1. First India-Australia-Indonesia foreign minister’s trilateral meeting held in New York
Tags: place in news Summits Person in news International News
External Affairs Minister S.Jaishanker held the first trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of India, Indonesia and Australia in New York on 23 September 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- In a tweet the minister said that he discussed the maritime issue, blue water economy with the Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi and the Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and emphasized the centrality of ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific region.
- World leaders are in New York to participate in the High Level Week at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
2. Quad foreign minister sign an agreement to operationalise Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief at New York
Tags: place in news International News
The foreign ministers of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) signed an agreement in New York, United States on 23 September 2022 to operationalise Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific area.
Foreign ministers of India(S.Jaishanker), Australia(Penny Wong,), United States(Anthony Blinken) and Japan(Hayashi Yoshimasa ) signed the agreement to operationalise, which was announced by the Quad Leaders in Tokyo on 24 May 2022, as part of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.
Under the HADR, the member countries will coordinate their disaster response operations in the region with other National and International agencies, private ,non-governmental organisations .
Next Quad foreign minister’s meeting to be held in New Delhi
They also agreed to hold the next foreign minister’s meeting of the Quad in India in early 2023.
The concept of QUAD was given by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007 for maritime cooperation between these countries after the Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster in 2004.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) :
- It is a group of Australia, India, Japan and the United States to promote cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The first in person summit meeting of the Quad leaders was in Washington, United States in 2021.
- The second in person summit meeting was held in May 2022 in Japan
- The third summit meeting will be held in Australia in 2023.
3. Foreign Minister Jaishankar attends high level L-69 group meeting in New York
Tags: place in news Summits International News
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the High Level Meeting of the L.69 Group on "Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council” in New York, United States of America on 23 September 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The L.69 Group consists of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and Small Island Developing States, focused on reforms of the UN Security Council.
- Dr S. Jaishankar is on an official visit to the United States from 18-28 September 2022. He is leading the India delegation for the High Level Week at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
4. Defence Ministry signs contract to acquire additional Brahmos missiles
Tags: place in news National Defence National News
An agreement worth Rs 1,700 crore was signed between the acquisition arm of the Defence Ministry and M/s BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd on September 22 for additional supply of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The total contract value signed so far for these missiles has exceeded Rs 38,000 crore.
The induction of these missiles will further enhance the operational capability of the Navy.
The contract will also promote indigenous production of critical weapon systems and ammunition with active participation of domestic industry.
It may be mentioned that BAPL is a joint venture between India and Russia which is making a significant contribution in the development of a new generation of surface-to-surface missiles.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About BrahMos :
BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile.
It is a joint collaboration between India and Russia.
The missile is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets.
BrahMos was first flight tested at Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.
5. G4 group express concern over slow pace of reform on Security Council
Tags: place in news International News
The foreign ministers of Group of 4 (India, Japan, Brazil and Germany) met in New York on 22 September 2022 and expressed concern about the lack of meaningful progress in the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on United Nations Security Council (SC) reform. They met on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly being held in New York, United States.
The meeting was attended by Indian External Affairs Minister S.Jaishanker, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, Brazilian foreign minister Carlos Alberto Franco Franca and Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The G-4 was formed in 2005 to reform the UN Security Council and include four countries as the permanent member of the United Nation Security Council.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
China not in favour :
- According to the government of India, as told to Lok Sabha on 22 July 2022, only China is opposing India’s candidature for the UN Security Council membership while the other permanent members of the Security Council, Russia, France, United Kingdom and the United States are in favour of India.
- China is also opposed to the membership of Japan and Germany.
- It has a difficult relationship with India and Japan and consider them as its rival while it opposes Germany as it is not a developing country.
UN Security Council :
- The UN Security Council is the main UN body which is responsible for maintaining peace and security in the world.
- It consists of 15 members. 10 members are non-permanent and are elected for 2 years.
- Five members are permanent members and they have veto power. The five permanent members are China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
6. Devusinh Chauhan to lead the Indian delegation in the ‘ITU Plenipotentiary Conference’ 2022 in Bucharest
Tags: place in news Person in news
The Union Minister of State for Communication Devusinh Chauhan will lead the Indian delegation to take part in the Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22) of ITU (International Telecommunication Union) and last meeting of the 2022 session of ITU Council from 24th September to 14th October, 2022 in Bucharest, Romania.
