environment

India’s Renewable Energy Sector 

Why in news?

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released its latest data, highlighting substantial growth in India’s renewable energy sector from October 2023 to October 2024.
•  This progress underscores India’s commitment to achieving its clean energy targets in line with the ‘Panchamrit’ goals set by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Important points:

• India's total renewable energy installed capacity increased by a staggering 24.2 GW (13.5%) in a year, reaching 203.18 GW in October 2024 from 178.98 GW in October 2023. 
• This significant rise aligns with India’s ambitious targets in the field of RE sector. Including nuclear energy, the total non-fossil fuel capacity rose to211.36 GW in 2024, compared to 186.46 GW in 2023.

Solar and Wind Power Surge:

Solar Power: 

• The solar sector saw a remarkable increase of 20.1 GW (27.9%), growing from 72.02 GW in October 2023 to 92.12 GW in October 2024. 
• The combined total solar capacity, including projects under implementation and tendered, now stands at 250.57 GW, a significant rise from 166.49 GW last year.

Wind Power:

• Wind energy also demonstrated steady growth, with installed capacity increasing by 7.8%, from 44.29 GW in October 2023 to 47.72 GW in 2024. 
• Total capacity in the pipeline for wind projects has now reached 72.35 GW.

Hydro and Nuclear Contributions:

• As of October 2024,large hydro projects contributed 46.93 GW to India’s renewable portfolio, while nuclear power capacity contributed 8.18 GW.

Significance:

• These contributions strengthen the diversity and resilience of India’s renewable energy mix, supporting the country’s comprehensive approach to green energy transition.
• This will help in achieving India's renewable energy target is to install 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2030. 

DRDO conducts maiden flight-test of Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile

Tags: Defence

DRDO conducts maiden flight-test of Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile 

Why in news?

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the maiden flight-test of Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on November 12, 2024 from a mobile articulated launcher. 

Importance of LRLACM:

• The missile followed the desired path using way point navigation and demonstrated its capability to perform various manoeuvres while flying at various altitudes and speeds.
•  The missile is also equipped with advanced avionics and software to ensure better and reliable performance.
• LRLACM is a Defence Acquisition Council-approved, Acceptance of Necessity-sanctioned, Mission Mode Project. It is configured to launch from ground using mobile articulated launcher and also from frontline ships using a universal vertical launch module system.

Developed By:

• LRLACM has been developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru along with contributions from other DRDO laboratories and Indian industries. 
• Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad and Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru are the two Development-Cum-Production-Partners for LRLACM and they are engaged in missile development and integration..

Significance:

•  It paves the way for future indigenous cruise missile development programmes.

WIPO Report-2024

Tags: Reports

WIPO Report-2024

Why in news?

• India has secured a spot in the global top 10 for all three major intellectual property (IP)rights-patents, trademarks, and industrial designs.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) :

• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has published the World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) 2024, underscoring global trends in intellectual property (IP) filings. 
• The report reveals significant growth in patent, trademark, and industrial design applications across top economies. 

Important Points:

• India has secured a spot in the global top 10 for all three major intellectual property (IP) rights—patents, trademarks, and industrial designs.India continues to solidify its place as a global leader in the intellectual property (IP) landscape by showing substantial progress and marking new milestones in IP activity.
• India recorded the fastest growth in patent (+15.7%) applications in 2023 among the top 20 origins, marking the fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth. 
• Indiaranks sixth globallyfor patents with 64,480 applications, with resident filings accounting for over half of all submissions (55.2%)—a first for the country. 
• The patent office also granted 149.4% more patents in 2023 compared to the previous year, underlining the country’s fast-evolving IP ecosystem.
• The report indicates a steady rise (36.4%) in India’s industrial design applications, which aligns with increasing emphasis on product design, manufacturing, and creative industries within India. 
• The top three sectors—Textiles and Accessories, Tools and Machines, and Health and Cosmetics—made up almost half of all design filings,
• Between 2018 and 2023, patent and industrial design applications more than doubled, while trademark filings increased by 60%, reflecting the country’s growing emphasis on IP and innovation. India’s patent-to-GDP ratio also saw significant growth, rising from 144 to 381 in the past decade, indicating that IP activity is scaling alongside economic expansion.
• India ranked fourth globally in trademark filings, with a 6.1% increase in 2023.Nearly 90% of these filings were by residents, with key sectors including Health (21.9%), Agriculture (15.3%), and Clothing (12.8%) leading the way. India’s trademark office holds the second-largest number of active registrations worldwide, with over 3.2 million trademarks in force, reflecting the country’s strong position in global brand protection.

Significance:

• The findings from WIPO’s World Intellectual Property Indicators 2024 showcase India’s advancements in innovation and IP. The steady increase in resident filings demonstrates the impact of government initiatives, which aim to make India a global innovation leader.
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Pankaj Advani won the IBSF World Billiards Championship 2024 that took place in Doha .

Tags: Sports News

Pankaj Advani

Why in news?

• Pankaj Advani won the IBSF World Billiards Championship 2024 that took place in Doha on Saturday, November 9. 

IBSF World Billiards Championship 2024:

• Advani defeated Robert Hall of England 4-2 on November 9.
• Advani won his 28th world title at the IBSF World Billiards Championship.
• It also happened to be his seventh world title in a row, a streak that began in 2016.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, AOC-in-C CAC inaugurated the IAF C-295 Full Motion Simulator (FMS) facility on 11 Nov 24 at Air Force Station Agra.

