1. France pulls out from India's P-75I Project
Tags: National International Relations Defence
Ahead of Modi's scheduled visit to France, French defence major Naval Group has announced that it is unable to participate in the P-75 India (P-75I) project, which seeks to build six conventional submarines in India for the Indian Navy.
Why did France pull out?
The French firm pulled out of the project as it could not fulfil the conditions of the Request for Proposal (RFI) placed by the Indian Navy.
Request for Proposal (RFP) requires that the fuel cell be AIP Sea Proven, which is difficult for India as the French Navy does not use such a propulsion system.
AIP refers to Air-Independent Propulsion.
AIP technology allows a conventional submarine to remain submerged for much longer than ordinary diesel-electric submarines.
India wants AIP technology as none of its existing ships have it while Pakistan and China both have AIP-equipped submarines.
What is Project 75?
In June 1999, the Cabinet Committee on Security had approved a plan for the Indian Navy to indigenously build submarines by 2030.
Under the first phase of the P-75 in 2005, India and France signed a $3.75 billion contract to build six Scorpene-class submarines.
The executing company on the Indian side was Mazagon Docks Limited, and on the French side was DCNS, now called Naval Group.
The first submarine under the project was commissioned in December 2017.
Thereafter, another five were built and on 20 April, INS Vagsheer was launched which will be commissioned by 2023.
What is P-75I?
The Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-up to the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian Navy.
In the late 1990s, at the time of the Kargil War, a three-decade plan for indigenous construction of submarines took shape.
This is known as Project 75 and Project 75I, two separate series of submarine building lines in collaboration with foreign entities.
Under this project, the Indian Navy intends to acquire six diesel-electric submarines, which will also include advanced air-independent propulsion systems.
2. World Press Freedom Index : India slips to 150th position from 142nd
Tags: National Latest Popular International News
India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position from last year’s 142nd rank out of 180 countries.
Highlights of the 2022 report
Best performing countries
Norway– 1st
Denmark– 2nd
Sweden– 3rd
Estonia– 4th
Finland– 5th
Worst performerming countries
North Korea remained at the bottom of the list.
Russia is placed at 155th position, slipping from 150th last year.
According to the global media watchdog, China climbed two places to the 175th position, from 177th place last year.
Performance of India;s neighbourhood countries
Apart from India, the ranking of its neighbouring countries has also declined except Nepal.
While Pakistan is ranked 157th, Sri Lanka is at 146th, Bangladesh at 162nd and Myanmar at 176th.
About Press Freedom Index
It has been published by Reporters Without Borders every year since 2002.
This is based on the organisation's own assessment of countries' press freedom records in the last year.
The index ranks 180 countries and territories according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
The index is prepared on the basis of assessment of the level of pluralism, media freedom, media environment and self-censorship, legal framework, transparency as well as the quality of the existing infrastructure for news and information.
3. World Press Freedom Index : India slips to 150th position from 142nd
Tags: National Latest Popular International News
India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position from last year’s 142nd rank out of 180 countries.
Highlights of the 2022 report
Best performing countries
Norway– 1st
Denmark– 2nd
Sweden– 3rd
Estonia– 4th
Finland– 5th
Worst performerming countries
North Korea remained at the bottom of the list.
Russia is placed at 155th position, slipping from 150th last year.
According to the global media watchdog, China climbed two places to the 175th position, from 177th place last year.
Performance of India;s neighbourhood countries
Apart from India, the ranking of its neighbouring countries has also declined except Nepal.
While Pakistan is ranked 157th, Sri Lanka is at 146th, Bangladesh at 162nd and Myanmar at 176th.
About Press Freedom Index
It has been published by Reporters Without Borders every year since 2002.
This is based on the organisation's own assessment of countries' press freedom records in the last year.
The index ranks 180 countries and territories according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
The index is prepared on the basis of assessment of the level of pluralism, media freedom, media environment and self-censorship, legal framework, transparency as well as the quality of the existing infrastructure for news and information.
4. India achieves merchandise export of 38.19 billion dollar in Apri
Tags: National Economics/Business
In the first month of the current financial year i.e. April 2022, India's merchandise exports have increased by 24.22 percent and with this it has reached $ 38.19 billion.
Last month, non-petroleum exports were valued at US$ 30.46 billion, showing a growth of 12.32 per cent in exports over the same period last year.
On the other hand, non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports were valued at US$ 27.16 billion last month, showing a growth of 14.38 per cent over the exports recorded in the same period last year.
Petroleum products 113.21 per cent, electronic goods 64.04 per cent and chemicals 26.71 per cent led the way for higher growth in exports during the previous month.
India’s merchandise import last month was 58.26 billion US dollar, an increase of 26.55 percent over 46.04 billion US dollar in April last year.
Non-petroleum imports were valued at US$ 38.75 billion last month, showing a positive growth of 9.87 per cent as compared to non-petroleum imports of US$ 35.27 billion in April last year.
The trade deficit last month stood at US$ 20.07 billion.
5. Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates NATGRID premises at Bengaluru
Tags: Latest National News
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) complex in Bengaluru which will help to prevent crimes and warn against any danger.
