1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh appeals for generous contribution to ‘Armed Forces Flag Day Fund’ during CSR Conclave in New Delhi
Tags: place in news Defence
The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has appealed to the nation to contribute generously to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund. Addressing the 4th edition of the Armed Forces Flag Day CSR Conclave, organised by Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence, in New Delhi on 29 November 2022. He asked the corporates to donate fulfilling their Corporate Social Responsibility.
Armed Forces Flag Day
Every year 7 December has been observed as the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund since 1949. It is managed by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare under the Ministry of Defence. It was set up by the government so that the public can contribute to this fund.
The fund is used by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare for the welfare and rehabilitation of war widows, wards of martyred soldiers and Ex-Servicemen, including disabled ones by providing financial assistance for their identified personal needs such as penury grant, children’s education grant, funeral grant, medical grant and orphan/disabled children grant.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Under CSR certain public or private sector companies have to spend a minimum 2% of the average net profits made during the 3 immediately preceding financial years on certain sectors identified by the government.
CSR funds are spent on measures for the benefit of armed forces veterans, war widows and their dependents, community development programmes related to safe drinking water, education, conservation of natural resources, setting up of orphanages, old age homes etc.
It was implemented on 1 April 2004 under the Companies Act 2003.
2. World's largest active volcano Mauna Loa erupts in Hawaii
Tags: Environment place in news International News
The world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii's Mauna Loa, has erupted after 40 years. The US Geological Service (USGS) has upgraded the situation from advisory to “warning” which is the highest classification for a volcanic eruption. At present the lava flow is mostly contained within the summit, but residents have been placed on alert.
Mauna Loa is located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which covers half of the US state's Big Island. The volcano rises 13,679ft (4,169m) above sea level and spans an area of more than 2,000 sq miles (5,179 sq km).
The eruption began on 27 November 2022 night at Moku'āweoweo, the volcano's summit caldera. Calderas are hollows that form beneath the summit at the end of an eruption.
According to the USGS, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first documented eruption in 1843. The previous eruption in 1984 sent lava flows within 5 miles of the city of Hilo, the island's most populous town.
3. Seventh edition of Global Technology Summit to be held in New Delhi from 29 November
Tags: place in news Summits
The 7th Global Technology Summit will be held in New Delhi in a hybrid format from 29 November - 1 December 2022. The Summit which focuses on Geotechnology will be co-hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs and Carnegie India. The Minister for External Affairs S.Jaishankar will participate in the inaugural session of the Summit.
Geotechnology is the use of scientific study and methods in activities related to the earth, rocks, and soil, especially to the earth's mineral resources such as oil and metals.
The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Geopolitics of Technology.
The summit will see the participation of more than 100 speaker’s .Ministers and senior government officials from the US, Singapore, Japan, Nigeria, Brazil, Bhutan, the European Union, and other countries will also participate in the Summit.
4. KVIC Chairman Manoj Kumar inaugurates the ambitious RE-HAB Project in Nainital
Tags: Environment place in news National Person in news State News
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Manoj Kumar inaugurated the ambitious RE-HAB, Project (Reducing Human Attacks using Honey Bees) of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission at village Chausla, in Forest Range Fatehpur, Haldwani, District Nainital, and Uttarakhand on 28 November 2022. He also distributed 330 Bee-boxes, bee-colonies and toolkits along with the honey extractors to the rural beneficiaries in Chausla village.
Project RE-HAB,
Government is promoting the use of bees to discourage attacks of wild elephants on human settlements. KVIC has launched a project RE-HAB, in the states of Assam, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Orissa.
How it works
- Under Project RE-HAB, “Bee-fences' ' are created by setting up bee boxes in the passageways of elephants to block their entrance to human territories.
- The boxes are connected with a string so that when elephants attempt to pass through, a tug or pull causes the bees to swarm the elephant herds and dissuade them from progressing further.
- It is a cost-effective way of reducing human-wild conflicts without causing any harm to the animals.
- It is scientifically recorded that elephants are annoyed by the honey bees. Elephants also fear that the bee swarms can bite their sensitive inner side of the trunk and eyes. The collective buzz of the bees is annoying to elephants that force them to return.
- Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission of KVIC’s National Honey Mission.
- While the Honey Mission is a programme to increase the bee population, honey production and beekeepers’ income by setting up apiaries, Project RE-HAB uses bee boxes as a fence to prevent the elephant attacks.
- As a new initiative, the RE-HAB project will be run by KVIC at selected locations for a period of one year.
The Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC)
- The Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC) was set up in 1957 under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956.
- It is under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.
- It is responsible for planning, promotion, organisation, and implementation of programs for the development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas along with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.
Chairperson of KVIC: Manoj Kumar
5. First science documentary made in Sanskrit ‘Yanam’ screened at the 53rd IFFI
Tags: Festivals place in news
The first science-Sanskrit documentary in the history of world cinema, 'Yanam' that revolves around India's successful Mangalyaan mission, was screened under the Indian Panorama section at 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Panjim, Goa.
The 53rd IFFI being held in Panaji from 20-28 November 2022 was organised by National Film Development Corporation and Entertainment Society of Goa.
India's historic Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) alias 'Mangalyaan', was successfully launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2013.
It is based on the autobiographical book “My Odyssey: Memoirs of the Man behind the Mangalyaan Mission” by former ISRO chairman Padma Bhushan Dr K. Radhakrishnan.
The 45-minute documentary is a complete Sanskrit film by all means as the entire script and dialogues are in the ancient language. The film has been produced by AV Anoop under the banner AVA Productions with the complete support of ISRO. The film premiered on 21 August 2022 in Chennai.
6. Rajnath Singh co-chairs 4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue with French Minister Sebastien Lecornu in New Delhi
Tags: place in news Defence Person in news
The Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the visiting French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu jointly chaired the 4th India France Annual Defence Dialogue in New Delhi on 28 November 2022. Sebastien Lecornu is also scheduled to meet the External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar and the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval today.
The French defence minister who is officially known as Minister for the Armed Forces is on a two day (27-28 November) visit to India to strengthen the bilateral defence ties with India. It is his first official visit to India.
On 27 November 2022 Sebastien Lecornu visited the Southern Naval Command Headquarters at Kochi and saw India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
According to the Defence Ministry, India and France have close and friendly relations. In 1998, the two countries entered into Strategic Partnership, marking convergence of their views on a range of international issues apart from a close and growing bilateral relationship.
The areas of Defence & Security cooperation, Space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation constitute the principal pillars of India’s Strategic Partnership with France.
India and France military exercises.
The 20th Indian and French navy’s joint exercise “VARUNA” was conducted in the Arabian Sea from 30 March to 3 April 2022.
The 'Garuda VIl' exercise was held from 26 October to 12 November 2022 at Air Force Station Jodhpur.
7. Ravina wins gold and Kirti settle for silver as Indian campaign ends with 11 medals at the IBA Youth Men's and Women's World Championships 2022
Tags: place in news Sports Person in news
The Indian boxers ended their campaign in the IBA (International Boxing Association) Youth Men's and Women's World Championships 2022 with 11 medals with Ravina winning a gold while Kirti had to settle for the silver medal on the final day of the championship. The Indian won 4 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 4 bronze medals.
In the final day of the championships 2022 Asian Youth gold medallist Ravina (63Kg) won the gold medal for India by defeating Megan deCler of the Netherlands.
Kirti (81+kg) lost her final match against the 2022 European Youth champion Cliona Elizabeth D’Arcy of Ireland, and secured the silver medal.
Medal winners of India
Gold medal winners
Vishwanath Suresh in the men's 48kg,
Devika in the women's 52 kg,
Vanshaj in the men's 48 kg,
Ravina in the women's 63 Kg.
Silver Medal winner
Bhawna Sharma in the women's 48 kg category,
Ashish in the men's 54 kg category,
Kirti in the women's 81+kg category
Bronze medal winner
Tamanna (50kg), Kunjarani Devi Thongam (60kg), Muskan (75kg) and Lashu Yadav (70kg) won the Bronze medal for India. All are women boxers.
