3rd June, 2023 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

NATIONAL
Unified Registration Portal for GOBARdhan

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti recently unveiled the unified registration portal for ‘GOBARdhan,’ a pioneering initiative aimed at promoting the biogas sector in India.
The unified registration portal for ‘GOBARdhan’ serves as a centralized platform to evaluate investment opportunities and participation in the biogas or compressed biogas (CBG) sector. The main objective is to simplify and optimize the procedure of establishing biogas plants throughout the nation.
At the heart of the GOBARdhan initiative lies the objective to convert waste into wealth and energy. By harnessing the potential of organic waste materials such as cattle dung, agri residue, and other bio waste, the initiative aims to generate biogas, CBG, and bio fertilizers. It aligns with the principles of a circular economy, driving sustainable economic growth and promoting environmental stewardship.
Under the ambit of GOBARdhan, any plant or project producing CBG/Biogas (more than 10 cuM/day) and bio slurry as principal outputs is eligible for participation. This inclusiveness encourages a diverse range of stakeholders to engage in the initiative and contribute to the sustainable development of the biogas sector.

Health Minister Mandaviya reaches Hyderabad to participate in 3rd G20 Health Working Group meeting

Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya has reached Hyderabad to participate in the 3rd G20 Health Working Group meeting.
The Minister will attend a vaccine research and development event early today before the working group meetings. Hyderabad will host the third health working group meeting of India's G20 presidency for three days from tomorrow. It will focus on emergency preparedness, strengthening cooperation in the pharma sector and digital health innovation.
During the working group meeting, India will aim to play a major role in converging discussions in multiple forums for global health architecture and act as an enabler for reducing fragmentation and duplication.
Regarding digital health, India will highlight the fact that the use of digital health solutions like Co-WIN, Telemedicine and the COVID-19 India platform highlighted the advantages of data-driven insights and the use of technology for accessibility, ease of availability and affordability in health service delivery. Meanwhile, most of the foreign delegates also reached the city for the meeting of G20.

233 killed in Coromandel Express train accident in Balasore; Railways Minister orders high-level probe

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered a high-level probe into the Coromandel Express Derailment in Odisha’s Balasore on Friday night. He is now inspecting the ground situation with high-level officials at the accident site.
The accident was unfortunate and the rescue operation began soon as the Ministry came to know of it. The railway authorities have controlled several trains at different stations in the wake of a mishap, he added. Besides, the Railways cancelled and diverted certain trains following the incident.
The death toll of the tragic train accident in Balasore'sBahanaga station in Odisha has risen to 233, and more than 900 are feared critically injured. Informing this, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena said the death and causality toll would increase as rescue operations were underway at the site. Rescue teams from Odisha and West Bengal have been mobilised, including Defence forces, NDRF and ODRF.
The injured passengers are being treated at Balasore Medical College and Hospital and other hospitals in nearby areas. The accident scene showed rescuers climbing up the mangled train wreck to find survivors. Rescuers pulled several out of the upturned train coaches. People lined up outside the hospitals to donate blood. Additional fire service teams, doctors and ambulances are also being rushed from nearby districts. Meanwhile, the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered State mourning for a day today. He will reach the accident site this morning. Sources said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will likely visit the accident site on Saturday.
The first train incident occurred at about 7 pm yesterday when Shalimar-Howrah Coromandel Express derailed at Bahanaga station after colliding with a goods train. At the same time, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast train derailed after a few minutes at the same spot. Sources said as many as 15 to 17 coaches were damaged in the derailment. The railway authorities have controlled several trains at different stations in the wake of a mishap. Besides, the Railways cancelled and diverted certain trains following the incident.

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INTERNATIONAL
UAE wins Presidency of World Meteorological Organization

A meteorologist of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dr Abdulla Al Mandous has been elected as the new President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for a four-year term from 2023 to 2027.
The WMO is an authoritative body within the UN system that focuses on weather, climate, hydrological, and related environmental fields.
Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous emerged as the official candidate of the UAE and secured 95 votes out of the representatives from WMO’s 193 member states and territories. The election took place during the 19th session of the World Meteorological Congress (Cg-19) held in Geneva, Switzerland from 22nd May to 2nd June He will succeed Prof Gerhard Adrian from the German Meteorological Service, who served as WMO President since June 2019. Under Dr. Al Mandous’ leadership, WMO’s upcoming 77th Executive Council Session (EC-77) will be chaired by the UAE in Geneva from 5th to 6th June.
As President, Dr. Al Mandous aims to enhance the resilience of nations to weather and climate-related hazards, promote knowledge-sharing and capacity building, and strengthen service delivery. He will also prioritize the development of comprehensive early warning systems and scientific research to address the challenges posed by a changing climate.

