1. Tamil Nadu government makes Aadhaar mandatory for all its schemes
Tags: State News
The Tamil Nadu government has announced that all those who are eligible for benefits (other than minor children) under various government schemes will have to submit proof of having an Aadhaar number or get an Aadhaar identification.
Important facts
As per the order, Aadhaar is mandatory for government employees, government pensioners and beneficiaries of various schemes implemented by the state government through various departments through their implementing agencies.
Any person who is willing to avail the benefits but does not have an Aadhaar number or has not yet enrolled for Aadhaar, will need to apply for Aadhaar enrollment before registering for the schemes.
The Treasury and Accounts Department through its implementing agency will provide Aadhaar enrollment facilities for those beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled.
In case there is no Aadhaar Enrollment Centre, the Department will provide enrollment facilities at convenient locations through its implementing agency in coordination with the existing Registrar of UIDAI or by becoming the Registrar of UIDAI itself.
The government has also announced a remedial mechanism in case Aadhaar authentication fails due to bad biometrics or any other reason.
This will be done through Aadhaar One Time Password (OTP) or time-based OTP with limited time validity.
About Tamilnadu
The state was formed on 26 January 1950 but its boundaries were redrawn on 14 January 1969.
Tamil Nadu is located at the mouth of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
Bharatanatyam is a very popular and famous dance form of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of bananas and flowers, the second largest producer of mango, rubber, groundnut, coconut and the third largest producer of coffee.
Governor- Ravindra Narayan Ravi
Chief Minister- M.K.Stalin
Assembly seats 235 seats
Rajya Sabha Seats - 18
Lok Sabha seats- 39
2. Gujarat CM unveils Urban G20 logo, website and social media handle
Tags: place in news Summits Person in news
Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel unveiled the logo, website and social media handles of the Urban-20 conference in Gandhinagar on 19 December 2022. The ceremony was attended virtually by the Union Minister for Urban Development and Urban Housing Hardeep Singh Puri.
Urban 20
The UNESCO heritage city Ahmedabad will host the Urban 20 meetings as part of G 20 meetings between Februarys to July 2023.
In July 2023, the U20 mayor’s summit will be held in Ahmedabad to discuss urban development issues.
The Urban 20 will provide a platform for the G20 cities to facilitate discussions on important issues of urban development including climate change, social inclusion, sustainable mobility, affordable housing, and financing of urban infrastructure to propose collective solutions.
Indian Presidency of G 20
India officially assumed the Presidency of G20 on 1 December 2022 from Indonesia. The summit meeting of the Head of the States and the leaders of the G20 is scheduled to be held in September 2023 in New Delhi.
To prepare for the summit meeting a series of meetings is to be held by India.
The first meeting was the G-20 Sherpa meeting held in Udaipur in the first week of December 2022.
G-20
The G-20 was founded back in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis.
The Group of Twenty (G-20) comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and the European Union.
The G-20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
3. India’s largest and fourth business jet terminal commissioned at Cochin International Airport
Tags: State News
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the country's first and biggest charter gateway – the Business Jet Terminal -- at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on 10 December 2022. Cochin airport has become the 4th airport in India after Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad with dedicated private Jet terminals.
According to the CIAL Managing Director, S Suhas “The Business Jet Terminal is going to be India's first Charter Gateway, which will serve as a platform to integrate business jet service, tourism and business conferences,
The business jet terminal inaugurated today was built at a cost of 40 crore rupees by renovating the old domestic terminal. It covers an area of 40,000 sq feet with comfortable lounges, customs and immigration counters, a business centre and other modern facilities.
Cochin International Airport was the first airport in the world to run on solar power. It is the largest airport in Kerala and the seventh largest in India.
International Airports in Kerala
Kerala has the highest number of operational international airports in India. It has 4 international airports. They are:
- Trivandrum International Airport ,
- Cochin International airport ,
- Calicut International Airport and
- Kannur International Airport.
4. A UN panel has recommended that Australia's Great Barrier Reef be listed as a World Heritage Site
Tags: Environment International News
A United Nations panel recommended on November 29, 2022 that Australia's Great Barrier Reef should be listed as a World Heritage Site that is "in danger".
Important facts
The world's largest coral reef ecosystem has been greatly affected by climate change and ocean warming.
Frequent bleaching events and La Nina are threatening the reef.
Bleaching occurs when water gets too warm, causing corals to expel the colourful algae living in their tissues and turn white.
