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 Why in news?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise declaration of enhancements in India’s emissions reduction targets at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow did not get the enthusiastic reviews the Government may have expected.

What are the new targets of the government?

• India’s new targets comprise of five elements.
  1. Reducing Emissions Intensity or emissions per unit of GDP by 45% in 2030 relative to 2005 levels
  2. Cutting absolute emissions by one billion tonnes, presumably from projected business-as-usual (BAU) 2030 levels
  3. 500 GW of non-fossil fuel installed power generation capacity by 2030
  4. 50% electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030
  5. Net-zero emissions by 2070
• Emissions - India’s current annual emissions are around 2.8 billion tonnes and projected to reach about 4.5 billion tonnes in 2030 on a BAU basis.
• The Prime Minister mentioned the Railways’ net-zero 2030 target cutting 60 million tonnes annually and LED bulbs cutting another 40 million tonnes a year is probably not easy.
• Renewable source - India has reached only around 101 GW of solar and wind due to numerous constraints.
• If large hydro and nuclear are added, current RE installed capacity is about 150 GW or lesser than 40% of total which almost achieves the NDC target for 2030 and showing under-projection.
• The current commitments may prove difficult because of the need for storage and grid stability.
• Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) - India launched an international climate initiative called IRIS to provide technical knowledge and financial assistance to small island nations with the help of developed countries

India’s INDC Targets under Paris Agreement 2015

• To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 % by 2030 from 2005 level.
• To achieve about 40 % cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030.
• To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

What are the disappointments with India’s stance at Glasgow?

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1)  Public Service Broadcasting Day: 12 November

•Public Service Broadcasting Day is celebrated on 12 November every year. The day is celebrated to commemorate the first and only visit of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947. On 12 November 1947, Mahatma Gandhi addressed the displaced people (a refugee from Pakistan), who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.

2)  World Pneumonia Day observed on 12 November

•World Pneumonia Day is observed across the world on November 12 every year to raise awareness, promote prevention and treatment and produce action to combat the disease. World Pneumonia Day 2021 is an annual event that was first celebrated in the year 2009.

3)  PM Modi launches two innovative customer-centric initiatives of RBI

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched two innovative customer-centric initiatives of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). These initiatives are the RBI Retail Direct Scheme and the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme. There will be a single point of reference for customers to file their complaints, submit the documents, track status, and provide feedback.

4)  President Ramnath Kovind addresses 51st Conference of Governors & LGs

•India’s President Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressed the 51st Conference of Governors and Lieutenant Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. It is the fourth conference to be presided over by President Ram Nath Kovind.  The Governors and Lieutenant Governors from all states and union territories across the country attended the conference along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

5)  Odisha govt launches road safety initiative ‘Rakshak’

•The state government of Odisha has launched a first of its kind road safety initiative named Rakshak, to train first responders of road accidents. Under the program, 300 master trainers will train 30,000 local people, staying or working at the eateries and different business establishments located near accident-prone spots. These 30,000 volunteers will be trained as First Responders to road accidents. They will be equipped to administer first aid and pre-hospital trauma care to accident victims within the golden hour.

6)  SpaceX launches Indian-origin astronaut Raja Chari-led Crew 3 mission

•US Space agency NASA and the Elon Musk-owned private rocket company SpaceX have launched the “Crew 3” mission on November 10, 2021. The “Crew 3” mission consists of Indian-origin NASA astronaut Raja Chari as its mission commander. The other three astronauts are NASA’s Tom Marshburn (pilot); and Kayla Barron (mission specialist); as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer (mission specialist).

•Under this mission, four astronauts have been sent to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month science mission until April 2022. The four-member international crew of astronauts lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule named Endurance fixed to Falcon 9 rocket.

7)  RBI remove restrictions on Diners Club International Limited

•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lifted restrictions imposed on 23rd April 2021 with immediate effect on credit card issuer Diners Club International Ltd to onboard new customers. RBI restricted Diners Club International Ltd. from onboarding new domestic customers onto its card network from May 1, 2021, due to non-compliance with RBI on the storage of Payment System Data. The central bank had banned the US-based company from onboarding new domestic customers onto its card network for violating data storage norms.

•Earlier, RBI has banned – American Express, the 7th largest credit card issuer in India (on 23rd April 2021), and Mastercard, the 2nd largest credit card issuer in India (in July 2021) from enrolling new customers. RBI has not yet lifted its ban.

