23 June 2022 – Current Affairs

 

NIRYAT portal

Paper 3 – Economy

Why Should You Know?

• On 23rd June 2022 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new premises of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry – ‘Vanijya Bhawan’.

About Portal –

• Prime Minister will launch a new portal – NIRYAT (National Import-Export Record for Yearly Analysis of Trade).
• It is developed as a one stop platform for stakeholders to get all necessary information related to India’s foreign trade.
• According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India’s exports have increased in May 2022. It rose to US$ 37.29 billion in May, from US$ 32.30 billion in May 2021 a year ago.
• Exports grew by 15.46 percent this year. The value of non-petroleum exports in May 2021 was US$ 26.99 billion. At the same time, in May 2022, its value increased by 8.13 percent to $ 29.18 billion. The cumulative rate is now being pegged at US$ 61.09 billion for May 2022-23.

About Vanijya Bhawan –

• Constructed near India Gate, the Vanijya Bhawan is designed as a smart building which incorporates the principles of sustainable architecture with a special focus on energy saving.
• It will serve as an integrated and modern office complex that will be used by the two Departments under the Ministry i.e. Department of Commerce and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

 

India – Indonesia Coordinated Patrol

Paper 2 – International Relations

Why Should You Know?

• The 38th edition of India–Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between Indian Navy and Indonesian Navy is being conducted from 13-24 Jun 2022.
• Indian Naval Ship INS Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette based at the Andaman and Nicobar Command, along with a Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft, is participating in the CORPAT whilst the Indonesian Navy is being represented by KRI Cut Nyak Dien, a Kapitan Pattimura (PARCHIM I) class Corvette.
• Maritime interaction between India and Indonesia has expanded substantially with frequent port visits, participation in bilateral/ multilateral exercises and training exchanges.
• Under the broad ambit of this strong maritime relationship, the two navies have been carrying out CORPATs along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) every year since 2002, with the aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade.
• The CORPAT has also strengthened understanding and interoperability between the navies and facilitated institution of measures to prevent unlawful activities at sea as well as conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.
• The current edition of IND-INDO CORPAT commenced on 13 Jun 22 with the arrival of KRI Cut Nyak Dien at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The opening ceremony was conducted on 14 Jun 22 under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command. The Indonesian warship during its three day port call at Port Blair, participated in multiple activities including professional discussions, pre-sail conference and various sports fixtures.
• The CORPAT has helped both navies to better understand each other’s operating procedures and enhance interoperability whilst facilitating institutional measures for preventing/ suppressing Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy in the region.
• The sea phase for the 38th edition of CORPAT was undertaken from 20 – 21 Jun 22 along the IMBL in Andaman Sea, whilst the closing ceremony is scheduled at Sabang, Indonesia on 23 June 22.
• The 38th Ind-Indo CORPAT will contribute towards Indian Navy’s efforts to consolidate inter-operability and forge strong bonds of friendship with Indonesian Navy.

India- Australia bilateral talks in New Delhi

Paper 2 – International Relations

Why Should You Know?

• on June 22, 2022 Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Defence Mr Richard Marles held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi.
• The two Ministers reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities which have been increasing despite challenges of COVID-19 pandemic and discussed ways to enhance further cooperation.
• The Ministers reviewed the defence and security pillars of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
• They reaffirmed their commitment towards implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership based on mutual trust and understanding, common interests and shared values, of democracy and rule of law.
• They welcomed the growing diversity and frequency of defence exercises and exchanges between the two countries and undertook to build upon operational engagements through the India-Australia Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement.
• Both Ministers committed to give fillip to the India-Australia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Defence Research and Materiel Cooperation, which will meet in Australia later this year.
• This JWG is a crucial mechanism for boosting ties between defence industries. The Ministers discussed further opportunities for industrial cooperation between India and Australia to increase the resilience of supply chains and deliver capabilities to their respective defence forces. Both sides agreed to explore means to grow connections and opportunities between Indian and Australian defence industrial bases.
• Both Ministers welcomed the plan to commence the landmark General Rawat Young Officer Exchange Programme in the latter half of 2022, which was announced during the virtual summit meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries on March 21, 2022.
• The Ministers reviewed strategic challenges and the regional security situation and reaffirmed their shared objective of an open, free, inclusive, prosperous and rules-based Indo Pacific region. They looked forward to India’s participation in Australia’s Indo Pacific Endeavour exercise in October 2022.
• Mr Richard Marles is on a visit to India from June 20-23, 2022. On June 21, 2022, he visited Goa which included a tour of Goa Shipyard Limited and a display of India’s growing prowess in indigenous drone development and autonomous vehicle technology.

