November 2nd, 2024 Top Current Affairs

NATIONAL 
Indian Army Departs Exercise GARUD SHAKTI 24.

•    The Indian Army contingent, consisting of 25 skilled personnel from The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), recently embarked on a journey to Cijantung, Jakarta, Indonesia to participate in the 9th edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Special Forces Exercise, GARUD SHAKTI 24. Scheduled to take place from November 1 to November 12, 2024, this exercise is a testament to the strong military cooperation and shared strategic interests between India and Indonesia.

•    The event, which brings together some of the best military minds from both nations, aims to enhance interoperability, cooperation, and mutual understanding between the two armies. With a focus on developing tactical military skills and strengthening bilateral relations, Exercise GARUD SHAKTI serves as a crucial platform for India and Indonesia to achieve common security goals in the Indo-Pacific region.

Indian Army Departs for Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR with US Army.

•    Indian Army contingent embarked on a journey to participate in the 15th edition of the India-US joint Special Forces Exercise, VAJRA PRAHAR, set to be conducted from November 2 to November 22, 2024.

•     This prestigious exercise will take place at the Orchard Combat Training Centre in Idaho, USA, marking a significant step toward bolstering military cooperation and tactical interoperability between the two nations. The previous edition was held at Umroi, Meghalaya in December 2023, showcasing the commitment to ongoing collaboration and shared military expertise.

•    The 15th VAJRA PRAHAR exercise represents the second major joint military engagement of 2024 between the Indian and US armies. Earlier, both nations participated in Exercise YUDH ABHYAS 2024, a large-scale military exercise held in the desert terrain of Rajasthan in September 2024.

INTERNATIONAL 

Dr. Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes Appointed as Secretary General of the World Agriculture Forum.

•    Dr. Jacqueline d’Arros Hughes, the outgoing Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), is set to take up the role of Secretary General of the World Agriculture Forum (WAF) in mid-November 2024. Known for her dedication to sustainable agriculture and food security, Dr. Hughes brings a wealth of expertise and experience to WAF, a platform instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture worldwide.

•    During her tenure at ICRISAT in Hyderabad, India, Dr. Hughes led the institute through transformative milestones, even amid the global pandemic. Under her leadership:

•    ICRISAT won the Africa Food Prize in 2021, recognizing its substantial contributions to agricultural advancement in Africa.

•    Dr. Hughes hosted India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, at ICRISAT’s 50th Anniversary in 2022, underscoring ICRISAT’s impact on dryland agriculture.

•    In 2023, she positioned ICRISAT as a significant contributor to global agricultural dialogues by participating in the G20 Summit’s agricultural meetings in New Delhi.

•    Dr. Hughes also co-chaired the International Steering Committee for the United Nations International Year of Millets, promoting millet cultivation for enhanced food security and climate resilience.

US announces additional security assistance for Ukraine worth estimated $425 million.

•    The US Defense Department has announced additional security assistance for Ukraine worth an estimated $425 million. The Pentagon in a statement yesterday said that the aid under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package is meant to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defence needs.

•    The tranche of equipment to be provided under the aid include munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS); Stinger missiles; Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) equipment and munitions; Air-to-ground munitions; Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition; Tubelaunched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armour systems; Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers; Small arms and ammunition; Medical equipment; and Demolitions equipment and munitions. It is the 69th tranche of equipment to be provided from the US Defense Department inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

G20 issues its first Ministerial Declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction.

•    With the active participation of a high-level Indian delegation, a G20 meeting has arrived at a consensus in finalising the first Ministerial declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), according to an official statement issued today.

•    The G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) Ministerial Meeting was held from 30th October to 1st November 2024 in Belem, Brazil. In his inventions, during various Ministerial sessions, P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, shared the progress made by the Government of India in reducing disaster risks and in upscaling disaster financing in the country, the statement said. 

•    The Principal Secretary also emphasized India’s approach to disaster risk reduction, on five priorities of DRRWG. These are Early warning systems, Disaster resilient infrastructure, Disaster Risk Reduction financing, Resilient recovery and Nature based solutions.

•    The first DRRWG was established on India’s initiative during its presidency of G20, last year in New Delhi. Alongside DRRWG, the Indian Delegation also participated in Troika meetings with the Ministers of Brazil and South Africa, and held bilateral meetings with ministers from the host country Brazil and other countries including Japan, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Germany among others.