VISION

 What is the issue?

• India-Africa trade and engagement is on a decline due to various factors.
• Policy implementation in this regard needs a critical review as Africa is considered a foreign policy priority by India.

How significant is Africa to India?

• India’s top five markets today in Africa are South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and Togo.
• The countries from which India imports the most are South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Angola and Guinea.
• India’s top three exports to Africa are:
  1. mineral fuels and oils (processed petroleum products)
  2. pharmaceutical products
  3. vehicles
• Mineral fuels and oils (essentially crude oil) and pearls, precious or semi-precious stones are the top two imports.
• The composition of the India-Africa trade has not changed much over the last two decades.

What is the current trade scenario?

• In 2020-21, India’s exports to Africa saw a reduction of 4.4% over the previous year.
• And imports saw a reduction of 25%.
• Thus, bilateral trade valued at $55.9 billion in 2020-21, fell by $10.8 billion compared to 2019-20.
• India’s investments in Africa too saw a decrease from $3.2 billion in 2019-20 to $2.9 billion in 2020-21.
• Total investments over 25 years, from April 1996 to March 2021, are now just $70.7 billion.
• This is about one-third of China’s investments in Africa.

What are the key reasons for the decline?

 Why in news?

The US government has blocked dozens of US website domains connected to Iran.

What is the rationale?

• The move is linked to what the US says are disinformation efforts.
• It has accused the sites, including Iran’s state-owned Press TV, of spreading disinformation.
• In the past, the U.S. had cracked down on Chinese and Iranian media over similar allegations.
• The move comes days after Iran elected Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric, as President.
• Mr. Raisi has been sanctioned by the U.S. for his alleged role in the execution of political prisoners and other rights violations.
• His election as the President has already escalated tensions between the two countries.
• The U.S. wants Iran to return to the terms of the original Iran-U.S. nuclear deal.
• It also wants to discuss Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its regional activities.
• Mr. Raisi, known for his hardline domestic and foreign policy views, has rejected such demands outright.

Is the US move justified?

 Why in news?

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was locked out of his Twitter account for an hour, allegedly over a notice received for violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

What is the DMCA?

• The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, is a 1998 law passed in the US.
• It is among the world’s first laws recognising intellectual property on the internet.
• It was signed into law by the then US President Bill Clinton.
• It oversees the implementation of the two treaties signed and agreed upon by member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 1996.
• These are the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Why did the treaties come into place?

1)  National Statistics day celebrated on 29th June

•The government of India is celebrated National Statistics day on 29th June on the birth anniversary of Prof. P C Mahalanobis. The Day is celebrated to create awareness among youth about the role of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation. The Day to popularize the use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitize the public as to how Statistics helps in shaping and framing policies.

•End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture (Sustainable Development Goal or SDG 2 of the UN) is the theme of this year’s National Statistics Day.

2)  Andhra Pradesh introduces SALT programme

•Andhra Pradesh has started a Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) programme to transform foundational learning in government schools for which the World Bank has approved a loan of 250 million dollars. The main objectives of the programme are strengthening foundation schools and providing training and skill development to teachers. Andhra Pradesh’s public school education system has more than 40 lakh children and nearly 2 lakh teachers.

3)  DRDO successfully flight-tests ‘Agni P’ Ballistic Missile off Odisha Coast

•The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested a New Generation Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile “Agni P (Prime)” from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha, Balasore. As per Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials, Agni-Prime is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.

4)  FM Sitharaman’s announces relief package worth Rs 6,28,993 crore against COVID-19

•Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a slew of measures, to provide relief to people and businesses affected by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister announced a total of 17 measures worth Rs. 6,28,993 crore.

5)  Ukraine and U.S. launch “Sea Breeze drills”

•Ukraine and the United States launched joint naval exercises “Sea Breeze drills” in the Black Sea in a show of Western cooperation with Kiev as it faces off with Russia. The drills come just days after the British Royal Navy’s HMS Defender passed near Russian-annexed Crimea in the Black Sea, with Moscow saying it fired warning shots at the destroyer to ward it off.

•The Sea Breeze drills, which have taken place 21 times since 1997, will involve some 5,000 military personnel from more than 30 countries. The exercises will last two weeks and involve around 30 ships, including the missile destroyer USS Ross.

