Current Affairs Reverse Engineering – CARE (17-06-2024)
| News at a Glance |
| International Relations: India refuses to endorse Ukraine meet statement |
| Environment and Ecology: Amount of $736.4 million to be disbursed at 67th council meet of Global Environment Facility at Washington |
| Assam secretariat becomes India’s first eco-friendly State government headquarters |
| Defence: India to host its first multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti in August |
| Art and Culture: Sahitya Akademi announces Yuva Puraskar, Bal Sahitya Puraskar winners for 2024 |
India Refuses to Endorse Ukraine meet statement
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 2 (International Relations)
Context: The two-day Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland ended with participants hoping for an end to the war between Moscow and Kyiv.
Why in News
- India decided to disassociate itself from the final document issued on June 16 at the conclusion of a Peace Summit in Switzerland.
What is the backdrop of the summit, and what conditions have the two countries put forth?
- Various attempts have been made for peace since 2022. Turkey was able to negotiate the movement of grains from Ukraine through the Black Sea, given Ukraine’s significance as a major producer of wheat and corn, for global trade and food security.
- However, bringing an end to the war itself has proved difficult. In February 2024, President Zelenskyy said 31,000 troops had died, along with “tens of thousands” of civilians. Russia’s Defence Ministry acknowledged just over 6,000 deaths as of January 2023, which is likely an undercount.
- Ukraine has said that unless Russian hostilities are brought to an end and Russia relinquishes the areas it gained in the war — reportedly a little less than a fifth of all Ukrainian territory — Ukraine will not be involved in the peace talks.
- And Russia has reiterated the terms “denazification” and “demilitarisation” of Ukraine — it declared goals for the invasion.
- President Putin said the goal of the military action was to protect the people that are subjected to abuse and to this end we will seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine and put to justice those that committed numerous bloody crimes against peaceful people.
Indian Response
- India was among at least seven countries that refused to endorse the “Joint Communique on a Peace Framework” released in Burgenstock, the venue of the two-day summit.
- The MEA said India had attended the summit, along with previous meetings at the NSA level in Jeddah in August 2023 and Deputy NSA level in Davos in January 2023 in line with its desire to “facilitate a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy”.
- The communique was built on Ukraine’s peace formula, and the UN charter and resolutions thus far was signed by more than 80 countries.
- Indian participation in the summit and continued engagement with all stakeholders is with a view to understanding different perspectives, approaches and options to find a way forward for a sustainable resolution of the conflict, in our view, only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace.
Response of other Countries
- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Summit, but Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited to attend.
- Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates were among other countries that refused to sign the communique.
- Brazil maintained an observer status, and China declined the invitation to participate altogether.
Consistent policy
- India’s decision to attend, but distance itself from the joint statement is also in line with the government’s consistent policy of abstention from all resolutions at the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, International Atomic Energy Agency and Human Rights Council thus far that are critical of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
- Organisers had said the invitation to India, as well as leading countries of the Global South or BICS (referring to Brazil-India-China-South Africa or BRICS minus Russia) was especially important in order to bring about a global consensus and include their concerns on food and energy security.
- Such a resolution requires a sincere and practical engagement between the two parties to the Russia and Ukraine conflict.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi had originally been invited to the Summit, where a number of world leaders except U.S. President Biden, who sent Vice-President Kamala Harris, attended, but he had declined the invitation.
- On the sidelines of the G-7 outreach summit in Italy on Friday, Mr. Modi met Mr. Zelenskyy, promising support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q1. Consider the following statements with regards to Summit on Peace in Ukraine:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
|
Q. Consider the following pairs:
Regions often mentioned: Reason for in news being in news 1. North Kivu and Ituri : War between Armenia and Azerbaijan Israel and Lebanon. Answer: (d) |
| Answer 1- C
Explanation:
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Amount of $736.4 million to be disbursed at 67th council meet of Global Environment Facility at Washington
Source: Down To Earth
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS3- Environment and Ecology
Context: Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Why in news
- An amount of $736.4 million will be allocated towards environment protection at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) council meeting being convened in Washington, DC, starting June 17, 2024.
Key Highlights
- The councils of the GEF Trust Fund, Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), and Least Developed Countries Fund and Special Climate Change Fund (LDCF/SCCF) will consider $495.6 million, $37.8 million and $203 million respectively.
- The GEF Trust Fund will take decisions on projects under the GEF-8 funding cycle running from July 2022 to June 2026.
- Over the four-day meeting, the GEF will consider projects that protect biodiversity, counter climate change and pollution, and support land and ocean health.