He said the security requirements today have changed significantly as compared to the security challenges in the past in terms of data, scope and complexity.
Therefore, legal and security agencies need automatic, secure and immediate access to information obtained from reliable sources.
The Government has entrusted the task of developing and operating a state-of-the-art and innovative information technology platform for accessing information from the data collection organisations to NATGRID.
The central government will soon develop a national database to monitor hawala transactions, terrorist funding, counterfeit currency, narcotics, bombing threats, illegal arms smuggling and other terror activities.
C-DAC is implementing NATGRID in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a self-reliant India.
About National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)
NATGRID is an intelligence sharing network that links data from standalone databases of various agencies and ministries of the Government of India.
It will also have access to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, a database that links crime information, including first information reports, across 14,000 police stations in India.
NATGRID came into existence after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
It links intelligence and investigation agencies and is exempted from the Right to Information Act, 2005.
6. Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
Tags: National Government Schemes
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The government will review the norms of the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) program, which is envisaged to support 100 companies involved in product design in the semiconductor space, as part of the Rs 76,000 crore plan for development of the electronic chip ecosystem in the country.
About Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
This was announced by MeitY in December 2021.
Aims - to provide financial and infrastructural support to companies setting up fabs or semiconductor making plants in India.
The scheme is expected to provide a globally competitive incentive package to companies in semiconductor and display manufacturing as well as design.
Chip Design infrastructure support,The Product Design Linked Incentive,The Deployment Linked Incentive are the components of the scheme.
7. Linkage of e-Shram portal with the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
Tags: Government Schemes National News
Discussions are going on to link the e-Shram portal with the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.
The government is working on a mechanism to process accident insurance claims by unorganised workers registered on the e-shram portal, which has seen over 27 crore registrations so far.
In the Budget Speech 2022-2023, the Finance Minister had announced the linking of four portals - National Career Service, e-Shram, Udyami (for those interested in starting MSMEs) and Aseem (Atmanirbhar Skilled Employer Employer Mapping).
The inter-linking of the NCS and e-Shram portals had been completed recently.
So far more than 26,000 e-shram beneficiaries have registered on NCS and are benefiting from this linkage.
About e-Shram portal-
The Ministry of Labor and Employment has developed an eSHRAM portal to create a national database of unorganised workers.
It was launched in 2021.
Its aim is to welfare of workers in the unorganised sector who are not members of the EPFO or ESIC.
Registered members will be eligible for a range of benefits after signing up for Shramik Yojana and getting the e-Shram Card.
This will allow workers to receive Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) through e-Shramik Unique ID Number.
8. National Open Access Registry (NOAR) goes live successfully
Tags: National News
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National Open Access Registry (NOAR) has successfully gone live from 1st May 2022.
This is a centralized online platform through which the short-term open access to the inter-state transmission system is being managed in India.
It is an integrated platform that is accessible to all stakeholders in the power sector, including open access customers (both sellers and buyers), electricity traders, power exchanges, national/regional/state LDCs and others.
It provides automation in the workflow to achieve shorter turnaround time for the transactions.
The platform also has an integrated payment gateway for making payments relating to interstate short-term open access transactions.
The NOAR platform provides transparent and seamless flow of information between open access stakeholders.
9. Retired General Tej Kaul has been awarded the Nirmala Deshpande Memorial World Peace Prize
Retired General Tej Kaul has been awarded the Nirmala Deshpande Memorial World Peace Prize by the All India Creative Committee (ABRS).
General Tej Kaul was given this honour for his various incomparable efforts and for establishing peace with neighbouring countries like Pakistan and humanitarian services done during the Corona period.
General Kaul has also served in Army Headquarters as Assistant Military Secretary, Deputy Director General Military Intelligence and General Officer Commanding Gujarat and Goa Region.
The name of General Kaul is recorded as the first officer to be released from Officers Training Academy, Chennai, who has received PVSM (Param Vishisht Seva Medal).
He has also been honoured with Saraswati Puraskar for humanitarian and social services by the Government of Maharashtra.
Who was Nirmala Deshpande?
Nirmala Deshpande was a famous social worker associated with Gandhian ideology.
Born- 19 December 1929 Nagpur, Maharashtra
Died - 1 May 2008
He was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award and Padma Vibhushan in the year 2006.
Nirmala Deshpande contributed by joining Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement in 1952 and then with Mahatma Gandhi's message of 'Gram Swaraj', walked around 40,000 kilometres across the country.
He played an important role in organising a peace mission in Kashmir in 1994 and India-Pakistan meet in 1996.
10. DRDO successfully test-fired Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System
Tags: National Defence Science and Technology
The longest range indigenous artillery gun i.e. 155mm/52 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) was successfully test fired at Jaisalmer's Pokhran Firing Range (PFFR) from 26 April to 2 May 2022.
What is ATAGS ?
The Advanced Artillery Gun System Project is a modern 155 mm artillery gun developed by DRDO.
This gun is manufactured by Bharat Forge and Tata Advanced Systems Limited.
It weighs 18 tonnes and has a firing range of 48 km.
The 155mm ATAGS developed by DRDO was first fired in 2016.
It took almost four years to develop the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System, the Indian Army currently has seven Advanced Towed Artillery Guns available.
