1. India and Netherlands hold 11th Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi
Tags: International News
India and Netherlands held 11th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in New Delhi on 19th December.
Important facts
The Indian delegation was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and the Dutch side was led by Paul Huijts, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
Both sides discussed ways forward in important areas such as Water, Agriculture and Health (WAH Agenda), science and technology, climate innovation and renewable technologies.
Noting that the Netherlands is India's third largest export partner in Europe, the two sides are looking to strengthen their trade ties through the Joint Trade and Investment Committee meeting next year.
The two countries have also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, European Union, United Nations and climate action.
Free trade agreement negotiations between India and the European Union and resumption of the connectivity partnership were acknowledged by both sides as key drivers.
Both countries are also committed to early implementation of the outcome of the India-EU Leaders' Meeting in May 2021.
This year the two countries are celebrating 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
About Netherlands
The Netherlands, also known as Holland, is a country located in northwestern Europe.
Monarch: King Willem-Alexander
Prime Minister: Mark Rutte
Capital: Amsterdam
Currency: euro
2. Over 190 nations adopt landmark biodiversity pact to restore natural ecosystems
Tags: Environment International News
Chaired by China and hosted by Canada, the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" (GBF), which sets four goals and 23 targets for 2030.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" (GBF)
Over 190 nations of the world on 19 December agreed on a historic package of measures deemed critical to addressing the dangerous loss of biodiversity and restoring natural ecosystems.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework provides a global roadmap for the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems for the next decade.
The objective of the Framework is to catalyze, enable and inspire urgent and transformative action by governments and local governments, with civil society participation, to prevent biodiversity loss.
In this, four goals and 23 targets have been set which are to be achieved by 2030.
Four global goals
Goal 1
Maintain, enhance or restore the integrity, connectivity and resilience of all ecosystems, while significantly increasing the area of natural ecosystems by 2050.
Stop human-induced extinction of known threatened species and reduce the extinction rate and risk of all species tenfold by 2050.
Goal 2
By 2050, the sustainable use and management of biodiversity for the benefit of present and future generations and the valuing and promotion of nature's contribution to people, including ecosystem functions and services.
Goal 3
Monetary and non-monetary benefits from the use of genetic resources, and digital sequence information on genetic resources, and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, to be shared fairly and equitably with indigenous peoples and local communities.
Goal 4
Adequate means of implementation, including financial resources, capacity-building, technical and scientific cooperation, and access and transfer of technology to fully implement the Kunmin-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in a safe and secure way for all parties, especially developing countries be equally accessible.
Global targets
Effective conservation and management of at least 30 per cent of the world's lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans, with emphasis on areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services. At present, only about 17% of land and 7% of oceans are protected.
3. INSV Tarini to participate in 50th edition of Cape Town to Rio Race 2023
Indian Navy’s sailboat INSV (Indian Naval Sailing Vessel) Tarini has set sail for an expedition to Cape Town, South Africa to participate in the 50th edition of Cape Town to Rio Race 2023.
This ocean sailing race will be flagged off from Cape Town on 2nd January, 2023 and will culminate at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The expedition is being undertaken by an Indian Navy crew of five officers including two women officers.INSV Tarini is being skippered by Capt Atool Sinha.
The Cape Town - Rio de Janeiro is one of the most prestigious Trans-Atlantic ocean races. The crew, over a period of 5-6 months in this trans-oceanic voyage is expected to face extreme weather and rough sea conditions of the Indian, Atlantic and the Southern oceans.
During the expedition while transiting from Goa to Rio de Janeiro via Cape Town and back, INSV Tarini would be covering a distance of almost 17000 nautical miles.
INSV Tarini is known for circumnavigating the globe with an all-women officer crew in the historic expedition titled ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ in 2017.
4. Latvia host Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit at Riga
Tags: place in news Summits International News
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Latvia hosted the 3rd summit meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on 19 December 2022 in Riga. The summit meeting has been convened on the Initiative of the Prime Minister of Latvia Krišjānis Kariņš, with the support of the United Kingdom.
The JEF was founded in 2015 after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit meeting in Wales in 2014. It comprises Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The JEF has been set up to prepare a high readiness force which can respond to crises in the High North and Northern Europe (caused by Russian aggression).