8)  Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar becomes India’s richest self-made woman billionaire

•Falguni Nayar, the CEO and founder of beauty and fashion eCommerce platform Nykaa, has become the richest self-made woman in India. She founded Nykaa in the year 2012. She holds 53.5% stake in Nykaa and has a net worth of USD 7.48 billion.

•This comes after the IPO of FSN E-Commerce Ventures which is Nykaa’s parent entity. This is also the first woman-led unicorn to list on the stock exchange. The issue size of the IPO of FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa) was Rs 5,351.92 crore with face value of Rs 1 per share.

9)  Mitrabha Guha named as India’s 72nd Grandmaster

•International Master (IM) Mitrabha Guha from Kolkata, West Bengal has become the 72nd Grandmaster of India after securing his 3rd and final Grandmaster (GM) norm at GM Third Saturday Mix 220, Novi Sad, Serbia. He won this 3rd GM norm against GM Nikola Sedlak of Mitrabha Guha scored his 2nd GM norm at the Sheikh Russel International GM Tournament 2021, Bangladesh.

10)  India’s first National Yogasana Sports Championships setup in Bhubaneswar

•India’s first Physical National Yogasana Championships has been organised in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from November 11-13, 2021. The National Yogasana Sports Championships 2021-22 has been organised by the National Yogasana Sports Federation (NYSF) in association with the Odisha state.

•Around 560 young Yogasana Sports athletes from across 30 states would are taking part in the event. The event aims to promote yoga and create a global brand around it, portraying it as a competitive sport with high standards and benchmarks.

📰 India demands $1 trillion as ‘climate finance’

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1)  National Education Day: 11 November

•In India, the National Education Day is celebrated on 11 November every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India. The day was announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development on 11 September 2008. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as education minister from 15 August 1947 to 2 February 1958.

2)  Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar named as next Chief of the Naval Staff

•Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar has been named as the next Chief of the Naval Staff by the Government of India. He is presently posted as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. He will take on the new role with effect from November 30, 2021. He will replace the incumbent Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Karambir Singh, who will complete his tenure on November 30, 2021.

3)  Climate Change Performance Index: India ranked 10th

•India has been placed at 10th spot in the global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2022 released by Germanwatch on the side-lines of the COP26. In 2020 also India was at 10th position. India has retained its position as the top 10 best-performing countries with higher climate performance for the third year in a row.

4)  USA becomes 101st member country of ISA

•The United States of America (USA) has joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a member country. U.S is now the 101st country to sign the framework agreement of the ISA. The framework agreement was formally signed by John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. It demonstrates that nations across the world are recognising the economic and climate mitigating value of solar, as well as this energy source’s potential as a catalyst for the global energy transition.

5)  Cabinet approves to observe November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

•The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the declaration of November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. 15 November has been chosen as this date marks the birth anniversary of Sri Birsa Munda who is revered as Bhagwan (God) by tribal communities across the country.

6)  A new book ‘Finding A Straight Line Between Twists and Turns’ by Aseem Chawla

•Aseem Chawla, one of India’s leading tax lawyers and well-known international tax and policy expert released his new book “Finding A Straight Line Between Twists and Turns – An Imperfect, Yet Honest Reflections on the Indian Tax Landscape” published by Matrix Publishers. The book provides an in-depth analysis of both national and international of the Indian tax landscape over a decade.

7)  Delhi govt launched ‘Shramik Mitra’ Scheme for Construction Workers

•The Government of Delhi launched the ‘Shramik Mitra‘ scheme for construction workers. Under the scheme, 800 ‘Shramik Mitras’ will reach out to construction workers, and spread awareness on the government schemes. Delhi Govt has also increased the Dearness allowance for Unskilled, Semi-skilled workers, to increase their salary by around 1%. Shramik Mitras will inform construction workers registered by the Construction Board at the ward level about assistance schemes of the government.

8)  Novak Djokovic won 37th Masters Title at Paris

•Novak Djokovic (Serbia) has defeated Danill Medvedev (Russia) in the finals to win his 6th Paris Title & the record 37th Masters Title at Paris, France. In the finals, Djokovic, with an impressive 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeating Daniil Medvedev. With this win, Djokovic will remain at the ATP World Number 1 rank, for the record 7th consecutive year.

📰 Union Cabinet brings back MPLAD Scheme