1. Indian Navy's 12th Presidential fleet review at Visakhapatnam.
Tags: National News
President Ram Nath Kovind participated in the Indian Navy's 12th Presidential fleet review at Visakhapatnam held on 21 February 2022.
A fleet review is usually conducted once during the tenure of the President.
President Ram Nath Kovind participated in the Presidential fleet review on an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel, INS Sumitra, which will lead the Presidential Column.
President Kovind, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, will be reviewing over 60 ships and submarines, and 55 aircraft of the Indian Navy.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar were also present at the review.
The first Presidential fleet review was held in 1953 for the first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Important for Exam
Indian Navy
The headquarters of the Indian Navy is at New Delhi.
The other command centre of the Indian Navy are as follows
Command Headquarters
Western Command : Mumbai
Southern Command: Kochi(Kerala)
Eastern Command : Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
Tri service command : Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar)
(It means Army,Navy,Air Force joint command )
Navy Day : 4 December
2. First foreign branch of IIT to be set up in UAE
Tags: National News
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will establish its first branch in the UAE as part of the India-UAE trade deal signed on February 18 2021.
This will be the first time an IIT will be established outside India.
Presently, there are 23 IITs in India, which are located in various regions of the country offering undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate level programmes.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
In 1945 the British Government set up a committee headed by Nalini Ranjan Sarkar to study and recommend the steps to be taken for technological development in India.
It recommended setting up at least four ‘Higher Technical Institutes’ (HITs) one each in East, West, North and South.
After Independence the government of India set up the“ Higher Technical Institute in India” as the Indian Institute of Technology.
The first IIT was inaugurated by the then Education Minister, Abul Kalam Azad, on 18th August, 1951 in Kharagpur.
On the recommendations of the Sarkar Committee, four campuses were established at Bombay (1958),Madra (1959), Kanpur (1959), and Delhi (1961).
They are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act 1961.
At present there are 23 IITs in India .
3. Prime Minister inaugurates Asia's biggest Bio-CNG plant 'Gobar-Dhan' in Indore
Tags: National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated Asia's biggest Bio-CNG plant, Gobar-Dhan, in India’s cleanest city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Situated on the Devguradia trenching ground, the 550 MT per day capacity Bio-CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) plant is the biggest of its kind in Asia.
The Gobar-Dhan plant will have the capacity to treat 550 tonnes of segregated wet organic waste and produce around 17,000 kg CNG and 100 tonnes of organic compost per day. The plant is also expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide green energy along with organic compost as fertiliser.
The Prime Minister said that in the coming two years, work is being done to build such Gobar-Dhan Bio-CNG plants in 75 major municipal bodies of the country. This campaign will go a long way in making India's cities clean, pollution-free, clean energy.
4. Atlantic storm Eunice pummels Europe
Tags: International News
An Atlantic storm with a speed up to 196 Km battered North -Western Europe on 18 February 2022 killing at least 9 people .
The storm named Eunice developed in the Atlantic ocean and struck England, and created havoc there . It led to the closure of airports, rail and road networks and death of people .
The storm also affected Wales, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands ,and Germany.
The storm is now headed towards Scandinavian countries and Northern Europe.
The name Eunice was coined by the United Kingdom Meteorological office and the next storm which will hit the United Kingdom will be called Franklin .
What is the United Kingdom/Scandinavia/Nordic Countries
England , Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are together called the United Kingdom.
While England , Wales and Scotland are part of Great Britain.
The Queen of England is the head of the United Kingdom and Great Britain.
Scandinavia
It is a part of Northern Europe which consists of Norway, Sweden and Denmark . These countries were once part of a common Kingdom .
Greenland, which is a Danish territory, and the Faroe Islands, which is a self-governing part of Denmark, are also included in the list.
Nordic countries
The term Norden refers to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. These form a group of countries having similarities with one another and are distinct from the rest of Europe . They are also called Norse countries .
5. First case of Polio in Africa
Tags: International News
The African country of Malawi has declared a wild polio outbreak after a case was identified in a three-year-old girl. This is the first case of wild polio in Africa for more than five years.
The continent was declared free of all forms of wild polio in 2020. For a country to be certified polio-free, it must have had no wild polio cases for three consecutive years.
Only two countries in the world have wild polio strains, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The strain detected in Malawi is linked to the one found in Pakistan.