Australia's recently elected government has pledged to spend A$1.2 billion ($800 million) over the coming years to protect the reef.
What are Coral reefs?
Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems on Earth.
They play an important role in marine ecosystems and support habitats for flora and fauna in the ocean.
Each coral is called a polyp and thousands of such polyps live together to form a colony.
About Great Barrier Reef
It extends for 1400 miles along the north-east coast of Queensland, Australia and is the world's most extensive and rich coral reef ecosystem.
It is made up of more than 2,900 reefs and more than 900 islands.
It is the largest single structure in the world made by living organisms.
This reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.
5. 3 Indian factories join WEF’s Global Lighthouse
Tags: Economy/Finance
Three Indian factories are amongst the 11 factories and industrial sites worldwide which have been added to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network. WEF announced the inclusion of Pharmaceuticals company Cipla’s Indore factory, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories’ Hyderabad factory and the FMCG Company Mondelez factory in Sri City (Andhra Pradesh) on11 October 2022.
The Global Lighthouse Network is a community of over 100 manufacturers that are showing leadership in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3D-printing and big data analytics.
Incorporating advanced digital production (ADP) technologies into industrial production processes has given rise to the concept of Industry 4.0, also known as the Smart Factory.
In the 4IR, computers are connected and communicate with one another to ultimately make decisions without human involvement.
Sustainability Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) Dapada factory, which manufactures home care products including Surf Excel, Rin, and Vim, has been recognised as a Sustainability Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
This is the first Unilever site and the first company across sectors to achieve this status in India. This recognition comes on the back of the unit being accorded the designation of an advanced Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Lighthouse earlier this year.
The unit has been recognised for its use of innovative solutions, specifically the use of machine learning and integrated energy management systems to reduce energy, water and material waste.
Fourth Industrial revolution
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a term coined in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
Incorporating advanced digital production (ADP) technologies into industrial production processes has given rise to the concept of Industry 4.0, also known as the Smart Factory.
In the 4IR, computers are connected and communicate with one another to ultimately make decisions without human involvement.
World Economic Forum Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland.
6. Surging cost of inflation makes Global Recession most likely: World Economic Forum
Tags: Economy/Finance
In a report released on 28 September 2022, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said that due to persistently high inflation and fall in real wages continuing to fall, a global recession is becoming increasingly likely.
According to the WEF Chief Economists Outlook report, real wages are expected to continue falling across the world in 2022-2023 and the cost of living crisis is threatening social unrest, though inflationary pressures are expected to ease in the next year.
The survey of over 50 economists from the finance, insurance, professional services and technology industries, as well as international organizations and regional development banks, found that they expect reduced growth, stubbornly high inflation and continuing fall in real wages for the remainder of 2022 and 2023.
An average of seven out of ten economists consider a global recession to be at least "somewhat likely".
World Economic Forum (WEF)
The World Economic Forum was founded by German engineer, economist Professor Klaus Schwab as the European Management Forum, in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1987 its name was changed to World Economic Forum.
The WEF engages the top political, business leaders of the world to influence and set the global, regional and Industry agenda.
It organises an annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland where world political and business leaders gathers to discuss international issues
It releases following reports;
Global Gender Report;
Chief Economist Outlook;
Global Risk Report;
Environmental Performance Report;
Global Competitive Index
Headquarters of WEF: Geneva, Switzerland
7. Drone-based healthcare services launched in Arunachal Pradesh
Tags: State News
On August 15, 2022, in Arunachal Pradesh, the “Medicine from the Sky” project was successfully unveiled.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The first flight of the drone service was conducted from Seppa to Chiang Tajo in East Kameng district.
The project is inspired by the Prime Minister's vision of transforming India into a drone hub of the world.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the pilot project “Medicine from the Sky Project” is being launched in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The “Medicine from the Sky Project” is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
It is being implemented by Redwing Labs, a start-up based in Bengaluru.
The project will provide a clear vision on operational issues, regulatory issues and financial viability. Based on this, the government will formulate a policy and take steps to adopt the emerging technology in a phased manner.
About Arunachal Pradesh :
Capital- Itanagar
Governor- BD Mishra
Chief Minister- Pema Khandu
Legislative Assembly - 60 seats
Rajya Sabha - 1 seat
Lok Sabha - 2 seats
8. African swine fever confirmed in Kannur, Kerala
Tags: State News
Recently, African Swine Fever has been confirmed for the first time in a private pig farm in Kerala, in the last ten days more than 15 pigs died on the farm due to the disease.
