DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Aug. 9, 2022

India begins cooperation with Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces

Tags: Defence International News

India began cooperation with Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) 

Background 

• In April 2022, during the India-US 2+2 talks, India announced that it would join the CMF as an associate partner to strengthen cooperation in regional security in the western Indian Ocean.

• In July 2022, India formally commenced cooperation with the Joint Maritime Force (CMF), a multilateral partnership based in Bahrain.

What are Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)?

• The CMF is a multinational naval partnership to promote security, stability and prosperity in the approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which include some of the world's most important shipping lanes.

• The Group of 34 Nations is commanded by a Vice Admiral of the US Navy, who also serves as Commander US Naval Forces Centcom and US Fifth Fleet.

• All three commands are co-located in US Naval Support Activity Bahrain. Pakistan is a full member of the CMF.

• India is the 35th member of this group.

• It consists of four task forces -

1. CTF 150 (maritime security and counter-terrorism)

2. CTF 151 (counter-piracy)

3. CTF 152 (Arabian Gulf security and cooperation)

4. CTF 153 (Maritime security in the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden

Significance of CMF

• Curb illegal fishing

• Counter-piracy

• Counter-terrorism

• Protection of trade routes

About Bahrain

• Prime Minister - Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifah

• Capital - Manama

• Official Language - Arabic

• Official Religion - Islam

• Currency - Bahraini Dinars 

Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine

Tags: National News

The Government of India has established the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy.

Important facts

• It will be a subordinate office under the Ministry of Ayush.

• The government has merged the Pharmacopoeia Commission of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and two central laboratories – Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM), Ghaziabad and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL).

Functions of the Commission

• It will work for the development of pharmacopoeial standards for Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy medicines.

• It will also work as Central Drug Testing cum Appellate Laboratory for Indian systems of Medicine & Homoeopathy.

What is Pharmacopoeia?

• Pharmacopoeia is an officially recognized book of standards of medicines as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 thereunder.

• As per the Second Schedule to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, it is designated as the Official Book of Standards for drugs imported for sale or distribution in India and/or manufactured for sale, stock or exhibition.

• It specifies the standards of drugs manufactured and marketed in India in terms of their identity, purity and potency.

India-Israel Centre of Excellence for Vegetables inaugurated in Chandauli, UP

Tags: State News

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on August 8 laid the foundation stone of an Indo-Israel 'Centre of Excellence' for vegetables in Chandauli district, known as the 'rice bowl' of Uttar Pradesh.

Important facts

• vegetables in Chandrauli will now be cultivated in a modern way with the help of Israel. 

• This centre  will benefit not only Chandauli but also many adjoining districts including Mirzapur, Ghazipur and Banaras.

• Through this center, farmers will get a lot of benefit in increasing the production of vegetables.

• Through this, farmers will be able to get better yields by using the latest methods of farming.

• Here a nursery of other agricultural products including vegetables will be prepared to promote the agriculture sector globally.

• It is the intention of the government that this district, which is leading in the production of paddy and wheat, should be made better in vegetable production as well.

Farmers will get improved seeds

• These centres of excellence act as demonstration and training centres for the latest technologies in the field of horticulture.

• These centres also serve as a source of planting material for planting fruits and vegetables for protected cultivation.

• Here seeds and plants of improved vegetables will be prepared and distributed to the farmers.

Focus on Micro Irrigation

• Cultivation of tomato, pepper, brinjal, chilli, cucumber, baby corn, sweet corn and exotic vegetables is also proposed in the open field.

• Seepage and sprinkler irrigation will also be on display here.

Uzbekistan will host the Chess Olympiad 2026

Tags: Sports News

The 2026 World Chess Olympiad will be held in Uzbekistan (Tashkent or Samarkand). This decision has been taken by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Important facts

• Most of the delegates voted to hold the contest in Uzbekistan.

• Uzbekistan will host these competitions for the first time.

• The World Chess Olympiad in 2024 will be hosted by Budapest (Hungary).

• The Chess Olympiad for the year 2022 is being held in Chennai.

About Chess Olympiad

• It is a biennial team event, in which teams from around 190 countries compete for honours over a period of two weeks.

