Current Affairs 19th June

National Affairs

1. NITI Aayog, UN sign the GoI-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027

 

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and the United Nations office in India signed a “Government of India – United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027” (GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027) on June 16, 2023.

 

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog, B V R Subrahmanyam, signed it; and UN Resident Coordinator for India, Shombi Sharp.

 

NITI Aayog was in charge of developing the GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027, and the UN Resident Coordinator was in charge of leading and coordinating inputs from the UN Development System (UNDS) in India.

 

NITI Aayog was in charge of coming up with the GoI-UNSDCF 2023-2027, and the UN Resident Coordinator was in charge of leading and coordinating the inputs from the UNDS in India.

2. Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey Launches Dugdh Sankalan Sathi Mobile App for Indian Dairy Industries

The “Dugdh Sanakalan Sathi Mobile App,” also known as the “Milk Collection Partner Mobile App,” was launched by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) of Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, for the Indian dairy industry on June 16, 2023.

 

The key issues that arise during the milk collection process will be addressed by this app, which will ultimately benefit milk producers and aid in the expansion of the dairy industry.

 

App developer:

 

Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL), a “Mini Ratna Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) under MHI) with headquarters in Jaipur (Rajasthan), is responsible for its design and development.

 

Rakesh Chopra is in charge of running things. Additionally, REIL’s 43rd foundation day is June 16, 2023.

 

The App’s Objective:

 

To streamline operations at the grassroots village level, including Milk Cooperative Societies, milk producers, milk organizations/unions, and state federations, in order to raise milk quality, increase transparency among stakeholders, and improve milk quality.

 

Key Points:

 

It is an entirely cloud-based solution that makes use of the most recent, cutting-edge platform.

 

The app will offer all services for milk producers in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, and other languages.

 

Similar to the Indian government’s commitment to digitising processes and making direct beneficiary transfers of government subsidies and milk payments to milk producers, it follows this model.

 

Other features include real-time milk price updates, online monitoring of daily milk poured at Milk Cooperative Societies, and enhanced transparency through stakeholder engagement.

3. Indian Navy Launches Julley Ladakh outreach programme to Engage with Youngsters and civil society

An outreach program in Ladakh called “Julley Ladakh” (Hello Ladakh) was launched by the Indian Navy to educate youth and members of civil society about the naval service.

 

The 5000-kilometre Motorcycle Expedition was launched on June 15 from New Delhi by Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, Vice Chief of Navy Staff. It will travel through Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir on its way to Leh on June 28.

 

Expedition on motorcycles co-organized with TVS Motors. This expedition featured TVS Apache RTR and RR 310 riders.

 

Navy personnel will honour those who died in the battle of Rezang La in 1962 at the Kargil War Memorial as part of the initiative. iii A band concert, a medical camp, and a football match between the Navy and the Ladakh Football Club are also organized by the Indian Navy. 

 

The Julley Ladakh’s main goals are as follows:

 

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav marks the 75th anniversary of Indian independence.

 

Conduct education campaigns about the career opportunities offered by the Indian Navy, including the Agnipath Scheme, at schools and colleges in the Ladakh region.

Persuade Youth to enlist in the Indian Naval force.

 

Include female officers and their partners to highlight Shri Narendra Modi’s initiative, Nari Shakti.

 

In the area, talk to veterans of the Navy and Veer Naris.

 

Note:

 

In addition, the Sam No Varunah car expedition was a way for the Indian Navy to interact with citizens in all of the coastal states.

4. Department of Legal Affairs sets up a Panel led by T K Vishwanathan to recommend Reforms in Arbitration Law

To recommend changes to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, of 1996, the Department of Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Law & Justice (MoL&J) established a 16-member expert committee on June 16, 2023, led by former Secretary of the Department of Legal Affairs and Padma Shri recipient T K Vishwanathan.

The objective is to make the courts’ work easier.

The deadline for the panel to submit its report is thirty days.

 

Members:

 

Its other members include officials from the Legislative Department, NITI Aayog, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the railways, and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, senior advocates, and representatives from private law firms are also members.

 

Key Liabilities of Council:

 

It will compare the Indian arbitration system, including how the Arbitration Act works, to other important foreign jurisdictions to determine its strengths, weaknesses, and challenges.

 

Additionally, it will offer a model framework for an arbitration system. This system ought to be cost-effective, efficient, and able to meet the particular requirements of users in arbitration cases.

 

It will suggest principles for determining arbitrator fees and arbitration costs.

 

By suggesting a modification to the existing provision v, it will suggest measures to expedite award enforcement. It will suggest a duty charter for the arbitral tribunal, parties, and arbitral institutions to follow.

 

Additionally, the panel will investigate the viability of enacting separate domestic and international arbitration laws.

 

Notes:

 

Arbitration is an alternative means of resolving disputes without resorting to the complexities of the court system. Under mediation, the gatherings worried, rather than moving toward courts, pick private debate goals through judges. Like a court’s decision, the arbitrator’s decision is binding on the parties.

