Current Affairs 22nd June

National Affairs

1. India, UNWTO ink pact to Enhance Cooperation in Tourism

According to the Union Ministry of Tourism, the Government of India and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve cooperation and identify areas of mutual interest.

 

It was signed at the fourth and final meeting of the G20 (Group of Twenty) Tourism Working Group and the G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting, which will take place from June 19 to 22, 2023.

 

Signatories:

 

Ms V Vidyavathi, Secretary of the India Ministry of Tourism, signed it; and UNWTO 

Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. 

 

What’s in the MoU?

 

Both parties are expected to work together on critical programmatic areas like tourism investment, education, and innovation, as well as tourism market intelligence and tourism and rural development.

 

Highlights:

 

There are two side events for the G20’s fourth tourism working group: The second was titled “Towards a circular economy of plastics in tourism – The Global Tourism Plastic Initiative,” and the first was titled “Making Cruise Tourism a Model for Sustainable and Responsible Travel.”

 

The Central Nodal Agency, Sustainable Tourism, the Responsible Tourism Society of India (RTSOI), and the Punjab Tourism Board also signed a memorandum of understanding during the second side event to work together to combat plastic pollution in the tourism industry.

 

The G20 Tourism Ministers’ Declaration and the Goa Roadmap for Tourism as a Vehicle for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals were the two primary deliverables of the Tourism Working Group.

 

Key Points:

 

On the sidelines of the main meeting of the Tourism Working Group, the Ministry of Tourism, India is also organising side events on important initiatives like the Global Tourism Plastic Initiative, Cruise Tourism, and Public-Private Sector.

 

During these events, 15 bilateral meetings between India and various G20 members and international organizations are taking place.

 

Green tourism, digitalization, skills, tourism MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises), and destination management are the five interconnected priority areas that the Tourism Working Group is working on under India’s G20 Tourism Track to accelerate the tourism sector’s transition and achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

Participants:

 

Ministry of Tourism, Gangapuram Kishan Reddy, Union Minister; Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Tourism; Countries that are members of the G20, ministries of the central government, various state governments, and international organizations

2. Highlights of Defence Minister of Vietnam General Phan Van Giang visit to India

General Phan Van Giang, Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense, was in India for two days, June 18-19, 2023, for an official visit to New Delhi (Delhi) and a cultural excursion to Agra (UP).

 

At the National War Memorial, he laid a wreath and paid tribute to the soldiers after inspecting the Tri-Service Guard of Honor.

 

Bilateral meeting with India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh The Union Minister Rajanath Singh, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of India, and General Phan Van Giang met bilaterally to improve India-Vietnam cooperation in the defense industries, maritime security, and multinational cooperation. The situation in the South China Sea, among other regional and global issues of mutual interest, will also be discussed among the parties.

 

The meeting was also attended by other high-ranking Ministry of Defense officials, including Chief of Defence Staff General (CDS) Anil Chauhan.

 

India presents Vietnam with an indigenously constructed missile corvette known as “INS Kirpan” During the meeting, the Indian side presented Vietnam with an indigenously constructed in-service missile corvette known as “INS” (Indian Naval Ship) Kirpan to enhance the capabilities of the Vietnamese People’s Navy. India will teach Vietnamese personnel, among other things, how to operate submarines and fighter jets, cyber security, and electronic warfare.

 

Regarding INS Kirpan:

 

On January 12, 1991, the 1,350-ton Khukri class missile corvette INS Kirpan was put into service by the Navy. It can travel at speeds of more than 25 knots and has a beam of 11 meters and a length of 91 meters. The ship is adaptable and able to perform a variety of tasks, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. It also has 30 mm close range guns, chaff launchers, and surface to surface missiles.

 

Key Points:

 

Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense also met with India’s President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and went to the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) headquarters in New Delhi to work together on defense research and production to improve defense industrial capabilities.

 

There is a comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Vietnam.

 

Note: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Mutual Logistics Support” and a “Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030” were signed by the two nations when India’s MoD Minister Rajnath Singh visited Vietnam in June 2022.

