1. Indian Government to close its overseas tourism offices by March 31 next year
Tags: National
The Union Ministry of Tourism has decided to shut down its seven overseas offices tasked with tourism promotional activities by 31st March 2023.
At present, the ministry runs tourism offices in London, Tokyo, Beijing, Dubai, Singapore, New York and Frankfurt.
According to the report, "The government feels that the expenses incurred on the functioning of these offices are not worth the promotions that the Indian tourism sector gets abroad.” The government feels that digital medium and existing embassies can be good alternatives.
They say that the first tourism office was opened in 1952 in New York with a purpose to promote Indian culture, heritage and monuments and in the later years, 25 such centers were opened in different countries.
According to the Union Tourism Ministry, the number of Foreign Tourists visiting India during 2021 was 1.52 million. India received maximum foreign tourists from the United States of America followed by Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Nepal.
Union Minister for Tourism: G Kishan Reddy
2. Peru orders Mexico's ambassador to leave country within 72 hours
Tags: International News
Peru declared Mexico's ambassador in Lima "persona non grata" and ordered him to leave the country on December 20, Peru's foreign minister announced, amid heightened tensions between the two countries after Pedro Castillo was ousted as president.
Important facts
The order gives Mexico's envoy to the South American country just 72 hours to leave the country.
Castillo was removed from office earlier this month after trying to dissolve parliament. He is being investigated in Peru on charges of rebellion and conspiracy.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called Castillo's removal from office undemocratic.
The Peruvian government last week declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency.
Protests have rocked the country in the tumultuous days since President Pedro Castillo was removed from office on charges of rebellion and conspiracy last week.
Castillo remains in government custody for 18 months.
Castillo was prevented from taking refuge at the Mexican embassy in Lima. The lawmakers then swore in 60-year-old Dina Boluarte as the new president.
About Peru
Peru is the third largest country in South America, after Brazil and Argentina.
President: Dina Boluarte
Capital: Lima
Currency : Nuevo Sol
Major Mountain Ranges: Andes
Major Rivers: Amazon, Ucayali, Madre de Dios
3. Sun Temple at Modhera, Vadnagar town Rock cut sculpture, Unakoti added to tentative list of UNESCO heritage sites
Tags: place in news National
The Union Ministry of Culture announced on 20 December 2022 that Vadnagar town ,Gujarat, Sun Temple Modhera, Gujarat and Rock Cut Sculptures and reliefs of the Unakoti,Tripura have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites.
The submissions were made by Archaeological Survey of India, which is responsible for the conservation and preservation of Indian monuments.
With the addition of these three sites, UNESCO has 52 proposals in the tentative list of India.
According to UNESCO, countries are encouraged to submit their Tentative Lists which mentions the properties which they consider to be cultural and/or natural heritage of outstanding universal value and therefore suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List.
The newly included sites in the tentative list;
Vadnagar
Vadnagar also known as Chamatkarpur, Anandpur, Snehpur and Vimalpur is located in the Mehsana district in Gujarat. The city has been mentioned in the Puranas as well by the Chinese traveller, Hieu-en-Tsang (7th century). Vadnagar is famous for its Buddhist sites, torans, a pair of 12th century Solanki-era columns, 40 feet tall and built in red and yellow sandstone to celebrate a war victory.
Sun Temple, Modhera and its adjoining monuments
Modhera is known for the Sun temple situated on the bank of the Pushpavati River. The temple was built after 1026-27 CE during the reign of Bhima I of the Chalukya dynasty. Modhera village is the first solar powered village in the world.
Rock-cut Sculptures and Reliefs of the Unakoti
Unakoti is famous for its massive stone and rock-cut sculptures that have been carved out from the hillside in the Kailashahar Subdivision of Tripura. Surrounded by lush greenery, this place is also a Shaivite pilgrimage site dating back to the 8th or 9th centuries CE.
Unakoti literally means ‘One Less Than a Crore’. According to Hindu mythology Lord Shiva once spent a night here en route to Kashi. He was accompanied by 99, 99,999 gods and goddesses. He had asked his followers to wake up before sunrise and make their way towards Kashi. Unfortunately, none awoke, except for Lord Shiva himself. Before he set out for Kashi alone, he put a curse on the others turning them to stone. And that’s how the site got its name
Indian sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List
There are 32 cultural, 7 natural, and 1 mixed property in the 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites in India. In 2021 Dholavira, an Indus Valley site in Gujarat and Rudreswara temple (Ramappa Temple) at Palampet, Warangal, and Telangana were the 40th and 39th sites respectively.