• This championship has been organised since 1927.

• International Chess Federation (FIDE) organises the tournament and selects the host nation.

• FIDE is an international organisation based in Switzerland that links various national chess federations and serves as the governing body of international chess competition.

• It was founded in Paris, France, on July 20, 1924.

• In 1999, FIDE was recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

• FIDE President - Arkady Dvorkovich

Indian champion

• Vishwanathan Anand of India is the only Indian player who has won a World Chess title . 

• He  has won it five times  2000,2007,2008,2010,2012.

India, US joint special forces exercise begins in Himachal's Bakloh

Tags: Defence

The thirteenth Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise “Ex Vajra Prahar 2022” started at the Special Forces Training School at Bakloh of Himachal Pradesh on 8 August.

Important facts

• The Vajra Prahar series of joint exercises aims to share best practices and experiences in areas like- joint mission planning and operational strategy and it will improve inter-operability between the special forces of the two nations.

• This annual exercise is conducted alternately between India and the United States.

• The 12th edition was held in October 2021 at Joint Base Lewis McCord, Washington, USA.

• The US contingent is represented by personnel from the Special Forces Group (SFG) and the US Special Forces Special Tactics Squadron (STS).

• India is represented by the Indian Army contingent of Special Forces personnel under the aegis of SFTS.

Significance of the Joint Exercise 

• This is an important step towards strengthening the traditional bond of friendship between the special forces of the two countries.

• It will improve bilateral defence cooperation between India and the US.

• During the next 21 days, teams of both the armies will jointly train, plan and execute a series of special operations, counter terrorist operations, aerial operations in mountainous terrain.

India - US Defence Cooperation

• India-US defence ties have been getting stronger over the past few years.

• In June 2016, the US designated India as a "major defence partner".

• The two countries have signed major defence and security agreements including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) over the years.

• In 2018, COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) was signed between India and US.

• This allows for interoperability between the two armies and paves the way for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.

• In the year 2020, BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) was signed to further boost bilateral defence ties.

• It provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between India and US.

Other Exercises of India with the USA

• VAJRA PRAHAR (Army)

• Cope India (Air Force)

• Red Flag (USA’s multilateral air exercise)

• Malabar Exercise (trilateral naval exercise of three countries India, USA and Japan)

Kindly see 4 August post also

Amit Shah e-launched the presence of cooperatives on the Government e Marketplace (GeM) portal

Tags: National News

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on 9 August e-launched the onboarding of cooperatives on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal in New Delhi. 

Important facts 

• 589 cooperative societies have been selected as eligible for onboarding.

• Recently, the Ministry of Cooperation in its advisory made NCUI as the nodal or lead agency to facilitate the presence of cooperatives on GeM, to coordinate with the officials of GeM and to guide the cooperatives in the process of this presence.

• NCUI has prepared a list of cooperative societies having turnover/deposit amounting to Rs 100 crore and asked to initiate their onboarding process on GeM.

• A helpdesk of the GEM technical team has been set up at NCUI to help the cooperatives in the entire process.

• Onboarding of Cooperative Societies/Banks on GeM will be done in a phased manner.

Government e-Market (GeM) portal 

• GeM is an acronym for One Stop Government e-Market Place hosted by DGS&D ((Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals) where common user goods and services can be procured.

• GeM is a dynamic, self-sustaining and user-friendly portal for procurement by government officials.

• Public procurement is a very important part of government activity and reform of public procurement is one of the top priorities of the present government.

• The Government e-Marketplace originated in January 2016 based on the recommendations of two Groups of Secretaries.

• Apart from reforms in DGS&D, they recommended setting up of a dedicated e-market for various goods and services bought or sold by the Government/PSUs.

• Subsequently, the Finance Minister in his budget speech for the financial year 2016-17 announced the setting up of a technology driven platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various ministries and agencies of the government.

• DGS&D with technical support from the National e-Governance Division (Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology) has developed a GeM portal for procurement of both products and services.

• The portal was launched on 9 August 2016 by the Minister of Commerce and Industry.

India, with 22 gold medals, rank 4th at Commonwealth Games

Tags: Sports News

India ended its campaign by winning a total of 61 medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

Important facts

• India's total of 61 medals won in CWG 2022 include 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze medals.

• PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and Satwiksairaj Reddy and Chirag Shetty won gold medals for India on the last day of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

• Achanta Sharath Kamal also won gold medals in table tennis on the last day.

• On the last day, G Sathiyan bagged a bronze medal in table tennis while the Indian men's hockey team had to be content with a silver medal.

• India had finished third in the table in 2018 in Gold Coast by winning 66 medals including 26 gold.

• India got the most gold and most medals from wrestling, where the country won 12 medals including six gold, one silver and five bronze.

• The lifters started the Indian campaign well, winning 10 medals including three gold, three silver and four bronze.

• Sanket Sargar (men's 55kg) opened India's account in Birmingham 2022 by winning the silver medal.

Medal table of different countries

India's medal tally in 2018 Commonwealth Games

India's medal tally in 2022 Commonwealth Games

12th edition of Defence Expo to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Tags: Defence

On 8 August The Ministry of Defence announced that the 12th edition of the Defence Expo, India's flagship exhibition on Land, Naval and Homeland Security systems, will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Important facts

• The event will take place from October 18 to 22, 2022.

• Theme of the 12th edition - 'Path to Pride'

• The theme invokes nationalist pride and encourages citizens to participate in nation building through the establishment of a capable indigenous defence industry.

• The five-day event will have three business days followed by two public days.

• Live demonstration of equipment and skill sets of Armed Forces, DPSUs and Industry will be done for five days at Sabarmati River Front through active participation and synchronized efforts.

• This helipad exhibition will be organized in a three-venue format over an area of one lakh square metres.

• It was postponed in March 2022 due to logistics problems being faced by the participants.

• It is Asia's biggest event in the defence sector.

Aim of Defence Expo 2022

• Achieving 'Atmanirbharta' in defence and achieving the $5 billion defence export target by 2024.

• To make India a major destination for the Army, Navy, Air Force and homeland security systems and defence engineering.

Significance of the Defence Expo

• The participants will get an opportunity to showcase their tools and platforms.

• It will also be able to explore the expanding strengths and capabilities of the Indian defence industry to forge business partnerships.

• The event will help boost investments, expand manufacturing capabilities and find avenues for technology absorption.

About Defence Expo

• The 11th edition of Defense Expo was held in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) in 2020.

• It is a major biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, showcasing Army, Navy, Air Force and Homeland Security systems.

Achievements in defence sector

• Defence exports have grown by 334% in the last five years.

• India is exporting defence to more than 75 countries.

• In February 2021, India was the first country to organize a hybrid aerospace exhibition, Aero India-2021, in Bengaluru.

Ceasefire between Palestine, Israel takes effect in Gaza

Tags: International News

A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants went into effect on 8 August and was agreed to end nearly three days of violence that left dozens of Palestinians dead.

Important facts

• In early 2022, tensions escalated between Palestinians and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

• Israeli jets hit targets of Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza.

• In response, the Iranian-backed Palestinian Jihad terrorist group fired dozens of rockets at Israel.

• According to an Israeli military statement, militants fired about 580 rockets towards Israel in Gaza.

UNSC meeting

• The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting to end the violence.

• China scheduled the session in response to a request from the United Arab Emirates.

• China will preside over the UNSC for August 2022, representing Arab countries in the council.

What is the dispute between Israel and Palestine?

• Under the United Nations Original Partition Plan of 1947, Jerusalem was proposed as an international city.

• In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Israelis captured half of the city of Jerusalem.

• The eastern part of this city where Haram al-Sharif is located was captured by Jordan.

• In 1967, the Six-Day War was followed by an armed conflict between Israel and a coalition of Arab states that mainly included Jordan, Syria and Egypt.

• Israel annexed Jordan-controlled East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

• Israel sees the entire city as its "unified, eternal capital".

• Whereas Palestine does not want to accept any settlement for a future Palestinian state until East Jerusalem is recognized as its capital.