BRO Cafes

Paper 3 – Infrastructure

Why Should You Know?

• Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved setting up of wayside amenities at 75 locations in 12 States/Union Territories on different sections of roads with Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• These are intended to provide basic amenities & comfort to the tourists and lead to boosting of economic activities in border areas, besides generating employment for the local people.
• These wayside amenities will be branded as ‘BRO Cafes’.
• The BRO has its reach in the remotest border areas and besides addressing strategic needs, it has been instrumental in socio-economic upliftment of the Northern and Eastern borders.
• This has resulted in increased tourist influx in these scenic locations, hitherto inaccessible. In order to provide conducive and comfortable transit of tourists on these roads located at harsh climatic and geographical conditions, the need to establish multi-utility wayside amenities along the major tourist circuits in these regions was recognised.
• Since the inaccessibility and remoteness of these roads preclude widespread commercial deployments, the BRO, by virtue of its presence, took it upon itself to open such facilities at remote places.
• The scheme provides for development and operation of wayside amenities in public private partnership mode with agencies, on license basis, which will design, build & operate the facility as per guidelines of BRO.
• Amenities like parking for two and four wheelers, food plaza/ restaurant, separate rest rooms for men, women and differently abled, first aid facilities/MI Rooms etc. are proposed to be provided. Selection of licencees will be done through a competitive process.
• The terms of the agreement will be for 15 years which may be further extended for a period up to five years.

About Border Roads Organisation –

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is now a part of the Indian Armed Forces.
• BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
• The BRO was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India’s borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country.

 

 

Surya Nutan indoor solar cooking system

Paper 3- Scinece & Tech

Why Should You Know?

Recently Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas developed a viable solar solution to power our kitchens, IndianOil and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural gas have developed an indigenous Solar cook top “Surya Nutan”.

Salient Features –

• Surya Nutan is a Stationary, rechargeable, and always kitchen-connected indoor solar cooking.
• This is a patented product designed and developed by IndianOil R&D Centre, Faridabad.
• It offers online cooking mode while charging through the Sun which maximizes the system efficiency and ensures high utilization of energy from Sun.
• It works on a Hybrid Mode (i.e.can work on both solar & auxiliary energy source simultaneously) which makes the Surya Nutan a reliable cooking solution for all weather conditions.
• Insulation design of Surya Nutan minimizes radiative and conductive heat losses.
• Surya Nutan is available in three different models: The premium model (Breakfast +Lunch+Dinner) of Surya Nutan can cook all the meals for family of four.
• Initially, cost of the product is around Rs 12,000 for base model, and Rs. 23,000 for Top Model.
• However, the cost is expected to reduce substantially with economies of scale. At a price of Rs. 12,000-14,000/- for Top Model, assuming annual consumption of 6-8 LPG cylinders, this product can pay back the buyer in first 1-2 years itself.
• Surya Nutan can be used in all weather and seasons including when the Sun is not available for long durations or for continuous days, such as monsoons and extreme winters.
• All the safety aspects required in any indoor appliances are inbuilt in Surya Nutan.
• Surya Nutan is a low maintenance system and the product has a long life.
• Surya Nutan is a modular system and can be designed in different sizes as per the requirement.
• With the above features, “Atmanirbhar hote Bharat ki Nayi Udaan Surya Nutan banega Kitchen ki Nayi Pehchan”
• Surya Nutan has the potential to transform our energy security situation, as India currently imports 50% of its LPG requirements. It also reduces India’s CO2 emissions drastically and keeps our citizens insulated from the vagaries of the high international fossil fuel prices.
• ‘Surya Nutan’ follows series of other steps being taken by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas in the current global energy crisis, including increasing ethanol blending to 20%, increasing procurement price of Compressed Bio-Gas under SATAT Scheme from Rs 45/kg to Rs 54/kg, drastically increasing the area under Exploration and Production to 15% of geographical area from current 7-8% and aggressively pursuing Green Hydrogen Mission in our refineries.