3. GoI withdraws draft Live-stock and Live-stock Products [Importation and Exportation] Bill, 2023

The draft of the Live-stock and Live-stock Products [Importation and Exportation] Bill, 2023, was withdrawn by the Government of India (GoI) on June 20, 2023, due to objections from animal activists and religious organizations.

 

The Livestock Importation (Amendment) Act of 2001 and the current Live-stock importation Act (1898) were “re-enacted” in this Bill.

 

Background:

 

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy (MoFAH&D) published the draft bill on June 7, 2023, and invited comments and objections until June 17th.

 

Animal rights activists opposed the decision to include felines and dogs on the livestock list.

 

A portion of the public is also concerned that the bill’s implementation will reduce India’s livestock population.

 

Regarding the Bill:

 

The purpose of the bill was to develop and promote exports of livestock and livestock products as well as establish regulations for the importation of livestock and products derived from livestock.

 

All equines (donkeys, horses, mules, assess, hinnies), bovines (cattle, buffaloes, bullocks), caprines, ovines, swines, canines, felines, laboratory animals, and aquatic animals, with the exception of those prohibited by any other act, are included in the bill’s definition of “live-stock.”

 

Any additional animal that the Central Government may later specify is included in this draft bill as well.

4. UNDP partnered with DAY-NULM to empower women entrepreneurs

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) formed a partnership on June 20, 2023, to enable women to make well-informed career choices in the field of entrepreneurship.

 

The association will offer help for ladies hoping to begin and grow their own

undertakings in areas like consideration economy, computerized economy, electric versatility, squander the board, and food bundling and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

 

In accordance with the partnership, the initial phase of the three-year project, which can be extended beyond 2025, will focus on fostering entrepreneurship and accelerating business growth in eight cities.

 

Key People:

 

The partnership was signed by Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India, and Rahul Kapoor, Joint Secretary and Mission Director, DAY-NULM & PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India.

 

Key Points:

 

Utilizing their extensive sectoral expertise, UNDP and DAY-NULM will collaborate on the piloting of novel solutions, particularly in the care economy domain.

 

On-the-ground mobilization activities that UNDP and DAY-NULM will collaborate on include facilitating access to Business Development Services and locating urban poverty pockets and potential entrepreneurs.

 

The unit will receive assistance in formalizing their businesses, establishing connections with banks, and securing access to markets and finance.

 

Since women only make up 15% of Indian entrepreneurs, UNDP will help DAY-NULM build its capacity at the national level by drawing on its expertise in connecting over 2,000 women to better employment opportunities.

 

In order to improve the way national-level programs are implemented, this assistance will focus on the creation and management of knowledge, such as compiling collections of best practices related to urban poverty.

 

In some of the project locations, UNDP will also make a contribution to the initiative by training community business mentors known as Biz-Sakhis.

 

These mentors, who know a lot about business, can help new and existing businesses and be a resource for DAY-NULM in the future.

 

The DAY-NULM aims to improve the lives of the poor in urban areas by increasing skill development opportunities for long-term employment. The scheme covers most of India’s urban population because it covers all 4,041 statutory cities and towns.

 

Through its outreach efforts, DAY-NULM has brought together more than 8.4 million urban poor women in India and established more than 8,31,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in more than 4,000 towns.

 

The voices of marginalized segments of the urban population, such as Scheduled Castes (SCs)/Scheduled Tribes (STs), minorities, female-headed households, street vendors, and rag pickers, are amplified and economic empowerment is facilitated by their impressive grassroots initiatives.

5. Indian Army conducted Exercise Agneyastra 1 in eastern Ladakh

On June 19, 2023, the Northern Command of the Indian Army carried out “Exercise Agneyastra 1” in eastern Ladakh to demonstrate India’s superior firepower.

 

Note: Hindi’s term for firearms is “agneyastra.”

 

Concerning Exercise Agneyastra 1:

 

The Indian army’s self-propelled (SPH) K-9 Vajra-T 155mm/52 calibre self-propelled howitzer, towed howitzer FH-77 Bofors 155mm/39 calibre, and mortar platforms were all part of the exercise Agneyastra-1.

