Daily Current Affairs Analysis Today : 15 –March-2023 Daily current affairs analysis is a practice that helps individuals prepare for various competitive exams. It involves staying updated on recent and important events around the world, which is essential for answering questions in these exams. This analysis helps aspirants track global developments, keeping them informed and increasing their chances of success.
Centre approves additional financial aid under National Disaster Response Fund for five states affected by natural calamities in 2022
The Centre has approved the additional Central assistance of over 1,816 crore rupees under the National Disaster Response Fund(NDRF) to 5 States which were affected by the floods, landslides, and cloudbursts in 2022.
These States are Assam, Himachal Pradesh,Karnataka, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
The assistance was approved by a High-LevelCommittee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Of the total amount, over 520 crore rupees havebeen approved for Assam, 239 crore rupees for Himachal Pradesh, 941 crorerupees for Karnataka, 47 crore rupees for Meghalaya and around 68 crore rupeesfor Nagaland.
This additional assistance is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the States in the State DisasterResponse Fund (SDRF), During the financial year 2022-23, the Central Government has released more than 15 thousand 770 crore rupees to 25 States in their SDRF and around 502 crore rupees to 4 States from NDRF.
Recently The Centre has approved the additional Central assistance of over _____ rupees under the NDRF to 5 States which were affected by the floods, landslides, and cloudbursts in 2022. 1,816 crore
India and Sweden sign a MoC to strengthen cooperation & promote research networking between research institutions from both countries
A Memorandum of Cooperation, MoC was signed between India and Sweden to strengthen cooperation and promote research networking between research institutions from both countries.
It was signed between Science and Engineering Research Board and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education, Stockholm, Sweden.
The MoC aims to promote mobility funding opportunities in both countries.
It will facilitate academic cooperation through mobility activities as well as through seminars, workshops and conferences.
The partnership between India and Sweden will take forward joint Science and Technology efforts particularly in smart cities, artificial intelligence, quantum computer, transportation, and many more futuristic technologies. This MoC will enable a smooth exchange of activities between India’s young scientists and Swedish researchers.
Sweden:
Capital: Stockholm
Prime Minister: Ulf Kristersson
Currency: Swedish krona
Recently with whom India has signed a MoC to strengthen cooperation & promote research networking between research institutions from both countries? Sweden
List of world’s biggest weapons importers for 2018-2022 released, India ranks on top
The latest report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has revealed that India was the world’s largest arms importer between 2018 and 2022.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, and China were also among the top five, followed by Egypt, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan and the US.
India’s share of the global arms imports was the highest in the past five years at 11%, followed by Saudi Arabia (9.6%), Qatar (6.4%), Australia (4.7%) and China (4.7%).
The data, part of SIPRI’s Trends in International Arms Transfers 2022 report released adds that India was the biggest market for Russian arms exports from 2018 to 2022.
India received 31 per cent of the total arms exported by Russia during this period.
However, Russian arms exports to India dipped by 37 per cent compared to the 2013-17 period.
Data released by SIPRI also sheds light on the “all-weather friendship” between Pakistan and China.
According to it, China accounted for 77 per cent of Pakistan’s arms imports in the 2018-2022 period, reflecting the extent to which Islamabad is dependent on Beijing for its military needs.
Data also identified the US, Russia, France, China, and Germany as the five biggest arms exporters.
The five countries alone accounted for 76 per cent of global arms transfers between 2018 and 2022.
Of this, the US had a lion’s share (40 per cent) with countries in the middle east receiving 41 per cent of the arms exported by it in the said period.
India has taken a raft of measures over the past four to five years to boost self-reliance in defence:
These include creating a separate budget for buying locally made military hardware, increasing foreign direct investment from 49% to 74%, and notifying hundreds of weapons and systems that cannot be imported and are planned to be indigenised over the next five to six years.
Around ₹1 lakh crore was set aside for domestic procurement in this year’s defence budget, compared to ₹84,598 crore, ₹70,221 crore and ₹51,000 crore in the three previous years.
According to the latest report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which country was the world’s largest arms importer between 2018 and 2022? India
Exercise La Perouse between navies of India, US, Japan, France, UK and Australia begins
The Indian Ocean Area will host the third edition of the multilateral exercise La Perouse.
The Royal Australian Navy, French Navy, Indian Navy, Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, Royal Navy, and United States Navy will all have people, ships, and essential helicopters participating in this event.
Every two years exercise La Perouse, an exercise run by the French Navy, aims to improve maritime domain awareness and maritime cooperation among the participating navies in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two-day exercise gives like-minded navies the chance to forge stronger connections in terms of planning, coordination, and information sharing for seamless maritime operations.
Surface warfare, anti-air warfare, air defence drills, cross-deck landings, and tactical manoeuvres are only a few of the complicated and sophisticated naval operations that will be performed during the exercise.
This version of the drill will feature participation from the fleet tanker INS Jyoti and guided missile frigate INS Sahyadri, both of which were built domestically.
The Indian Navy’s participation in the exercise demonstrates the allied navies’ high levels of coordination, interoperability, and synergy as well as their dedication to the Indo-Pacific region’s rules-based international order.
Which country runs the third edition of the multilateral exercise La Perouse among India, US, Japan, France, UK and Australia? France
IREDA gets ‘Infrastructure Finance Company’ status from RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted an ‘Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC)’ status to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA).
