Apparel export body urges govt. to stop using Delhi airport as transhipment hub for Bangladesh exports
Syllabus: GS- III
Subject: Economy
Topic: Trade and External Sector
Issue: APEC.
Tags: #AEPC #Bangladesh #India.
Context: The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) urges the government to halt the transhipment of Bangladeshi exports via Delhi Airport due to increasing logistical challenges and costs for Indian apparel exporters.
| Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC):
· It empowers Indian apparel exporters for global success. · It assists both exporters and international buyers choosing India for garment sourcing. o Provides export statistics, tariffs, and weekly dossiers. o Encourages apparel manufacturers and exporters to join. |
Source: The Hindu
Use Chabahar port, India tells Central Asian countries.
Syllabus: GS-II
Subject: International relations
Topic: India’s relations with other countries.
Issue: Chabahar Port.
Context: “India urges Central Asian nations to utilize Chabahar port for enhanced connectivity and trade.
Sixth Regional Dialogue on Afghanistan
- The use of Chabahar Port and Shaheed Behesti Terminal for maritime trade.
- India, not recognizing the Taliban, stresses humanitarian assistance, combating terrorism, and preserving rights in Afghanistan.
- India has 500 projects across Afghanistan and supports economic empowerment, including scholarships for Afghan girls.
- It emphasized the need to prevent Afghan territory from being used by terrorist group.
+1 Advantage for Mains:
Strategic and economic importance of Chabahar Port:
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Source: The Hindu
SC orders district-wise review of facilities in jails for women
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Society and Social Justice.
Topic: Welfare schemes, mechanisms, laws, and institutions related to women
Issue: Pregnancies in Women Jail.
Context: Concerns over pregnancies in West Bengal jails, with 62 children born to inmates over four years. Supreme Court ordered review of infrastructure and security in women’s jails nationwide.
Instructions:
- District committees to inspect conditions led by senior women judicial and police officers.
- Focus areas include security, hygiene, healthcare, and welfare measures for inmates and children.
Data Point:
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Source: The Hindu
Jaishankar, Blinken talk on progress in India-US strategic ties
Syllabus: GS-II
Subject: International Relations
Topic: India’s relation with major powers
Issue: Munich Security Conference.
Context: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed key bilateral issues, during their meeting on the side-lines of the Munich Security Conference.
| The Munich Security Conference
· It is an annual event where global leaders gather to discuss and address pressing security challenges facing the international community. · It serves as a platform for high-level discussions on security policies and strategies, with a focus on fostering cooperation and finding solutions to global security issues.Top of Form |
Source: Indian Express
Cartosat-2, which aided urban planning for over a decade, was brought down
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Science & Technology
Topic: Space Technology
Issue: Cartosat-2
Context: Cartosat-2, ISRO’s high-resolution imaging satellite for urban planning, deorbited after 17 years.
Synopsis:
- It provided high-resolution images for urban planning until 2019.
- Initially estimated 30-year natural de-orbiting, but perigee lowered to 130 km in 2020 for safe disposal.
- Coordinated de-orbiting exercise by the ISRO team in Bengaluru to reduce collision risks.
| Cartosat satellites
· It are utilized for earth observation, primarily for detailed mapping of the Earth’s surface using high-resolution cameras. · They play a crucial role in identifying alterations in natural or man-made features, as their cameras can capture continuous spot images by scanning back and forth. |
Source: Indian Express
ISRO’s ‘naughty boy’ rocket to launch India’s latest weather satellite today
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Science & Technology
Topic: Space Technology
Context: GSLV-F14 will launch the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite from Sriharikota.
- GSLV was nicknamed “naughty boy” due to past reliability issues.
- Mission crucial as GSLV to carry NISAR satellite later, jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
- NISAR will provide information on global mapping for ecosystem changes, ice mass, sea level rise, and natural hazards.
