1. G7 announces $600 billion global infrastructure programs
Tags: International News
The G7 group has announced USD 600 billion global infrastructure programs for poor countries.
Under the program, the US government and its allies will try to touch the USD 600 billion mark during the years 2022 and 2027.
The move is intended to compete with China's Belt and Road Initiative.
The proposed G7 funding would rely largely on private companies, in contrast to the Chinese government-run Belt and Road Initiative.
The partnership has been unveiled by US President Joe Biden and G7 allies from Germany, Canada, Japan, Italy and the European Union.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
The Belt and Road Initiative is formally known as the One Belt One Road initiative.
It is a global infrastructure development strategy, launched by China in 2013.
Under this, China had planned to invest in about 70 countries and international organisations.
The project is the centrepiece of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's foreign policy.
As of March 2022, 146 countries have signed the BRI.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is dedicated to providing loans for infrastructure projects.
About the G7
The G7 or Group of Seven is a grouping of the seven most advanced economies.
The seven countries are Canada, USA, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Italy.
It was formed in 1975.
The G7 countries meet annually to discuss issues of common interest such as global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
All G7 countries and India are part of the G20.
The G7 has no fixed headquarters.
2. The idea of shifting Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Home Affairs
Tags: National News
The Government of India is considering transferring the administration of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
This step is being taken to bring all the cases related to narcotics under one department.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) ACT 1985 and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances ACT 1988 both are currently administered by the Department of Revenue (DOR) in the Ministry of Finance.
The Narcotics Control Bureau is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and is controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Under the terms of the NDPS Act, the Narcotics Control Bureau is the premier law enforcement and intelligence organisation entrusted with the responsibility of preventing the use and trafficking of illegal substances.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985
The NDPS was enacted in 1985 to fulfil the United Nations Convention on Narcotic Drug Policy.
In this act, some important amendments were made in 1989 to confiscate the property acquired from illegal drug trade and to control the substances used in the manufacture of chemicals and drugs.
In 2001, the punishment provisions of the NDPS Act were amended.
3. World Bank approves $245 million loan for railway logistics project
Tags: National News
The World Bank has approved a loan of USD 245 million to support the Railway Logistics Project.
The loan will support India's efforts to modernise rail freight and logistics infrastructure.
Railways are losing market share to trucks over time. The market share was 32 per cent in 2017-18, compared to 52 per cent a decade ago.
Railway Logistics Project
The Railway Logistics Project will help India move more traffic from road to rail.
This will make freight and passenger transport more efficient.
It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by millions of tonnes every year.
The project will also focus on harnessing commercial financing by developing a customer-oriented approach and involving the private sector.
This will help strengthen the institutional capacity of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL).
Freight transport through railways
Indian Railways is the fourth largest rail network in the world.
It has transported 1.2 billion tonnes of freight in the financial year 2019-2020.
71 percent of India's goods are transported by road, while 17 percent is transported by rail.
About World Bank
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund were established together in 1944 during the Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire, USA.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is also called the World Bank.
At present, 189 countries are members of the World Bank.
Its headquarter is in Washington DC, the capital of America.
President– David Malpass
CEO- Anshula Kant
4. "Global Liveability Index" 2022
Tags: Latest International News
Austria's capital Vienna has been ranked first as the world's most livable city in the annual Global Liveability Index released by The Economist magazine.
140 cities of the world have been assessed in this index.
The cities in this list have been ranked on the basis of many factors including political and social stability, crime, access to education and healthcare.
Delhi (112) topped the 6 South Asian cities followed by Mumbai (117).
Pakistan's financial capital Karachi and Bangladesh's capital Dhaka were ranked among the least livable cities in the world.
The Chinese capital Beijing is at number 71.
Damascus, the capital of Syria, is ranked at the bottom of the list.