The meeting will hold elections to constitute the next ITU Council for the term 2023-26 and for various posts. India has put up its candidature to be re-elected as a Member of the next ITU Council.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) :
- The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies – ICTs.
- It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, making it the oldest UN agency.
- The ITU promotes the shared global use of the radio spectrum, facilitates international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, assists in developing and coordinating worldwide technical standards, and works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world.
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
7. First ‘Global Clean Energy Action Forum -2022’ starts at Pittsburgh, United States
Tags: place in news Summits International News
The three day (21-23 September) ‘Global Clean Energy Action Forum -2022 organised by the United States government’s Department of Energy and Carnegie Mellon University, started on 21 September 2022 at Pittsburgh, United States .
Under the Global Clean Energy Action Forum a joint meeting of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM13) and Mission Innovation (MI-7) are being held.
It is being attended by energy and science ministers from 31 countries to discuss ways to achieve a net zero carbon target for the world.
India is being led by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.
He met US Energy Minister Jennifer Granholm and other important dignitaries.
The theme for CEM13/MI-7 is Rapid Innovation and Deployment.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Pittsburgh is also known both as "the Steel City" and as the "City of Bridges".
- Jamshedpur in India is also called as Pittsburgh of India.
8. Union Finance Minister Sitharaman launches e-learning platform ‘Bharat Vidya’
Tags: place in news State News
The Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman launched Bharat Vidya.in, an online learning platform for Oriental and South Asian studies, in Pune, on 21 September 2022.
Bharat Vidya has been developed by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune.
It is a first-of-its-kind online platform, which will offer both free and paid courses covering various aspects of Indology pertaining to art, architecture, philosophy, language and science.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute :
- The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune was set up on 6 July 1917 to commemorate the work of Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar. Bhandarkar was a pioneer of scientific orientology in India.
- Orientology is the study of the ancient indigenous lore and wisdom of the East or the ‘Orient’.
- The institute has one of the largest collections of rare books and manuscripts spanning over 1, 25,000 books and over 28,000 manuscripts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Indian regional languages, Classical, Asean and European languages.
9. National Conference of Environment Ministers to be held in Gujarat
Tags: place in news Summits
The two day (23-24 September) National Conference of Environment Ministers will be held in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.
The conference will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 September 2022 virtually.
The two-day conference is being held to create a synergy among the central and state governments in formulating better policies on issues such as the elimination of plastic pollution through a multi-pronged approach.
It will also focus on increasing the forest cover with special emphasis on restoration of degraded land and wildlife conservation.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Theme of the conference :
- The conference will have six thematic sessions with topics focusing on LiFE, Combating Climate Change (Updating State Action Plans on Climate Change for Mitigation of Emissions and Adaptation to Climate Impacts) ; PARIVESH (Single Window System for Integrated Green Clearances) ; Forestry Management ; Prevention and Control of Pollution; Wildlife Management ; Plastics and Waste Management.
10. SCALE App launched for skill development in leather sector
Tags: place in news Economy/Finance Government Schemes
Union Minister for Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan launched the SCALE (Skill Certification Assessment for Leather Employees) app at Chennai on 20 September 2022.
He inaugurated the SCALE app while on a visit to the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
The SCALE App
- The app has been developed by the Leather Skill Sector Council. It provides a one-stop solution for the skilling, learning, assessment, and employment needs of the leather industry.
- The app allows people from all age groups interested in leather craft to access online live streamed classes from the state-of-the-art studio of the Leather Skill Sector Council office.
Leather Industry in India :
- India is the second largest producer and consumer of footwear in the world after China.
- The Leather industry in India accounts for around 13% of the world’s leather production.
- The country accounts for 9% of the world’s footwear production.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
The major production centers for leather and leather products in India are located in the states of :
- Tamil Nadu – Chennai, Ambur, Ranipet, Vaniyambadi, Vellore, Pernambut, Trichy, Dindigul and Erode.
- West Bengal – Kolkata.
- Uttar Pradesh – Kanpur, Agra, Noida, Saharanpur
- Maharashtra – Mumbai.
- Punjab – Jalandhar.
- Karnataka – Bangalore.
- Andhra Pradesh – Hyderabad.
- Haryana – Ambala, Gurgaon, Panchkula, Karnal and Faridabad.
- Delhi.
- Madhya Pradesh – Dewas.
- Kerala – Calicut and Ernakulam / Cochin.
- Rajasthan - Jaipur.
- Jammu & Kashmir - Srinagar.
- Data Source: Invest India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
