DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Nov. 25, 2022

UP Government approves creation of Police Commissionerates system in Agra, Ghaziabad and Prayagraj

Tags: State News

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet in a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 25 November 2022 has approved the setting up of a police Commissionerates in the districts of Agra, Ghaziabad and Prayagraj.

Giving this information the state Urban Development Minister Arvind Sharma said that this decision has been taken due to the increase in population, importance of these districts and to provide better policing and maintain law and order. He said that these districts will be declared metropolitan areas to set up the Commissionerates system.

In the police Commissionerates system a commissioner of police heads the district police department or commissionerate, which is also vested with powers of an executive magistrate under the various acts.

The state will have a commissionerate system of policing in seven districts out of the total 75 districts now.

Earlier, it was implemented in Kanpur Nagar and Varanasi in March 2021, and in Lucknow and Gautam Buddha Nagar, where Noida is located, in January 2020.

Udaipur to host first G20 Sherpa Meeting in India from 4 to 7 December

Tags: place in news Summits

Udaipur city in Rajasthan will host the first G-20 Sherpa Meeting in India from 4 to 7 December 2022. The Sherpa’s are the personal emissaries of the leaders of the members of the G-20 group. The G-20 Sherpa meeting will be presided by the Indian Sherpa Amitabh Kant.

India will formally assume the presidency of the G-20 on 1 December 2022. India as a host nation will set the agenda of the G-20 summit meeting to be held in September 2023 in New Delhi.

Before the summit meeting of the top leaders of the G-20 countries a number of meetings are held to prepare the agenda for the leaders.

The Sherpa’s oversee negotiations over the course of the year, discussing agenda items for the Summit and coordinating the substantive work of the G20. 

Group of 20 or G-20 is a multilateral organisation of 19 countries and the European Union was set up in 1999.India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999. India will be holding the G20 Presidency from 1 December 2022 and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2023 for the first time.

Udaipur 

It was founded in 1559 by Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clan of Rajput’s.

It is popularly known as the "City of Lakes". It has seven lakes surrounding the city. The 7 lakes of Udaipur are; Fateh Sagar Lake. Lake Pichola.Udaisagar Lake. Jaisamand Lake (Dhebar Lake), Rajsamand Lake.Badi Lake (Jiyan Sagar), Doodh Talai (Milk Pond), Swaroop Sagar Lake (Khumaria Talab).

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar Inaugurates 63rd STPI at Davanagere, Karnataka

Tags: place in news Science and Technology Person in news State News

The Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar inaugurated a Digital India Startup hub at the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) centre at Davanagere, Karnataka on 25 November 2022.

This is the 63rd STPI centre in the country and the fifth in Karnataka.

The minister said that India has the fastest growing innovation system with more than 80,000 Startups and over 107 Unicorns, the Minister said the world today looks at India with awe and respect.

Software Technology Park of India (STPI)

It was set up in 1991 by the under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

It was set up to promote Software to promote the development and export of software and software services including Information Technology (I.T.) Enabled Services / Bio-IT.

It aims to be the largest technology Startup ecosystem in the country and to transform the country into a software product nation. 

The total export from STPI in 2020-21was Rs. 4, 96,313 crores, which is around 50% of the national software exports and 2.3% of India’s GDP in 2020-21.

Director General of STPI : Arvind Kumar

Indian Navy and Royal Enfield organises motorcycling expedition across North east India

Tags: place in news National Defence

The Indian Navy Motor Bike team, ‘The Sea Riders, in partnership with Royal Enfield, the world’s oldest motorcycle brand, embarked on an motorcycle expedition, as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Celebrations’, commemorating the 75th year of independence, across the  seven states of North East India from 25 Nov - 14 Dec 22. Royal Enfield is the owner of the famous brand ‘Bullet’.

The expedition was flagged off by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, by Video Conferencing from South Point School at Guwahati. Fifteen Sea Riders rode out on Royal Enfield Meteor 350 cc bikes on their journey to cover a total distance of 3500 kms over a period of 24 days across the seven states of NE India.