Top 10 Cities -
1. Vienna (Austria)
2. Copenhagen (Denmark)
3. Calgary (Canada)
4. Zurich (Switzerland)
5. Vancouver (Canada)
6. Geneva (Switzerland)
7. Frankfurt (Germany)
8. Toronto (Canada)
9. Amsterdam (Netherlands)
10. Osaka (Japan)
5. Garuda Aerospace to set up its first aerospace plant in Malaysia
Tags: International News
Drone startup Garuda Aerospace has tied up with Hilse Global (Hilsay Drones) to set up its first aerospace plant in Malaysia.
The plant will be named Hilse Garuda Aerospace and will be built on 2.42 hectares.
For this, Garuda Aerospace will invest Rs 115 crore.
It has been decided to set up a drone manufacturing plant in Malaysia with a daily production capacity of about 50 drones.
The alliance will establish a drone ecosystem with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning technologies.
About Garuda Aerospace -
Garuda Aerospace is a drone-as-a-service start-up.
It designs and manufactures 30 different types of drones.
Establishment - 2015
Headquarters - Chennai
Founder and CEO - Agnishwar Jayaprakash
Brand Ambassador - Mahendra Singh Dhoni
6. Bedti-Varda river interlinking project
Tags: National News
Two environmental groups in Karnataka have criticised the Bedati and Varada river-linking project, calling it unscientific and a waste of public money.
Bedti-Varda Project
The Bedati-Varda project was envisaged in the year 1992 for the supply of drinking water.
The plan aims to connect the Bedati, a west-flowing river towards the Arabian Sea, with the Varada, a tributary of the Tungabhadra River, which joins the Krishna River and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
A huge dam will be built at Hirewadti in Gadag district.
A second dam will be built on the Pattanahalla river at Menasagoda in Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district.
Both the dams will carry water through tunnels to Varada.
The water will reach Kengre and then flow down a 6.88 km tunnel to Hakkalumane, where it will join the Varada.
Thus, the project envisages carrying water from Sirsi-Yellapur region of Uttara Kannada district to arid regions of Raichur, Gadag and Koppal districts.
Project related issues
Difficulty in re-routing - Redirecting a west-flowing river to east-flowing is a difficult task.
Rivers dependent on rainwater – In early summer, the Bedati and Varda rivers start drying up.
Lack of proper project report
7. Piyush Goyal inaugurates Mango Festival in Belgium
Tags: International News
Indian Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated the Mango Festival in Brussels, Belgium to raise awareness of mangoes among Europeans and establish a market for Indian mangoes in Europe.
During the event, Banganapalli from Andhra Pradesh, Malihabadi Dussehri of Uttar Pradesh, Amrapali of Odisha, Lakshman Bhog, Himsagar, Jardalu Mango, Langra Mango as well as 12 GI-tagged items were on display.
For the first time, the Mango Festival was organised in Belgium, considered the capital of Europe.
Other information about Mango -
The scientific name of mango is Mangifera indica.
Most of it is produced in India.
It is considered the national fruit in India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Its tree has the status of a national tree in Bangladesh.
India produces 41 percent of the world's mangoes. Apart from India, China and Thailand are the largest producers of it.
According to botanical classification, mango is a tree of the family 'Anacardiaceae'.
The main varieties of mango are Langra Mango, Dussehri Mango, Fazli Mango, Sundari, Malda Mango.
Raw mango is called kari.
Mango is rich in vitamins A, B and C along with other antioxidants.
Mango Revision Centre is located at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Vengurla in Maharashtra.
8. Delhi airport becomes India's first airport to be fully hydro and solar powered
Tags: National News
Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport has become the first airport in India to be fully hydro and solar powered.
The move is part of the airport's goal to achieve the goal of 'Net Zero Carbon Emission Airport' by 2030.
Since June 1, about 6 percent of the airport's electricity requirement is being met from on-site solar power plants, while the remaining 94 percent is coming from a hydroelectric power plant.
For hydropower, Delhi International Airport Limited has signed a Long Term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a hydroelectric generating company from Himachal Pradesh to supply hydro electricity to the airport by 2036.
The airport has a 7.84 MW solar power plant, while it recently added another 5.3 MW rooftop solar power plant to the cargo terminal as part of a stakeholder collaboration.
