1. B-20 inception meeting to be organised in Gandhinagar from January 22
Tags: National News
As part of India's G-20 chairmanship, a Business-20 (B-20) founding meeting will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from January 22 to 24.
An overview of the news
The main program of the B-20 Founding Meeting prepared by the B-20 India Secretariat in accordance with the theme of the conference "R.A.I.S.E: Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable and Equitable Businesses".
The meeting will be held to prepare policy recommendations to be presented to the G20 ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit.
This will be the first of 15 events that the other country is set to host as part of India's G20 presidency.
The opening ceremony of the B-20 founding meeting will be attended by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Ashwini Vaishnav, state Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, India's Sherpa to G-20 Amitabh Kant and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran.
The inaugural meeting will be participated by more than 150 policy-makers, business executives, CEOs and senior executives representing enterprises from G-20 countries.
Issues to be discussed
Climate change,
Digital collaboration across borders in times of wars and pandemics,
Sustainable and flexible value chain,
Innovation among netizens,
Financial Inclusion to Empower Communities in Different Socio-Economic Conditions
2. Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigns amid allegations of corruption and scandals
Tags: Person in news International News
Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has submitted his resignation on January 17 after the ruling Communist Party found him responsible for corruption, scandals and wrongdoings.
An overview of the news
The anti-corruption campaign has led to the sacking of several ministers in Vietnam.
Earlier, two deputy prime ministers who served under President Phuc had quit.
The resignation of the President requires approval from the National Assembly.
Former Prime Minister Phuc had assumed the office of President from 2021.
Phuc, 69, served as Vietnam's prime minister from 2016 until April 2021, when he was elected president.
Vietnam is a country with single party rule and any political changes are very carefully managed for political stability and continuity.
However, it is not clear who will be the new President.
About Vietnam
It lies in South East Asia and it is a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)
Capital: Hanoi
Currency: Dong
3. India-South Korea holds 5th Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue
Tags: International Relations International News
Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), made an official visit to South Korea and co-chaired the 5th Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue (FPSD) with his Korean counterpart Cho Hyundong.
An overview of the news
During the two-day talks that ended on January 17, the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, security and defence, science and technology as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
India and South Korea agreed to work to make global supply chains more resilient and robust.
Both the countries agreed to take bilateral trade to US$ 50 billion by 2030 from an all-time high of US$ 28 billion at present.
Both sides also discussed opportunities for cooperation in new and emerging technologies.
India has offered investment to Korean companies in manufacturing, infrastructure and other sectors.
About South Korea
South Korea is a country located in East Asia that is known as the 'Land of Quiet Mornings'.
The Korean peninsula was divided into communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Republic of Korea (South Korea) after the Korean War in 1953.
The nation's capital, Seoul, is the world's second largest metropolitan area and a major global city.
North Korea is the only country bordering this country.
Martial arts Taekwondo originated in Korea.
President- Yoon Suk-yol
Currency- South Korean won
4. Environment Ministry included Neelakurinji in the list of protected plants
Tags: Environment National News
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) has listed Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) in the list of protected plants under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
An overview of the news
According to the Environment Ministry, those who uproot or destroy the plant will be fined Rs 25,000 and imprisoned for three years.
Cultivation and possession of this plant is not allowed.
Neelakurinji has been included in the list after the Center expanded the earlier protected list of six plant species to 19.
About Neelakurunji
Neelakurinji is a tropical plant species and is native to the shola forests in the Western Ghats.
It is also found in Shevaroy Hills in the Eastern Ghats, Annamalai Hills in Kerala and Sanduru Hills in Karnataka.
It grows on mountain slopes at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 meters to a height of 30 to 60 cm.
The flowers of Neelakurinji are violet-blue in colour and bloom once in 12 years. The flower has no scent or any medicinal value.
Because of these flowers, the Nilgiri hills at the southern end of the Western Ghats are called the Blue Mountains.
It is one of the rarest plant species that grows in the Western Ghats and does not grow in any other part of the world.
It is classified as an endangered species.
5. British home secretary Suella Braverman clears Sanjay Bhandari’s extradition
Tags: Person in news International News
Two months after a Westminster court in London ordered the extradition of fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India, British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has given her approval on the matter.
An overview of the news
It is noteworthy that on November 7, District Judge Michael Snow ordered Bhandari's extradition which was sent to Home Secretary Suella Braverman for approval.
Bhandari, 60, has been under investigation since 2019 for corruption in a Rs 2,985-crore deal in 2009 to buy 75 PC-7 trainer aircraft from Swiss aircraft maker Pilatus Aircraft.
He is also facing a probe for alleged money laundering in properties linked to Robert Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in London.
What is Extradition?
Extradition is the formal process of surrendering a person from one state to another.
The purpose of this process is the prosecution or punishment for offences committed by a person within the jurisdiction of the requesting country.
The extradition of a fugitive criminal to India is regulated under the Indian Extradition Act, 1962.
The Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) Division, Ministry of External Affairs is the central/nodal authority to administer the Extradition Act.
Extradition process can be initiated in case of under-investigation, under-trial and convicted criminals.