- In June 2022, 29 donor governments had pledged $5.33 billion to GEF in support of international efforts to meet nature and climate targets.
GEF Trust Fund
- GEF Trust Fund supports the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
- It plans to support projects to reduce persistent organic pollutants in the air and reduce the generation of e-waste.
- For GBFF, launched in August 2023 at the Seventh GEF Assembly in Vancouver and approved by 186 countries, this is the inaugural work program and it is set to fund conservation initiatives in Brazil and Mexico.
- GBFF aims to help countries achieve the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It has received funds from Canada, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
- Many of these projects contribute to global biodiversity targets set under the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Biodiversity Plan adopted in December 2022.
- These include the work on 28 million hectares of land and marine areas in the Sahel region and Yemen.
Initiatives Included
- Initiatives include land restoration through the Great Green Wall project in Africa and the improved management and conservation of wetlands in Yemen’s Socotra archipelago and Aden wetlands, and an initiative to conserve terrestrial and marine biodiversity in vulnerable sites in Somalia.
- Its first three projects include one initiative in Mexico and two in Brazil.
- These will provide financial support to work on protected areas with indigenous people-led conservation.
- In total, these initiatives would support 30.5 million hectares of terrestrial and marine protected areas, and directly benefit 229,000 people.
- Council members will also meet as the LDCF and SCCF governing body, considering $203 million in funding for 14 climate adaptation initiatives.
- The LDCF work program will support projects related to climate resilience and adaptation in Angola, Cambodia, Chad, the Comoros, the Gambia, Guinea, Lao PDR, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Tanzania.
- Though the Council customarily meets twice each year, it will meet three times in 2024. The June meeting is the second time the members are getting together.
- The Council develops, adopts, and evaluates the operational policies and programs for GEF-financed activities.
- It also reviews and approves the work program making decisions by consensus.
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
- It is a family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and strains on land and ocean health.
- It has a unique governing structure organized around an Assembly, the Council, the Secretariat, 18 agencies, a Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel, and the Evaluation Office.
- It provides Financial Assistance for five major International Conventions:
- The Minamata Convention on Mercury (signed in 2013 and entered into force in 2017).
- The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) (adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004).
- The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) (entered into force in 1993).
- The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (adopted in 1994).
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (signed in 1992 and entered into force in 1994).
- It has 184 member countries, including India.
- Its secretariat is based in Washington, D.C.
- The World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee, administering the GEF Trust Fund.
GEF Council
- The GEF Council, the GEF’s main governing body, comprises 32 members appointed by constituencies of GEF member countries (14 from developed countries, 16 from developing countries, and two from economies in transition).
- India has formed a permanent Constituency in the Executive Council of the GEF together with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.
- Council members rotate at different intervals determined by each constituency.
- The Council meets twice annually.
- The Council develops, adopts and evaluates the operational policies and programs for GEF-financed activities.
- It also reviews and approves the work program (projects submitted for approval), making decisions by consensus.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q3. Consider the following statements with regards to Global Environment Facility:
Which of the statements given above are incorrect?
|
Q. With reference to ‘Global Environment Facility’, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2014)
(a) It serves as financial mechanism for ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ and ‘United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’ (b) It undertakes scientific research on environmental issues at global level (c) It is an agency under OECD to facilitate the transfer of technology and funds to underdeveloped countries with specific aim to protect their environment (d) Both (a) and (b) Ans: (a) |
| Answer 3 C
Explanation
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Assam secretariat becomes India’s first eco-friendly State government headquarters
Source: Indian Express
UPSC Relevance: GS 2- Polity and Governance
Context: India’s first eco-friendly State government headquarters
Why in News
- The Assam Secretariat on June 16 became the country’s first green State government headquarters with the inauguration of a 2.5 MW solar power project on its campus.
Background
- Installed at a cost of ₹12.5 crore, the grid-connected rooftop solar power plant will save ₹30 lakh in electricity bills every month.
- From now onwards, the secretariat complex will run entirely on solar power, resulting in savings of ₹30 lakh every month on electricity bills.
- The Chief Minister also said the government has decided that all official complexes will be fitted with solar panels, beginning with the medical colleges and universities across the state.
Significance
- The power installations at all government offices will have automatic disconnection facilities at 8-9 pm, except home, finance and CM secretariat.
- So far, the electricity bills of all ministers, senior officials and other staff staying at official quarters were being paid by the government.
- After implementing all these steps, which will result in saving of cost and power both, the state-run Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) will explore the possibility of reducing power tariff by Re 1 from April 1, 2025 to provide relief to consumers.