Tags: Defence

INAUGURATION OF C-295 FULL MOTION SIMULATOR

Why in news?

• Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, AOC-in-C CAC inaugurated the IAF C-295 Full Motion Simulator (FMS) facility on 11 Nov 24 atAir Force Station Agra.

Significance:

• A significant proportion of the pilot's training can be undertaken in the simulator thereby saving precious flying hours on the aircraft.
• The state of the art simulator enables the pilots to train in near realistic environment by simulating various missions like tactical airlift, para-dropping, paratrooping, medical evacuation, disaster relief and also enables simulation of several critical situations that can be encountered in actual operations, ensuring that our pilots are battle ready. 
• It will allow pilots to hone their skills in handling high risk emergencies that require time critical decisions, thereby enhancing the overall flight safety of military operations.
• The induction of C-295 aircraft into IAF will give a fillip to the aerospace ecosystem of the country, marking the beginning of "Atma Nirbhar Bharat" in private sector production of transport aircraft in India.

United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29),2024 kicked off on Monday (November 11) in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Tags: Summits

COP-29

चर्चा में क्यों?

• अज़रबैजान की राजधानी बाकू में आयोजित वैश्विक जलवायु वार्ता के पहले दिन एक ऐतिहासिक निर्णय में, COP-29 ने अनुच्छेद 6के तहत पेरिस समझौते के तंत्र के लिए आधिकारिक तौर पर नए परिचालन मानकों को अपनाया है, जो वैश्विक कार्बन के लिए मंच तैयार करता है।

महत्व:

• यह देशों और कंपनियों को कार्बन ऑफसेट का व्यापार करने के लिए दो रास्ते प्रदान करता है, जो उनके जलवायु कार्य योजनाओं में निर्धारित उत्सर्जन में कमी के लक्ष्यों की प्राप्ति या राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर निर्धारित योगदान का समर्थन करता है
• संयुक्त राष्ट्र जलवायु परिवर्तन सम्मेलन (COP29), 2024 सोमवार (11 नवंबर) को अज़रबैजान की राजधानी बाकू में शुरू हुआ।
• COP29 का प्राथमिक लक्ष्य वैश्विक तापमान में और वृद्धि को रोकने के लिए एक साझा योजना विकसित करने के लिए देशों को एक साथ लाना है।
• यह विकासशील देशों को जलवायु परिवर्तन के प्रतिकूल प्रभावों से निपटने में मदद करने के लिए जलवायु वित्त को बढ़ाने पर भी ध्यान केंद्रित करेगा।

COP क्या है?

• पार्टियों का सम्मेलन, या COP, जलवायु परिवर्तन पर संयुक्त राष्ट्र फ्रेमवर्क कन्वेंशन (UNFCCC) का सर्वोच्च शासी निकाय है, जो 1992 में हस्ताक्षरित एक अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संधि है, जिसने जलवायु वार्ता के लिए एक आधार प्रदान किया है।
•  UNFCCC पार्टियों (संधि में शामिल होने वाले देश) को ग्रीनहाउस गैस सांद्रता को स्थिर करने के लिए एक साथ कार्य करने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध करता है "एक ऐसे स्तर पर जो जलवायु प्रणाली के साथ खतरनाक मानवजनित (मानव-प्रेरित) हस्तक्षेप को रोक देगा"। 
• वर्तमान में,UNFCCC में 198 पार्टियाँ (197 देश और यूरोपीय संघ) हैं, जो लगभग सार्वभौमिक सदस्यता का गठन करती हैं। 
• जलवायु परिवर्तन पर संयुक्त राष्ट्र फ्रेमवर्क कन्वेंशन (UNFCCC) के लिए पार्टियों कापहला सम्मेलन (COP) 28 मार्च से 7 अप्रैल, 1995 तक बर्लिन, जर्मनी में आयोजित किया गया था। 1995 से हर साल, COVID-19 महामारी के कारण 2020 को छोड़कर, पार्टियाँ अंतर्राष्ट्रीय जलवायु नीति पर चर्चा करने और सहमत होने के लिए एक साथ आती हैं। 

COP की आलोचनाएँ:

• पिछले कुछ वर्षों में, सबसे बड़ी आलोचना विकासशील देशों को जलवायु वित्त प्रदान करने में COP की विफलता रही है।
• उदाहरण के लिए, 2009 में, सबसे धनी देशों ने, जो जलवायु संकट के लिए असंगत रूप से जिम्मेदार हैं, 2020 से हर साल विकासशील देशों के लिए ग्रीनहाउस गैस उत्सर्जन को कम करने और जलवायु संकट के प्रभावों के अनुकूल होने में मदद करने के लिए धन जुटाने का वादा किया था। वे अपने वादे को पूरा करने में विफल रहे।

COP29 से अपेक्षाएँ:

• पार्टियाँ नए सामूहिक परिमाणित लक्ष्य (NCQG) पर बातचीत कर रही हैं, एक नई राशि जिसे 2025 से हर साल विकसित देशों द्वारा विकासशील देशों में जलवायु कार्रवाई के वित्तपोषण के लिए जुटाया जाना चाहिए।
• यह उस 100 बिलियन डॉलर से अधिक होना चाहिए जिसे विकसित देशों ने सामूहिक रूप से 2020 से हर साल जुटाने का वादा किया था।