6. National Council of Education Research and Training notified India's first National Assessment Regulator "PARAKH"
Tags: National News
Recently the National Council of Education Research and Training has notified India's first National Assessment Regulator "PARKH" with the aim of setting up assessment guidelines for all boards.
What is PARAKH?
PARAKH stands for Performance Appraisal, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development.
It will act as a component of NCERT.
It is also entrusted with the task of conducting periodic learning outcome tests like National Achievement Survey (NAS) and State Achievement Survey.
This framework will also act to check the emphasis on rote learning as envisaged by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Its team comprises prominent evaluation experts with a deep understanding of the education system in India and internationally.
Objective of PARAKH:
Uniform Norms and Guidelines: To lay down norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and assessment across all recognized school boards in India.
Improvement in assessment pattern: It will act to encourage school boards to change their assessment pattern towards meeting the skill requirements of the 21st century.
Reducing disparity in evaluation: This will bring uniformity across state and central boards that currently follow different standards of evaluation, leading to wide disparities in marks.
Benchmark Assessment: The benchmark assessment framework will address the issues contained in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
7. ASI discovers two 1200-year-old miniature stupas at Nalanda
Tags: National News
The Patna Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has discovered two 1200-year-old miniature stupas during landscaping activities near the Sarai Tila mound within the complex of the world heritage site 'Nalanda Mahavihara' in Nalanda district of the state.
An overview of the news
The figures of Buddha are shown on the stupa carved out of stone.
These stupas carved out of stone depicting figures of Buddha are about 1200 years old.
Such stupas were popular as votive offerings in India as early as the 7th century.
About the Stupas?
The stupa is a hemispherical structure symbolising the burial mound of the Buddha.
It rose to prominence after the advent of Buddhism and reached its peak during the reign of Ashoka.
Stupas evolved from chortens in Tibet and pagodas in East Asia.
Nalanda Mahavihara site complex
Nalanda was a Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern Bihar) in India.
It is considered by historians to be the world's first residential university and one of the largest centres of learning in the ancient world.
It was established during the Gupta Empire period.
8. China’s population drops for first time since 1961
Tags: International News
The biggest decline in the population of China has been recorded after the year 1961. Negative population growth has now started in China. The death toll in China is more than the number of children born.
An overview of the news
According to the China’s National Bureau of Statistics China’s population declined by roughly 850,000 to 1.41175 billion at the end of 2022.
In China, 9.56 million people were born in 2022, while 10.41 million people died.
China's birth rate last year was just 6.77 births per 1,000 people, down from 7.52 births in 2021, the lowest ever.
The number of Chinese women of childbearing age, which the government defines as 25 to 35, has declined by nearly 4 million.
This has caused domestic demographers to worry that China will grow old before it gets rich, slowing the economy as revenues decline and increasing government debt as health and welfare costs rise.
Impact of the One Child Policy
The main reason for China's population decline is the one-child policy implemented between 1980 and 2015.
Additionally, higher education in China is very expensive, which has prohibited many Chinese people from having more than one child.
The fundamental reason why women do not want children is the failure of society and men to take responsibility for raising children.
China's strict zero-covid policies that were in force for three years have further damaged the country's demographic outlook.
Local governments have introduced measures to encourage people to have more children from 2021, including tax cuts, longer maternity leave and housing subsidies.
9. Warehousing Development Regulatory Authority signs MoU with SBI
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
Warehousing Development Regulatory Authority (WDRA) signed a memorandum (MoU) of understanding with State Bank of India to help farmers in getting low interest rate loans on 16 January.
An overview of the news
The objective of the MoU is to provide information on the benefits to the depositors besides carrying out further activities to improve agricultural finance in India.
It is envisaged that the product will have far reaching consequences with regard to acceptance of e-NWRs (electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt) among small and marginal farmers.
Combined with the inherent security and negotiability of the e-NWR system, the Produce Marketing Loan will go a long way in improving rural liquidity and increasing farmers income.
Warehousing Development Regulatory Authority (WDRA)
WDRA was constituted on 26 October, 2010 under the Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act, 2007.
It is a Statutory Authority under the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.
The Authority has its Headquarters in New Delhi.
The Authority consists of a Chairperson and two Members appointed by the Central Government.
10. UN declares Pakistan based Abdul Rehman Makki a global terrorist
Tags: International News
On January 17, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) listed Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist.
An overview of the news
He has been declared a 'global terrorist' under UNSC's ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee.
In June 2022, India criticised China for blocking the resolution of sanctions under the Sanctions Committee, also known as the UNSC 1267 Committee.
Makki has already been listed as a terrorist by India and the United States for his involvement in fundraising, recruiting and radicalising youths to plan attacks in India, especially Jammu and Kashmir.
Who is Abdul Rehman Makki?
Makki is the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
He heads the political affairs of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and also plays a role in raising funds for Lashkar's operations.
The US government has placed a reward of $2 million on Abdul Rahman.
According to the US State Department, in 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on a terrorism financing count and sentenced him to prison.
He is also a militant of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and has been designated as a terrorist by India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.
