1. Japan awards Ex-PM Shinzo Abe country's highest order posthumously
Tags: Awards International News
The Japanese government has decided to posthumously honour former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with the 'Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum'.
Important facts
Shinzo Abe was the longest-serving prime minister of Japan.
He is the fourth former prime minister to receive the Supreme Order of Japan under the post-war constitution.
Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022, while he was campaigning in the city of Nara.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, fired two shots at her from a distance of 10 metres.
His condition deteriorated on the way to the hospital due to cardiac and pulmonary arrest. He was later declared dead at Nara Medical University Hospital.
Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
It is the highest order in Japan.
The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan.
Later, on January 4, 1888, the Collar of the Order was added.
Unlike European orders, this order can also be awarded posthumously.
So far, apart from the Imperial family, only 7 Japanese citizens have been given this order.
In 1928 the final order was given to former Prime Minister Sayenji Kinmochi.
2. Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation released the 'Youth in India 2022' report
Tags: National News
Recently the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) has released the 'Youth in India 2022' report.
Key highlights of the report
According to the Youth in India 2022 report, by 2036, the number of youth will decrease by 25 million. At present the population of youth in the country is 37.14 crores.
It will come down to 34.55 crore in 2036.
These days 10.1% are elderly in the country, which will increase to 14.9% by 2036.
The continuing decline in fertility has led to an increase in the working age population (between 25 and 64 years).
Status of states
States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh are projected to have a higher elderly population than youth by the year 2036.
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have experienced an increase in the proportion of youth population to total population by the year 2021 and then it is likely to decline.
Together with Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, these two states account for more than half (52%) of the country's youth.
Due to declining youth population
Fertility Rate- Fertility rate has been declining since few years. Fertility rate is the average number of children a woman gives birth to.
The fertility rate was 2.4 in 2011, which will come down to 2.1 by 2019.
Crude Death Rate- Now the death rate is decreasing in India. Crude death rate means how many deaths are taking place for every one thousand people.
In 2019, the crude death rate was 6.0, while in 2011 it was 7.1.
3. Cabinet approves Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road rail line for improved mobility
Tags: National News
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the construction of Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road new rail line.
Under this, a railway line will be laid up to Taranga Hill in Mehsana district in Gujarat, Ambaji in Banaskantha and Abu Road in Rajasthan.
Important facts
The Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road new rail line will be constructed by the Ministry of Railways at an estimated cost of Rs.2798.16 crore.
Three pilgrimage sites from two states will be connected in this project, which is targeted to be completed by 2026-27.
The length of this rail line will be 116.65 km.
This rail line will facilitate faster movement of agricultural and local produce and provide better mobility of the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan with other parts of the country.
Ambaji
Maa Ambaji Temple is situated on the Arasur mountain on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border.
This temple is located in Banaskantha district of Gujarat.
Ambaji Temple is one of the 51 Shakti-peeths of Hindus.
The temple of Ambaji is also considered unique because there is not a single idol of the goddess here. Instead of the idol, there is a very sacred Sri Yantra, which is mainly worshipped.
Mount Abu
Mount Abu is a town in the Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan.
It is a hill station situated in the Aravalli Hills.
Mount Abu is the headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris community.
Taranga Hill
Taranga Hill is a Jain pilgrimage centre in the Mehsana district of Gujarat.
The temple of Ajitnath, the second Tirthankara of Jainism, is situated here.
This beautiful temple was built in the 12th century by Shvetambar Solanki King Kumarpal in honour of Lord Ajitnath.
4. Ahmedabad and Kerala on TIME magazine’s list of World’s Greatest Places of 2022
Tags: International News
India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, Ahmedabad and Kerala has been included in the list of the "World's 50 Greatest Places of 2022" by Time Magazine.
Important facts
Both these places in India have been selected as '50 Extraordinary Places to Visit'.
Time magazine described Kerala as one of the most beautiful states in India with spectacular beaches and lush backwaters, temples and palaces.
Time magazine described Ahmedabad as a city that "represents ancient sites and contemporary innovations" making it a "Mecca for cultural tourism".
Gandhi Ashram, Gujarat Science City and Navratri festival, located on the banks of the Sabarmati river, have been given special mention in Time magazine.
Apart from Ahmedabad and Kerala, other cities in the world that figure in the top 50 list include Seoul, Buhan in Bali, Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
About TIME Magazine
It was founded in 1923.
This has been the most authoritative and informative guide to what is happening in Current Affairs, Politics, Business, Health, Science & Entertainment.
It is a magazine published from New York.
5. Department of Consumer Affairs sets up panel on Right to Repair
Tags: National News
In order to provide a holistic framework to the Right to Repair, the Department of Consumer Affairs has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary Nidhi Khatri.
Important facts
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the concept of LIFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) movement in India.
It includes the concept of reuse and recycling of various consumer products.
Aims of setting up the committee
Empowering consumers and product buyers in the local market and establishing trade harmony between original equipment manufacturers and third party buyers and sellers.
Developing sustainable consumption of products and reducing e-waste.
What is right to repair?
The right to repair prohibits unfair anti-competitive practices by the manufacturers of an item.
The Right to Repair asks the manufacturers to ensure that the customer can get his goods repaired himself or with the help of a third party agency.
When we buy something, we automatically become the absolute owner of it.
It is believed that customers should have the freedom to repair and replace products easily and economically without being subject to manufacturers.
Items which are included under the right to repair
Farming equipment, mobile phones/ tablets, consumer durables and automobiles/automobile equipment
6. Record surge in India’s imports from China in first half of 2022
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
According to China’s trade figures released on July 13 India’s imports from China reached a record $57.51 billion in the first half of the year.
India-China Bilateral Trade
Chinese goods imports are on record growth this year, and are set to surpass last year's $97.5 billion mark.