The expedition is being conducted over two phases across seven states with each phase covering some of the toughest and most breath-taking terrains in North East India. The riders will traverse along the Indo-Bangladesh border, visiting historical Unakoti sculptures, , the only floating national park in the world Keibul Lamjao National Park (Manipur) and witness the famous Hornbill festival (Nagaland). The expedition will pass through Guwahati (Assam), Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Imphal (Manipur), and Kohima (Nagaland).

North Eastern States 

PM Modi to participate in Constitution Day celebrations hosted in the Supreme Court on 26th November

Tags: place in news National Person in news

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will participate in the Constitution Day celebrations in the Supreme Court on 26th November, 2022.  The day has been celebrated as Constitution Day since 2015, to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949.

During the programme, the Prime Minister will launch Virtual Justice Clock, JustIS mobile App 2.0, Digital court and S3WaaS Websites.

Virtual Justice Clock is an initiative to exhibit vital statistics of the justice delivery system at the Court level giving the details of the cases instituted, cases disposed and pendency of cases on day/week/month basis at the Court level. Public can access the Virtual Justice Clock of any court establishment on the District Court’s website.

JustIS Mobile App 2.0 is a tool available to judicial officers for effective court and case management by monitoring pendency and disposal of not only his court but also for individual judges working under them. This App is also made available to High Court and Supreme Court Judges who can now monitor pendency and disposal of all the States and Districts under their jurisdiction.

Digital court is an initiative to make the court records available to the judge in digitized form to enable the transition to Paperless Courts. 

S3WaaS Websites is a framework to generate, configure, deploy and manage websites for publishing specified information and services related to district judiciary.  S3WaaS is a cloud service developed for government entities to generate Secure, Scalable & Sugamya (Accessible) websites. It is multilingual, citizen friendly and divyang friendly.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi invited to be the chief guest of the Republic day 2023

Tags: Person in news

The Indian government has invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the chief guest for the Republic day parade 2022. He will be the first Egyptian leader to be hosted by India for the Republic Day celebrations. Abdel Fattah Sisi is a former Army officer who was elected as the president of Egypt t in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018.The last foreign chief guest was the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in 2020.

About Republic Day Celebration 

Every year Republic day is observed on 26 January. It was on this day the constitution of India was promulgated in 1950 and India became a republic.

The President of India presides over the Republic day functions. It is customary to invite a foreign country leader as an honoured guest at the Republic day function.

Some important facts to remember:

Duration of the Republic day celebration 

Earlier, the Republic day celebration started on 24 January and ended on 29 January.  However from this year (2022) the government has decided to start the Republic day celebration from 23 January and end on 30 January. 

23 January is celebrated as Parakram Diwas to mark the birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose and 30 January is the Martyr's day to mark the assassination of Gandhiji. 

Place of the Republic day celebration 

Between 1950 and 1954, Republic Day celebrations were organized at different venues like Irwin Stadium, Kingsway, Red Fort and Ramlila Grounds in Delhi. 

In 1955 Rajpath (Now Kartavya Path) became the permanent place for the Republic day parade. 

The chief Guest was the Governor-General of Pakistan Malik Ghulam Muhammad.

President of Indonesia, Sukarno was the first guest at 1950 Republic day parade.

Chief Guest of the Republic Day parade 

The first chief guest of the Republic day parade was the former President of Indonesia Sukarno in 1950.

Only once has an American President been the chief guest at the Republic day parade. The first black President of the United States Barack Obama was the chief guest at the 2015 Republic day parade.

The first women chief guest was Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1961. 

Two Nobel Prize winners have been the chief guest of the Republic day parade. The first black President of South Africa, Nelson Mandel was the chief guest at the 1995 Republic day function. He won the Nobel peace prize in 1993.

The other Nobel Prize winner who was a chief guest at Republic day was Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar who won the Nobel peace prize in 1991.

There were no foreign chief guests in the years 1952, 1953, 1966, 2021, 2022 due to various reason.

Which ministry organises the Republic day functions?

The Republic day function is organized by the Union Ministry of Defence.