There will be no change in the status of Africa as a polio free continent because this was an imported case where the virus was brought from Pakistan.
Know about Polio:
Polio is a highly transmissible virus most often spread via the stool of an infected person, usually through contaminated water or food. It can also be spread via oral or nasal secretions.
The virus mainly affects children under five years of age.
There is no cure for the symptoms of polio.
Polio Vaccine
There are two types of Polio Vaccines, IPV and OPV
- IPV or Inactivated Polio Vaccine
The first inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) was developed by American scientist Jonas Salk using a dead virus in 1953.
- OPV or Oral Polio Vaccine
It was developed by Polish American scientist Albert Sabin. He used a weakened live polio virus to produce a vaccine.
Malawi
It is a landlocked country in South East Africa . It was earlier called Nyasaland.
Capital: Lilongwe
Currency :Malawian kwacha
- President: Lazarus Chakwera
6. India Signs CEPA with United Arab Emirates
Tags: International News
India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates during a Virtual summit meeting held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 18 February 2022.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal and Minister of Economy of UAE, H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri in the virtual presence of the two Leaders.
This is the first such agreement India has signed with a MENA / WANA country. Middle East North African Countries (MENA) or they are also called West Asia North Africa Countries (WENA).
Under the CEPA the tariff between the two countries will be reduced or eliminated on goods and services traded between the two countries. This will boost trade between the two countries.
The bilateral trade target between the two countries has been set up at $100 billion in the next five years from the present $60 billion.
India expects creation of 10 lakhs new jobs in labour-intensive sectors, like gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, footwear, furniture, agriculture and food products, etc.
India- UAE Trade Facts
UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after China and the United States.
UAE is the second largest export market for India after the United States. China is the third largest export market for India.
UAE was the second largest source of imports for India after China. The US is the third largest source of imports.
India ranks as the UAE’s number one trading partner for non-oil exports, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil exports globally.
Source : Economic Survey 2021-22
All the figures are for April to December 2021-22.
Fact Files UAE
It is a federation of seven Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Khaimah, Ajmain, Fujairah, Umm -Al-Quwain. It is an Arabian country.
Abu Dhabi is the largest of the emirates and is the centre of UAE oil business.
It is situated in the West Asia /Middle East region of the world in the Arabian Peninsula.
UAE in its present form came into existence in 1971.
Capital of UAE : Abu Dhabi
Currency : Emirati Dirham
President of UAE : Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He is the king of Abu Dhabi and the supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
7. India UAE virtual summit
Tags: National News
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit meeting with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 18 February 2022. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces.
Both the leaders issued “Advancing the India and UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: New Frontiers, New Milestone".
Both countries have identified future areas of cooperation in new trade, investment and innovation dynamics in diverse sectors, including economy, energy, climate action, emerging technologies, skills and education, food security, healthcare and defence and security.
Important highlights of the agreement
Trade and Investment
Both countries have signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to promote trade and investment between the two countries.
To further cooperation in financial services and projects, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by India's Gujarat International Financial Tech City (GIFT) City and Abu Dhabi Global Market.
Food security
Both sides have also decided to establish a dedicated IndiaMart in Jebel Ali Free Zone, a dedicated investment zone for UAE companies and joint ventures which would focus on establishing a food corridor and promote food security of the UAE and increase in food exports from India.
To explore and implement the “Food Security Corridor Initiative” a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India (APEDA) and DP World & Al Dahra of the UAE.
Energy cooperation
In energy cooperation, UAE’s participation in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves Programme will expand.
Defence and counter terrorism
Both sides agreed to expand maritime cooperation and will jointly fight extremism and terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, in all forms, at both regional and international levels.
The two Leaders also released the Joint Commemorative Stamp on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India's independence and 50th year of UAE's foundation.
- Two other MOUs - one on cooperation in Climate Action and the other on Education were also signed between the two countries.
8. Historic visit of the Saudi Land Force Commander
Tags: International News
The Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair visited India from 14 to 16 February 2022.
This is the first time that the Army Chief of the Saudi Arabia Army has visited India.
In Saudi Arabia the Army Chief is called as Land Force Commander
He met Indian Army chief Manoj Mukund Navarane.
In December 2020, the Indian Army chief M M Navarane visited Saudi Arabia. It was the first time that an Indian Army chief visited Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia
It is a West Asian kingdom founded by the Ibn Saud of the Saud family in 1923. It is named after the Saud family.
