1. India joins MAC, at 27th session of COP27 in Egypt
Tags: National Summits National News
India has joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
Important facts
After joining the alliance, India called for the integration of mangrove conservation with reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) programs for carbon sequestration.
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said studies have shown that mangrove forests can absorb four to five times more carbon emissions than landed tropical forests.
What are Mangroves?
These are small trees and shrubs that grow along the coast and thrive in salt water and develop into unique forests on land and sea shore.
Mangrove ecosystems are one of the most productive and ecologically important ecosystems in the world.
They offer significant climate change mitigation and adaptation co-benefits because they are able to store carbon up to 400 percent faster than land-based tropical rainforests.
They protect coastal areas from rising sea levels, erosion and storms and provide breeding grounds for marine biodiversity.
About 80 percent of the world's fish population depend on these ecosystems for their survival.
India contributes about half of the total mangrove cover in South Asia and the Sundarbans in West Bengal has the highest percentage of mangrove cover in India.
West Bengal has the highest percentage of mangrove cover in India. It is followed by Gujarat and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala also have mangroves.
About Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)
MAC is an intergovernmental coalition that seeks to accelerate the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems.
India is among the first five countries to join the MAC, which includes Australia, Japan, Spain and Sri Lanka.
2. Kochi to host 18th International Telemedicine Conference
Tags: place in news Summits National News
The 18th International Telemedicine Conference organised by Telemedicine Society of India (TSI) in association with TSI Kerala Chapter will be held in Kochi, Kerala from 10-12 November.
Important facts
More than 200 scientists and academic scholars from India and around the world are expected to come together in this three-day event.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman S Somnath will participate in this conference as the chief guest and deliberate on how the latest technologies in our country will improve telemedicine facilities.
The conference will be held at Amrita Hospital, Kochi.
“The core theme of the event ‘Strengthening Health Systems Through Sustainable Telemedicine and Digital Health’.
The conference aims to build a platform involving health regulators, health funding authorities, service providers and international experts.
The conference will examine emerging telehealth models, explore breakthrough technologies and entrepreneurship.
The conference will also highlight the socioeconomic impact of telehealth on healthcare and equity.
About International Telemedicine Conference
Telemedicine-2022 is an annual global conference for healthcare professionals, providers, health insurance providers, online pharmacy chains, industrialists, academic scientists, research scholars and scientists.
The conference is organised in collaboration with government agencies, private organisations and national and international professional societies.
3. 42nd International Congress of the Indian National Cartographic Association inaugurated in Dehradun
Tags: place in news Summits State News
The 42 International Congress of the Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) was inaugurated by the Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, (Retd.) in Dehradun on 9 November 2022. The 42nd International Congress is being organized by the National Hydrographic Office from 9-11 November 2022 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
The Theme of the 42nd INCA Congress is Digital Cartography to Harness Blue Economy’
The Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) was founded on 7 August 1979 at Hyderabad. It is one of the biggest organizations of its kind in the world.
4. PM Modi to gift Himachal Pradesh artifact to the G20 leaders in the Bali summit
Tags: Summits Person in news State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will gift various artifacts of Himachal Pradesh to the world leaders at the 17th G20 summit to be held at Bali, Indonesia on 15-16 November 2022. India will formally take over the G20 Presidency from Indonesia from 1 December 2022 and it will host the 18th G20 summit in 2023.
According to the newspaper reports the Prime Minister Modi will present Chamba Rumal, Kangra miniature paintings, Kinnauri Shawl, Himachali Mukhate, Kullu Shawl, and Kanal Brass Set to the world leaders as an attempt to boost the Himachal’s art and culture across the globe.
The Prime Minister unveiled the logo, theme, and website of India’s G20 Presidency via video-conferencing on 8 November 2022.
G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the worldwide trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.. G-20 is a group of 19 countries and the European Union.
5. LS Speaker Om Birla inaugurated annual Convention of Central Information Commission
Tags: National Summits National News
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the annual convention of the Central Information Commission on 9 November, 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Important facts
The Central Information Commission organises an annual conference every year during October-November.
The title of the convention is Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: Citizen-centric Governance through RTI.
Transparency, governance, right to information and other important issues will be discussed in the convention.
This conference also contributes significantly in widening and deepening the RTI regime.
Right to information means participation of people in the process of governance and administration which becomes inevitable.
Right to Information Act, 2005
The Act makes it mandatory to respond to citizens' queries for government information in a timely manner.
Its main objective is to empower citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of government, prevent corruption and work for the people in a democracy.
Central Information Commission (CIC)
It was established by the Central Government in the year 2005 under the provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005. It is not a constitutional body.
It consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and a maximum of ten Information Commissioners.
The commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister as the Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
The Commission inquiries from the concerned person in case of complaints received on any subject under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
6. India organises International Conference on “Citizen-centric energy transition: Empowering citizens with Mission LiFE (Lifestyles for Environment) at the COP27 in Egypt
Tags: place in news Summits
The Indian government organised an International Conference on “Citizen-centric energy transition: Empowering citizens with Mission LiFE (Lifestyles for Environment)” on 8 November 2022 at the India Pavilion at the ongoing Conference of Parties (COP-27) at Sharm-El-Sheikh in Egypt.
The International conference was organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Power, Government of India, in partnership with Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
The COP 27 conference is being organized by the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with Egypt being the host country in Sharm-El-Sheikh from 6 -18 November 2022.
