1. India to assume G20 Presidency for one year from December 2022
Tags: International News
As per the Ministry of External Affairs India will chair the G20 meeting for one year starting from December 1, 2022 to November 20, 2023.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- A total of 200 G20 meetings are likely to be held under the chairmanship of India.
The G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September 2023.
India is part of the G20 Troika :
India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, past and upcoming G20 presidencies) which includes Indonesia, Italy and India.
During India's Presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil would form the troika.
This will be the first time that the troika will include three developing countries and emerging economies, which will give them a boost.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
G-20 Group :
Group of 20 or G-20 is a multilateral organisation which was set up in 1999.
It consists of the world's major developed and developing countries.
It consists of 19 countries and the European Union. The member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
Italy was the President of the G-20 in 2021. Indonesia is the President for 2022 and India will be the President in 2023.
The first Summit meeting of the leaders of the G-20 was held in 2008 at Washington, United States.
The G20 has no permanent secretariat.
G-20 members constitute 60% of the world population, 80% of the World economy and 75% of world trade.
2. MeitY Startup Hub, Meta to launch program to accelerate XR technology startups in India
Tags: National Economy/Finance National News
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will launch a program to support and accelerate XR technology startups across India in collaboration with Startup Hub META.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This collaboration is part of the government's efforts to skill in emerging and futuristic technologies.
With a large talent pool of creators, developers and a vibrant technology ecosystem, India has the potential to play a significant role in the metaverse.
MeitY Startup Hub, an initiative of MeitY, is a national platform focused on promoting technology innovation, start-ups and creation of intellectual property.
Currently, it has over 3,000 tech startups, with the expectation of growing to over 10,000 startups in the next three to five years.
Minister of Electronics and IT - Ashwini Vaishnaw
3. Centre organizes Virtual Networking Meet for GI Products with Qatar
Tags: International News
The Centre has organized a virtual networking meeting between exporters of India and importers of Qatar to boost agri and food GI products exports in Qatar on 12 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The meeting was held after India banned the export of broken rice and imposed 20% duty on certain varieties of rice except rice and basmati rice.
More than 80 participants including Exporters, Importers, Representatives of IBPS, Embassy of India and Officials of Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) participated in it.
The meeting provided a forum for dialogue between exporters and importers on India's strengths in exporting agricultural and food products of Indian origin.
The event is expected to further strengthen the confidence of importers in Indian products to facilitate exports.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About “APEDA”:
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December 1985.
This authority functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Headquarters- New Delhi
Chairman- Dr. M. Angamuthu
4. India signs MoU with Gulf Cooperation Council to facilitate consultation
Tags: International Relations International News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on 10 September signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Secretary-General of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf on the mechanism of consultations between India and the GCC.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The External Affairs Minister is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia from 10-12 September 2022, his first visit to Saudi Arabia as Foreign Minister of India.
Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with the Secretary General and discussed the relevance of India-GCC cooperation in the context of the current regional and global situation.
About Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) :
It is a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
It was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981.
Its aim is to achieve coordination, cooperation and integration and Arab regional unity among these countries.
The GCC member states have a total GDP of over USD 3.464 trillion and a total population of 54 million.
Why is GCC significant for India ?
About 7.6 million people of the Indian diaspora live in the Middle East.
According to the Reserve Bank of India report, India receives 30% of the total remittances from Middle Eastern countries. Although earlier this figure used to be 50 percent.
The decline in remittances may be due to the Covid-19 pandemic which forced workers to come to India.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
India’s trade and energy interests :
India's third largest trading partner (USD 72.9 billion) in the year 2021-22 was the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia was India's fourth largest trading partner in the last financial year.
From Qatar, India imports 8.5 million tonnes of LNG annually and exports products ranging from cereals to meat, fish, chemicals and plastics.
Two-way commerce between India and Qatar increased to US$ 15 billion in 2021-22 from US$ 9.21 billion in 2020-21.
Oman and Bahrain have also been a prosperous bilateral trade partner with India.
5. India joins 3 pillars of the US led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
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India has decided not to join the trade pillar of the United States-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) for now but has agreed to join the other three pillars: supply chains, tax and anti-corruption and clean energy.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This was declared by the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goel at the end of the trade ministers first in person meeting of the IPEF, held in Los Angeles, United States on 9 September 2022.
Why India has not joined the Trade pillar :
- The Minister said that the trade pillar which deals with trade requires commitment of the member countries on environment, labour, digital trade, and public procurement.
- He said that India is not certain what benefit it will get by joining this trade pillar.
- He expressed the fear that the trade pillar may set high standards of compliance which may discriminate against the developing countries.
- Giving an example he said that the United State has set a high standard on environment protection which is applicable on the energy companies. It has set stringent norms for power plants so that they are low polluting and more environment friendly. This mandates investment in new technology which makes the power produced costly.
- If India follows the US standards then it will adversely impact India’s economic development. India needs cheap power so that it is accessible to all. It cannot afford costly powers.
- Similar concerns are also there in the field of labour, digital trade, and public procurement.
6. First National Conference on Sustainable Coastal Management in India inaugurated
Tags: National State News National News
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the first National Conference on Sustainable Coastal Management in India in Bhubaneswar on 10 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The conference focused on increasing the climate resilience of India's coastal communities and discussing steps to be taken towards coastal management.