- INSAT-3DS to replace INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR with a 10-year mission life, funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Prelims Connect:
| GSLV-F14:
· It is a mass launch vehicle. · Features solid propellant first stage (S139) and four liquid propellant strap-on stages (L40). · Also includes liquid propellant second stage (GS2) and cryogenic third stage (GS3) with LOX and LH2. · Capable of launching spacecraft for communications, navigation, and earth resource surveys. · Equipped with Ogive payload fairing for satellite protection during ascent. |
Source: Indian Express
Recce aircraft to anti-tank mines: Green light to big-ticket purchases.
Syllabus: GS
Subject: Current Affairs
Topic: Institutions in news
Issue: Defence Acquisition Council.
Context: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved major acquisitions.
Synopsis: Emphasis on procurement from Indian vendors and amendments to promote advanced technologies from start-ups and MSMEs.
Prelims Connect
| Defence Acquisition Council (DAC):
§ DAC is the top procurement body chaired by the Defence Minister. § Members: Chief of Defence Staff, Army, Navy, Air Force chiefs. § Formed post-2001 reforms after the Kargil War. § To expedite armed forces’ procurement. |
Source: Indian Express
Daily Editorials
What Swaminathan panel said
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Economy
Topic: Agriculture and Allied
Issue: Swaminathan Committee Report
- In 2004, the Ministry of Agriculture constituted a National Commission on Farmers (NCF) under Prof Swaminathan.
- The 10-point terms of reference of the commission, included suggesting a
- “comprehensive medium-term strategy for food and nutrition security”, and
- ways of “enhancing productivity, profitability, and sustainability of the major farming systems” in the country.
- The Commission did not recommend either a legal guarantee for MSP.
Highlights/ Recommendations of the report:
- Setting up of a National Board for New Deal for Women in Agriculture.
- Farm Schools should be established in the fields of innovative farmers, in order to spread their message and methods.
- Establishing a grain bank and community food and fodder banks, promoting insurance, and setting up a national network of advanced soil testing labs.
- A code of conduct for contract farming.
- Futures and options trading in agricultural commodities, with supervision and regulation by a “SEBI like autonomous body”.
China’s ‘Xiaokang’ border defence villages along the LAC, now being occupied
Syllabus: GS-III
Subject: Internal Security
Topic: Border Management
Issue: Line of Actual Control
- Since 2019, China has been building villages along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), called Xiaokang or “well-off villages”.
- as a way to assert Chinese claims over certain areas along the LAC.
- the exact extent of the LAC has been a source of contention between the two countries for years.
- The Indian government announced the Vibrant Villages Programme in 2022 to develop its border villages into modern villages.
Prelims Connect:
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is a demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory in the Sino-Indian border dispute.
Day after, way ahead: After SC electoral bond verdict, time to clean up
Syllabus: GS-II
Subject: Polity
Topic: Elections and RPA
Issue: Electoral Finance, Electoral Bonds
There is a need to reform the electoral finance.
Money and Elections:
- studies have revealed the direct and indirect influence of money on electoral politics.
- Lack of money can exclude candidates who belong to socio-economically weaker sections.
- Legal dichotomy: the law only regulates contributions to political parties, not to individual candidates.
- However, when it comes to expenditure, the law regulates the expenditure by candidates and not by political parties.
- four key aspects that future regulation must tackle:
- Regulation of donations,
- expenditure limits,
- public financing, and
- disclosure requirements.
+1 advantage for mains:
| Best practices from around the world:
· The United States imposes restrictions on contributions based on the kind of donor. · The United Kingdom regulates expenditure, political parties are not allowed to spend more than certain amount. · In Germany parties receive public funds on the basis of their importance (based on criteria such as the number of votes received in the last elections) in the political system. · The use of “democracy vouchers” in local elections in Seattle, US. Where, publicly funded vouchers were distributed among eligible voters, who, in turn, donated them to the candidate of their choice. Statement : Money creates entry-barriers to politics by limiting the kind of candidates and political parties which enter the electoral fray – Supreme Court of India. |