Menu
Cotton Corporation of India Limited (CCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council, known as TEXPROCIL, on Branding, Traceability and Certification of “Kasturi Cotton India” on the concluding day of Kashi Tamil Samagam in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh(UP).
• The MoU will encourage the Industry to work on the principle of self-regulation by taking complete responsibility of Traceability, Certification and Branding of Indian cotton.
• The Textile Ministry will contribute an equal share of Rs.15 crores over a period of 3 cotton seasons starting from FY23 to FY25.
• The MoU enables in providing complete traceability of Cotton from the origin farm level, QR Code based Certification technology to validate KASTURI Cotton India at each stage and also promotes it as a premium brand by enhancing international perception & valuation of Indian Cotton.
6th edition of the India-Kazakhstan joint training exercise ‘KAZIND-22’ initiated at Umroi Military Station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. It will culminate on December 28, 2022.
•The exercise will improve military relations, utilizes each other’s best practices, and promote the ability to collaborate while undertaking counter-terrorist operations in semi-urban or jungle scenarios under a UN (United Nations) Peace Enforcement mandate.
•Both armies will train, plan and execute a series of combined tactical drills for neutralizing threats.
•In 2016, the two countries instituted ‘Exercise Prabal Dostyk’, a joint annual training exercise which was later upgraded to a company-level exercise and renamed ‘Exercise Kazind’ in 2018.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India, launched the 5th edition of “Youth Co: Lab”
(2022-2023) to support young social entrepreneurs.
• Youth Co: Lab was launched in 2017 by UNDP and the Citi Foundation. It is operational in 28 Countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific.
• In 2019, Youth Co: Lab, the largest youth social entrepreneurship movement in Asia and the Pacific, was launched as an initiative by UNDP India in Partnership with AIM, NITI Aayog.
• Through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship, the initiative aims to establish a shared agenda for Asia-Pacific nations to invest in and empower young to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in collaboration with Swar Dharohar Foundation, inaugurated 3-day “Swar Dharohar Festival” under Kalanjali to showcase the iconic art & culture, rich literary Art & Heritage of Indian States, at Central Vista, New Delhi, Delhi.
• Swar Dharohar festival was inaugurated by Chief Guest Mehtab Ali (Sitar Player) andPandit Lalit Prasad (Classical Vocal).
• The 3 days festival was organized from the 2nd to 4th December 2022 at Central Vista, India Gate, New Delhi, Delhi.
• On an inaugural day Classical Performances, Ghazal, Kavi Sammelan, Mushaira, and Sufi Performance were organised.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has teamed with M1xchange as the financier to provide liquidity to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at low interest rates. SIDBI is the apex financial institution dedicated to the promotion, funding, and development of MSMEs. M1xchange, India’s leading Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform, provides MSMEs with early financing within 24 hours via its online bidding platform and an end-to-end digital process. M1xchange is one of three TReDS platforms; the other two are RXIL and InvoiceMart.
•With this exclusive offering from M1xchange TReDS, MSMEs will be able to use TReDS to discount receivables from corporate buyers.
•The discounting of bills of MSMEs is facilitated through TReDS, which is governed by the RBI. This enhances cash flow, liquidity, and the overall efficiency of MSMEs.
•This partnership is regarded as a highly effective and efficient option for solving the problem of delayed payment for MSMEs.
•The MSME sector accounts for the majority of enterprises in India and is regarded as the second largest employer after agriculture.
Reliance Consumer Products, a subsidiary of Reliance Retail
Ventures Ltd (RRVL), launched its made-for-India Fast-Moving
Consumer Goods (FMCG) brand “Independence” in Gujarat
• The company will provide a selection of goods under the “Independence” brand in a number of categories, including staples, processed foods, and other daily essentials.
• As it gets ready for the brand’s national rollout, it also intends to make Gujarat a “go-to-market” state by fostering excellence in execution for its FMCG sector.
India successfully conducted night trials of nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni V from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. This was the 9th flight of the Agni V as a part of routine test. It was first tested in 2012. It will be inducted into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).
•The test was carried out to validate new technologies and equipment on the missile. It proved the capability to enhance the range of the Agni-V missile, if required.
•It was on the lines of India’s stated policy to have credible minimum deterrence by committing to No First-Use (NFU).
•It is an ingeniously built advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It is a fire-andforget
missile, which cannot be stopped without an interceptor missile.
• This 17 metres long and capable of carrying a 1.5-tonne warhead can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 kilometers with a very high degree of accuracy. It uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine.