BRICS Foreign Ministers pitch for use of local currencies in international trade

The foreign ministers of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have encouraged the use of local currencies in international trade, saying that the world economy has been complicated by sanctions and boycotts.
In a joint statement issued on Friday in the Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Cape Town, the ministers covered a range of topics from international trade to peace resolutions for the Ukraine conflict.
The joint statement reiterated China and Russia’s explicit support for India, Brazil and South Africa’s aspirations to play a greater role in the UN Security Council.
The joint statement also expressed appreciation for proposals of mediation and peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
The BRICS foreign ministers also called for greater use of local currencies in international trade. Ministers underscored the importance of encouraging the use of local currencies in international trade and financial transactions between BRICS as well as their trading partners.
The BRICS brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.

Argentina's Celeste Saulo becomes first woman leader of World Meteorological Organization

Celeste Saulo of Argentina has been appointed as the first female Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Saulo won a landslide vote at the UN Climate and weather agency's Congress in Geneva. Saulo has served as the director of Argentina’s National Meteorological Service since 2014.
In these times when inequality and climate change are the greatest global threats, the WMO must contribute to strengthening the meteorological and hydrological services to protect populations and their economies.
The leadership election of the World Meteorological Congress takes place every four years. The agency plays a key role in coordinating international meteorological work. It relies on satellites and thousands of weather stations to measure key parameters of the atmosphere, land and ocean.

ECONOMY
US, Taiwan sign trade deal aims to strengthen economic ties

The United States and Taiwan on Thursday have signed a trade deal aims to strengthen economic ties between both countries and open Taiwan to more US exports. The announcement comes ahead of a high-level global security summit in Singapore this weekend.
Taiwan’s government has described the deal as the most comprehensive trade agreement signed with Washington since 1979.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning warned the United States earlier against signing any pact with connotations of sovereignty or of an official nature with China’s Taiwan region.
It said the US must not send the wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces in the name of trade. In recent years, the relationship between the US and China has become increasingly strained.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Juice Spacecraft Deployments Complete

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa – with a suite of remote sensing, geophysical, and in situ instruments. The mission will characterize these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats, explore Jupiter’s complex environment in-depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.
Juice’s antennas and booms each carry part or all of some of Juice’s 10 instruments. By placing them far from Juice, the instruments that need to be separated from the spacecraft’s own electric and magnetic fields are kept at a distance.
Teams have already confirmed that Juice’s RPWI, JANUS, J-MAG, and GALA instruments, as well as the RADEM radiation monitor, are ready for Jupiter.

ANDHRAPRADESH
Yantra Seva, CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy flags off tractors, harvesters.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday flagged off tractors, combine harvesters and other farm machinery worth Rs 361.29 crore under the second phase of the YSR Yantra Seva Scheme.
The Chief Minister also formally launched 4,019 YSR Yantra Seva Kendras.
Handing over 2,562 tractors, 100 combine harvesters and 3,573 farm machines to the RythuBharosa Kendra-attached farmers’ groups, the Chief Minister said that 40 per cent subsidy would be given on purchase of these machines while 50 per cent of the cost is arranged through loans and the groups are asked to pay 10 per cent of the cost.

Centre to sanction Rs 12,911 cr to complete Polavaram project

The Centre has decided to provide financial assistance of Rs 250 crore to Andhra Pradesh for setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the Polavaram Irrigation Project.
According to a statement, this is being extended in terms of Section 90 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014.
The Union government decided to allocate another Rs 2,000 crore for construction of project because cofferdam was washed away due to the Godavari floods.
The project cost has increased due to delay in construction. Union water resources ministry has made the proposals to sanction Rs 12,911 crores to Andhra Pradesh. Financial assistance will be given for the storage of water up to 41 metre only. The total height of the project is 45 metre and this subject is inter-state one and the issue of increasing the height of the dam will be decided later.

Published date : 03 Jun 2023 06:00PM