1. 10 Pacific Island Countries Reject China's Regional Security Pact
Tags: International News
China has suffered a major diplomatic humiliation in the Pacific. Ten island nations in the region rejected China's proposed security agreement.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has returned empty handed on a very important visit to the Pacific countries.
Why did the Pacific Nations reject the Pact?
Pacific countries worry that the pact is designed to pull them towards Beijing’s orbit.
The agreement was "abusive" and would "ensure Chinese influence in the governments of the Pacific" and China's "economic control" over key industries.
Lack of regional consensus.
Security issues with China
China's full proposal has not been made public, but was leaked to the media.
Features of the Pact
China has offered to radically intensify its activities in the South Pacific, directly challenging the influence of the US and its allies in the strategically important region
China is offering millions of dollars in financial aid.
China had proposed a pact that would enable the country to-
To train Pacific island police
To become involved in cybersecurity
To expand political ties
To conduct sensitive marine mapping
To gain more access to natural resources on land and in the water
2. Prime Minister launches Care for Children scheme for children orphaned in Covid-19
Tags: National
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a special PM Care for Children scheme for children who lost their parents during the Corona epidemic.
Highlight of the Scheme
This initiative has been started to help the children who have lost their parents during the pandemic.
Under the scheme, children between the age group of 18 to 23 years will get a fixed stipend and on attaining the age of 23, they will get ten lakh rupees.
School going children will also get free education, textbooks and uniforms in the nearest government schools.
It will help those who need education loans for vocational courses and higher education.
Children who lost both their parents or primary caregiver between March 11, 2020 and February 28, 2022 are eligible for this scheme.
Students of private schools can avail fee reimbursement under the norms of Right to Education Act, 2005.
Students can also get free education in residential schools such as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya.
A scholarship of ₹20,000 per year will also be provided by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to students between class 1 and class 12.
Beneficiaries can also get a health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh in public and private hospitals under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
3. Pope Francis elevates archbishops of Hyderabad and Goa to cardinal rank
Tags: Person in news International News
Pope Francis announced on 29 May that he would create 21 new cardinals, including two from India, in a Consistory on 27 August.
It is a matter of pride for the Goans to receive such a coveted honour.
The two Cardinals from India
Archbishop Filipe Neri António Sebastião di Rosário Ferrão, (Archbishop of Goa)
Archbishop Anthony Poola, Archbishop of Hyderabad
About Father Ferrao
He was ordained as a priest on 28 October, 1979
On 12 December 2003, he was ordained as Archbishop of Goa and Daman by Pope John Paul II.
Father Ferrao was born on 20 January 1953 in the village of Aldona, near Panaji.
He graduated in Philosophy and Theology and knows Konkani, English, Portuguese, Italian, French and German languages.
About Anthony Poola
He was a native of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh and was ordained a priest in February 1992
He was appointed as Bishop of Kurnool in 2008.
He was appointed as Archbishop of Hyderabad in 2020.
He is currently the Chairman of the Youth Commission of the Andhra Pradesh Bishops' Conference.
For the first time in history, a Telugu Archbishop has been made a cardinal.
Important facts
Eight of the newly named cardinals are from Europe, six from Asia, two from Africa, one from North America, and four from Central and Latin America.
The College of Cardinals currently has 208 cardinals, of whom 117 are electors and 91 are non-electoral.
From August 27, this number will increase to 229 cardinals.
4. NHA launches public dashboard for Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
Tags: National Government Schemes
The National Health Authority has launched a public dashboard for real-time information under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
The public dashboard will be a one-stop solution to track the progress of the mission at the state level.
According to the dashboard, the total number of Ayushman Bharat health account numbers is more than 22 crore and more than 16.6 thousand healthcare professionals have registered in the health care professional registry.
The dashboard will display the following detailed information -
Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) numbers
Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR)
Health Facility Registry (HFR)
About Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
Launched - By PM Narendra modi on 27th September 2021
It will connect the digital health solutions of hospitals across the country.
This will not only simplify the procedures of hospitals but will also enhance the ease of living.
The digital ecosystem will also enable many other features such as digital consultation, patient consent for physicians to access their records, etc.
With the implementation of this scheme old medical records cannot be destroyed as every record will be stored digitally.
The project has been implemented in pilot phase in six states and union territories.
About National Health Authority (NHA)
It is the apex body which is responsible for implementing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
It is entrusted with the role of strategy formulation, creation of technical infrastructure and implementation of "National Digital Health Mission" to create a national digital health ecosystem.
5. NCTE launches online portal to streamline process of recognition of teacher education programs
Tags: National News
The National Council for Teacher Education has launched an online portal to streamline the process of accreditation of teacher education programs of higher education institutions and teacher education institutions.
This portal will bring a paradigm shift in the working of the National Council for Teacher Education.
The applications for the recently launched four-year Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) will also be processed on this portal.
Aim of portal
Providing an automated robust framework that will help enhance transparency, accountability and ease of doing business.
To help the candidates from the time of invitation of applications for the courses to the stage of issuing accreditation orders including inspection of institutions.
About National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
It is a statutory body came into existence in pursuance of the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 on 17 August,1995.
It plans and coordinates the development of the teacher education system throughout the country.
It also ensures the maintenance of norms and standards in the teacher education system in India.
Its headquarter is in New Delhi.
6. U.S. becomes India’s biggest trading partner at $119 billion
Tags: Economics/Business International News
In the year 2021-22, the US overtook China to become India's top trading partner, reflecting strong economic ties between the two countries.
As per commerce ministry data, bilateral trade between the US and India stood at $119.42 billion in 2021-22, as against $80.51 billion in 2020-21.
India's exports to the US increased to $76.11 billion in 2021-22 from $51.62 billion in the previous fiscal While imports increased to $43.31 billion in 2020-21 as compared to about $29 billion.
During 2021-22, India's two-way trade with China stood at $115.42 billion as compared to $86.4 billion in 2020-21.
During 2021-22, India's two-way trade with China stood at $115.42 billion as compared to $86.4 billion in 2020-21.
Exports to China marginally increased to $21.25 billion last fiscal year from $21.18 billion in 2020-21, while imports jumped to $94.16 billion from about $65.21 billion in 2020-21.
The trade gap widened to $72.91 billion in 2021-22 from $44 billion in the previous fiscal.
Reason of increasing bilateral trade with the US
Strengthening of economic ties between the two countries.
Global firms are reducing their dependence only on China for their supplies and diversifying business to other countries such as India.
India has joined the US-led initiative to establish the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the move will further boost economic ties.
Major export items from India to the US
Petroleum polished diamonds, pharmaceutical products, jewellery, light oils and petroleum, frozen shrimp, made ups etc.
Major import items from US to India
Petroleum, rough diamonds, liquified natural gas, gold, coal, waste and scrap, almonds etc
Important facts
China was India's top trading partner from 2013-14 till 2017-18 and also in 2020-21.
Before China, UAE was India's largest trading partner.
7. AKRUTI Program to start in Kudankulam
Tags: National
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is preparing to launch the AKRUTI program in villages around the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).
About AKRUTI Program
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is helping unemployed youth living near Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) through Aakriti program.
AKRUTI stands for Advanced Knowledge and Rural Technology Implementation (AKRUTI) Program.
Water, food processing, agriculture and waste management in rural areas are covered under this program.
The aim of this scheme is to empower the villages by implementing various technologies.
Through this scheme, there will be sustainable development of rural areas in the whole country.
Objective of the programme
To provide information and mechanism for implementation of BARC technologies in rural areas so as to achieve the goal of holistic rural development.
About Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP)
It is the largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Kudankulam in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
Construction on the plant began on 31 March 2002.
It has six reactors with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW of electricity.
It has been made in collaboration with Russia's state-owned company Atomstroyexport and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
8. India's first semi-high speed freight train Gati Shakti likely to run by year-end
Tags: National
Indian Railways has set a target of launching the country's first semi-high speed freight train by December 2022.
The 16-coach 'Gati Shakti' train based on the Vande Bharat platform will be able to run at a speed of 160 kmph.
The manufacture of the train will be done by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
In order to implement this initiative in a focused manner, Railways has created a separate Directorate in Railway Board with its branches in Khurda, Bilaspur, Delhi and Bengaluru divisions.
Each train will also have refrigerated wagons at the rear and front for carrying perishable goods like milk products, fish, fruits and vegetables.
Each coach will have two wide doors for loading and unloading of containers.
Indian Railways is aiming to increase its share in freight traffic from the current 27 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030 through better infrastructure and business development plans.
Indian Railways has identified 74 new 'Gati-Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT)' across the country, of which 20 are in South Indian states.
India’s e-commerce market
As per the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, with a turnover of USD 50 billion in 2020, India has become the eighth largest market for e-commerce.
India's e-commerce market is expected to reach US$ 111 billion by 2024 and US$ 200 billion by 2026.
It is expected to reach USD 350 billion by 2030.
The 'Gati-Shakti Multi Modal Cargo Terminal' policy was launched in 2021 to promote investment in the development of additional terminals for handling rail cargo.
About PM Gati Shakti initiative
It is a transformative approach to economic growth and sustainable development.
It was launched on 13 October 2021 to provide multimodal connectivity infrastructure to various economic zones.
PM GatiShakti National Master Plan was implemented on 21st October 2021.
The approach of PM Gati Shakti is driven by 7 engines-
Railways
Roads
Ports
Waterways
Airports
Mass Transport
Logistics Infrastructure
9. SC Collegium recommends transfer of six HC judges
Tags: National
The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, has recommended to the government the transfer or repatriation of judges in six different high courts.
Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah has been recommended to be transferred from the Andhra Pradesh High Court to the Patna High Court.
Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash from Orissa to Calcutta High Court.
Justice Subhasis Talapatra from Tripura to Orissa High Court.
Justice Lanusungkum Jamir from Manipur to Gauhati High Court.
Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court to Bombay High Court.
Justice Purushendra Kumar Kaurav to Delhi High Court from Madhya Pradesh.
About Collegium System
It is the system of appointment and transfer of judges.
It has evolved through judgments of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court collegium is headed by the CJI and comprises four other senior most judges of the court.
The High Court Collegium is headed by its Chief Justice and the four other senior-most judges of that court.
10. Supreme Court recognises sex work as a ‘profession’
Tags: National
The Supreme Court has recognise prostitution (sex work) as a profession. The Supreme Court clearly said that the police cannot interfere in this nor can any action be taken against sex workers who do this work with consent.
What did the Supreme Court say?
Sex work is a profession and its practitioners are entitled to respect and equal protection under the law.
Under Article 21 of the Constitution, every person of this country has the right to lead a dignified life.
Criminal law should apply equally to all cases on the basis of 'age' and 'consent'.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao ordered that sex workers should not be arrested or punished or harassed or victimized whenever a brothel is raided.
This order was passed by the Supreme Court after invoking the special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.
Sex workers can also be victims of sexual harassment, they should be provided with all facilities including immediate medical-legal care.
Constitutional protection
Article 23 of the Indian Constitution which was amended in 2014, includes the following provisions -
Traffic in human beings and other similar forms of forced labour are prohibited.
Any contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law.
Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from implementing compulsory service for public purposes.
By implementing such service, the State shall not discriminate on grounds only of religion, race, caste or class or any of them.