The summit meeting of the JFF was held virtually on 25 February 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The second Summit was hosted by the United Kingdom in London on 15 March 2022.
The third summit was dominated by the aggressive war of Russia in Ukraine and consequent changes in the security climate in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the High North regions. They agreed to provide further assistance to Ukraine in its fight with the Russians.
Latvia
Latvia lies in North Eastern Europe and is one of the three Baltic countries. The other Baltic countries are Lithuania and Estonia.
It is called Baltic country as it lies along the Baltic Sea.
Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union and it became Independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Capital: Riga
Currency: Euro
Prime Minister: Krisjanis Kariņs
5. Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated 'Prashasan Gaon ki Ore' campaign under Good Governance Week 2022
Tags: Important Days National News
Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 'Prashasan Gaon ki Ore', a nationwide campaign under the Good Governance Week 2022 in New Delhi on 19th December. He also launched the Good Governance Week portal.
Important facts
In the 5 days campaign, over 300 New Services identified by District Collectors across the country will be added for Online Service Delivery.
The nationwide campaign for redressal of public grievances and improvement in service delivery will be organised in all districts, states and union territories of the country.
More than 700 district collectors will participate in the campaign and officers will visit tehsil and panchayat samiti headquarters.
During the initial phase of Good Governance Week 2022, organised from 10th to 18th of this month, District Collectors have identified more than 81 lakh applications for service delivery.
Along with this, more than 19 lakh public grievances are to be redressed through the State Portal.
373 best governance practices were identified for discussion in district level workshops. The workshop will be organised on the 23rd of this month.
During the 'Good Governance Week' of Good Governance Week-2022 from December 19 to December 25, 43 success stories in public grievances will also be shared.
What is Good Governance?
Good governance refers to processes and institutions that produce outcomes that make the best use of resources while meeting the needs of society.
The constitution is based on the principles of a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic committed to democracy, the rule of law and the welfare of its citizens.
Every citizen of the nation is primarily concerned with the efficient functioning of the government.
Principles of Good Governance
Participation
Rule of law
Transparency
Responsiveness
Consensus orientation
Equity
Effectiveness and efficiency
Accountability
6. India and Sri Lanka to launch ferry service between Kankesanthurai port and Pondicherry in January 2023
Tags: place in news National
According to the Sri Lankan Ports, Shipping, and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva a passenger ferry service between Kankesanthurai port in Jaffna district and Karaikal ports in Puducherry will start in January 2023.
The Minister said that passenger transport services will also be started from Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) to Colombo in Sri Lanka in near future.
He said that till now no firm conclusion has been reached about starting the ferry service between Thalaimannar (Sri Lanka) and Rameshwaram (India).
Ferry Service
The ferry service between Tamil Nadu and the Northern part of Sri Lanka which is dominated by Sri Lanka Tamils was disrupted in 1980’s due to the civil war in Sri Lanka. After the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka in 2009, efforts were made to revive the old transportation link between the two countries.
In 2011 a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries to start ferry service between the two countries.
In 2018 India provided $45.27 million for upgrading the Kankesanthurai harbour into a commercial port.
Benefits of the Ferry service
The ferry services will make travel to Sri Lanka easier from south India, thus providing a boost to tourism in Sri Lanka, which is suffering from its worst-ever economic crisis. Indians are the largest source of tourists to Sri Lanka.
They will also strengthen the cultural bonds between the two regions with linguistic similarities.
Boost to religious tourism
Tamils from Sri Lanka who are Hindus often visit India for religious purposes. The majority Sinhalese population of Sri Lanka are Buddhist and frequently visit the Buddhist tourist places in India.
Similarly many Tamils from India visit the temples of Sri Lanka .The ferry service will make travel easier for pilgrims from both nations.
India is separated from Sri Lanka by a narrow channel of seas formed by the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar.
7. CSIR’s "One Week, One Lab" countrywide campaign from 6th January, 2023
Tags: Science and Technology National News
Union Minister for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh, who is also the vice president of CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research), on 17 December announced the launching of "One Week, One Lab" countrywide campaign from January 6, 2023.
