1. 9th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo
Tags: National National News
Union Minister of AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Curtain Raiser (a small event that happens before a bigger one and is a preparation for it) for the 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) and Arogya Expo in Panaji on 13 October.
Important facts
The event will be held in Goa from December 8 to December 11, 2022.
The event is supported by the Central Government and State Governments as well as the Union Ministry of AYUSH.
The four-day event will see participation from over 5000 Ayurveda stakeholders – industry stalwarts, practitioners, traditional healers, academics, students, drug makers, medicinal plant growers as well as marketing strategists from across the globe.
Due to the efforts of the Government of India, the market turnover of AYUSH sector has grown from USD 3 billion to more than USD 18 billion in the last 8 years.
Every year on October 23, Ayurveda Day is celebrated by the Ministry of AYUSH on Dhanwantri Jayanti.
The motto of this year's celebration is "Har Din Har Ghar Ayurveda" (Ayurveda Everyday, Ayurveda Everywhere).
All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi is the nodal agency for the implementation of this programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that Goa is planning to become a premier Ayurveda and Health Tourism Center based on several initiatives.
2. 70th Standing Committee meeting of National Board for Wildlife
Tags: National National News
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav chaired the 70th Standing Committee meeting of the National Board for Wildlife on 13 October, 2022.
Important facts
Various policy matters related to wildlife conservation and protection of Great Indian Bustard were discussed in the meeting.
During the meeting the state governments of Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra were requested to submit proposals for setting up conservation breeding centres for Great Indian Bustards in their respective states.
Considering the need for uninterrupted mobile connectivity in nine tribal villages in the Narmada and Vadodara districts of Gujarat and the nearby villages of the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, the Standing Committee recommended the construction of telecom towers and the laying of optical fiber cables.
The committee also recommended the construction of a bridle track from Rambara to Garud Chatti in Uttarakhand.
The committee has also recommended the development of ropeway between Sonprayag to Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand for the convenience of thousands of pilgrims visiting Kedarnath during Kedarnath Yatra.
About National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)
It is a statutory Board constituted in 2003 under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
It is presided over by the Prime Minister.
It is responsible for promoting the conservation and development of wildlife and forests.
This board performs the role of 'advisory' and advises the state governments on policy making for the conservation of wildlife.
The Standing Committee of NBWL is chaired by the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
3. External Affairs minister S.Jaishankar to visit Egypt on his first official tour
Tags: International News
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, External Affairs Minister Dr S.Jaishankar will be on his first official visit to Egypt from 15-16 October 2022. He is going there on the invitation of Egypt's Foreign minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry. According to the ministry both the leaders will discuss a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
India and Egypt traditionally enjoy warm and friendly relations underpinned by historical and cultural linkages. India is trying to deepen its relation with Egypt.
Recently in the month of September Defence minister Rajnath Singh was on a visit to Egypt to deepen defence ties.
Both countries are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
Egypt has been invited as a ‘Guest Country’ during India’s Presidency of G-20 in 2022-23.
Economic relations
Egypt has been one of India’s largest trading partners in Africa and the promotion of bilateral trade, commerce and investments will be one of the focus areas during the visit.
India - Egypt bilateral trade touched a record high at US$ 7.26 billion during the financial year 2021-22.
Indian investment in Egypt exceeds US$ 3.15 billion. Over 50 Indian companies are actively present in Egypt in a range of sectors like manufacturing, chemicals, energy, infrastructure, retail etc.
Arab Republic of Egypt
It is an Arab country which is located on the African continent.
President: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Capital: Cairo
Currency: Egyptian pound
4. Meenaskshi Lekhi leads Indian delegation at the 6th CICA Summit meeting at Astana
Tags: place in news Summits International News
Union Minister for External Affairs Meenaskshi Lekhi led the Indian delegation at the 6th Conference on Confidence Building Measures and Interaction in Asia (CICA) summit held on 12-13 October 2022 at the Kazakhstan capital, Astana.
Replying to the Statement of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif on Kashmir she said that Pakistan is misusing the CICA for propagating malicious propaganda against India. She said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.
The idea of convening CICA was first proposed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, on 5 October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
27 countries including India, China, and Pakistan are members of CICA.
Summit meetings of CICA
The First summit meeting was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 4 June 2022. It was attended by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The second CICA summit was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on June 17, 2006
The third CICA Summit was held in Istanbul, Turkey on 8 June 2010
The Fourth CICA Summit, was held in Shanghai, China on 21 May 2014
The Fifth CICA Summit was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 15 June 2019.
