1. Global AYUSH Investment and Innovation Summit
Tags: Summits
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Global AYUSH Investment & Innovation Summit at Gandhinagar Gujarat.
Event aims to increase investments and highlight innovations in the field of traditional medicine.
This event is an unique attempt to promote long-lasting partnerships, grow exports and ‘nurture a sustainable ecosystem’.
The three-day Global AYUSH Investment & Innovation Summit will witness 5 plenary sessions, 8 roundtables, 6 workshops, and 2 symposiums.
About 90 eminent speakers and 100 exhibitors will also participate in the summit.
The Summit will help uncover investment potential and give a fillip to innovation, research & development, start-up ecosystem and the wellness industry.
It will help bring together industry leaders, academicians and scholars together and act as a platform for future collaborations.
The objective is to bring together the country's key startups, entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers and other national/international stakeholders for a specially curated event on innovation and make India a Global Ayush destination for entrepreneurship.
2. BRICS meet likely in June
Tags: Summits
India has agreed to attend a virtual summit of leaders of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa grouping, likely to be held in China at the end of June.
The summit is likely to be held on June 23-24.
India hosted last year's BRICS summit which was held virtually, and was attended by leaders of five countries.
This is the first summit hosted by China since the tensions broke out at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) due to the PLA’s transgressions in April 2020.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Delhi last month was seen as the beginning of a gradual normalisation of relations between the two countries.
About BRICS
–BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
–Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill coined the term BRIC (without South Africa) in 2001, claiming that by 2050, four BRIC economies would dominate the global economy.
–South Africa was added to the list in 2010.
–BRICS represents 41% of the global population, 24% of the global GDP and 16% of the global trade.
–The chairmanship of the forum is rotated annually among the members.
–India presided over it in 2021.
3. National Conference on Cooperative Policy concluded in New Delhi
Tags: Summits
A two day National Conference on Cooperative Policy was organised in New Delhi from 12-13 April, 2022.
Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, with the objective of providing proper impetus to the cooperative sector and achieving prosperity from the cooperative, the new Ministry of Cooperation was formed on 6th July, 2021.
Under the leadership of Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah, the Ministry of Cooperation is progressing with continuous entrepreneurship and is working on the creation of new cooperative policy and schemes.
4. "Amrit Samagam", a conference of Tourism and Culture Ministers of the country, in New Delhi
Tags: Summits
Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated the two day Amrit Samagam at New Delhi on 12 April 2022.
- The two day (12 and 13 April 2022) Amrit Samagam has been organised by the Union Ministry of Culture with the participation of the tourism and cultural ministries of the state government.
- The Union Minister of Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy launched the Utsav Portal.
- The Utsav Portal website is a digital initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism to showcase all the events, festivals and live darshans across India to promote different regions of the country as popular tourist destinations worldwide.
Union Minister of Culture : G. KIsan Reddy
5. 36th International Geological Congress organised in India
Tags: Summits
The 36th International Geological Congress, organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Mines and Union Ministry of Earth Sciences with the Indian National Science Academy from 20-22nd March 2022 on virtual platform with the support of India’s neighbouring countries- Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
It is held every 4 years by the International Union of Geological Congress.
The Theme of the 36th International Geological Congress was :Geoscience for the next decade: Challenges and Society”
6. 2nd India Australia Virtual Summit Meeting held
Tags: Summits International News
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Scott Morrison held the 2nd India-Australia virtual summit on 21 March 2022. The first virtual summit meeting was held in June 2020.
Prime Minister Modi thanked Mr. Scott Morrison for the special gesture in returning 29 ancient artefacts to India. These artefacts comprise sculptures, paintings and photographs, across centuries, some dating back to the 9th-10th century, from different parts of India.
The artefacts include 12th century Chola bronzes, 11th-12th century Jain sculptures from Rajasthan, 12th-13th century sandstone Goddess Mahishasura Mardini from Gujarat, 18th-19th century paintings and early gelatin silver photographs.
Australia
It is the smallest continent by area on Earth after Asia, Africa, North America , South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia.
It is the 6th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, United States, and Brazil.
Australia has been called “the Oldest Continent,” “the Last of Lands,” and “the Last Frontier.”
Its unique flora and fauna include the only egg-laying mammals on Earth, the Platypus and Echidna. It is also famous for its Kangaroos,Koala bears.
It is the second driest continent after Antarctica.
Its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, rises to only 7,310 feet (2,228 meters).
Its Capital : Canberra
Currency : Australian Dollar
Prime Minister : Scott Morrison
The United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the State of Australia.
7. 5th India-Canadian Ministerial dialogue on Trade and Investment held
Tags: Summits
5th India-Canadian Ministerial dialogue on Trade and Investment held in New Delhi on 11 March 2022.
The Indian side was led by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal and the Canadian side was led by the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada, Mary Ng.
India's exports to Canada stood at USD 2.9 billion in 2020-21 and Imports in 2020-21 were USD 2.68 billion.
8. Justice (retd.) AK Sikri to be the head of the Char Dham Panel
The Supreme Court of India has appointed Justice ( retd.) A.K. Sikri as the chairman of the high-powered committee constituted by it to “consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna on the entire Himalayan valley” on 11 March 2022..
Earlier Professor Ravi Chopra resigned as the chairman of the Char Dham project accusing the Union Road and Highway Transport ministry of ignoring its recommendations.
Justice Sikri is also the chairman of the oversight committee appointed by the Supreme Court, to look after the environmental concerns and other issues related to the Char Dham project.
Char Dham Project
The project seeks to connect the pilgrimage centers of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri & Gangotri in Uttarakhand.
The project is of 889 Km length which will build two lane roads.
The total cost of the project is Rs 11,700 crore.
Many environmentalists are objecting to the project as it will harm the sensitive ecosystem of the Himalayas.
9. 9th edition of SLINEX held at Visakhapatnam
The 9th edition of the India - Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime Exercise SLINEX (Sri Lanka–India Naval Exercise) concluded on 10 March 2022 at Visakhapatnam, in Bay of Bengal. It was held from 07 Mar to 10 Mar 2022.
Sri Lanka Navy was represented by SLNS Sayurala, an advanced offshore patrol vessel and the Indian Navy by INS Kirch, a guided missile corvette.
Other participants from the Indian Navy include INS Jyoti, a Fleet support tanker, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), SeaKing and Chetak Helicopters and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
The previous edition of SLINEX was conducted off Trincomalee in Sri Lanka in the month of October 2020.
10. Task Force on India -Russian trade
Tags: Summits
The Government of India has set up an inter-ministerial task force to examine the feasibility of Rupee-Rouble trade arrangement.
The inter-ministerial task force chairman is Secretary , Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance , Mr Ajay Seth .
The American and European government has blocked many prominent Russian banks from the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide International Financial Telecommunication ) payment mechanism .
It has made payment in US dollar and euro with Russia virtually impossible. Around $500 million payments of Indian exporters are stuck with the Russians .
The task force will explore alternative payment mechanisms with Russia.
The rupee-rouble exchange is nothing new. It had its foundation in the Indo-Soviet Trade Agreement signed between the two countries on 02 Dec 1953. This agreement provided that all payments between India and USSR may be made in Indian Rupees. However this agreement came to an end after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the Russian government insisted on payment in hard currency like US dollars .
Important for Exam
Russian Currency : Rouble
For details and clear understanding of SWIFT see our blogs on SWIFT.