The Conference held discussion on ways to accelerate the deployment of energy efficient and low carbon technologies as well as market investment to facilitate and strengthen the global energy transition.
7. PM Modi unveils the logo and motto of the G20 Presidency to be hosted by India
Tags: Summits
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Logo, Theme and Website of India’s G20 Presidency on 8 November 2022. India will take over the Presidency of the G20 from Indonesia on 1st December 2022.
Logo
The G20 Logo draws inspiration from the vibrant colours of India’s national flag – saffron, white and green, and blue.
It juxtaposes planet Earth with the lotus, India’s national flower that reflects growth amid challenges. The Earth reflects India’s pro-planet approach to life, one in perfect harmony with nature.
Below the G20 logo is “Bharat”, written in the Devanagari script.
Theme
The theme of India’s G20 Presidency - “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth One Family One Future” - is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad.
The theme affirms the value of all life, human, animal, plant, and microorganisms and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.
Message of the Logo and Theme
The logo and the theme together convey a powerful message of India’s G20 Presidency, which is of striving for just and equitable growth for all in the world, in these turbulent times, in a sustainable, holistic, responsible, and inclusive manner.
For India, the G20 Presidency also marks the beginning of “Amritkaal”, the 25-year period beginning from the 75th anniversary of its independence on 15 August 2022,
G20 APP
A mobile app "G20 India" has been released on both Android and iOS platforms.
Group of 20 or G-20 is a multilateral organisation of 19 countries and the European Union was set up in 1999.India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999.
8. NIA to host 3rd ‘no Money for Terror ‘ministerial Conference in November 2022
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Summits
India will host a 2 day “No Money for Terrorism” ministerial conference on 18 and 19 November 2022 in New Delhi. The conference will be hosted by India’s premier anti-terrorism agency, National Investigation Agency (NIA).Ministers, diplomats, and counterterrorism experts from the Egmont Group member states are likely to attend this third conference
The first meeting of this kind took place in Paris, France, in 2018, and the second one took place in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019. India was to host the third conference but it was postponed due to covid-19 pandemic.
Egmont Group
The Egmont group is an association of more than 150 countries. It consists of member countries' Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The main aim of the Egmont group is to strengthen information-sharing mechanisms among its members to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and associated predicate crimes.
What is Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)?
Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) serve as national centres for the receipt and analysis of suspicious transaction reports and relevant money laundering information, and terrorist financing. FIUs are also responsible for sharing such information amongst the law enforcement agencies of the country.
In India the FIU comes under the Income tax department under the Union ministry of Finance.
This will be the second major international conference on terrorism to be hosted by India. For the first time the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee meeting was held outside New York was held in India on 28 and 29 October 2022.
9. COP27: First time Compensating poor countries for climate disasters
Tags: Environment Summits International News
The 27th Conference of the Parties 9COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP27) is being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on 31 October to 13 November 2022.
Important facts
In this, various countries have agreed to provide financial assistance to poor countries to deal with the loss and damage caused by climate change.
The participating countries agreed on a 20-point provisional agenda.
What is Loss and Damage?
It refers to the economic and non-economic impacts of climate change, including extreme events in countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
The demand for loss and damages is quite old, but it has faced strong resistance from rich and developed countries.
The term was introduced in 1991 as a demand by the island country of Vanuatu, representing the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
What is Conference of Parties (COP)?
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the 'Earth Summit', was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3-14 June 1992.
The conference focused on the impact of human socio-economic activities on the environment.
The countries assembled here agreed to work together to deal with issues of sustainable development and climate change .
The Rio Earth summit agreed to create the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where the member countries can discuss issues related to global warming and climate change and take steps to deal with these problems .
It entered into force on 21 March 1994, and has been ratified by 197 countries and territories .
The countries which has ratified the UNFCCC are called as Parties
Every year they meet to discuss climate change related issues . These meetings are called Conference of Parties(COP) .
The first COP was held in 1995 in Berlin, Germany .
10. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to lead India at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in Cambodia
Tags: Summits Person in news
According to the Ministry of External Affairs press release issued on 7 November 2022 the Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar will visit Cambodia from the 11t-13th of November 2022 to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit. The Vice President will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.
During his three day official visit, the Vice President will attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in Phnom Penh on 12th November 2022.
He will also participate in the 17th East Asia Summit on 13th November 2022.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations and is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year.
He will also have bilateral engagements with the Cambodian leadership and leaders from other countries.
India -ASEAN meeting
As per the Look East foreign policy of the Narasimha Rao government in 90s, the government of India focussed on increasing trade and investment with East Asia with special focus on ASEAN.
Evolution of India -ASEAN relationship
India was initially made a sectoral partner by ASEAN in 1992. With the increasing depth in the relationships the status was changed to a Dialogue Partner in 1996.
In 2022 the relationship was further upgraded to Summit level
And finally in 2012 it was elevated to Strategic partnership.
Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)
It was set up in 1967 as a group of South-East Asian nations.
At present there are 10 members in the group. They are
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.
East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit is a regional forum set up by ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nations) with Regional powers of the Asia-Pacific region including United States and Russia to further cooperation on strategic and economic cooperation in the region.
The EAS has 18 member countries. It includes all the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.
Whichever ASEAN country is the chairman of ASEAN hosts the EAS related meeting in its country. Currently Cambodia is the chairman of ASEAN.
