24th July, 2023 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

NATIONAL
Rajya Sabha Chairman nominated four women parliamentarians to panel of vice-chairpersons

The nomination of four women to panel of Vice-Chairpersons created a history as it is for the first time that equal representation has been given to women in the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.
Four women MPs have been appointed by the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankar.
The MPs appointed are PT Usha who was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 2022 and is a member of the Committee on Defence, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Committee on Ethics; Phangnon Konyak, Fauziya Khan who belongs to the NCP and Sulata Deo is from Biju Janta Dal.
This is the first time in the history of the Upper house that equal representation has been given to women in panel of Vice-Chairpersons

Thirty Critical Minerals List Released

Government has released a list of 30 critical minerals for India. These minerals are Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE,Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium,Zirconium, Selenium and Cadmium.
Ministry of Mines has increased focus on exploration of these minerals in the country through Geological Survey of India (GSI) and other agencies.
A joint venture company namely KhanijBidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) has been incorporated with the equity contribution from three Central Public Sector Enterprises namely, National Aluminium Company Ltd, Hindustan Copper Ltd and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd with the objective to identify and acquire overseas mineral assets of critical & strategic nature such as Lithium, Cobalt & others so as to ensure supply side assurance. KABIL has engagements with countries like Argentina, Australia etc. to acquire critical & strategic minerals assets.

India bans export of non-basmati white rice

As per a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India, world’s top rice exporter, has implemented a ban on all exports of “non-basmati white rice” to stabilize domestic prices. However, the government will permit the export of white rice to other nations upon request, subject to the fulfillment of their food security requirements and their government’s formal approval.
The government stated that the reason for the export ban was “to guarantee sufficient availability of non-basmati white rice in the Indian market and to mitigate the increase in prices within the country.”
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is an agency under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Indian Government, headquartered in New Delhi. Its primary role is to oversee and enforce laws related to foreign trade. The DGFT is also entrusted with the task of developing and executing the Foreign Trade Policy, aimed at bolstering India’s export activities.

INTERNATIONAL
Italy Honours Indian Army contribution in Second World War

“The “V.C Yeshwant Ghadge Sundial Memorial” was jointly unveiled by the Commune of Monotone in Italy and Italian military historians at Montone, Perugia, Italy. This memorial stands as a tribute to the valor and sacrifices of the Indian troops who fought in the Italian Campaign during the Second World War.
The memorial is dedicated in honor of Naik Yeshwant Ghadge, a recipient of the Victoria Cross, who bravely fought and laid down his life during the intense battles in the heights of Upper Tiber Valley.
During the Second World War, the Italian Campaign witnessed a significant contribution from Indian Soldiers, with over 50,000 serving in the 4th, 8th, and 10th Divisions. Their remarkable efforts led to the awarding of 20 Victoria Crosses, with six of these prestigious honors earned by Indian soldiers.
However, this bravery came at a cost, as 23,722 Indian soldiers were casualties, including 5,782 who made the ultimate sacrifice. Their memory is honored and preserved in the 40 Commonwealth War Graves scattered throughout Italy.”

Japan becomes second Quad partner to sign semiconductor pact with India

In a significant move, India and Japan have solidified their partnership by signing an agreement to jointly develop the semiconductor ecosystem. The deal aims to bolster the resilience of the global supply chain, particularly in the crucial semiconductor industry. This marks Japan as the second Quad partner, after the United States, to join hands with India in this endeavor.
Japan’s prominence in the semiconductor industry cannot be understated. With approximately 100 semiconductor manufacturing plants, it stands among the top five countries with a robust semiconductor ecosystem.
As the semiconductor industry is projected to grow from USD 650 billion to a staggering USD 1 trillion, it necessitates significant talent growth across multiple locations worldwide.
Japan recognizes India’s complementary strengths and envisions a mutually beneficial partnership.

ECONOMY
In-Principle approval to set up 21 new Greenfield Airports in country

Government of India has accorded 'In-Principle' approval for setting up of 21 new Greenfield Airports namely- Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh across the country.
Out of these, 11 Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa and Shivamogga have been operationalised.
As per the GFA Policy, 2008, the responsibility of implementation of airport projects including funding of the project, land acquisition, R&R etc rests with the concerned airport developer including the respective State Government (in case the State Government is the project proponent). The timeline for construction of airports depends upon various factors such as land acquisition, mandatory clearances, removal of obstacles, financial closure etc. by the respective airport developers.

Increase in Domestic Coal Production
Most of the requirement of coal in the country is met through indigenous production / supply. The focus of the Government is on increasing the domestic production of coal and to eliminate non-essential import of coal in the country. In the year 2022-23, coal production increased by 14.77% over the previous year. During the current year till June’ 2023, domestic coal production has increased over 8.51% compared to the same period of last year. The steps taken by the Government to make the country self-sufficient in the production of coal are as under:

Regular reviews by Ministry of Coal to expedite the development of coal blocks.
Enactment of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021 for enabling captive mines owners (other than atomic minerals) to sell up to 50% of their annual mineral (including coal) production in the open market after meeting the requirement of the end use plant linked with the mine in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government on payment of such additional amount.
Single Window Clearance portal for the coal sector to speed up the operationalization of coal mines.
Project Monitoring Unit for handholding of coal block allottees for obtaining various approvals / clearances for early operationalization of coal mines.
Auction of commercial mining on revenue sharing basis launched in 2020. Under commercial mining scheme, rebate of 50 % on final offer would be allowed for the quantity of coal produced earlier than scheduled date of production. Also, incentives on coal gasification or liquefaction (rebate of 50 % on final offer) have been granted.
Coal India Limited is adopting Mass Production Technologies (MPT) in its Underground (UG) mines, mainly Continuous Miners (CMs), wherever feasible. Coal India Limited has also envisaged working large numbers of Highwalls (HW) mines in view of the availability of Abandoned / Discontinued mines. Coal India Limited is also planning large capacity UG mines wherever feasible.
In its Opencast (OC) mines, Coal India Limited already has State-of-the-Art technology in its high capacity Excavators, Dumpers and Surface Miners. Digitization is being tried on pilot scale in 7 of its mega mines and shall be replicated further.
SCCL has planned to produce 75 MT by 2023-24 from the present level of 67 MT. Regular liasioning is being undertaken for grounding of new projects. In addition, progress of activities of new projects and operations of existing projects is being regularly monitored.

SPORTS
Hungarian GP: Verstappen hands Red Bull record 12th straight win

Max Verstappen won the Hungarian GP at the Hungaroring, by a comfortable 33.731 secs margin over McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Verstappen’s lead at the top of the standings grows to an even more gargantuan 110 points, and the Dutchman seems firmly on course to pick up a second world championship in a row. Teammate Perez also furthered his advantage over third place man Fernando Alonso, who finished a disappointing ninth in Hungary.

APPOINTMENTS
Admiral Lisa Franchetti becomes first woman to lead US Navy

The nomination of Admiral Lisa Franchetti served as significant milestone in the history of U.S. Navy, becomes first woman to serve as the Chief of Naval Operations and member of Joint Chiefs of Staffs.
US President Joe Biden has nominated Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the US Navy. If confirmed by the Senate, Franchetti would become the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which consists of chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and others.
Lisa Marie Franchetti is a United States Navy admiral who serves as the 42nd Vice Chief of Naval Operations since September 2022 and currently nominated as the first woman to lead US Navy.

Published date : 24 Jul 2023 06:48PM