It has two of the holiest shrine of Islam, Mecca and Medina masjid
The world's largest mosque Al-Haram or forbidden mosques is in Mecca.
The world's second largest mosque, Mosque of the Prophet, or Masjid al-Nabawi is in Medina.
The Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) headquarters is also in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The world’s largest sand area, the Rub al-Khali (“Empty Quarter”) which is spread around 647,500 square km, is also in Saudi Arabia.
Capital of Saudi Arabia : Riyadh
Currency : Saudi Riyal
King of Saudi Arabia : King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
9. India to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030
Tags: National News
The Union Power Ministry has notified its green hydrogen/green ammonia policy on 17 February 2022. It puts into reality the National Hydrogen Mission announced by the Prime Minister in the 15 August 2021 speech.
The aim of the National Hydrogen Mission is to meet its climate change target of net zero carbon emission by 2070 and make India a production and export hub of hydrogen fuel.
The main highlights of the green hydrogen/green ammonia policy:
The policy has set a target to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.
Separate manufacturing zones will be set up for manufacturing of green hydrogen /green ammonia.
The government would allow free power transmission to renewable energy units set up by green-hydrogen producers and power banking facilities for 30 days.
There will be charges for inter-state transmission for a period of 25 years if the manufacture of green hydrogen and green ammonia is started before 30th June 2025.
In order to deal with the challenge of global warming and climate change countries around the world are promoting hydrogen as an alternative fuel. In India many companies have projects to produce green hydrogen.
Indian Oil Corporation plans to build the country’s first green-hydrogen plant at its Mathura refinery.
NTPC will set up the country's first green hydrogen microgrid project at its Simhadri plant in Andhra Pradesh.
Concept clearing
Green Hydrogen, Brown Hydrogen, Blue Hydrogen:
Hydrogen is the first and the smallest element in the periodic table.
Depending upon the production method the colour of the hydrogen can be Green, Brown, Blue or Grey.
Green Hydrogen
It refers to the breaking down of the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable sources of energy. Renewable source of energy means which can be used again and again like solar power, hydel, wind energy etc. It contains no carbon which is responsible for global warming.
Grey Hydrogen
Grey hydrogen is created from natural gas, or methane, using steam methane reformation. It produces Hydrogen and Carbon dioxide which is released in the atmosphere.
Blue Hydrogen
Blue hydrogen is produced mainly from natural gas, using a process called steam reforming, which brings together natural gas and heated water in the form of steam. It produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
Black and Brown Hydrogen
When black coal or lignite (brown coal) is used in the hydrogen-making process it is called as black or brown coal.
10. Government of India launches welfare scheme SEED for Denotified Tribes
Tags: National News
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar launched the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of Denotified (SEED), Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities on 16 February 2022 at New Delhi.
It will be an umbrella scheme for the empowerment of Denotified Tribes, Nomadic Tribes and Semi-Nomadic Tribes.
It includes:
Educational empowerment- Free coaching to students from these communities for Civil Services, entry to professional courses like medicine, engineering, MBA, etc.
Health Insurance through Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana ( PMJAY) of National Health Authority.
Livelihoods to support income generation, and
Housing
Allocation for the scheme
Government has allocated Rs.200 crore for the scheme for the next five years beginning 2021-22.
Concept clearing
Denotified Tribe (DNT)
In 1871 the British Parliament passed Criminal Tribes Act 1871. It designated certain nomadic tribes in India as criminals and crime was considered to be their hereditary profession.
After Independence,the Government of India set up a committee headed by Mr. Ananthsayanam Ayyangar in 1949 to review the Criminal Tribes Act.
On the recommendation of the Ayyangar Committee the The CriminalTribes Act was repealed in 1952. Hence they are now called Denotified Tribes. For example Sansi, Bazigar, Bauria, Perna, Kanjars, etc.
Nomadic Tribes(NT) are those tribes which move from one place to another for earning their livelihood.
Semi Nomadic Tribes (SNT) are those nomadic tribes which have a fixed place to live. They move from place to place for livelihood but return to their place of residence at least once a year.
Full form for exam
SEED: Scheme for Economic Empowerment of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities
DNT: Denotified Tribe
SNT : Semi Nomadic Tribes
