Vadhavan Port
■ The Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave the go-ahead for the building of a new deep-draft port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra.
■ The project, which costs about ₹76,200 crores
■ Port will be very important for trade going through the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor and the International North South Transportation Corridor.
■ The port will be able to hold up to 23 million TEU and 298 million tones of goods.
Ancient Pearl City Tu’am
■ On the UAE’s Siniyah Island, archaeologists have found the remains of the old city of Tu’am.
■ Excavations recently done in Umm al-Quwain by the Italian Archaeological Mission.
■ The city was a center for the pearl trade, which drove its economy and made it famous in the area.
■ Tu’am is often described as the city of a coastal area famous for pearl fishing.
■ The United Arab Emirates[b] (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East.
■ Located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, it shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran.
Prachand
⦿ Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), given a unique contract worth about Rs 50,000 crore by the UK Ministry of Defence.
⦿ The money will be used to buy Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), also known as “Prachand.”
⦿ During test flights in Ladakh, the Prachand helicopters, which were designed to work well in the Indian terrain, showed how well they could handle high levels.
HAL
⦿ Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bangalore
⦿Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world
⦿ HAL began aircraft manufacturing as early as 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force.
22 June 2024
Strawberry Export
⦿ In the latest global trade statistics, the export value of “Strawberries, fresh” reached over $3.34 billion, encompassing data from 91 countries
⦿ Mexico, as the foremost strawberry exporter globally, shipped approximately 201.6 million kilograms of strawberries
⦿ Top Five Strawberry export nations are
Mexico
Spain
United States
Netherlands
Belgium
⦿ Strawberry fruit is considered an “accessory fruit” and is not a true berry
False fruit:
■ It is a type of fruit in which the flesh or pulp of the fruit is not completely derived from the ovary.
■ Instead, it is derived from some adjacent tissues, present at the exterior of the carpel.
■ It is also known as pseudo fruit or pseudo carp.
■ Example: Strawberry, pineapple, etc.
Global Gender Gap Index
⦿ The World Economic Forum released the 18th edition of its annual Global Gender Gap Report for 2024, comprehensively benchmarking gender parity across 146 economies worldwide.
⦿ India is ranked 129th out of 146 countries in the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index
⦿ The Global Gender Gap Index, launched in 2006, examines gender equality in economic participation and opportunity, education, health and survival, and political empowerment.
⦿ The index ratings emphasize gender inequality
⦿ India ranks 112th in education with a 96.4% gender gap closed.
⦿This shows educational equality is better but remains below global levels.
⦿ India ranks 142nd with 0.951, suggesting significant gender health disparities.
⦿ India ranks 65th in political inclusion, bridging the gender gap with 25.1%.
⦿ In South Asia, India ranks fifth out of seven countries, while Bangladesh leads globally at 99th
⦿ Iceland (93.5%) remains the world’s most gender-equal society for the 15th consecutive year.
⦿ It is followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden in the top 5 rankings.
Indian Initiatives to Reduce Gender Gap in Social, Economic and Political Life
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
Mahila Shakti Kendra
Mahila Police Volunteers
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya
⦿ The government has reserved 33% of the seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions for women.
⦿ The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, has also reserved one-third of all seats for women in Lok Sabha, State legislative assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, including those reserved for SCs and STs.
⦿ To promote female entrepreneurship, the Government has initiated Programmes like Stand-Up India and Mahila-e-Haat (an online marketing platform to support women entrepreneurs/SHGs/NGOs), Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (ESSDP).
Indian Post Office Act, 1898
⦿ It came into force on 1st July 1898 with the objective to consolidate and amend the law relating to the Post Offices in India.
⦿ It grants the Central government exclusive privilege over conveying letters and establishes a monopoly of the Central government over conveying letters.
⦿ The Indian Post Office Act of 1898 was thrown out on June 18 2024.
⦿ Section 9 of the Act gives the Center the power to stop, open, or hold mail under certain circumstances, such as when there is a threat to state security, public order, or a violation of the law.
⦿ Section 10 of the new law protects the Post Office and its employees from liability for losses, misdelivery, or damage, as long as certain conditions are met.
⦿ The Act officially ends the government’s sole right to deliver letters, recognizing that private delivery services have become more popular.
Concern issues
⦿ The Bill does not specify any procedural safeguards against the interception of postal articles.
⦿ This may violate the right to privacy, and the freedom of speech and expression.
⦿ It is not possible to safeguard the rights of citizens under Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression) and Article 21 (right to privacy as a part of the right to life and liberty).
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Global Energy Transition Index
⦿ World Economic Forum (WEF) just released the Global Energy Transition Index.