5. IAEA chief Rafael Gross calls for protecting Zaporizhzhia nuclear power in a meeting with President Putin in Russia
Tags: place in news Russia-Ukraine Person in news International News
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Gross met the Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, amid concern over the safety of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Rafael Gross met Putin after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv last week.
Rafael Gross called for setting up a protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear power plant and asserted that they cannot lose any more time. He emphasised that Russia and Ukraine must do everything to help in ensuring that a nuclear accident does not occur during the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Concern over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The 6000 MW Zaporizhzhia nuclear power complex is the largest European nuclear power complex which has been occupied by the invading Russian forces since early March 2022.
The area has been heavily fortified by the Russian military and the Ukrainian forces are also launching a counter attack. This has led to the fear that the nuclear complex could be hit in an attack which could lead to a nuclear catastrophe in the area.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The IAEA was set up in 1957 as an agency of the United Nations.
The IAEA was set up to work with the member countries and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field.
Member Countries: 175
The IAEA headquarters is at Vienna, Austria and it has two regional offices located in Toronto, Canada and Tokyo, Japan,
Director General: Rafael Gross
6. Two day conference of Power and renewable energy ministers of States
Tags: Summits National News
Power Ministry to hold a two day conference of Ministers of Power and New & Renewable Energy of States and Union Territories in Udaipur, Rajasthan on 14 October 2022.
Important facts
The two-day conference will discuss the emerging issues in the power sector.
The conference will be inaugurated by Union Energy Minister RK Singh.
The conference is expected to deliberate on strengthening the power sector with a focus on energy conservation, renewable energy and reforms in the power sector.
In the conference, discussions will also be held on ensuring round the clock power supply through investments, feasibility of state power distribution companies, smart metering, rights of consumers and future power systems.
Agenda of discussion
Viability of DISCOMs
Smart Metering
Renewable Energy and Storage
Power Sector Reforms
Ensuring 24 x 7 power supply through timely investment
Rights of Electricity Consumers
Future power system in the year 2030
Energy Conservation
7. World’s first space tourist Dennis Tito to ride to moon again on SpaceX
Tags: Person in news International News
World’s first space tourist, Dennis Tito, has signed up with the Elon Musk Company SpaceX, to fly around the Moon aboard the Starship rocket.
The SpaceX Company on 12 October 2022 said that the rocket will take Tito and his wife, Akiko, within 200km (125 miles) of the far side of the Moon without landing on its surface. The date of the launch has yet to be announced as the Starship is yet to be tested.
Dennis Tito, an American engineer and entrepreneur became the first human space tourist to visit the International Space Station in 2001.
He was launched onboard a Russian rocket with the help of US-based Space Adventures in 2001.
Few companies in the world are striving to make space travel a reality. They are SpaceX , Richard Branson-founded Virgin Galactic SPCE.N, and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin which currently offers suborbital joyrides that hit an altitude of about 106km (66 miles) above the Earth.
90 year old American actor, William Shatner, who played the role of Captain James T Kirk on the TV series Star Trek, became the oldest person to ride a rocket into space when he travelled on a Blue Origin flight last year.
Human Space Flight
The first person to go into space was Yury Gagarin of the Soviet Union on 12 April 1961 onboard the Vostok Rocket.
The first woman to go into space was Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union on 16 June 1963 onboard the Vostok 6 Rocket.
The first American to go into space was Alan Shepard in 1961.
Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma is the only Indian to go into space. He was part of the Soviet mission aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984.
8. Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 gets Cabinet approval
Tags: National National News
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The Union Cabinet on 12 October 2022 has approved the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
Important facts
This bill has been brought to amend the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.
The aim of the amendment bill is to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country.
The amendment to the Act will improve governance, increase transparency and accountability and reform the electoral process in multi-state cooperatives.
Election authority will be constituted to ensure fair, free and timely elections.
This amendment is an attempt to improve the ease of doing business and bring in more transparency.
Highlight of the bill
The Bill includes provisions relating to representation of women and members of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes on the boards of multi-state cooperatives.
The bill will include provisions of the 97th Constitutional Amendment.
The Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2011 deals with the cooperative societies operating in India.
The bill will expand the composition of the board and ensure financial discipline, apart from enabling multi-state cooperatives to raise funds.