World Environment Day
- World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment (5–16 June 1972), that had resulted from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment.
- In 1973, the first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth”
- Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world. In 2024, it is hosted by Saudi Arabia.
- The theme of World Environment Day (2024) is “Our land,” emphasizing land restoration, stopping desertification, and increasing drought resilience.
India’s Contribution towards Environmental Sustainability
Mission LiFE
- India is leading the way in sustainability and environmental conservation with MissionLiFE (Lifestyle for Environment).
- This India-led global mass movement aims to inspire individual and community action to protect and preserve the environment.
- Introduced at COP26 in Glasgow, Mission LiFE focuses on promoting eco-friendly practices and sustainable lifestyles.
- India is the first country to include LiFE in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), reflecting its commitment to combating climate change through behavioural change rooted in traditional, sustainable living.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ | ||||||||||||
Q3. Consider the following pairs:
Which of the above pairs is/are incorrect?
|
Q. The “Common Carbon Metric” supported by UNEP, has been developed for (2021)
(a) Assessing the carbon footprint of building operations around the world (b) Enabling commercial farming entities around the world to enter carbon emission trading (c) Enabling governments to assess the overall carbon footprint caused by their countries (d) Assessing the overall carbon foot-print caused by the use of fossil fuels by the world in a unit time Ans: (a) |
| Answer 3– C
Explanation:
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India to host its first multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti in August
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Relevance: GS 3- Defence, Technology, Science and Technology
Context: Tarang Shakti Exercise
Why in News
- The Indian Air Force’s first multinational air exercise, Tarang Shakti-2024, will be held in August, and is likely to see the participation of ten countries, in addition to a few others acting as observers.
Tarang Shakti-2024
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to conduct its first-ever multinational exercise, Tarang Shakti 2024.
- It is scheduled to take place in the skies over Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in August this year.
- During his official visit to Germany, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari flew a sortie in a Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft at a German airbase, further solidifying the ties between the two air forces.
- The visit also included a tour of the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA Berlin.
Significance of Tarang Shakti
- Tarang Shakti 2024 will feature air assets from 12 countries, with six nations actively participating with their frontline fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, and mid-air refuellers.
- The remaining six will join as observers.
- Notably, the exercise is likely to include forces from the Quad nations—Australia, Japan, and the United States—along with France and the United Kingdom in addition to Germany.
- This groundbreaking event will see participation from some of the world’s most advanced air forces, including Germany, marking a significant milestone in India-Germany defence cooperation.
- The exercise aims to foster professional interactions, enrich the employment philosophy of the participating forces, and facilitate the exchange of valuable insights.
- It represents a unique opportunity for these nations to collaborate and enhance their tactical and operational capabilities.
India-Germany Defence Cooperation
- The roots of India-Germany defence cooperation date back to 2006, with the signing of the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement.
- In 2007, an Agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information was established, providing a framework for bilateral defence ties.
- These agreements were further strengthened in February 2019 with the Arrangement on Implementation of the 2006 Agreement, signed in Berlin.
- In February 2024, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane co-chaired the India-Germany High Defence Committee (HDC) meeting in Berlin with Benedikt Zimmer, State Secretary of the German Ministry of Defence.
- This meeting focused on enhancing the defence cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between the two nations.
- Discussions included potential joint exercises in the Indo-Pacific and deliberations on defence industrial projects.
- The upcoming Exercise Tarang Shakti 2024 is a testament to the growing defence cooperation between India and Germany.
- As both nations continue to strengthen their strategic partnership, this exercise will serve as a cornerstone for future collaborations, fostering a deeper understanding and mutual trust between their armed forces.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q4. Consider the following statements with regards to Tarang Shakti 2024:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
|
Q. What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)”, sometimes seen in the news?(2018)
(a) An Israeli radar system (b) India’s indigenous anti-missile programme (c) An American anti-missile system (d) A defence collaboration between Japan and South Korea. Ans: (c) |
| Answer 4 A
Explanation
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Sahitya Akademi announces Yuva Puraskar, Bal Sahitya Puraskar winners for 2024
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS1- Art and Culture
Context: Sahitya Akademi
Why in News
- The Sahitya Akademi announced the names of 23 writers, including English writer K. Vaishali and Hindi author Gaurav Pandey, who will receive the prestigious Yuva Puraskar across as many languages.
Key highlights
- The Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi approved selection of 23 writers who were selected on the basis of recommendations made by the Jury comprising three members each in the concerned language in accordance with the rules and procedure laid down for the purpose,” the literary body said in a statement.