6)  Turkey, Azerbaijan begin joint military drills in Baku

•Turkey and Azerbaijan have begun joint military drills “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – 2021” in Baku, deploying tanks, helicopters and drones in an effort to improve the two countries’ combat interoperability. The exercises involve up to 600 personnel in an effort to improve the allies’ combat interoperability.

•The main purpose of the exercises is to improve the interaction between the two countries’ army units during combat operations, to develop the commanders’ military decision-making skills and their ability to manage military units.

7)  A book titled “Kashmiri Century: Portrait of a Society in Flux” released

•A book titled “Kashmiri Century: Portrait of a Society in Flux” authored by Khemlata Wakhlu. She is a writer, a political leader and a social worker, who has devoted the past fifty years to using her many talents to improve a lot of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

8)  Praveen Sinha appointed as Special Director of CBI

•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Praveen Sinha as the Special Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Special Director is the second senior-most position in the agency after the Director.

•The post was vacant since the last three years and was earlier held by Rakesh Asthana. Sinha is an IPS officer of the 1988 batch from Gujarat-cadre and prior to this, he was posted as Additional Director in the CBI.

9)  Twitter appoints California-based Jeremy Kessel as India Grievance Officer

•Twitter has announced the appointment of California-based Jeremy Kessel as the new Grievance Officer for India. Kessel is the Global Legal Policy Director of Twitter. The appointment of Grievance Officer by social media companies is mandated under the new Information Technology Rules, 2021.

•However, the appointment of Kessel is not seen to be in line with new IT rules guidelines, which mandate that the grievance redressal officer should be a resident of India.

10)  WhatsApp appoints Manesh Mahatme as Head of Payments in India

•WhatsApp has appointed former Amazon executive Manesh Mahatme as a director to lead the growth of its payments business in India. As Director, WhatsApp Payments-India, Mahatme will focus on enhancing the payments experience for users, scaling the service and work towards contributing to the messaging app’s vision of digital and financial inclusion in India.

11)  A book titled “Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC” by Kaushik Basu

•A book titled “Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC” authored by Kaushik Basu released soon. This book charts the course of Kaushik Basu’s career over seven years, as he moved out of the cloisters of academe to the frenetic world of policymaking, first in India as Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian Government and after that as Chief Economist at the World Bank in Washington.

12)  Deepika Kumari wins Gold Medal at Archery World Cup Stage 3

•The ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari, created a new world record as she claimed three back-to-back gold medals in a single day, during the Archery World Cup Stage 3, held in Paris. The Ranchi daughter claimed gold in each of women’s recurve individual, team and mixed pair events. India topped the medals tally with four gold medals. The fourth gold medal came by Abhishek Verma, from men’s individual event in the compound section.

📰 DRDO successfully tests new generation nuclear capable missile Agni-P

 Forum IAS Prelims 2021 Test 24 With Solution PDF

 Insight IAS Prelims 2021 Textbook Test 16 with Solution PDF

1)  Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day: 27 June

•The United Nations Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day is held on June 27 since 2017 to celebrate the work of MSME in local and global economies and their contribution to sustainable development. The day also recognises the contribution of these industries in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

•In 2021, the theme is “MSME 2021: key to an inclusive and sustainable recovery.” That is why the UN will be hosting a series of events to explore how MSMEs – the backbone of our economies – can be equipped to ensure an equitable and sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery.

2)  RK Sabharwal gets highest civilian award of Mongolia

•Engineers India Limited (EIL) Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), RK Sabharwal has been honoured with the highest civilian award of Mongolia ‘The Order of Polar Star by his excellency. The President of Mongolia recognises the outstanding contribution made by him towards the establishment of the first-ever oil refinery in Mongolia. On behalf of the government of Mongolia, this award was presented by His Excellency, the Ambassador of Mongolia to India, Gonching Ganbold, at a ceremony organised at the Embassy of Mongolia.

3)  Goa becomes first state to go rabies free

•Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant announced that Goa has become the first state in the country to be Rabies free. CM informed that not a single case of rabies had been found in the state since the last three years. The team of mission rabies had been very effectively doing its job and had been also conducting vaccination for dogs.