Modi tops list of world's most popular leaders with 77% approval rating: Survey

Tags: Reports

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again topped the list of the world’s most popular leaders with an approval rating of 77 per cent, according to a survey by US based consulting firm Morning Consult Political Intelligence. 

Important facts

• The Indian PM is followed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at 69 per cent and Australian PM Anthony Albanese at 56 per cent, on the second and third spots, respectively.

• In the approval rating, US President Joe Biden is placed at 9th position followed by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak among the 22 world leaders.

• The latest approval ratings are based on data collected from 16th to 22nd of this month.

• It is based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country.

• In the earlier ratings as well, PM Modi was at the top of the rankings.

• According to Morning Consult, the ratings are based on over 20,000 global interviews conducted online daily. 

MoU signed between Ministry of Ayush and Department of Science and Technology

Tags: National National News

The Ministry of Ayush signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 25 November with the Department of Science and Technology to explore cooperation, convergence, and synergy for evidence-based scientific intervention in the Ayush sector.

Important facts

• The MoU was signed by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush and Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary, DST.

• The MoU will identify the potential areas of research to explore cooperation, convergence, and synergy for evidence-based scientific intervention in the Ayush sector and further application of these into the public health care system.

• Ministry of AYUSH and DST have agreed to jointly undertake research and development activities on scientific validation of AYUSH concepts, processes and products.

• The ministry of Ayush would identify thrust areas involving Ayush-related systems that require understanding the basic concepts, procedures, development of newer tools, and so on in modern sciences.

• DST, through the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), would coordinate the implementation of thrust areas through well-chartered plans and mutual concerted actions.

Union Minister of Ayush - Sarbananda Sonowal

Dharmendra Pradhan released 'India: The Mother of Democracy' published by ICHR

Tags: Books and Authors

Union Education & Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the book ‘India: The Mother of Democracy’ prepared and published by Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) in New Delhi on 24 November.

Important facts

• On this occasion, ICHR President Prof. Raghuvendra Tanwar and Member Secretary of ICHR Prof. Umesh Ashok Kadam were also present.

• It is shown in this book that since the dawn of civilization, India has been imbued with democratic ethos.

• It has been told in the book that democracy originated in India in the fourth century itself. The inscriptions of Tanjore are the living evidence of this fact.

• The evidence of social order found during the Kalinga and Licchavi periods also reveals the democratic DNA of India.

• This book will encourage healthy discussion on India's democratic heritage and inspire the next generation to take pride in our eternal democratic values.

Joint HADR Exercise Samanvay - 2022 to begin at Air Force Station Agra

Tags: Defence

The Indian Air Force is conducting the annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise 'Samanvay 2022' from November 28, 2022 to November 30, 2022 at Air Force Station Agra.

Important facts

• The exercise will include a seminar on disaster management, a 'multi-agency exercise' aimed at assessing the effectiveness of institutional disaster management infrastructures and contingency measures.

• There will also be static and flight demonstrations of various HADR assets and a 'table top exercise'.

• Representatives of ASEAN countries will also participate in the exercise along with the participation of various stakeholders from the country.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest for the capability demonstration events to be conducted during the exercise on 29 November 2022.

• Samanvay 2022 will promote a joint approach of various national and regional stakeholders including civil administration, armed forces, NDMA.

• The exercise also aims to provide a unique platform for exchange of domain knowledge, experiences and best practices with ASEAN member countries.

Indian Navy and Oman Navy participate in 13th edition of bilateral exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’

Tags: Defence

Indian Navy's Guided Missile Stealth Frigate INS Trikand, Offshore Patrol Vessel INS Sumitra and Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) Dornier participated in the 13th edition of the bilateral exercise 'Naseem Al Bahr' between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO).

Important facts

• The exercise was conducted off the coast of Oman from 19 to 24 November 2022 and had three phases - harbour phase, sea phase and debrief.

• Activities undertaken during the Harbor Phase included professional interactions between the Indian Navy and RNO Operations teams and friendly sporting events between the two navies.

• Indian Naval Ships Trikand and Sumitra along with RNO Ships Al Shinas and Al Seeb departed for the sea phase.

• Indian Navy's Maritime Patrol Aircraft Dornier, Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) Maritime Patrol Aircraft and shore-based RAFO fighter aircraft Hawks participated in the maritime phase of the exercise.

• The sea phase consisted of tactical maritime exercises comprising surface action, air defence, maritime surveillance and interdiction/VBSS.

• The debrief, the last phase of the exercise, was conducted on 23 November 2022 at the RNO Naval Base at Dukm.

• The first exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman was conducted in 1993. 

• This year marks 30 years of bilateral exercise between Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Oman.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Tags: Important Days

Every year, November 25 is seen as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. 

Important facts

• The main purpose of organizing this day is to prevent violence against women and to make women aware of their basic human rights and gender equality.

• This day is organised by women's rights activists every year since 1981 on 25 November to fight against gender-based violence.

• The theme for this year is ‘UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls.

• The principle of gender equality in India is enshrined in the Indian Constitution, with women having the fundamental right not to be discriminated against on grounds of sex (Article 15) and equal protection before the law (Article 14).

Background of the day

• On February 7, 2000, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution designating November 25 as the 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women'.

• The day is organised in honour of the 'Mirabai sisters' (three political activists of the Dominican Republic) who were brutally executed in the year 1960 on the orders of the country's ruler 'Rafael Trujillo'.

India wins vice presidency of International Electrotechnical Commission

Tags: National National News

India has won the post of Vice-Chairman of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Chairman of the Strategic Management Board (SMB) for the term 2023-25.

Important facts

• The meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) was recently held in San Francisco, USA, which was voted on by all the members of the IC. India got more than 90 percent votes.

• India's representative in the IC and various technical committees of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) were elected.

• Vimal Mahendru will be the IEC Vice President representing India.

• BIS has representation in the policy and administrative bodies of the International Organization for Standardization (ISVO) and the IC.

• BIS ensured that India's point of view was understood on important strategic and policy issues. It also provided opportunities for harmonisation with international best practices of national standardisation.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

• Founded in 1906, the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) is the world’s leading organisation for the preparation and publication of international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

• The Standardization Management Board is the apex administrative body of the IC, responsible for technical policy matters.

India's proposal for enhance protection to Leith's softshell turtle adopted at wildlife summit in Panama

Tags: Environment Summits

India's proposal for enhancing protection status to Leith's softshell turtle has been adopted at the ongoing world wildlife conference in Panama, the Union Environment Ministry said on 24 November.

Important facts

• India has strengthened protection to Leith’s Soft-shelled Turtle under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

• Leith's soft-shelled turtle is a large freshwater soft-shelled turtle that is endemic to peninsular India and is found in rivers and reservoirs.

• It has been illegally hunted and consumed within India.

• It has also been illegally traded abroad for the meat and its calypso.

• The population of this turtle species has been estimated to have declined by 90% over the past 30 years, making the species difficult to find.

• It is classified as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

• The species is listed in Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which protects it from hunting as well as its trade.

• Placing the listing of this turtle species on CITES Appendix I will ensure that legal international trade in these species does not occur for commercial purposes.

• The 19th meeting of the COP for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is being held in Panama from 14 to 25 November 2022.

India and Gulf Cooperation Council to resume FTA talks

Tags: International Relations Economics/Business

India's Industry and Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on 24 November that India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have agreed to resume talks on a free trade agreement.

Important facts

• Both sides have agreed to expedite the necessary legal and technical requirements for the formal resumption of FTA negotiations.

• The FTA will be a comprehensive economic partnership that will cover different aspects of trade. 

• Goyal said the GCC is currently India's largest trading partner bloc with bilateral trade expected to exceed USD 154 billion in the financial year 2021-22.

• bilateral trade in services between India and the GCC was worth 14 billion US dollars in the last financial year.

• GCC countries contribute almost 35 per cent of the country's oil imports and 70 per cent of gas imports.

About Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) :

• It is a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.

• It was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981. 

• Its aim is to achieve coordination, cooperation and integration and Arab regional unity among these countries.

• The GCC member states have a total GDP of over USD 3.464 trillion and a total population of 54 million.

