VISION

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VISION IAS MAINS 365 Economy 2021 in Hindi PDF

1)  National Press Day observed on 16 November

•National Press Day is observed on 16th November every year to celebrate free and responsible press in India. On this day the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that the press maintains high standards and is not constrained by any influence or threats. It also commemorates the day when the Press Council of India started functioning.

2)  International Day for Tolerance: 16 November

•The United Nations observes “International Day for Tolerance” on 16th November every year. The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples.

3)  Arunachal’s approved “Kaiser-i-Hind” as state butterfly

•State Cabinet of Arunachal Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, approved “Kaiser-i-Hind” as the state butterfly. Kaiser-i-Hind is scientifically known as Teinopalpus imperialis. In literal terms, it means Emperor of India. The butterfly is having a wingspan of 90-120 mm. It is found across six States along Eastern Himalayas at elevations from 6,000-10,000 feet in a well-wooded terrain.

•The Kaiser-i-Hind is protected under Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Despite that, they are hunted for the supply to butterfly collectors. International Union for Conservation of Nature has red-listed the Kaiser-i-Hind.

4)  India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX–21 begins

•The 3rd edition of the Trilateral Maritime Exercise named SITMEX–21 is being held from 15 to 16 Nov 21 in the Andaman Sea. The Navies of the India, Singapore and Thailand will participate in the event. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk is participating in the 3rd edition from India. It is an indigenously built Missile Corvette.

•The event is being hosted by Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in the Andaman Sea with an aim to enhance the cooperation between the participating navies towards augmenting the overall maritime security in the region.

5)  India launches 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica

•India successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica on November 15, 2021. The first batch of its contingents comprising of 23 scientists and support staff has reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri. Four more batches will be landing in Antarctica by mid-January 2022. The Indian Antarctic program began in 1981 and has completed 40 scientific expeditions.

•The team of 48 members at the 41st expedition is being led by Dr Shailendra Saini, Scientist National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research (Voyage Leader), Shri. Huidrom Nageshwar Singh, Metrologist, India Metrological Department (Leader, Maitri Station) and Shri. AnoopKalayilSoman, scientist Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (Leader, Bharati Station). Currently, there are three permanent research base stations in Antarctica, named DakshinGangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012).

6)  Nation observed its 1st edition of Audit Diwas on 16th November

•Audit Diwas is celebrated to mark the historic origin of the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and the contribution it has made to the governance, transparency and accountability over the past several years. Currently, former Lt. Governor of UT of Jammu Kashmir G. C. Murmu is serving as CAG of India. He is the 14th CAG of India. His tenure started in August 2020.

7)  PM Modi inaugurates Purvanchal Expressway

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 341-km long Purvanchal Express in Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The expressway links state capital Lucknow with Ghazipur and has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 22,500 crore. PM Modi landed on the Purvanchal Expressway airstrip in a military transport aircraft. The key feature of the Expressway is the 3.2 km long airstrip to enable landing and take-off of Indian Air Force fighter planes in case of emergency.

8)  IOCL and NTPC tied up to collaborate in Renewable Energy

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 341-km long Purvanchal Express in Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The expressway links state capital Lucknow with Ghazipur and has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 22,500 crore. PM Modi landed on the Purvanchal Expressway airstrip in a military transport aircraft. The key feature of the Expressway is the 3.2 km long airstrip to enable landing and take-off of Indian Air Force fighter planes in case of emergency.

9)  IQAir Air Quality Index: Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai among world’s top 10 polluted cities

•According to the data from air quality and pollution city tracking service from IQAir, a Switzerland-based climate group, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai are among the top ten most polluted cities of the world. Delhi topped the list with AQI at 556, Kolkata and Mumbai recorded an AQI of 177 and 169, respectively, at 4th and 6th position. The cities with the worst AQI indices also include Lahore, in Pakistan, and Chengdu, in China.

10)  Lewis Hamilton wins 2021 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix

•Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain), has won the 2021 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix (earlier known as Brazilian Grand Prix). Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) came second while Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) came third in the Brazilian Grand Prix 2021. Max Verstappen is leading the World Drivers’ Standings with 312.5 points, 19 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton (318.5).

📰 PM reaches out to tribal people, launches schemes

 What is the issue?

The United States’ Labor Department reported that retail inflation had spiked to 6.2 % in October whereas India’s National Statistical Office data showed that retail inflation rose to 4.5 % for the same month.

What is inflation rate?

• It is the rate at which prices increase over a given period.

• In India, the inflation rate is calculated on a year-on-year basis.

• A high inflation rate erodes the purchasing power of people.

• Since the poor have less money to withstand fast-rising prices, high inflation hurts them the hardest.

What has caused the inflation surge in the US?

 Why in news?

The Glasgow Climate Pact (of COP 26)  was adopted recently and it is a mixed bag of modest achievements and disappointed expectations.

What are the modest achievements of the Summit?

• Average global temperature - The achievements include a clear consensus on a target of keeping global temperature rise down to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The notional target of 2 degrees of the Paris Agreement remains but the international discourse is now set in the more ambitious target.
• Transition from fossil fuels - It is the first clear recognition of the need to transition away from fossil fuels by phasing down the use of coal.
• Importance of Adaptation – Adaptation attained greater significance and there is a commitment to double the current finance available for this to developing countries.
• A start is being made in formulating an adaptation plan and this puts the issue firmly on the Climate agenda.
• Global Methane Pledge - Methane is a significant greenhouse gas with 28 to 34 times higher temperature forcing quality than carbon but stays in the atmosphere for a shorter duration.
• An agreement is signed among 100 countries to cut methane emissions by 30 % by 2030.
• Ending deforestation - A group of 100 countries has agreed to begin to reverse deforestation by 2030.
• Since the group includes Brazil and Indonesia where large areas of forests are being ravaged by legal and illegal logging, there will be progress in expanding these carbon sinks on the planet.
• US-China Joint Declaration on Climate Change - It implies that both the countries are moving towards a less confrontational and more cooperative relationship overall.
• India’s commitments – The commitment to achieve net-zero carbon by 2070 and of enhanced targets for renewable energy were welcomed.
• Clarity on Article 6 of Paris agreement- There is greater clarity on how bilateral carbon trades can proceed and the creation of a centralised hub that replaces Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism.
• Criteria have been set out for countries to use CERs from projects registered after January 1, 2013 to meet their first NDC or first adjusted NDC.
• It also designates a 12-member Supervisory Body to oversee the emerging hub and to review the baselines of recognised credits.