 

Mega Buyer-Seller Meet

Paper 3- Economy

Why Should You Know?

• On 22 june 2022 The central government organised a mega buyer-seller meet n Guwahati under the One District One Product initiative that saw participation from 70 sellers, traders, farmers, and aggregators from various districts of the north eastern states.
• The meet focussed on agricultural products from the eight North Eastern states and also saw presence of multiple national and International Brands.
• Sellers showcased their products to the buyers during the meet. Products included Meghalaya’s world-famous Lakadong Turmeric with more than 7% curcumin content, the GI Tagged Large Cardamom from Sikkim and Queen Pineapple from Tripura, Orthodox Assam Tea, Manipur’s Black Chakhao Rice and more. These products have been showcased to over 30 large buyers representing big brands such as Reliance and ITC, as well as upcoming start-ups in India.
• The Letters of Intent (LOI) worth ₹6 crores were signed during the event.
• The meet was organisated under the One District One Product initiative of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with the the support of Ministry of Development of North East Region (MDoNER) and its PSUs, North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation (NEHHDC) and North East Regional Agriculture Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).
• NERAMAC has,been set up to support farmers/ producers from the North Eastern Region and has been working to bridge the gap between farmers and the larger market.
• Focused trade discussions were also facilitated between the buyers, sellers and the State Government representatives from all the eight north eastern states.

GSAT-24

Paper 3- Scinece & Tech

Why Should You Know?

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched communication satellite GSAT-24 from Kourou in French Guiana early morning on june 23, 2022.
• GSAT-24, built by ISRO for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), was launched by French company Arianespace.
• GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing 4180 kg with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs.
• The satellite-based interactive education services for classroom connectivity will also be improved and the satellite will have applications in telecommunications and emerging sectors like digital cinema, high-speed backhaul links, and bulk data transfer.
• It was the first demand driven communication satellite mission undertaken by NSIL post space sector reforms. NSIL, a Government of India company under the Department of Space, has leased the entire satellite capacity to Tata Play.
• While NSIL launched GSAT from Europe, it is also prepping to launch three passenger satellites for Singapore from Sriharikota.
• The three satellites will be launched on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), an Isro workhorse. The PSLV-C53 mission will lift off from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on June 30.

 

Ambubachi Mela

Paper 1- Art & Culture

Why Should You Know?

• Ambubachi Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings of devotees at the famous Shaktipeeth Kamakhya temple, is going to start from 23 june 2022.
• This temple is located in Guwahati, Assam and is one of the most popular temples in India. Every year a grand Ambubachi fair is organized here.
• Devotees, sages, and saints come from far and wide to attend it. This year the fair will run from June 22 to June 26.
• The doors of the temple will be closed on 22nd June and then on 26th June, after bathing the goddess in the morning, the doors of the temple will be opened. Let’s know why Ambubachi Fair is celebrated

Why is Ambubachi festival celebrated?

• It is believed that this fair is held at the time when mother Kamakhya is menstruating. During the Ambubachi Yoga festival, the doors of the sanctum sanctorum of Mother Bhagwati are closed on their own.
• During this time they are not allowed to have darshan. After three days, special worship and sadhna of the mother is done at the end of her menstruation.
• The doors of the temple are opened for the devotees only after bathing the mother in the Brahma Muhurta on the fourth day. There is a belief about Kamakhya temple that whoever comes here and sees the mother. The sins of his many births are cut away.