The trade imbalance is also heading towards another record. Imports this year are up 34.5% from the same period in 2021.
Two-way trade crossed 100 billion dollars for the first time in 2021 to reach 125.6 billion dollars, of which India's imports were 97.5 billion dollars.
Trade declined in 2020 due to the corona pandemic, but is now well above pre-pandemic levels.
China is the largest trading partner of India.
Major commodities imported from China into India
Electronic equipment, machines, engines, pumps, organic chemicals, fertilizers, iron and steel, plastics, iron or steel products, gems etc.
Major commodities exported from India to China
Cotton, gems, precious metals, coins. copper ores, slag, ash, organic chemicals, salt, sulphur, stone, cement, machines, engines etc.
7. India ranks 135 out of 146 in Global Gender Gap Index
Tags: International News
The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Annual Gender Gap Report 2022 was released on 13 July in Geneva. India is ranked 135th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, 2022.
India's position
India is the worst performing country in the world in the "Health and Survival" sub-index, where it ranks 146th.
India ranks worse than its neighbours and is behind Bangladesh (71), Nepal (96), Sri Lanka (110), Maldives (117) and Bhutan (126).
In South Asia, only Iran (143), Pakistan (145) and Afghanistan (146) performed worse than India.
In 2021, India was ranked 140 out of a total of 156 countries in the index.
The top 10 Countries
Iceland (90.8%) leads the global ranking.
Other Scandinavian countries such as Finland (86%, second), Norway (84.5%, third) and Sweden (82.2%) figure in the top five.
Sub-Saharan African countries Rwanda (81.1%, 6th) and Namibia (80.7%, 8th), a Latin American country, Nicaragua (81%, 7th), and a country from East Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand (84.1%, 4th) ranked in the top 10.
Other European countries such as Ireland (80.4%) and Germany (80.1%) are ranked ninth and tenth.
4 key dimensions
Political Empowerment
This includes metrics such as the percentage of women in Parliament.
Economic Participation and Opportunity
The metrics involved are, percentage of women who are part of the labor force, pay parity for equal work, earned income, etc.
Educational Attainment
It includes metrics such as literacy rate and enrollment rate in primary, secondary and tertiary education.
Health and Survival
This includes two metrics: the sex ratio at birth (in %) and healthy life expectancy (in years).
About Global Gender Gap Index
It is annually published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
It was first introduced in 2006 to benchmark progress towards gender equality.
It is the 16th edition of the Global Gender Gap Report.
It tracks the progress of bridging the gender gap over time.
8. 6th National Conference on Mines and Minerals
Tags: National News
The 6th National Conference on Mines and Minerals was inaugurated by Union Minister of Mines Prahlad Joshi in New Delhi.
Important facts
Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the program as the chief guest.
The Union Home Minister presented the 'National Mineral Development Awards' and other awards in various categories in this conclave.
The Ministry of Mines launched the National Mining Conclave in 2016 with the aim of providing a platform for interaction between various stakeholders such as Central and State Government officials, industry and industry associations.
India's Coal and Mines Sector
India's coal production was 566 million tonnes in 2013-14, which increased to 777 million tonnes in 2021-22.
India ranks third in the world in coal production after the US and China.
Chhattisgarh state ranks first in coal production in India.
Jharkhand has the largest reserves of coal in India, followed by Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
9. Dwarka Expressway to be the first elevated urban highway in India
Tags: National News
The under-construction Dwarka Expressway between Delhi and Gurugram in Haryana is being developed as India's first elevated urban expressway.
Important facts
With the construction of the 29 km long Dwarka Expressway, being built at a cost of about 9.5 thousand crore rupees, the traffic pressure on Delhi-Gurugram Expressway will be reduced.
The expressway will be operational in 2023.
The Delhi-Gurugram Expressway is a part of the 'Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai' branch of the Golden Quadrilateral.
It is also known as Northern Peripheral Road
This expressway is of 16 lanes with provision of minimum three lane service road on both the sides.
The foundation stone of Dwarka Expressway was laid almost three years back in March 2019.
A total of 2 lakh metric tons of steel and 20 lakh cubic metric concrete are being used in the construction of this expressway.
What is elevated road?
Elevated roads are constructed in those places where there is more traffic.
An elevated road is technically a bridge.
Elevated road construction is preferred in areas where land acquisition becomes difficult due to dense population.
Additional information
The longest expressway in India is the Agra - Lucknow Expressway with a length of 302.02 km.
India's first expressway was started in January 2001 between Delhi-Noida.
The state with the most (13) expressways in the country is Uttar Pradesh. Out of the total 13 expressways of 3200 km, seven are under construction while six expressways are in operation.
10. CBI joins Interpol's ICSE initiative on child sexual abuse
Tags: National News
Central Bureau of Investigation, an investigating agency of India has joined the Interpol’s International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) initiative.
Important facts
Now the CBI is allowed to work with investigators in other countries to trace child sexual abuse online and trace abusers from audio-visual clips using specialized software, identify victims and crime scenes.
India has become the 68th country to have access to this database and software.
What is the ICSE database?
The ICSE database uses image and video image comparison to analyse Child Sex Exploitation Material (CSEM).
It makes interconnections between victims, abusers and places.
As of July 2022, more than 30,000 victims of child abuse and over 13,000 perpetrators have been identified by Interpol using this database and software.
What is Interpol?
The International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, is an intergovernmental organization with 194 members.
It was formed in 1923 as the International Criminal Police Commission, and it was named Interpol in 1956.
India joined Interpol in 1949, and is one of its oldest members.
It is the world’s largest international police organization.
Its work focuses on public safety and combating terrorism, crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, environmental crimes, etc.
Headquartered - Lyon, France