Important facts
Dr Jitendra Singh announced this while addressing the 200th Governing Body Meeting of CSIR at the Science Centre in New Delhi.
He announces Special Call for Research Grant Proposals for Women Scientists.
He launched the new tagline of the organisation, “CSIR-The Innovation Engine of India”.
In this campaign, 37 premier laboratories/institutes of CSIR spread across the country will showcase their unique innovations and technological breakthroughs to the people of India.
"One Week One Lab" theme-based campaign is expected to ignite the minds of young innovators, students, academia, and industry to look for opportunities through deep tech Start-ups ventures.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is President of CSIR, had chaired the meeting of CSIR Society on 15th October, 2022 and appreciated the efforts of CSIR in the past 80 years.
The Prime Minister had urged CSIR in the Society meeting to develop a vision for 2042 when CSIR turns 100 years old.
About CSIR
CSIR was established on 26 September 1942 and was registered as the CSIR Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
The first meeting of the Governing Body was held on 09 March 1942 in which the bye-laws for the Council were framed.
8. India ranked 3rd globally in the publication of scientific papers; Union Minister Jitendra Singh
Tags: Reports National Science and Technology Person in news
According to the Union Minister for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh India has been ranked 3rd globally in the publication of scientific papers. Quoting the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Science & Engineering Indicators 2022 report of the United States, India’s position globally in scientific publications, has improved from 7th position in 2010 to 3rd position in 2020. He also said that India’s scholarly output increased from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1, 49,213 papers in 2020.
China leads the world in the publication of the maximum number of scientific papers followed by The United States of America.
Dr Jitendra Singh also said that India now ranks 3rd in terms of the number of PhDs in science and engineering.
The National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.
9. 63rd session of the IHRC inaugurated in Lucknow
Tags: place in news National State News
The Uttar Pradesh Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Transport, Daya Shankar Singh inaugurated the two day (18 and 19 December) 63rd Session of the Indian Historical Records Committee (IHRC) in Lucknow on 18 December 2022.
The two days’ Session will comprise Inaugural and Business Session on the first day and Academic Session on the next day. A total of 24 papers based on the original sources of post 1600 of Indian history will be presented by the Scholars on various aspects of history.
About IHRC
The Indian Historical Records Committee (IHRC) is an all India Forum of creators, custodians and users of records which was set up in 1919 to advice the Government of India on all issues connected with the management of records and their use for historical research.
The National Archives of India, New Delhi is the Secretariat of Indian Historical Records Committee (re-designated Indian Historical Records Committee in 1911). The IHRC is headed by the Union Minister of Culture and comprises 134 members including agencies of the Government of India, nominees of the Government of India, representatives from the State/UT Archives, Universities and Learned Institutions.
Union Minister for Culture: G.Kishan Reddy
10. Stealth guided missile destroyer Mormugao commissioned into Indian Navy
Tags: Defence National News
India commissioned its latest stealth guided missile destroyer, Mormugao, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on December 18.
Important facts
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and other dignitaries were present on this occasion.
Against the backdrop of concerns over China's growing efforts, India is focusing on enhancing its maritime capability with a focus on the Indian Ocean.
With a focus on indigenization and self-reliance, 42 of the 44 ships and submarines under construction are being built at Indian shipyards.
About INS Mormugao
It is the second warship under the navy’s Project-15B under which two more warships will be delivered by 2025.
The first P-15B warship, Visakhapatnam, was commissioned in Mumbai in November last year.
It is indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.
The ship measuring 163 metres in length and 17 metres in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes can be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.
70% of the components used in the construction of INS Mormugao are indigenous.
The ship is propelled by four powerful gas turbines and it is capable of achieving speeds over 30 knots.
The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions and equipped with a modern surveillance radar.
What is Project 15B?
The contract for the four ships of Project 15B, known as the Visakhapatnam class ships, was signed on 28 January 2011.
The project is a follow-on to the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the previous decade.
Four Ships are to be developed under Project 15B -
Visakhapatnam
Mormugao
Imphal
Surat
These four ships have been named after major cities from the four corners of the country. Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.
These are designed by Directorate of Naval Design, Indian Navy’s in-house design organisation and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai.