- The National Academy of Letters also announced the names of 24 winners of the Bal Sahitya Puraskar for 2024.
- The winner of the Yuva Puraskar in Sanskrit will be announced at a later date, the Akademi said in a statement.
Winners of Sahitya Academy
- The Yuva Puraskar has been awarded for 10 poetry books, seven collections of short stories, two collections of articles and one of essays, one novel, one book of ghazals and one memoir.
- The other winners of the Yuva Puraskar are Nayanjyoti Sarma (Assamese), Sutapa Chakraborty (Bengali), Self-Made Rani Baro (Bodo) and Heena Choudhary (Dogri).
- Rinku Rathod (Gujarati), Shruti B.R. (Kannada), Mohd Ashraf Ziya (Kashmiri), Adwait Salgaonkar (Konkani), Rinki Jha Rishika (Maithili), and Shyamkrishnan R. (Malayalam) are also among the winners.
- Waikhom Chingkheinganba (Manipuri), Devidas Saudagar (Marathi), Suraj Chapagain (Nepali), Sanjay Kumar Panda (Odia), Randhir (Punjabi), Sonali Sutar (Rajasthani) have also been picked for the Yuva Puruskar.
- The other winners are Anjan Karmakar (Santali), Geeta Pradeep Rupani (Sindhi), Lokesh Raghuraman (Tamil), Ramesh Karthik Nayak (Telugu) and Javed Amber Misbahi (Urdu).
Yuva Puraskar
- Yuva Puraskar awardees will receive a casket containing an engraved copper plaque and a cheque of Rs 50,000 at an awards ceremony later.
- For the Bal Sahitya Puraskar, the Akademi has picked English writer Nandini Sengupta for her historical fiction “The Blue Horse and Other Amazing Animal Stories from Indian History” and Devender Kumar’s collection of children’s stories “51 Baal Kahaniyan”.
Bal Sahitya Puraskar
- The Bal Sahitya Puraskar has been awarded for seven novels, six books of poetry, four stories, five short stories, one play, and one historical fiction.
- The winners of the Bal Sahitya Puraskar are Ranju Hazarika (Assamese), Dipanwita Roy (Bengali), Birgin Jekova Machahary (Bodo), Bishan Singh ‘Dardi’ (Dogri), Gira Pinakin Bhatt (Gujarati) and Krishnamurthy Biligere (Kannada).
- Muzaffar Hussain Dilbar (Kashmiri), Harsha Sadguru Shetye (Konkani), Narayangee (Maithili), Unni Ammayambalam (Malayalam), Kshetrimayun Subadani (Manipuri), Bharat Sasane (Marathi), Basanta Thapa (Nepali) and Manas Ranjan Samal (Odia) are also among the winners.
- The remaining winners are Kuldeep Singh Deep (Punjabi), Prahlad Singh ‘Jhorda’ (Rajasthani), Harshdev Madhav (Sanskrit), Dugal Tudu (Santali), Lal Hotchandani ‘Lachaar’ (Sindhi), Yuva Vasuki (Tamil), P. Chandrashekhar Azad (Telugu) and Shamsul Islam Farooqi (Urdu).
- The winners of the Bal Sahitya Puraskar will receive a casket containing an engraved copper plaque and a cheque of ₹50,000 at a special function to be held at a later date.
About Sahitya Academy
- Sahitya Akademi award established in 1954, is a literary honour that is conferred annually by Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of letters.
- Akademi gives 24 awards annually to literary works in the languages it has recognized and an equal number of awards to literary translations from and into the languages of India.
- Besides the 22 languages enumerated in the Constitution of India, the Sahitya Akademi has recognised English and Rajasthani as languages in which its programme may be implemented.
- The Sahitya Akademi award is the second-highest literary honour by the Government of India, after the Jnanpith award.
Criteria for Choosing Awardee
- The author must be of Indian Nationality.
- Book/work eligible for the award must be an outstanding contribution to the language and literature to which it belongs.
- When equal merit for books of two or more are found, certain criteria like total literary contribution and standing of authors shall be taken into consideration for declaring the award.
Other Sahitya Akademi Awards
- Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar is given to an author based on his/her total contribution to children literature and relates to books first published during the five years immediately preceding the year of Award.
- Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar relates to books published by an author of the age of 35 and below.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q5. Consider the following statements with regards to Sahitya Akademi awards announced recently:
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
|
Q. Consider the following statements: (2009)
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Ans: C |
| Answer 5 D
Explanation
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