It was earlier classified as an ‘Investment and Credit Company (ICC)’.
Significance:
With the IFC status, IREDA will be able to take higher exposure in RE financing.
The IFC status will also help the company to access a wider investor base for fund mobilisation, resulting in competitive rates for fundraising.
The recognition of IREDA as an IFC will increase the investors’ confidence, enhance the brand value and generate a positive outlook in the market.
The grant of IFC status is a recognition of IREDA’s 36 years of infrastructure financing and development with focused development of renewable energy.
With IFC status, IREDA will keep contributing towards the government target of 500 GW installed capacity of non-fossil fuels by 2030.
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA):
It has been promoting, developing and financing new and renewable sources of energy with the motto: Energy for Ever since 1987.
It finances all RE technologies and value chains such as solar, wind, hydro, bio-energy, waste to energy, energy efficiency, e-mobility, battery storage, biofuel and new and emerging technologies.
Chairman and Managing Director: Pradip Kumar Das
Recently RBI granted an ‘Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC)’ status to IREDA. In context to same what does the term ‘R’ stands for in the abbreviation “IREDA”? Renewable
Asia’s 1st woman loco pilot Surekha becomes 1st female to drive Vande Bharat train
Asia’s first female locomotive pilot Surekha Yadav has now become the first female to operate the semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express train.
She achieved the feat as she piloted the semi-high speed train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.
Surekha Yadav became India’s first female train driver in 1988.
Hailing from Satara in the western Maharashtra region, Yadav has won many awards at the state and national levels so far for her achievements.
Earlier on International Women’s Day (8 March), the Central Railways operated the prestigious Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen Express and CSMT-Kalyan ladies’ special local train with all-women crews.
On that day, Yadav operated the Deccan Queen with Sayali Sawardekar as an assistant loco pilot.
Name Asia’s first female locomotive pilot, who has now become the first female to operate the semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express train? Surekha Yadav
Manipur government decided to withdraw from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with 2 hill-based tribal militant groups.
Suspension of Operations (SoO) is a tripartite pact between the Government of India, the Government of Manipur and Kuki insurgent groups in Manipur.
As many as 17 are under the umbrella group Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and 8 are under the United People’s Front (UPF).
Particulars :
The SoO pact was signed on August 22, 2008 between the tripartite.
The primary objective of SoO pact is initiating political dialogue.
The Kuki outfits who were initially demanding a separate Kuki state have come down to a ‘Kukiland territorial council’.
Kuki Territorial Council would have financial and administrative powers independent of the Manipur Assembly and government.
The Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) with representatives from all the signatories, has been formed to oversee the effective implementation of the SoO pact.
Terms under SoO – Security forces, including state and central forces, are not to launch any operations, nor can the underground groups.
The signatories of UPF and KNO shall abide by the Constitution of India, the laws of the land and the territorial integrity of Manipur.
They are prohibited from committing all kinds of atrocities, extortion, among others.
The militant cadres are to be confined in designated camps identified by the Government.
The groups are given arms only to guard their camps and protect their leaders, other arms are deposited in a safe room.
Finance – The UG cadres living in the designated camps are given a monthly stipend of Rs 5000, as a rehabilitation package.
Financial assistance is also being provided to maintain the designated camps.
Which state government has decided to withdraw from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki insurgent groups? Manipur
EU, Algeria to develop renewable energy projects
The European Union (EU) will develop renewable energy projects with Algeria, stressing the key role of the nation in fighting terrorism and maintaining security and stability in the region.
Undoubtedly, Algeria and the EU share a good partnership in energy, as 90 per cent of Algerian gas exports go to Europe.
Stressing the large potential of Algeria in the field of renewable energy and the importance of bilateral cooperation in gas, Borrell further expressed his hope for settling all trade problems in a bid to boost trade exchange between the two parties.
The EU has agreed to re-launch the high-level security dialogue with Algeria, as the first meeting should be held before the end of the year.
In 2013, Algeria and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in such areas as oil and gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, as well as the legal and regulatory framework.
For now, the EU relies on Algeria as a main gas supplier amid the Ukraine-Russia war.
Algeria:
Capital: Algiers
Currency: Algerian Dinar
President: Abdelmadjid Tebboune
European Union:
Capital: Brussels
Membership: 27 member states
President of the European Council: Charles Michel
Currency: Euro
Recently the European Union (EU) will develop renewable energy projects with which nation in order to full fill its oil & gas needs amid the Ukraine-Russia war? Algeria
Pakistan, Iran signed a contract to increase electricity exchange
Pakistan and Iran have signed a contract to increase their electricity exchange.
Under the deal, the electricity exchange capacity between the two countries via the newly built 132-kilovolt transmission lines will increase by 100 megawatts (MW) to reach 200 MW in the first phase.
In the second phase, the two countries will install 70 km of 230-kilovolt electricity transmission lines in Pakistan to raise the electricity exchange capacity to 400 MW.
Iran’s electricity network is currently linked with several neighbouring states, which improved the sustainability of the country’s power network, said Mehrabian.
Pakistan:
Capital: Islamabad
President: Arif Alvi
Prime Minister: Shehbaz Sharif
Currency: Pakistani rupee
Iran:
Capital: Tehran
President: Ebrahim Raisi
Currency: Iranian rial
Recently Pakistan has signed a contract to increase their electricity exchange with which country? Iran