 

Kaliningrad

Paper 2 – International Issues

Why Should You Know?

• As the Russia-Ukraine conflict rages on, the spotlight is on Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost region.
• The region is at the centre of a row after Lithuania decided to ban goods part of EU sanctions from moving through its territory to reach Kaliningrad. Russia wants the ban limited.

Location –

• Kaliningrad is a small Russian exclave located on the Baltic Sea and sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland.
• As Russia’s westernmost federal entity, the Kaliningrad Oblast occupies 15,000 sq km and houses under 1 million people. Russia is divided into 85 such oblasts, or states. It is situated almost 300-km away from mainland Russia, and shares no borders with it.

History –

• The end of the Second World War marked an important milestone in Kaliningrad’s history. The Potsdam Agreement was signed by America, Britain and the former Soviet Union in 1945 in which Kaliningrad, then known as Königsberg, was ceded to Russia.
• This was done as the Soviet Union, under Stalin, had already taken control of the East Prussian territory due to its strategic geographic location.

Socio-political, economic landscape

• Left in ruins after a prolonged siege by the Red Army in April 1945, Kaliningrad transformed from the land of the Teutonic Knights to an industrial and commercial centre dealing in lumber, paper making, fishing among others.
• Kaliningrad is also connected to the naval base of Baltiysk. Home to the deployment of Moscow’s Iskander missiles and the Russian Baltic Fleet, Kaliningrad has been called the Kremlin’s “unsinkable aircraft carrier”.
• A special economic zone with close to no import duties and reduced taxes to facilitate the growth of the economy has been set up in Kaliningrad.
• Back in 1947, the German population of Kaliningrad was expelled and thousands of Soviet settlers, primarily from Russia and Belarus, were brought in to repopulate the area, making its ethos a unique one. The city still retains bits of its German past through architectural elements and landmarks such as the grave of philosopher Immanuel Kant.
• Though Kaliningrad was closed to foreigners till the fall of the USSR in 1991, its proximity to Europe and its shared borders with two NATO and EU members have meant that it has been exposed to several western influences.
• On public holidays and weekends, there is traffic and movement at the border as people travel to the neighbouring countries, with Polish port city Gdansk being a popular destination. Following Putin’s ban on certain western foodstuffs in 2014 as a retaliation to sanctions, several citizens from Kaliningrad make their way to Lithuania and Poland to purchase such commodities, including coveted cheese parmesan and camembert.

Why has Lithuania banned movement of Russian goods?

• The state-owned railway company of Lithuania, the LTG, said it would bar the transport of Russian goods to Kaliningrad, adhering to an EU sanctions list including advanced technology, metals, construction materials and coal.
• This will not impact the flow of passengers and other cargo, such as fuel. Situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad, which is the administrative centre of the Kaliningrad Oblast, receives a significant amount of its supplies from routes in Lithuania and Belarus. Governor of Kaliningrad, Anton Alikhanov, said that around half the goods imported by the region would be affected by this.
• Earlier in February, Lithuania had closed its airspace to Russian flights headed to Kaliningrad, meaning such planes had to take a longer route over the Baltic Sea.
• In response to the ban, Moscow has said, “Russia will certainly respond to such hostile actions. Their consequences will have a serious impact on the population of Lithuania.”

What next?

• The Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are worried the war between Russia and Ukraine may spillover into their territory. The 40-mile Suwalki Gap, forging a connection between Kaliningrad and Belarus, is what they are concerned Russia is seeking to lay claim to. Losing the Suwalki Gap would mean the loss of a land corridor to the rest of the NATO countries.
• Moreover, Anton Alikhanov voiced concerns saying the ban was “a most serious violation of the right to free transit into and out of Kaliningrad region”. Seeking to pacify citizens, the governor said he would begin talks for more ships and two vessels were already in the process of transporting goods between Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad.