National
ISRO launches LVM3 rocket with 36 satellites
⇒ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s largest Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket/OneWeb India-2 Mission with 36 satellites onboard from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on 26 March 2023.
Key Points:
- The 36 first generation satellites weighing 5,805 kgs were to be placed into a 450 kms circular orbit with an inclination of about 87.4 degree.
- The LVM-III was to deploy 36 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Background:
- The OneWeb Group Company has inked a contract with ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd to launch 72 satellites into LEO.
- The first satellite deployment collaboration between the two organisations took place in October 2022 with ISRO launching 36 satellites of OneWeb.
- OneWeb is a global communication network powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments and businesses. OneWeb, in which Bharti Enterprises is a major investor.
Sonowal Kachari Youth Festival & Cultural Festival, 2023
⇒ Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal attended the Uddipana Award Ceremony as the Chief Guest held at the Sonowal Kachari Youth Festival & Cultural Festival, 2023 in Dibrugarh, Assam on 25 March 2023.
Organised by:
The four-day festival was organised by Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council and held at Halali Samannay Kshetra, Dulia-Dainijan in Dibrugarh.
Theme:
The theme of the festival was “Welfare of the Youth and Cultural Heritage”
- The theme of the festival was aimed to highlight welfare activities planned for the protection, education and skill development for youth to become economically independent and become active agents of nation building.
With rich display of cultural heritage of Sonowal Kachari community, the festival also aimed weave a multi-coloured among different communities of Assam.
International
G20 Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting & 4th Trade and Investment Working Group Meeting
⇒ The G20 Trade and Investment Minister’s Meeting (TIMM) and the 4th Working Group Meeting (TIWG) were held in Jaipur, Rajasthan from August 21-25, 2023.
- The 4th WGM was held on August 21-22, 2023 followed by the Ministerial Meeting from August 24 – 25, 2023.
- More than 300 delegates along with invitee countries and Heads from prominent international organisations like World Trade Organization participated in the Ministerial Meeting.
- Prior to this, 3 other Trade and Investment Working Group meetings were held in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kevadia.
» During the 4th TIWG meeting, senior trade and investment officials from G20 members, invitee countries, and international organizations deliberated on the proposals made by the Indian Presidency across five priority issues.
- During the deliberations, it was reiterated by the G20 that the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core, is indispensable for advancing our shared objectives of inclusive growth, innovation, job creation, and sustainable development. This meeting provided an opportune moment for the G20 to highlight the critical role that technology can play in transforming the conventional procedures and processes followed to undertake cross border trade.
» Knowing the importance of the interlinkage of the five proposed Priority Issues, the Indian Presidency also organized Side Event Seminars on Trade Finance, Trade and Technology, and Trade Infrastructure in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Ekta Nagar respectively.
- The aim of these seminars was to bring together the stakeholders across all layers of governance and brainstorm on collective actions that are needed to build a robust global trade ecosystem.
4th Trade and Investment Working Group Meeting
- On the first day of the 4th TIWG Meeting, the delegates during the drafting sessions focused on the Finalisation of ‘High-Level Principles on Digitalisation of Trade Documents’, ‘G20 Generic Framework for Mapping Global Value Chains, and more.
- On the second day, G20 India delegates carried forward the discussions on drafting the outcome document. Priority issues such as ‘Trade for Growth and Prosperity’ and ‘WTO Reforms’ were given the center stage.
Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting
Day 1:
The first day of the meeting began with a video message from Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
On the first day, two sessions were organised on the following themes:
Session 1: Multilateral Trade for Global Growth & Prosperity
- Trade for Growth & Prosperity
- WTO Reforms
Session 2: Inclusive & Resilient Trade
- Trade & Resilient GVCs
- Integrating MSMEs in World Trade
Day 2:
On the second day of the meeting, a third and final session was organised.
Session 3: Leveraging Technology for Paperless Trade – Logistics for Trade
» Under India’s Presidency, the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial reached a groundbreaking consensus on five concrete and action-oriented deliverables which have been adopted in the Outcome Document of the Trade Ministerial Meeting.
- The first one is the adoption of High-Level Principles on the digitalization of trade documents wherein the G20 Ministers have enunciated 10 broad principles that comprehensively cover various dimensions of an effective transition to paperless trade.
- G20 Ministers also issued a Jaipur Call for Action to enhance access to information for MSMEs. The Ministers called upon the International Trade Center (ITC), Geneva to work on a detailed implementation plan, in consultation with UNCTAD and WTO, for the upgradation of ITC’s Global Trade Helpdesk which would address the informational gaps faced by MSMEs.
- The Ministers also endorsed a G20 Generic Mapping Framework for GVCs which contained key building blocks of data, analysis, and representation of GVC data.
- G20 Ministers welcomed the voluntary sharing of best practices on Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for professional services and supported the development of a Presidency’s Compendium of best practices on MRAs for Professional Services.
- G20 Ministers acknowledged the importance of mutual dialogues to reduce regulatory divergences and associated trade costs and also to prevent unnecessary trade frictions, monitor trade and investment-related measures, and solve existing irritants. G20 Ministers welcomed the Presidency’s suggestion to hold a G20 Standards Dialogue in 2023 that will bring together members, policymakers, regulators, standard-setting bodies, and other stakeholders to discuss topics of common interest such as good regulatory practices and standards.
All five outcomes received widespread support from the G20 Ministers.
Important Day
84th Raising Day of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
⇒ Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah attended the 84th Raising Day celebrations of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as the Chief Guest at Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, on 25 March 2023.
- Union Home Minister said that CRPF was established on 27 July, 1939, but the force was given its modern form by the Iron Man and the country’s first Home Minister Sardar Patel.
- On December 28, 1949, Sardar Patel renamed it as the Central Reserve Police Force and on March 19, 1950, he gave the insignia to this force.
- Shri Shah said that the force, which started with a single battalion is the biggest CAPF in the country, with 246 battalions, 4 Zonal Headquarters, 21 Sector Headquarters, 2 Operational Sector Headquarters, 17 Operational Ranges, 42 Administrative Ranges and over 3.25 lakh personnel.
» Shri Amit Shah also inaugurated Prasar Bharati’s news bulletin for the Bastar Division in the local language of Halbi.
» CRPF organized its Raising Day Parade for the first time in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar, the epicentre of Left Wing Extremism, and it is a matter of pride for the entire nation.