•As per information, no rabies cases were reported in the state in 2018. The progress came on the heels of Mission Rabies, a statewide drive in place since 2014 which saw almost one lakh dogs given the anti-rabies vaccine yearly, and an awareness campaign that educated 5.2 lakh school children and 23,000 teachers about the virus. This included 50,316 vaccinations administered and 78,437 students reached until August 31st this year alone.

4)  DRDO Successfully Test Fires Enhanced Pinaka Rocket Off Odisha Coast

•The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the indigenously developed Pinaka rocket. The rockets were launched from a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The enhanced range version of the Pinaka Rocket System can destroy targets at distances up to 45 km.

•25 Enhanced Pinaka Rockets were launched in quick succession against different range targets. The Pinaka Rocket system has been developed jointly by Pune based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) with manufacturing support from M/s Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur.

5)  Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N Patel appointed as acting CVC

•The incumbent Vigilance Commissioner, Suresh N Patel has been appointed as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) of India in the Central Vigilance Commission with effect. He has been appointed in place of Sanjay Kothari, who completed his term on June 23, 2021. He will remain on the post until the appointment of the new Central Vigilance Commissioner.

•The Central Vigilance Commission is headed by the CVC and can have a maximum of two vigilance commissioners. Currently, Mr Patel is the only VC in the commission. The Personnel Ministry has invited applications for the posts of CVC and a vigilance commissioner.

6)  World Bank Approves USD125 million financial support for Kerala

•The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $125 million support for the ‘Resilient Kerala Program’ to help the state in preparedness against natural disasters, climate change impacts, disease outbreaks, and pandemics. The $125 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a final maturity of 14 years including a grace period of six years. 

•The heavy monsoons of 2018 were the worst Kerala had seen in nearly a century, triggering devastating floods and landslides. It impacted more than 5 million people, mainly in the Pamba River Basin.

7)  Ind-Ra revises India’s GDP growth rate for FY22 at 9.6%

•India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has projected the GDP growth rate of India for fiscal year FY22 (2021-22) at 9.6 per cent. Earlier this was estimated at 10.1 per cent by the rating agency. This rate is, however, contingent upon India vaccinating its entire adult population by December 31, 2021.

8)  French non-fiction author Emmanuel Carrere wins top Spanish award

•India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has projected the GDP growth rate of India for fiscal year FY22 (2021-22) at 9.6 per cent. Earlier this was estimated at 10.1 per cent by the rating agency. This rate is, however, contingent upon India vaccinating its entire adult population by December 31, 2021.

9)  A book titled “Fiercely Female: The Dutee Chand Story” by Sundeep Mishra

•Journalist Sundeep Mishra’s book titled ‘Fiercely Female: The Dutee Chand Story’ chronicles Chand’s journey with a detailed narrative of the gender-identity controversy that made her an iconic figure in Indian sport. The book was published by Westland Books.

10)  Ashgabat world’s most expensive city for foreign workers

•Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, has been named the world’s most expensive city for foreign workers. The city topped the list in a 2021 cost-of-living survey by consultancy firm Mercer. Hong Kong was on the second position, followed by Beirut in Lebanon and Tokyo in Japan.

•The annual report ranks 209 cities based on the cost of expenses like housing, food and transport. Most of the cities in the top 10 are those where economic growth has contributed to an increase in the cost of living. Three are Swiss cities, of which Zurich dropped to fifth, followed by Shanghai and Singapore. London was placed 18th.

11)  Cristiano Ronaldo becomes joint top-scorer in men’s international football

•Cristiano Ronaldo has become the joint-top scoring men’s international player of all time. He is currently tied with Iran legend Ali Daei, who scored 109 times in 149 matches between 1993 and 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties to tie the overall men’s scoring record with 109 goals in 176 matches and Portugal advanced to the round of 16 at the European Championship after a 2-2 draw with France.

12)  JSCA, SAIL-BSL inks MoU for International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro

•The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SAIL Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), for the construction of an International Cricket Stadium in Bokaro city. Once the stadium is ready, Bokaro will become the third city in Jharkhand to have an International Cricket Stadium after Jamshedpur and Ranchi.

•The MoU is a lease agreement under which Bokaro Steel Plant will transfer 20.17 acres of its land to JSCA for 33 years, for the construction of an international cricket stadium in the Balidih area of Bokaro. The proposed stadium will also be the first stadium to be constructed in SAIL township.