Organiser of the Conference :
The conference is being organised by the Green Climate Fund Supported Project - Enhancing Climate Resilience of India's Coastal Communities.
The objective of the Conference :
Bringing officials from all 13 coastal states of India under one roof to focus on three interrelated themes of coastal and marine biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation and coastal pollution.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Enhancing climate resilience of India’s coastal communities :
'Enhancing the Climate Resilience of India's Coastal Communities' (2019-2024) is a 6-year project implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with the support of UNDP.
The project aims to enhance the climate resilience of the most vulnerable populations, especially women, in the coastal regions of India.
The project is supported by the Green Climate Fund.
7. NITI Aayog, WRI launches e-FAST - India’s first national electric freight platform
Tags: National National News
NITI Aayog, in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI), India, launched the country’s first national electric freight platform – e-FAST India (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport – India) on 8 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This will help strengthen partnerships and identify and support innovative freight shipping solutions.
The platform aims to raise awareness on freight electrification, driven by on-ground pilots and evidence-based research.
It will also support scalable pilots and help formulate policies aimed at accelerating goods electrification in India.
The freight sector plays a vital role in India's economy in enabling the delivery of goods and vital resources.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
World Resources Institute (WRI) :
It is a global research organisation with over 1,000 experts and other staff around the world.
It was started in 1982 in Washington, DC to address global environmental and development challenges.
It spans over 60 countries with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, Mexico, India, Indonesia and the United States.
India Resource Trust holds a license from WRI to use the "WRI India" trademark.
8. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announces commencement of the Swachh Amrit Mahotsav
Tags: National National News
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will launch the 15-day Swachh Amrit Mahotsav from September 17 to mark the completion of eight years of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The Swachh Amrit Mahotsav will focus on motivating citizens to take steps towards building garbage free cities.
It will start on September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. September 17 will be celebrated as Service Day.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri released the official logo for 'Swachh Amrit Mahotsav' - 'Ek Aur Kadam Swachhta ki Ore'.
It shows the resolve to intensify and strengthen the 'Jan Andolan' in the world's largest cleanliness programme.
The Minister announced for the first time the launch of 'Indian Swachhata League' (ISL), an inter-city competition to be held among the youth of cities on September 17, 2022.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Swachh Bharat Mission :
Launched - on 2nd October 2014
Launched by - Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Aims - to achieve the vision of a ‘Clean India’ by 2nd October 2019.
Slogan - One step towards cleanliness
It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2009.
The first phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission lasted till October 2019.
Phase 2 is being implemented between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
9. Vande Bharat 2 : Railways to introduce new avatar of high-speed train
Tags: National National News
Indian Railways is going to introduce Vande Bharat-2, the new avatar of the high-speed train Vande Bharat.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Features of Vande Bharat 2 :
It will be equipped with more advancements and improved features like 0 to 100 Kmpl speed in just 52 seconds, maximum speed up to 180 Kmph, lesser weight of 392 tons instead of 430 tons, and WI-FI facility.
The new Vande Bharat will also have 32-inch LCD TVs which were 24 inches in the earlier versions.
The 15 percent more energy efficient AC with the dust free clean air cooling of the traction motor will make travel more comfortable.
The facility of side recliner seats which is being provided to the executive class passengers will now be made available for all classes.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Vande Bharat Express :
The first Vande Bharat Express was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February 2019.
These trains have a self-propelled engine which can save diesel and reduce electricity usage by up to 30%.
The first Vande Bharat Express was manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.
It was manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ programme, at a cost of about Rs 100 crore.
Currently, two Vande Bharat Expresses are operational - first between New Delhi and Varanasi and the second from New Delhi to Katra.
These trains can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph.
In the Union Budget for 2022-2023 the government has proposed the development and manufacture of 400 new Vande Bharat trains in the next three years.
10. NITI Aayog approves 32 beneficiaries under PLI scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing
Tags: National National News
The Empowered Committee headed by CEO, NITI Aayog Parameswaran Iyer on 9 September approved the first ever disbursement of incentive for mobile manufacturing under the large-scale electronics manufacturing’ sector.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This is the first time that a mobile manufacturing unit has also been selected under the PLI scheme.
32 beneficiaries have been approved under the PLI scheme operated for large size electronics manufacturing units.
Of these, 10 companies are related to mobile manufacturing in which five are domestic and five are foreign companies.
Paget Electronics Pvt Ltd, a domestic company, is the first beneficiary company approved by the Empowered Committee to receive the incentive.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About PLI scheme :
It is an initiative that provides incentives to domestic industries to promote production at the local level.
Through this scheme, the government aims to incentivize companies to increase the sales of manufactured products in domestic units.
The objective of the scheme is to make domestic manufacturing globally competitive and to become a global champion in manufacturing.
The government has launched this scheme with an outlay of around Rs 2 lakh crore for 14 sectors including Automobiles and Auto Components, White Goods, Pharma, Textiles, Advanced Chemistry Cell and Specialty Steel.
Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog - Suman Bery
NITI Aayog CEO - Parameswaran Iyer
