26th November, 2022 Current Affairs

Archana Lakkavajula

NATIONAL
In a first Indian Govt Announces Strategy for Suicide Prevention

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled the National Suicide Prevention Strategy — the first-of-its-kind policy formulated by the government to prevent suicides as a public health priority.
According to the ministry, the policy that will set the stage for promotion of mental health and prevention of suicides in the coming decade.
The goal of the strategy is to reduce suicide mortality in the country by 10 per cent by 2023. The strategy provides a framework for multiple stakeholders to implement activities for prevention of suicides in the country.
According to the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), released in August, 1.64 lakh people died by suicide in 2021 — an increase of 7.2 per cent from 2020. This is 10 per cent higher than the COVID deaths (1.48 lakh) in India in 2020, and 6.8 times the maternal deaths (23,800) in the same year.
The NCRB report also stated that more than 1,00,000 people die by suicide in the country every year. A total of 25,891 suicides were reported in the 53 megacities of the country during 2021, with the highest in Delhi.

INS Mormugao: Second Ship of Project 15B Delivered to Indian Navy

INS Mormugao is the second ship of Project 15B stealth destroyers being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). INS Mormugao was delivered to the Indian Navy on 24th November 2022. Project 15B was signed on 28th January 2011, which is a contract of four ships.
This project is a follow-on of the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers Commissioned in the last decade and the lead ship of the project-INS Visakhapatnam had been commissioned into the Indian Navy on 21st November 2021.

Lieutenant Governor Inaugurates ‘Sonzal-2022’ at Kashmir

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Annual Youth Festival ‘Sonzal-2022’ at the University of Kashmir. The Lt Governor said that the annual festival is a great opportunity for young artists to showcase their talents and ‘Sonzal’ provides them a much-needed platform to achieve the dream of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.
Sonzal means rainbow, which is a symbol of hope, inspiration, and good fortune.
The Lt Governor entrusted on the Educational Institutions to discharge their responsibility to ensure freedom, creativity, and engagement for them to become multi-achievers, and acquire knowledge & skills to thrive and shape their future.
The Lt Governor appreciated the efforts of the Kashmir University for making necessary changes to incorporate recommendations of the National Education Policy.
The University of Kashmir has been transformed into a center of excellence and promoting scientific research, new ideas & knowledge, and adapting to rapid change across the world in fundamental aspects of the educational landscape.

AYUSH Grows from US$ 3 Billion to US$ 18 Billion

Union Ayush Minister Shri SarbanandaSonowal informed that AYUSH has grown by 17 percent in 2014-20 to reach US dollars 18.1 billion. The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of ‘AYUR-UDYAMAH’ at New Delhi, where he also released the RIS report titled ‘AYUSH Sector in India: Prospects and Challenges.
On the occasion, the All-India Institute of Ayurveda – Incubation Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIIA ICAINE) the first-of-its-kind incubation center under the Ministry of Ayush to promote Start-ups was also launched.

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INTERNTIONAL
22nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers’ Meeting

India participated in the 22nd Council of Ministers’s meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held at Dhaka in Bangladesh. The Indian delegation was led by Minister of State for External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
The idea for IORA first surfaced during the late South African President Nelson Mandela’s 1995 visit to India. IORA is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to fostering regional cooperation and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region through its 23 Member States bordering the Indian Ocean and 10 Dialogue Partners. It is a regional forum that is tripartite in nature and brings together representatives of Government, Business, and Academia, in order to foster cooperation and closer engagement among them.
Commonwealth of Australia, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Union of Comoros, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Madagascar, Malaysia, Republic of Maldives, Republic of Mauritius, Republic of Mozambique, Sultanate of Oman, Republic of Seychelles, Republic of Singapore, Federal Republic of Somalia , Republic of South Africa, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, United Republic of Tanzania, Kingdom of Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Republic of Yemen.

India, UAE Central Banks Discuss Rupee-Dirham Trade Prospects

The central banks of India and UAE are discussing a concept paper on promoting bilateral trade in rupee and dirham with a view to reduce transaction cost.
The objective of the exercise is to reduce the cost of transactions. India and the UAE had already signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in February to give a fillip to bilateral trade and economic ties. The free trade agreement was aimed at providing significant benefits to Indian as well as UAE businesses, including enhanced market access and reduced tariffs. Following the free trade pact, bilateral trade is expected to increase from the current USD 60 billion to USD 100 billion in the next five years.
Bilateral trade between India and the UAE stood at USD 43.3 billion in 2020-21. Exports were worth USD 16.7 billion and imports aggregated at USD 26.7 billion in 2020-21. The two-way commerce stood at USD 59.11 billion in 2019-20.

Qatar signed world’s ‘longest’ gas supply deal with China

QatarEnergy announced a 27-year natural gas supply deal with China, calling it the “longest” ever seen as it strengthened ties with Asia while Europe scrambles for alternative sources. The state energy company will send four million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually from its new North Field East project to China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec).
Asian countries led by China, Japan and South Korea are the main market for Qatar’s gas, which is increasingly being sought by European countries since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Negotiations with European countries have struggled as Germany and others baulked at signing the type of long-term deals made with Asian nations. North Field is at the centre of Qatar’s expansion of its liquefied natural gas production by more than 60 percent to 126 million tonnes a year by 2027.
China is the first country to seal a deal for North Field East. The Chinese company’s chairman revealed it had also requested a full share of the North Field South project that is dominated by Western energy giants.

Lt General Asim Munir Appointed as New Army Chief of Pakistan

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Lieutenant General Asim Munir as the new army chief of the country, replacing incumbent General Qamar JavedBajwa. Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced the appointment on Twitter ending weeks of speculation over what some call the most powerful position in the South Asian nation.
Pakistan’s military has directly ruled the country of 220 million people for nearly half of its 75-year history.
Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad will take charge as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
PM Sharif held a cabinet meeting earlier where he selected Munir from a list of six nominees for the top military post.
Munir is currently posted at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi. He has served briefly as chief of the country’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

UN Human Rights Body Launches Iran Human Rights Probe

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted to condemn the bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children.
The session in Geneva is the latest international effort to put pressure on Iran over its crackdown, which has already drawn international sanctions and other measures. A resolution put forward by Germany and Iceland was backed by 25 countries, including the United States and many European, Latin American, Asian and African nations. Six countries opposed the move — China, Pakistan, Cuba, Eritrea, Venezuela and Armenia — while 16 abstained.

ECONOMY
India’s Current Account Deficit Pegged at 3-3.2% of GDP in FY23

Robust domestic economic activity and an uptick in oil import bills, India’s current account deficit is expected to be 3-3.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for FY23, according to Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V AnanthaNageswaran.
India’s current account balance recorded a deficit of 1.2 per cent of GDP in 2021-22, against a surplus of 0.9 per cent in 2020-21.
The Reserve Bank of India expects CAD to have widened modestly in the first half (April-September 2022) but shrink in the second half (October 2022-March 2023). Overall, CAD is expected to be under 3 per cent of GDP for FY23.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Europe announces name of world’s first disabled astronauts

The European Space Agency has named the first ever “parastronaut” in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space. The 22-nation agency said it had appointed British Paralympic sprinter John McFall to take part in a feasibility study during astronaut training to assess the conditions needed for people with disabilities to take part in future missions.
Notably: McFall, who lost his right leg due to a motorcycle accident at the age of 19, won a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

Published date : 26 Nov 2022 05:36PM