This transition to renewable energy is expected to help the airport reduce carbon dioxide energy emissions by 2 million tonnes per year.
In the year 2020, Delhi airport became the first airport in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve 'Level 4+' under ACI's Airport Carbon Accreditation Program.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Civil Aviation Minister - Jyotiraditya M. Scindia
Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) was adjudged the best regional airport in India and South Asia.
9. Announcement to ban single use plastic (SUP) from July 1
Tags: Popular National News
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Recently, the central government has prepared a list of single-use plastic items that will be banned from July 1, 2022.
The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of notified single-use plastics, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, shall be prohibited with effect from July 1, 2022.
A gazette notification was issued in 2021 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the ban was announced.
Single use plastic
Single use plastic refers to plastic items that are used once and are discarded.
Single-use plastic products such as plastic bags, straws, coffee bags, soda and water bottles, and plastics used mostly for food packaging.
single use plastic parts
According to the Minderoo Foundation's 2021 report, single-use plastics account for a third of global production, with 98% being made up of fossil fuels.
Single-use plastics are responsible for most of the 130 million metric tons of plastic waste globally in 2019, all of which is burned, landfilled or released directly into the environment.
Single use plastic waste generation in india
The report found that India is among the top 100 countries producing single-use plastic waste - rank 94 (the top three are Singapore, Australia and Oman).
With domestic production of 11.8 million metric tonnes annually and imports of 2.9 MMT, India's net production of single use plastic waste is 5.6 MMT and per capita production is 4 kg.
Which items will be banned in India?
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has announced a ban on items like earbuds, candy, balloon sticks and ice cream sticks.
Cutlery items including plates, glasses, cups, spoons, knives, forks, trays will also be banned.
It has also been reported to ban sweets cans, invitation cards, cigarette packs, PVC banners of less than 100 microns as well as polystyrene for decoration.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Plastic ban countries
Bangladesh- Bangladesh became the first country to ban thin plastic bags in the year 2002.
New Zealand- New Zealand became the latest country to ban plastic bags in July 2019
China- China issued a ban on plastic bags with a phased implementation in the year 2020
US - Eight states in the US have banned single-use plastic bags, beginning with California in 2014.
10. India-Nepal India gaurav Tourist Train
Tags: Popular National News
The first India-Nepal Bharat Gaurav tourism train has been flagged off from Delhi's Safdarjung Railway Station.
This tourist train will connect India and Nepal for the first time.
500 Indian tourists are on board this train.
The Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train between India and Nepal will provide an opportunity to people across the country to visit the country's architectural, historical and cultural sites.
The first journey of this train (Ramayana Circuit) covered the religious destination of Janakpur (in Nepal) apart from other popular destinations like Ayodhya, Nandigram, Varanasi, Sitamarhi, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Hampi, Panchavati (Nashik), Rameshwaram and Bhadrachalam.
Bharat Gaurav Trains is an attempt to showcase the rich spiritual, cultural and historical heritage of India to its people.
This unique idea was conceived by the Ministry of Railways.
This train will return to Delhi after completing an 18 days journey.
It will cover a distance of about 8000 km in the entire Ramayana tour.
The theme of Bharat Gaurav Train is 'Dekho Apna Desh'.
IRCTC has fixed a fee of Rs 62370/- per person for this 18 days journey.
About Bharat Gaurav Scheme
In November 2021, Indian Railways introduced Bharat Gaurav trains which will be operated by private operators and will run on theme-based circuits.
Through this scheme operators have the “Right of Use” of railway rakes and infrastructure.
Under this scheme, private players and tour operators can buy trains on lease from the Railways and operate them on any circuit of their choice and decide the fares, route and quality of services.
Till now, railways used to operate the passenger section and goods section but now the tourism section has also been added under this scheme.
The scheme has been developed after extensive discussions with several state governments including Odisha, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and stakeholders.
The first train to be operated between Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) and Shirdi (Maharashtra) by a private operator under the "Bharat Gaurav" scheme was flagged off on June 14.