 

Through legislative changes, the Department of Legal Affairs is taking a number of steps to improve the environment for dispute resolution and make doing business easier.

5. PM Narendra Modi Pens Song ‘Abundance of Millets’ with Grammy winner Falu; 3 New Categories Added to Grammy Awards

To promote the benefits of millet and its potential to alleviate global hunger, PM Narendra Modi has collaborated with Indian-American singer-songwriter Falguni Shah (Falu), who is also a Grammy Award winner for a special song titled “Abundance in Millets.”

 

The single track ‘Overflow in Millets’ which was performed by Falu alongside her

spouse (artist) Gaurav Shah was delivered on June 16, 2023, on each

streaming stage.

 

The song, which is about millet’s benefits, was written in both English and Hindi and made available to everyone.

 

The Grammy Awards will now include three new categories: Best African Music Performance, Best Pop Dance Recording, and Best Alternative Jazz Album, as announced by the Recording Academy recently.

6. Defence Ministry signs ₹500 crore contract to strengthen Indian Army’s communication system

In order to improve the Indian Army’s communication system, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with ICOMM Tele Ltd. – Hyderabad on June 15, 2023, for the purchase of 1,035 containers containing 5/7.5 Ton Radio Relay Communication equipment for Rs. 500 crores in New Delhi, Delhi.

 

The Indian Army’s long-standing requirement for mobile communication detachments will be met by the delivery of Radio Relay containers in 2023 and 2024.

 

The goal of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” can be accomplished by purchasing indigenous goods.

7. Sports Ministry Revised the amount of boarding and lodging for Athletes and officials by 66%

From USD 150 to USD 250 per day, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) increased the upper limit for Indian athletes and team officials’ boarding and lodging.

Under the Ministry’s Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs), this update only applies to Indian athletes and officials competing in international competitions.

 

NSF requested the ministry to raise the 2015 ceiling of USD 150 per day in response to higher rates set by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in other countries.

International Affairs

1. India and Australia include 15 New Areas for talks on CECA

The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) negotiations between India and Australia will be extended on June 16, 2023, to include 15 additional areas that India has never been a part of.

 

Agri-tech, critical minerals, space, sports, MSMEs, gender innovation, competition policy, and other areas fall into this category.

 

During the third round of negotiations for the comprehensive trade agreement with Australia, this decision was made. The following round of negotiations is scheduled for July 2023.

 

Note: In December 2022, India and Australia implemented an interim trade pact known as the Economic and Cooperation Agreement.

 

Regarding the IPEF (Indonesian Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity):

 

India has observer status on the trade pillar of IPEF and is “very” closely observing the developments. On May 23, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan, the United States (US) and other Indo-Pacific partner nations launched IPEF together.

 

The four pillars of the framework are trade, supply chains, a clean economy, and a fair economy (problems like taxation and fighting corruption). Except for the trade pillar, India has joined.

 

The 14-nation IPEF includes Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam.

2. India, Nepal, and Bangladesh Finalised the draft of a Tripartite Power Trade Agreement 

The draft of a tripartite power trade agreement between India, Nepal, and Bangladesh has been finalized. This is the first initiative of its kind for development to increase energy connectivity throughout the neighbourhood.

 

Key Points:

 

It is anticipated that the three nations will sign the agreement in the coming months.

 

As Nepal and Bangladesh had long requested, the agreement would make it possible for them to transfer excess power from one region to another via the Indian grid.

 

Prior, the power exchange with adjoining nations was finished under two-sided

arrangements.

 

The new arrangements were built on the foundation of recently concluded Cross-Border Trade of Electricity (CBTE) guidelines.

Banking and Finance

1. Paytm introduces UPI SDK for faster payments of its Merchants

Paytm, which was owned by One97 Communications Limited (OCL), introduced the Paytm UPI software development kit (SDK) so that merchants could make payments without them failing. RuPay credit cards and UPI-linked bank accounts are supported by Paytm UPI SDK.

 

Users of the Paytm UPI SDK will be able to pay directly from their bank accounts using the UPI PIN without having to switch between the payment app and the merchant.

 

Paytm previously introduced UPI LITE, which made it possible to make payments of up to Rs. 2,000 without entering a PIN. Alongside UPI Light, Paytm is improving two-sided instalments for its traders and clients who come up resistant to short UPI instalments.

Science and Technology

1. Bharatmeta India’s metaverse by Kiya.ai at VivaTech in Paris

At the VivaTech event in Paris 2023, Kiya.ai, a company based in India that specializes in Artificial Intelligence and new technology solutions, presented Bharatmeta, its version of the metaverse.

 

The term “Metaverse” refers to a multi-dimensional digital space that provides online users with lifelike experiences through the use of virtual reality and augmented reality.

 

Bharatmeta provides concrete examples of how the metaverse can be used for collaboration, commerce, culture, and banking. Its goal is to connect the real and virtual worlds.

 

Regarding Kiya.ai:

 

Digital solutions are provided by Kiya.ai to governments and financial institutions worldwide. Metaverse banking, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics are among their specialities.