The Bill has specific provisions for the establishment of a Co-operative Election Authority, a Co-operative Information Officer and a Co-operative Ombudsman.
There is a provision to ban the offenders for three years to bring more electoral discipline.
The Bill provides for bringing in selected directors with experience in the fields of banking, management, cooperative management and finance.
Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002
Co-operative is a state subject, but there are many societies such as sugar and milk, banks, milk unions etc. whose members and areas of operation are spread over more than one state.
This act was passed to govern the multi state cooperative societies.
For example, the Karnataka-Maharashtra border has most of the sugar mills that procure sugarcane from both the states.
Maharashtra has the highest number of such cooperative societies followed by Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.
9. India improves its ranks to 123 on the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2022
Tags: National International News
India has improved its ranking by 6 places in the recently released Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRII) 2022. It has been ranked 123th in the world out of 161 countries. India was ranked 129 in the 2020 Index.
India’s rank has improved primarily due to improvement in indicators quantifying the impact of public spending and the impact of tax on reducing inequality.
The index ranks the countries on the policies made by the government and action taken to fight inequality in the first two years of covid pandemic.
Norway has been ranked as the top country followed by Germany and Australia. South Sudan has been ranked 161st at the bottom of the Index.
Composition of the Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRII)
The Index which is prepared by Oxfam International and Development Finance International (DFI) measures governments policies and actions in three areas proven to have a major impact on reducing inequality.
The three areas are public services (health, education, and social protection), taxation and workers' rights.
India’s performance
Public service
India has been ranked 129th in the Public service spending. It was ranked 141 in the 2020 report.
According to the Index, India features among the lowest performers on health spending. It dropped to 157th rank, a drop of two places. The Indian government spends 3.64 % of all it’s spending on health which is lowest among all neighbouring countries. Pakistan spending is at 4.3%, Bangladesh is at 5.19%, Sri Lanka is at 5.88%, and Nepal is at 7.8%,
Progressive taxation
India was ranked 16 on progressive taxation in 2022 while it was ranked 19 in 2020.
Labour Ranking (workers’ rights and wages)
India was ranked 151 on labour ranking (which includes workers’ rights) while in 2020 also it was ranked 151.
South Asian country’s ranking
Country | Public service ranking | Tax ranking | Labour ranking | Regional ranking |
Maldives | 71 | 12 | 54 | 1 |
Bangladesh | 136 | 47 | 101 | 2 |
Sri Lanka | 128 | 85 | 93 | 3 |
Nepal | 116 | 36 | 126 | 4 |
Bhutan | 114 | 27 | 140 | 5 |
India | 129 | 16 | 151 | 6 |
Pakistan | 151 | 77 | 113 | 7 |
Afghanistan | 158 | 115 | 117 | 8 |
OXFAM International
Oxfam International was formed in 1995 by a group of independent non-governmental organizations. They joined together as a confederation to maximize efficiency and achieve greater impact to reduce global poverty and injustice.
The name “Oxfam” comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in Britain in 1942.
The Oxfam International Secretariat is based in Nairobi, Kenya
Oxfam India CEO : Amitabh Behar
10. INS Tarkash reaches South Africa to participate in 7th edition of IBSAMAR
Tags: Defence International News
INS Tarkash reached Port Gqeberha (also known as Port Elizabeth), South Africa to participate in the 7th edition of IBSAMAR, a joint multinational maritime exercise among Indian, Brazilian and South African Navies from 10 - 12 Oct 2022.
Important facts
The previous edition of IBSAMAR (IBSAMAR VI) was conducted at Simons Town, South Africa from 1 to 13 October 2018.
The Indian Navy is represented by a Teg class guided missile frigate, INS Tarkash, a Chetak helicopter and personnel from the Marine Commando Force (MARCOS).
The Harbor phase of IBSAMAR VII includes major exercises such as damage control and fire fighting exercises, VBSS/Cross boarding lectures and interactions between Special Forces.
This joint maritime exercise will strengthen inter-operability for maritime security, joint operational training, sharing of best practices and addressing common maritime threats.
INS Tarkash
INS Tarkash is a state-of-the-art stealth frigate of the Indian Navy.
It is built by Yantar Shipyard at Kaliningrad, Russia.
It is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing threats in all three dimensions.
The ship incorporates the latest stealth features such as low radar, infra-red, acoustic and magnetic signatures, making it difficult to detect at sea.
The ship is part of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.