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement introduces provisions for using international carbon markets to facilitate fulfilment of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by countries.

What are the major disappointments of the Summit?

1)  Children’s Day observed on 14th November

•On 14th November, Children’s Day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Children’s Day is popularly known as ‘Baal Diwas’ in India. The day aims at increasing the awareness of the rights, care and education of children. On this day, many educational and motivational programs are organised across the country, by and for children.

2)  World Diabetes Day observed on 14 November

•World Diabetes Day is observed on 14th November every year. The campaign aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2021-23: “Access to Diabetes Care ”.

•In 2007 General Assembly adopted resolution 61/225 designating 14 November as World Diabetes Day. The document recognized “the urgent need to pursue multilateral efforts to promote and improve human health, and provide access to treatment and health-care education.”

3)  44th Wangala festival begins in Meghalaya

•Meghalaya state observed the 44th edition of ‘Wangala’, the festival of 100 Drums Festival begins. It is a post-harvest festival of the Garos tribe which is being held every year to honour ‘Saljong’, the Sun God of Garos, which also marks the end of the harvest season. Celebrated since 1976, it’s the most important festival of the Garo tribe and attracts a lot of tourists. During the Wangala, tribals offer sacrifices to please their deity Saljong, the Sun God.

•The first day of the festival is celebrated with a ceremony called Ragula which is performed in the house of the village’s chief. People dress up in colourful costumes with feathered headgears and dance to the rhythms of long oval-shaped drums on the second day of celebration, Kakkat.

4)  Centre brings ordinance to extend tenure of ED, CBI directors up to 5 years

•The central government of India promulgated two ordinances for extending the tenure of Directors of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for up to five years. At present, the director of CBI and ED have been appointed for two-year tenure in office by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act, 2003. The order states that “whereas Parliament is not in session and the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action.”

•President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the ordinance and the central government is expected to table a law in Parliament to replace the same. As per the new ordinance, the Directors of CBI or ED can now be appointed first for a period of two years, and later if needed, the tenure can be extended for three more years. But it will require three separate annual extensions. However, after five years no extension can be granted to an ED or CBI chief.

5)  6th India-France bilateral Army exercise EX SHAKTI 2021 begins

•The Navies of India and France will carry out the 6th edition of the biennial training exercise “EX SHAKTI 2021” from November 15 to 26, 2021 in Frejus, France. The Indian Army will be represented by the Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion and France Army will be represented by troops of the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade.

6)  Bhopal’s Habibganj Railway Station renamed as Rani Kamlapati Station

•The Habibganj railway station in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has been renamed after 18th-century Gond Queen of Bhopal, Rani Kamlapati. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the revamped Rani Kamlapati railway station on November 15, during his visit to Bhopal. The railway station has been redeveloped with modern airport-like amenities at a cost of Rs 450 crore under Public Private Partnership mode in three years. Rani Kamlapati was the last Hindu queen of Bhopal and pride of the Gond community.

7)  Professor Bimal Patel of India elected to International Law Commission

•Professor Bimal Patel of India has been elected to the International Law Commission for a period of five-year. His five-year term will start from January 1, 2023. Prof Patel is the Vice-Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University and a Member of the National Security Advisory Board of India. The 51-year-old Patel secured 163 votes in the UN General Assembly out of 192 members. This was the highest votes received by a candidate in the Asia-Pacific Group.

8)  Dr Ajay Kumar releases a book titled ‘FORCE IN STATECRAFT’

•India’s Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar has released a book titled ‘FORCE IN STATECRAFT’ in New Delhi. The book is a compilation of essays on topics such as counter-insurgency operations, conflict in the North East, airpower, nuclear posture etc. contributed by all stalwarts of the Armed Forces, who have vast operational experience and understanding of several important cornerstones of forces and its application.

•It has been compiled by Commandant of National Defence College (NDC) Air Marshal Diptendu Choudhury and President’s Chair of Excellence at NDC Air Vice Marshal (Dr) Arjun Subramaniam (Retd). The first of its kind book from NDC will help policymakers, legislators, diplomats, academics, leadership at all levels in the various national security verticals.

9)  RBI projected Retail (CPI) inflation at 5.3% for 2021-22

•The RBI has projected the CPI inflation at 5.3 per cent for 2021-22. According to MoSPI data, inflation in the food basket rose to 0.85 per cent in October, compared to 0.68 per cent in the preceding month. India’s retail inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose slightly in October to 4.48% year-on-year from 35% in September due to an uptick in food prices. The inflation was 61% in October last year.

10)  Australia wins their maiden T20 World Cup title

•Australia won their maiden T20 World Cup title as they defeated New Zealand in the final by 8 wickets. A target of 173 in a global final is never easy but Marsh with his power and reach made it look like a walk in the park in the company of David Warner (53 off 38 balls), who also turned the wheels of fortune for himself and his team during a victory, achieved in 18.5 overs. Mitchell Marsh was named as the player of the match.

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