⦿ Sweden topped the list and was followed by Denmark, Norway, Finland and Switzerland in the top five on the list of 120 countries.
⦿ India rank on 63rd place out of 120 countries
⦿ India was praised by the WEF for taking the initiative to promote sustainable energy sources, especially solar energy.
⦿ 42% of India’s total energy production potential now comes from renewable sources.
⦿ Parameters of this index are government regulations, energy security, sustainability efforts, and lowering carbon emissions.
World Economic Forum
⦿ The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Geneva, Switzerland.
⦿It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer Klaus Schwab.
⦿ Mission is “improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.
Iberian Lynx Conservation Status
⦿ The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), one of the rarest cat species globally, has moved from being ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
⦿ The Iberian Lynx is restricted to two separate regions of southwestern Spain, namely eastern Sierra Morena and the coastal plains west of the lower Guadalquivir.
⦿ These are protected under Apendix II of IUCN Red List and it is listed on CITES Appendix I.
⦿ There is a big risk that the number of rabbits in Europe will change, mostly because of virus breakouts
⦿ The lynx can also get diseases from house cats.
IUCN
⦿ The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
⦿ Founded in 1948, headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.
⦿ The organization is best known to the wider public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which assesses the conservation status of species worldwide.
⦿ IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations, and plays a role in the implementation of several international conventions on nature conservation and biodiversity.
⦿ It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Iitiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET)
iCET led by Indian National Security Council Secretariat and U.S. National Security Council was launched in 2023.
It is a framework for cooperation on CET in areas including space, semiconductors, telecommunications, clean energy, biotechnology, etc.
Combined $90 million in government funding over next five years for U.S.-India Global Challenges Institute to foster research partnerships in areas of semiconductor technology, sustainable agriculture, etc.
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), jointly developed satellite to map Earth’s surface twice every 12 days as part of efforts to combat climate change.
Participate in Lunar Gateway Programme (LGP).
Partnerships to deploy cost-effective Open Radio Access Network technology; strengthen cooperation in 6G technologies
Developing joint Strategic Framework for optimizing and strengthening global biopharmaceutical supply chain.
Launch of “Bio-X” initiative to promote cooperation in biotechnology and enhance competitiveness of biotechnology industries.
Enhancing Mineral security partnership through co-invest in lithium resource project in South America and rare earths deposit in Africa.
Striped Caecilian (Ichthyophis spp)
A limbless amphibian called the Striped Caecilian (Ichthyophis spp) has been discovered for the first time in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, during a rapid herpetofauna survey.
Reptiles and amphibians are collectively called herpetofauna
They spend most of their lives burrowed under soil and are carnivorous.
Their presence provides critical insights into the evolution and intercontinental speciation due to their ancient lineage
About Kaziranga National Park
Located between the Brahmaputra River and the Karbi (Mikir) Hills.
It was declared as a National Park in 1974, and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
Big 5 Species: Rhinoceros, Tiger, Elephant, Wild Water Buffalo, and Swamp deer.
It has been declared a tiger reserve since 2007
It is the home of the world’s most one-horned rhinos. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world and second highest number of Rhinos in Assam after Kaziranga National Park.
The 2018 census had yielded 2,413 rhinos and approximately 1,100 elephants.
As per the figures of tiger census conducted in 2014, Kaziranga had an estimated 103 tigers, the third highest population in India after Jim Corbett National Park (215) in Uttarakhand and Bandipur National Park (120) in Karnataka.
The National Highway 37 passes through the park area.
Diphlu River running through it.
Hockey sponsorship for India
Odisha government decided to extend its hockey sponsorship until 2036, which marks the centenary of Odisha’s formation as a state in 1936.
The Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd (OMC), initially committed to sponsoring Hockey India from 2018 to 2023, later extended to 2033.
OMC is a wholly owned government corporation in Odisha that was established in 1956
Odisha Chief Minister inaugurated Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, one of the largest hockey stadiums in Rourkela on 5th January 2023.
On 29th August, India observes National Sports Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand
Kerala’s Kozhikode
The UNESCO honored Kozhikode as India’s first “City of Literature” on June 23.
Kozhikode has been home to numerous cultural icons including two Jnanpith laureates. The local cinema, music, and media houses have also played an essential role in developing the city’s literary and cultural environment.
Kozhikode, which used to be called Calicut, is a city on the coast of Kerala
Famous for being where Vasco da Gama arrived in 1498.
Kozhikode was once called the “City of Spices”
The city is where the famous martial art style Kalaripayattu got its start.
RLV LEX-03
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the third and final Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment (RLV LEX-03) for the Pushpak vehicle.
Reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) are rockets that can be used multiple times for space missions, unlike traditional expendable rockets where each stage is discarded after use.