• IGMDP is the brain-child of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam which include five missiles P-A-T-N-A i.e. Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Nag, and Akash.
• The Agni-V project is aimed at boosting India’s nuclear deterrence against China which has missiles like Dongfeng-41 having ranges between 12,000 15,000 km. It can bring almost the entire Asia including the northernmost part of China, and some regions in Europe under its striking range.
India received its final 36th Rafale aircraft with RB tail number from France that is equipped with all 13 India specific enhancements. These include powerful radio altimeter, radar warning receiver, low band jammer, flight data recorder, highaltitude engine start-up, synthetic aperture radar, ground moving target indicator and tracking, infra-red search and track, helmet-mounted display, missile approach warning systems and very high-frequency range decoys.
• Its all spares and other parts are replaced as it was being used for developmental activities.
• The 35 of these planes are stationed at Ambala, Haryana and Hashimara in West Bengal.
• The Rafale is a 4.5-generation aircraft with long range air to air and air to ground missiles along with advanced radar and electronic warfare capabilities.
• India and France had signed the Inter-Government Agreement (IGA) in 2016, under which Paris agreed to provide 36 Rafale fighter jets for around Rs 60,000 crore to India. The cost of each jet was estimated to be aroundRs 670 crore (7.87 billion Euro).
• The first batch of five Rafale jets had arrived on July 29, 2020 in Ambala, Haryana and became part of the 17 Squadron, the ‘Golden Arrows’.
• These were manufactured by Dassault Aviation.
Bangalore (Karnataka)-based historian Dr Vikram Sampath has authored a new book titled “Bravehearts of Bharat: Vignettes from Indian History”. The book is published by Penguin Viking, owned by Penguin Random House.
• Bravehearts of Bharat chronicles the stories of courage, determination and victory, which largely remained untold and therefore unknown for a long time
• Vikram Sampath’s latest books include 2-volume biography
of Indian politician and writer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar: ‘Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past, 1883–1924’ and ‘Savarkar: A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966’.
Vijay Diwas, known as Bijoy Dibos(in Bangladesh) is annually observed across India and Bangladesh on 16th December to commemorate the victory of the Indian armed forces against the Pakistan forces in the 1971 Indo-Pak war (India – Pakistan war of 1971) also known as Bangladesh Liberation war
• The 1971 Indo-Pak War is a confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan.
• The war took place from 3rd December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka, East Pakistan(now Bangladesh) on 16 December 1971.
• Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, Army general of Pakistan along with his 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered before the Indian Army and Mukti-Bahini led by Lieutenant General Jagit Singh Aurora.
• The Eastern Command of the Pakistan military signed the instrument of surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has signed a number of agreements with investors in Singapore ahead of the UP Global Investors Summit (UPGIS), for a 50 billion investment commitments target. UPGIS will be held among countries in Lucknow, between 10th February and 12th February 2023.
• The UP Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) at the Singapore roadshow, to set the pace for Singapore investors to participate in the prosperity of UP.
• SICCI will act as a bridge between Singapore’s investment companies and the UP Government.
• SICCI will also act as a knowledge partner, provide avenues for growth, and also define a trajectory for investors.
• In Order to achieve the target of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy in line with the central government’s vision to create a USD 5 trillion national economy in future, the UP government will still need around
USD 50 billion.
• Projects worth Rs 380,000 crore were raised from the 2018 UP Investors Summit, which are presently in various phases of implementation.
Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) M K Stalin launched the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission at the ‘TN Climate Summit 2022’ to protect the natural resources and restore them on a long-term basis. Tamil Nadu is the first state to launch its own Climate
Change Mission to make it a climate smart state.
• Through this initiative, Tamil Nadu would achieve carbon neutrality ahead of the 2070 target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the state prioritises the climate agenda with district missions and climate officers already in place.
• The Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission was announced during the 2021-2022 budget for an outlay of Rs 500 crore to undertake climate change management and mitigation activities.
• Additionally, Rs 77.35 crore was allotted for carrying out basic research related to reduction of vehicular emissions, restoration of coastal habitats, creation of mangrove forests and other features, efforts to generate energy from waste, green power generation, creation of life shields in coastal areas, climate literacy and sustainable villages.
• Following this, the TN government had established India’s first ‘Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company”, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to implement three major nature conservation projects including Green Tamil Nadu Mission, Tamil Nadu Wetlands and Tamil Nadu Climate Change.