UPSC PRO

2021-06-16 13:27:34 EU Generalised System of Preferences (GSP):
A recent resolution was recently adopted by the European Parliament, urging the EU Commission to consider temporary withdrawal of the GSP+ status given to Sri Lanka.

• The GSP allows vulnerable developing countries to pay fewer or no duties on exports to the EU, giving them vital access to the EU market and contributing to their growth.

Background:
Sri Lankare gained the GSP +, or the EU’s ‘Generalised Scheme of Preferences’ in 2017, on Colombo’s commitment to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labour conditions, protection of the environment and good governance.

Jivan Vayu:
• It is nation’s first power-free CPAP device ‘Jivan Vayu’.
• Developed by IIT Ropar.
What is CPAP?
• Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) uses a machine to help a person who has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) breathe more easily during sleep.
• A CPAP machine increases air pressure in your throat so that your airway doesn’t collapse when you breathe in.

Jardalu Mango:
Jardalu or Zardalu mango is a unique variety of mango grown in Bhagalpur and adjoining districts of Bihar.
• It received the GI tag in 2018.

#15june2021
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2021-06-16 13:26:21 the 31st edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy was conducted in the Andaman sea close to the Strait of Malacca.

Key Points
Naval Exercise:
◦ India and Thailand have been carrying out CORPAT along their International Maritime Boundary Line twice a year since 2005.

◦ Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel and Thailand’s Ship HTMS-Krabi, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, along with Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies participated in the CORPAT 31st edition.

Other Military Exercises between India and Thailand:

◦ Exercise MAITREE (Army).
◦ Exercise SIAM BHARAT (Air Force).

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2021-06-16 13:25:22 Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos’s space company called Blue Origin recently concluded the online auction for the first seat on New Shephard, a rocket system meant to take tourists to space.

• The winning bidder will get to fly aboard New Shephard along with Bezos and his brother, when it takes its first human flight on July 20, which marks the 52nd anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s moon landing.

What is New Shephard, the rocket system?
• It is a rocket system meant to take tourists to space successfully.
• The system is built by Blue Origin.
• New Shephard has been named after astronaut Alan Shephard, the first American to go to space.
• It offers flights to space over 100 km above the Earth and accommodation for payloads.

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2021-06-16 13:23:06 Clamour grows for Tulu to be included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution and given official language status in Karnataka and Kerala.

About Tulu language:
• Tulu is a Dravidian language spoken mainly in two coastal districts Dakshina Kannada and Udupi of Karnataka and Kasaragod district of Kerala.
• As per the 2011 Census report, there are 18,46,427 Tulu-speaking people in India.

Eighth schedule to the Constitution:
Part XVII of the Indian constitution deals with the official languages in Articles 343 to 351.
The Constitutional provisions related to the Eighth Schedule are:

Article 344: Article 344(1) provides for the constitution of a Commission by the President on expiration of five years from the commencement of the Constitution.
Article 351: It provides for the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India.

Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri are the 22 languages presently in the eighth schedule to the Constitution.

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2021-06-16 13:21:27 the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare addressed the 42nd session of Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Conference.

The Conference takes place every two years and is FAO's supreme governing body.

Food and Agriculture Organization

FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16th October to mark the anniversary of the founding of the FAO in 1945.

It is one of the UN food aid organisations based in Rome (Italy). Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Initiatives Taken:

◦ Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).
◦ Monitors the Desert Locust situation throughout the world.
◦ The Codex Alimentarius Commission or CAC is the body responsible for all matters regarding the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
◦ The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Flagship Publications:
◦ The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).
◦ The State of the World's Forests (SOFO).
◦ The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
◦ The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA).
◦ The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO).
◦ World Food Price Index.

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2021-06-15 12:51:18 Rare earths minerals (REM) are a set of seventeen metallic elements. These include the fifteen lanthanides on the periodic table in addition to scandium and yttrium

REMs have unique catalytic, metallurgical, nuclear, electrical, magnetic and luminescent properties.

Indiahas the world’s fifth-largest reserves of rare earth elements, nearly twice as much as Australia, but it imports most of its rare earth needs in finished form from its geopolitical rival, China

Such high dependence on China might result in creating geopolitical issues for importing countries if China excludes others from accessing these crucial resources.

14june2021
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2021-06-15 12:49:50 In 2020, Indian and Chinese armies were locked in a tense stand-off at three points along the Line of Actual Control — the Galwan River Valley, Hot Springs area and the Pangong Lake

Even as India and China were engaged in military-level talks and in controlled engagement, there was a violent face-off between the army troops of both sides at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh region.

India is trying to construct a feeder road emanating from Darbuk-Shyok Village – Daulat Beg Odi road (DS-DBO road).

This road runs along the Shyok River and is the most critical line of communications close to LAC.

Hence, Chinese were keen on controlling this area as they fear that the Indian side could end up threatening their position on the Aksai Chin plateauby using the river valley.

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2021-06-11 11:37:07 World Bank
About:
◦ The Bretton Woods Conference held in 1944, created the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

• The IBRD later became the World Bank.

◦ The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.

Major Reports:
◦ Ease of Doing Business.
◦ Human Capital Index.
◦ World Development Report.
◦ Migration and Development Brief.
◦ Global Economic Prospects.

Its Five Development Institutions:
1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

2. International Development Association (IDA)

3. International Finance Corporation (IFC)

4. Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

5. International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

India is not a member of ICSID.

10june2021
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