About African Swine Fever
African swine fever is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild boars.
It was first found in Africa in the 1920s.
Historically, infections have been reported in Africa and parts of Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.
However, since the year 2007, the disease has been reported in domestic and wild pigs in several countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.
It has a mortality rate of around 95-100% and there is no cure for this fever, so the only way to stop its spread is to kill animals.
African swine fever does not pose a threat to humans, as it only spreads from animal to animal.
African swine fever is a disease listed in the Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
World animal health organisation
It is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving the health of animals around the world.
It currently has a total of 182 countries as its members. India is one of its member countries.
It develops standard documents relating to the rules by which member states can protect themselves from diseases and pathogens. One of these is the Regional Animal Health Code.
Its standards are recognized by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as reference to the organisation's International Sanitation Rules.
Its headquarter is located in Paris (France).
9. India ranks 135 out of 146 in Global Gender Gap Index
Tags: International News
The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Annual Gender Gap Report 2022 was released on 13 July in Geneva. India is ranked 135th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, 2022.
India's position
India is the worst performing country in the world in the "Health and Survival" sub-index, where it ranks 146th.
India ranks worse than its neighbours and is behind Bangladesh (71), Nepal (96), Sri Lanka (110), Maldives (117) and Bhutan (126).
In South Asia, only Iran (143), Pakistan (145) and Afghanistan (146) performed worse than India.
In 2021, India was ranked 140 out of a total of 156 countries in the index.
The top 10 Countries
Iceland (90.8%) leads the global ranking.
Other Scandinavian countries such as Finland (86%, second), Norway (84.5%, third) and Sweden (82.2%) figure in the top five.
Sub-Saharan African countries Rwanda (81.1%, 6th) and Namibia (80.7%, 8th), a Latin American country, Nicaragua (81%, 7th), and a country from East Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand (84.1%, 4th) ranked in the top 10.
Other European countries such as Ireland (80.4%) and Germany (80.1%) are ranked ninth and tenth.
4 key dimensions
Political Empowerment
This includes metrics such as the percentage of women in Parliament.
Economic Participation and Opportunity
The metrics involved are, percentage of women who are part of the labor force, pay parity for equal work, earned income, etc.
Educational Attainment
It includes metrics such as literacy rate and enrollment rate in primary, secondary and tertiary education.
Health and Survival
This includes two metrics: the sex ratio at birth (in %) and healthy life expectancy (in years).
About Global Gender Gap Index
It is annually published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
It was first introduced in 2006 to benchmark progress towards gender equality.
It is the 16th edition of the Global Gender Gap Report.
It tracks the progress of bridging the gender gap over time.
10. Defence Ministry launches 75 newly Artificial Intelligence products in New Delhi
Tags: Defence National News
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the first-ever ‘Artificial Intelligence in Defence’ (AIDef) symposium and exhibition, organised by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 11 July.
Important facts
The event featured an exhibition showcasing the latest AI-enabled solutions developed by research organisations, industry and start-ups and innovators and the launch of AI products for the market.
This is a major event where 75 newly developed AI products/technologies in Defence were launched as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
These products will promote the ‘Aatmanirbharta’ initiative in Defence.
These products are being tested and will soon be deployed in the security of the nation.
Apart from the 75 products being launched, another 100 are in various stages of development.
Panel discussions on 'Deploying AI in Defence', 'GenNext AI Solutions' and 'AI in Defence - Industry Perspective' were also held at the event.
Products are in the following domains-
Automation/unmanned/robotics systems
Cyber security and human behaviour analysis
Intelligent monitoring system
Logistics and supply chain management
Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence
Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems
Operational data analytics
Artificial Intelligence in defence
The AI Task Force on Defence was set up in 2018 to provide a road map for promoting AI in defence.
A Defence AI Council, headed by the Defence Minister, is working in this direction.
The Defence Minister had announced that "25 defence-specific AI products" would be developed by 2024.
A Defence AI Project Agency (DAIPA) has also been created under the defence production secretary for AI-enabled projects.
The Navy is also building an AI Centre of Excellence at INS Valsura in Jamnagar, which already has a modern laboratory on AI and Big Data analysis.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
It is a broad branch of computer science that deals with the creation of smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence.