 

Carl Gustav rocket launchers (RLs) and anti-tank missiles were also used in the exercise Agneyastra 1.

 

The real-time imagery of the exercise area was provided by Ideaforge’s Switch UAV, a fixed-wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) hybrid UAV.

 

In addition, Switch UAV provides real-time imagery of the target area for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), which can be used day or night, even in harsh environments at high altitudes.

6. NHAI launches knowledge-sharing platform for highways development

On twentieth June 2023, The Public Interstates Authority of India (NHAI) sent off a

‘Information Sharing Stage’ to advance the comprehensive improvement of public interstates.

 

The goal of the portal’s launch is to facilitate the sharing of cutting-edge techniques developed by experts and laypeople alike.

 

On the NHAI web portal, https://ksp.nhai.org/kb/, information in the form of video clips, PowerPoint Presentations (PPT), and Portable Document Format (PDF) files can be uploaded. The information will be reviewed and evaluated by NHAI officials prior to its implementation.

International Affairs

1. Extreme weather events led to 12mn Children Displacements in 2022: UNICEF estimates

Extreme weather events worldwide, including Pakistan’s unprecedented floods and the drought in the Horn of Africa, led to the displacement of 12 million children in 2022, according to estimates released by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) on June 13, 2023.

A record 43.3 million children would have been forced to leave their homes by the end of 2022, and almost 60% of them, or 25.8 million, would have been forced to leave their homes by violence and conflict within their own countries.

Education, healthcare, routine immunization, and social protection are frequently hindered for internally displaced and refugee children, who are among the most vulnerable.

Highlights:

In the last ten years, the number of children forced to leave their homes has doubled.

Over 2 million Ukrainian children have been expelled from their homes as a result of the conflict, and over 1 million children have been displaced within the country.

A new record was also set for the number of children seeking refugee status and asylum—17.5 million—without accounting for those who will be relocated in 2023 as a result of the conflict in Sudan.

To date, the conflict has resulted in the displacement of more than 940,000 children.

The number of people displaced by disasters increased by 40% in 2022 compared to 2021, according to The Global Report on Internal Displacement 2023, which was released in May 2023.

For more information, see iv. From Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, an estimated 2.8 million people will be forced to leave their homes due to drought in 2022.

UNICEF is urging governments to ensure that no child is left behind by:

Recognizing that children who have been displaced, migrated, or refugees are first and foremost children who are entitled to protection, inclusion, and participation.

Facilitating children’s legal and safe relocation, asylum, and family reunion.

Bolstering the nation’s health, education, child welfare, and social security systems so that displaced children are included without discrimination. Putting money into national child protection mechanisms.

Banking and Finance

1. IRDAI Introduced Modifications to the “Use and File” Procedure for Life Insurance Products

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) made a few changes to the current “Use and File” Procedure for Life Insurance Products on June 20, 2023.

Important alterations:

Individual and group unit-linked life and health insurance policies are now included in IRDAI, and insurers can use and file for them using the modified process.

Additionally, “Combi products” have been introduced by IRDAI, which permits the filing of Combi products in which the life insurer serves as the lead insurer.

IRDAI has discontinued its current Standardized File Identification Number (SFIN) clearance procedure.

Economy and Business

1. IndiGo places 500 aircraft A320 order with Airbus

India’s InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. (IndiGo) placed an order for 500 Airbus A320 aircraft on June 19, 2023, during the Paris Air Show 2023. The aircraft are expected to be delivered between the years 2030 and 2035.

1. Sumantran, IndiGo’s Chairman of the Board, Pieter Elbers, IndiGo’s CEO, Guillaume Faury, Airbus’ CEO, and Christian Scherer, Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, witnessed the signing of the purchase agreement.

A320NEO (New Engine Option), A321NEO, and A321XLRs (Extra Long Range) are the ordered aircraft.

Airbus will choose between Pratt & Whitney and CFM for the aircraft’s engines, which will be a mix of A320 and A321 models.

This deal is second only to Air India’s February 2023 purchase of 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.