IBA Youth Men's and Women's World Championships 2022
The IBA Youth Men’s and Women’s World Boxing Championships 2022 was held at the Ciudad Deportiva Camilo Cano arena in La Nucía, Spain from 14 November to 27 November 2022. Around 600 boxers from 73 countries participated in the Championship.
8. Aero India 2023 to be held form 13-17 February 2023 in Bengaluru
Tags: place in news Defence
The Union Ministry of Defence has announced on 27 November 2022 that the biennial air show AeroIndia-2023 will be held at the Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru's from 13-17 February, 2023. This would be the 14th edition of Aero India.
Aero India has been held in February month at Bengaluru since 1996.
The Aero India show is a premier global trade show which provides an opportunity for the international arms industry to showcase their products, technologies and solutions to the Indian military and decision makers and also to engage with India’s emerging Aerospace and Defence industry.
There are two main defence related expositions organised by the defence ministry in India. In India. One is the Aero India show which is for the Air Force and another is Defence expo.
The Defence expo 2022 was held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat in October 2022. The Defence expo is India’s premier military trade show for land, naval and homeland security systems.
9. G20 ambassadors blow conch shells to welcome India’s G20 Presidency at Swaraj Dweep, Andaman and Nicobar
Tags: place in news National
40 countries which included the G20 ambassadors and invited guests from friendly countries blew conch shells (Shankh), which is considered auspicious as per Indian traditions on 26 November 2022, to welcome India’s G20 Presidency at Swaraj Dweep in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Swaraj Dweep was earlier known as Havelock Island.
The Union External Affairs ministry had invited Resident Heads of Missions of the G20 member countries, guest countries and International Organizations at the islands to attend the G20 curtain raiser event and preparatory meetings ahead of India taking up the presidency officially on 1 December.
As part of the event, G20 India coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant organised a yoga session on Kala Patthar beach for the delegates.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on 16 November 2022 had officially handed over the G20 presidency to India at the end of a summit of the bloc’s leaders in Bali.
Taking over the presidency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime said it was a matter of pride for every Indian citizen. He said that “We will organise G20 meetings in different cities and states of our country. Our guests will get a full experience of India’s amazing diversity, inclusive traditions, and cultural richness. We wish that all of you will participate in this unique celebration in India, the ‘Mother of Democracy’.
G20 is a group of 19 leading developed and developing countries and the European Union .G-20 members constitute 60% of the world population, 80% of the World economy and 75% of world trade.
Andaman and Nicobar Island
It is an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. It consists of 300 islands of Andaman and 19 islands of Nicobar.
The Ten Degree channel separates Nicobar Islands from Andaman Islands.
It became a Union Territory in 1956.
India’s only active volcano is at Barren Island in the northern Andamans.
Cellular jail or Kala Pani is located in Port Blair is a National Museum where Britishers used to keep Indian freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar, Batukeshwar Dutt in isolation .
Capital of Andaman and Nicobar: Port Blair located on South Andaman Island.
Lieutenant Governor: Admiral D K Joshi
10. India Australia military exercise ‘AUSTRA HIND 22’ to commence from 28 November in Rajasthan
Tags: place in news Defence
The Bilateral military training exercise “AUSTRA HIND 22” between the Indian Army and the Australian Army will commence on 28 November 2022 at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (Rajasthan). The exercise will take place from 28 November -11 December 2022.
This is the first exercise in the series of AUSTRA HIND with participation of all arms and services contingent from both armies. The Australian Army contingent comprising soldiers from the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division has arrived at the exercise location. The Indian Army is represented by troops from the Dogra Regiment. Exercise “AUSTRA HIND” will be a yearly event that will be conducted alternatively in India and Australia.
During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of tasks ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, sharing basics of special arms skills and raiding a hostile target. The joint exercise, besides promoting understanding and interoperability between the two armies, will further help in strengthening ties between India and Australia.