Former ISI chief Asim Munir appointed new chief of Pakistan Army

Tags: Person in news International News

Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency chief Lt Gen Asim Munir has been appointed as the new chief of the Pakistan Army on 24 November by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, succeeding Gen Qamar Bajwa.

Important facts

• He replaced outgoing General Qamar Javed Bajwa on 29 November.

• Bajwa was appointed army chief in 2016 for three years. In the year 2019, he was given a three-year extension.

• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote to President Alvi to appoint Lt. Gen. Munir as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

• With the approval of Munir's name by the President, the process of appointment was completed.

• Lt Gen Munir has served as the chief of the two most powerful intelligence agencies Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI).

• However, his tenure as ISI chief was the shortest ever and within eight months he was replaced by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed in 2019 at the behest of the then Prime Minister Imran Khan.

• The CJCSC is the highest authority in the hierarchy of the armed forces, but major powers, including deployment, appointments and transfers of troops, rest with the Chief of Army Staff. Because of these powers, the army chief is the most powerful.

• Pakistan has been in existence for more than 75 years and the country has been under military rule for more than half of that time. In such a situation, the army has been interfering a lot in the security and foreign policy matters of the country.

Second stealth-guided missile destroyer delivered to Indian Navy

Tags: Defence National News

The second ship of Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyer being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), was delivered to the Indian Navy on 24 November. 

Important facts

• When commissioned, the ship will be christened INS Mormugao.

• The contract for four ships of Project 15B was signed on January 28, 2011.

• The project is a follow-up to the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the last decade and the lead ship of the project - INS Visakhapatnam has already been commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 21, 2021.

• Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, Indian Navy’s in-house organisation and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in Mumbai, the four ships of the project are christened after cities from four corners of the country — Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.

• The foundation stone of Mormugao was laid in 2015 and the ship was launched on 17 September 2016.

About Second stealth-guided missile destroyer

• The ship is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide, displaces 7400 tonnes when fully loaded and has a maximum speed of 30 knots.

• The overall indigenous content of the project is around 75 per cent.

• The class of destroyers armed with indigenous weapons includes-

1. Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (BEL, Bangalore)

2. BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles (BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi)

3. Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)

4. Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)

5. 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (BHEL, Haridwar)

India expresses commitment to peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region

Tags: Summits International News

India participated in the 22nd Council of Ministers's meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held at Dhaka in Bangladesh on 23 November, 2022.

Important facts

• India voiced its strong commitment to the strengthening of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to promote peace, security and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region and in the Indo-Pacific.

• The Indian delegation was led by Minister of State for External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

• He also highlighted India's contribution as coordinator of IORA priority areas of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and science, technology and innovation for capacity building and strengthening of IORA Secretariat.

• On the challenges posed by climate change, the Minister highlighted the initiatives of LiFE - Lifestyle for Environment and International Year of Millet in 2023.

Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

• It is an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean.

• It has been formed with the aim of increasing cooperation among the countries of the Indian Ocean Region and making joint efforts for sustainable development.

• It includes 21 countries along the coast of the Indian Ocean including India and 7 dialogue partners.

• These 21 countries include India, Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Singapore, Mauritius, Madagascar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman.

• It was formed in 1997 and its secretariat is in Mauritius.

Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as the country's new prime minister in Malaysia

Tags: Person in news International News

Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as the country's tenth Prime Minister on 24 November.

Important facts

• The new leader was appointed by King Al-Sultan Abdullah.

• With this, the political uncertainty that continued for several days after the general elections with a fractured mandate in Malaysia has come to an end. Anwar took oath in a simple ceremony at the National Palace.

• Anwar's Alliance of Hope won the election with 82 seats but fell short of the 112 seats needed for a majority.

• Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin's Malay-centric Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance) managed to win 72 seats due to unprecedented support from the Malay community in the election.

• The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party emerged as the largest party in the coalition, winning 49 seats.

• The coalition led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which won 30 seats in the election, agreed to support the coalition led by Anwar.

About Malaysia

• Capital : Kuala Lumpur

• Currency :  Malaysian ringgit