The first Indian sites to be included in the UNESCO list were Ajanta, Ellora Caves, Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in 1983.
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
- It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, Science and Culture.
- Headquarters: Paris, France
- Director General: Audrey Azoulay
- Founded: 16 November 1945 in London, United Kingdom
- The organisation has 193 members and 11 Associate members.
4. Puducherry and Aizawl (Mizoram) adjudged best performing State and District in Social Progress Index
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The Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) on 20 December 2022 released the Social Progress Index (SPI) for States and Districts prepared by the Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative.
The index assesses states and districts based on 12 components across three critical dimensions of social progress - Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. The index uses an extensive framework comprising 89 indicators at the state level and 49 at the district level.
- Basic Human Needs assess the performance of states and districts in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation, Personal Safety and Shelter.
- Foundations of Wellbeing evaluates the progress made by the country across the components of Access to Basic Knowledge, Access to Information and Communication, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Quality.
- Opportunity focuses on Personal Rights, Personal Freedom and Choice, Inclusiveness, and Access to Advanced Education.
Based on the SPI scores, states and districts have been ranked under six tiers of social progress. The tiers are Tier 1: Very High Social Progress; Tier 2: High Social Progress; Tier 3: Upper Middle Social Progress; Tier 4: Lower Middle Social Progress; Tier 5: Low Social Progress; and Tier 6: Very Low Social Progress.
Top Ranked States/Union Territories
State /Union Territories | SPI | Rank |
Puducherry | 65.99 | 1 |
Lakshadweep | 65.89 | 2 |
Goa | 65.53 | 3 |
Sikkim | 65.10 | 4 |
Mizoram | 64.19 | 5 |
Bottom Ranked State
Jharkhand was ranked at the bottom, 36th with SPI score of 43.95 and Bihar was ranked at 35th with a score of 44.47.
Uttar Pradesh with a SPI score of 49.16 was ranked 31st and was put in the Low Social progress category.
Top performing districts
Aizawl (Mizoram), Solan (Himachal Pradesh), and Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) are the top 3 best-performing districts.
5. MIB directs YouTube to take down three channels for spreading fake news
Tags: National News
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed YouTube to remove three channels, Aaj Tak Live, News Headlines and Government Updates, for spreading fake news in the country.
Important facts
The action was taken as the channels were declared peddlers of fake news by the Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau on 20 December.
In a series of over 40 fact-checks, the PIB Fact Check Unit (FCU) busted these three YouTube channels which were spreading false information in India.
These channels have around 33 lakh subscribers and their videos, almost all of which were found to be false, have been viewed more than 300 million times.
These YouTube channels were engaged in spreading false and sensational claims regarding the Supreme Court of India, Chief Justice of India, Government schemes, Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), farm loan waiver etc.
In the last one year, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has banned over one hundred YouTube channels for spreading fake news.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting - Anurag Singh Thakur
6. IICA launches ESG Impact Leaders Program
Tags: National News
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India has launched on 20th December a programme to create Impact Leaders in the areas of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG).
Important facts
Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt of India Leena Nandan was the Chief Guest at the launch.
Impact Leader programme is designed as a comprehensive course on ESG giving a holistic understanding of the philosophy of ESG, its principles, its relevance and its implication in the current scenario.
The Six Month course comprising 8 Self paced learning modules will be delivered online.
Renowned ESG professionals of International & National repute would be involved in delivering the live interactive Master classes.
IICA has also created the 'National Association of Impact Leaders' which is a membership-based association exclusively for ESG professionals.
The association will provide a platform for professional advancement and engagement to its members.
In future this association may also act as a regulatory body to strengthen the ESG Profession in India.
Key points of Learnings
Understanding the Glocal ESG Landscape
Identifying ESG Risks and Opportunities
Identification and layout of materiality aspects of ESG
Managing all ESG aspects in an organization - turning theory into action
Integrating ESG best practices into core operations - Creating an ESG sensitive culture
Creating flexible ESG strategies
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
It was registered as a society on September 12, 2008 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
It is an autonomous institute, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to deliver opportunities for research, education, and advocacy.
It is a think-tank, capacity building and service delivery institute.
7. UAE to host the 13th WTO Ministerial Meeting in 2024
Tags: Summits Economics/Business International News
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the 13th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial meeting in February 2024. The African country of Cameroon had also expressed its willingness to host the 13th WTO ministerial meeting.
The WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 12 to June 17. It was originally meant to be held in Kazakhstan in 2020, but was postponed due to the covid pandemic.
The World Trade Organisation was set up on 1 January 1995 replacing the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT). Its main purpose is to promote rule based trading systems in the world and to settles trade related disputes between the member countries.
The Ministerial Conference is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO and usually meets every two years.
It brings together all members of the WTO and takes decisions on all matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements.
The headquarters of WTO is in Geneva, Switzerland. There are 164 member countries .
Director General of WTO : Dr Ngozi -Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria
WTO Ministerial Meeting
Number | Place | Date |
First | Singapore | 9 to 13 December 1996. |
second | Geneva, Switzerland | May 18 and 20, 1998 |
Third | Seattle, United States of America | November 30 and December 3, 1999, |
Fourth | Doha, Qatar | 9-14 November 2001 |
Fifth | Cancun, Mexico | September 10 to 14, 2003 |
Sixth | Hong Kong | December 13 to December 18, 2005, |
Seventh | Geneva, Switzerland | 30th November to 2nd December 2009, |
Eight | Geneva, Switzerland | December 15 to 17, 2011 |
Ninth | Bali, Indonesia | 3rd to 7th December 2013 |
Tenth | Nairobi, Kenya | December 15 to 19, 2015 |
Eleventh | Buenos Aires, Argentina | December 10 to December 13, 2017 |
Twelfth | Geneva, Switzerland | June 12 to June 17, 2022 |
8. Fifth Scorpene Submarine ‘Vagir’ delivered to Indian Navy
Tags: Defence National News
The fifth submarine of the Project -75, Kalvari Class submarines, Yard 11879 (Vagir) was delivered to the Indian Navy on 20 December.
Important facts
Project -75 includes indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design.
These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
Launched on 12 Nov 20, Vagir commenced sea trials from 1 Feb 2022 and has completed all major trials, including weapon and sensor trials, in less time than earlier submarines.
The construction of these submarines in an Indian yard is another step towards 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and instills confidence in the region.
What is also a remarkable achievement is that this is the third submarine delivered to the Indian Navy in a span of 24 months.
Project- 75
Project- 75 intends to build six diesel-electric attack submarines of the Kalvari class that are based on the Scorpene-class, which are being built at MDL (Mazagon Dock Limited).
Project 75 (I), approved in 2007, is part of the Indian Navy’s 30 year Plan for indigenous submarine construction.
9. Agriculture Ministry organises Millet Food Festival in Parliament
Tags: Festivals National News
To raise awareness about the importance of millets, the Ministry of Agriculture organised the Millet Food Festival in Parliament on 20 December.
Important facts
During the Millet food festival, branding of Millet and recipes displayed and millet-based food items served to the Members of Parliament in the Parliament House premises.
Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations organised the opening ceremony of the International Year of Millets – 2023 (IYOM 2023) in Rome, Italy.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) accepted the proposal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
As the global agrifood systems face challenges to feed an ever-growing global population, resilient cereals like millet provide an affordable and nutritious option.
10. Atal Innovation Mission at NITI Aayog opens applications for ATL Marathon 2022-23
Tags: National News
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) at NITI Aayog on 19th December opened applications for ATL Marathon 2022-23, a flagship innovation challenge under Atal Tinkering Labs programme.
About ATL Marathon
It is a national level innovation challenge for young innovators across India who can solve community problems of their choice, develop innovative solutions in the form of working prototypes or Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
The previous edition of the marathon saw over 7000 innovations and out of them top 350 received internship opportunities with reputed companies in India, awards and certificates from AIM.
This year’s ATL Marathon is going to be bigger and grander.
The theme for this edition of ATL Marathon is India’s G20 Presidency.
As India assumes the presidency of the G20 this year, AIM has prepared issue statements based on the inspiring recommendations of the G20 Working Groups on internationally relevant issues in various areas of focus.
The idea is to create a huge opportunity for the students to innovate not only for a better India but for the world by solving global problems in various fields.
Students can get all the details about ATL Marathon in English and Hindi and can submit their entries in both the languages.
Top teams will get internship opportunities with leading corporates and incubation centers in India through the Student Innovator Program and will be awarded certificates from AIM.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
This is an important initiative taken by the Government of India to promote the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
Objective of AIM
Developing new programs and policies to promote innovation in various sectors of the economy.
Providing forums and opportunities for collaboration for various stakeholders.
To create an umbrella structure to create awareness and monitor the innovation ecosystem of the country.
Mission Director AIM - Dr Chintan Vaishnav
