Prime Minister’s participation in 47th G7 Summit
In News: At the invitation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Modi will participate in the Outreach Sessions of the G7 Summit in virtual format.
Context:
- UK currently holds the Presidency of the G7 and has invited India, along with Australia, Republic of Korea and South Africa, as Guest Countries for the G7 Summit. The meeting will be held in hybrid mode.
- The theme for the Summit is ‘Build Back Better’.
- The UK has outlined four priority areas for its Presidency
- Global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics
- Promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade
- Tackling climate change and preserving the planet’s biodiversity
- Championing shared values and open societies.
- This is the second time Indian Prime Minister will be participating in a G7 meeting.
- India had been invited by the G7 French Presidency in 2019 to the Biarritz Summit as a “Goodwill Partner” and Prime Minister participated in the Sessions on ‘Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans’ and ‘Digital Transformation’.
G7:
- The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal club of wealthy “liberal democracies” consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- The heads of government of the member states, as well as the representatives of the European Union, meet at the annual G7 Summit.
Agriculture Exports Picture: 2020-21
In News: The export of agriculture and allied products (including marine and plantation products) during 2020-21jumped to USD 41.25 billion, indicating an increase of 17.34%.
Context:
- India’s agricultural and allied imports during 2019-20 were USD 20.64 billion, and the corresponding figures for 2020-21 are USD 20.67 billion.
- Huge growth has been seen in export of cereals with export of non-basmati rice growing by 136.04%; wheat by 774.17% and other cereals (Millets, Maize and other coarse gains) by 238.28%.
- Other agricultural products, which registered significant increase in exports, as compared to 2019-20, were oil meals, sugar, raw cotton, fresh vegetables and vegetable oils etc.
- Largest markets for India’s agriculture products are USA, China, Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran and Malaysia with highest growth being recorded for Indonesia (102.42%), Bangladesh (95.93%) and Nepal (50.49%).
- Export of spices like ginger, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, saffron etc., which have known therapeutic qualities, has also grown substantially. Export of spices touched highest ever level of around USD 4 billion during 2020-21.
- The organic exports registered a growth of 50.94%. Organic exports include oil cake/ meals, oil seeds, cereals and millets, spices and condiments, tea, medicinal plant products, dry fruits, sugar, pulses, coffee etc.
Gentleman Cadet from Bhutan Awarded the Prestigious Motivational Trophy at The Indian Military Academy
In News:
- In an immaculately conducted award ceremony at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, Junior Under Officer (JUO) Kinley Norbu, a Foreign Gentlemen Cadet (FGC) from Bhutan was awarded the prestigious motivational trophy for his excellent all round performance during his training at the Academy.
- JUO Kinley Norbu is getting commissioned into the Royal Bhutan Army and is part of 84 FGCs from nine foreign countries who are due to passout after completion of pre-commission training at the IMA.
- A special award of recognition was also presented to FGC Ehsanullah Saadat, from Afghanistan, on being adjudged for best in service subjects, outdoor exercises and book review amongst FGCs.
- The IMA commands great respect across the world armies for its exacting training standards. Every fourth GC in the Academy is from a foreign army. The awards reflects the pride which IMA takes in its assessment and award policy for excelling Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) of passing out course, irrespective of their nationalities. These inspire the GCs to compete and inculcate a spirit of winning.
Indian Military Academy:
- The Indian Military Academy (IMA) trains officers for the Indian Army.
- A trainee on admission to IMA is referred to as a gentleman cadet (GC).
- It is located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
- It was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up under the chairmanship of Field Marshal Philip Chetwode.
All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report: 2019-20
In News: Union Education Minister announced the release of the report of All India Survey on Higher Education 2019-20. This Report provides key performance indicators on the current status of Higher education in the country.
Context:
- It was noted that in the last five years from 2015-16 to 2019-20, there has been a growth of 11.4% in the student enrolment.
- The rise in female enrolment in higher education during the period is 18.2%.
- This report is the 10th in the series of All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) annually released by D/o Higher Education.
Key features of All India Survey on Higher Education Report 2019-20
- Total Enrolment in Higher Education – 3.85 crore. Total Enrolment in Higher Education stands at 3.85 crore in 2019-20 as compared to 3.74 crore in 2018-19, registering a growth of 3.04 %.
- Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) – 27.1%. Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), the percentage of students belonging to the eligible age group enrolled in Higher Education, in 2019-20 is 27.1% against 26.3% in 2018-19 and 24.3% in 2014-2015.
- Gender Parity Index (GPI) – 1.01. Gender Parity Index (GPI) in Higher Education in 2019-20 is 1.01 against 1.00 in 2018-19 indicating an improvement in the relative access to higher education for females of eligible age group compared to males.
- Pupil Teacher Ratio in Higher Education in 2019-20 is 26.
- The Total Number of Teachers stands at 15,03,156 comprising of 57.5% male and 42.5% female.
Shri Justice Sanjay Yadav appointed as Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court
In News:
- The President of India under Article 217 of the Constitution of India, appointed Shri Justice Sanjay Yadav to be Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.
- Shri Justice Sanjay Yadav, M.A. LLB, was enrolled as an Advocate in 1986.
- He practiced at Jabalpur for 20 years in Civil, Constitutional, Labour and Service matters and has specialized in Labour and Service matters.
- He was appointed as Acting Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court since April 2021.
Discovered Small Field Bid Round-III launched
In News: Discovered Small Field (DSF) bid round-III for international competitive bidding was launched, at an event chaired by Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel.
Context:
- DSF bid round-III is offering 32 Contract Areas which comprise of 75 discoveries. These fields are spread over 9 sedimentary basins covering more than 13,000 square kilometers with Inplace Hydrocarbon estimated to be around 230 MMT.
- Encouraged by the success of DSF bid rounds-I &II, the Government of India has extended the DSF Policy by launching DSF bid round-III. Previous two DSF rounds had a resounding success.
- In DSF Round – I launched in 2016, 134 bids were submitted for 34 contract areas by 47 companies. 30 Revenue Sharing Contracts were signed. In DSF Round – II launched in 2018, 145 bids were submitted for 24 contract area. 24 Revenue Sharing Contracts were signed.
- Government of India had launched Discovered Small Field (DSF) Policy in 2015 which was a monumental step for awarding discovered acreages and monetize the unmonetized discoveries.
- The DSF policy has multiple attractive features like revenue sharing contract model with low regulatory burden, no minimum biddable work programme, no prior technical qualification required, no upfront signature bonus, etc.
Filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta passes away
In News:
- Buddhadeb Dasgupta, one of the most original icons of cinema, who helped put Indian cinema on the global stage, passed away in Kolkata.
- His first feature film was Dooratwa (1978).
- Feted with several national and international awards, his seminal works across languages include Phera (1988), Bagh Bahadur (1989), Tahader Katha (1992), Charachar (1994), Uttara (2000), Mondo Meyer Upakhyan (2002), Kalpurush (2005) and Tope (2016).
- In 2007, he was given the Golden Athena Award at the Athens International Film Festival; he was also conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Spain International Film Festival in Madrid.
Biden, Johnson seek to sign ‘new Atlantic Charter’
In News: President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met for the first time to highlight their nations’ famed “special relationship”.
Context:
- The two leaders inspected documents related to the Atlantic Charter, a declaration signed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1941, setting out common goals for the world after Second World War.
- Those goals included freer trade, disarmament and the right to self-determination of all people. It is often cited as a cornerstone of the trans-Atlantic “special relationship.”
Atlantic Charter:
- The Atlantic Charter was a statement issued on 14 August 1941 that set out American and British goals for the world after the end of World War II.
- The Atlantic Charter, outlined the aims of the United States and the United Kingdom for the postwar world as follows:
- No territorial aggrandizement
- No territorial changes made against the wishes of the people (self-determination)
- Restoration of self-government to those deprived of it
- Reduction of trade restrictions
- Global co-operation to secure better economic and social conditions for all
- Freedom from fear and want
- Freedom of the seas
- Abandonment of the use of force
- Disarmament of aggressor nations
- The charter’s adherents signed the Declaration by United Nations on 1 January 1942, which was the basis for the modern United Nations.
- The dismantling of the British Empire, the formation of NATO, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) all derived from the Atlantic Charter.
- In 2021, the charter was written again by U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in their first meeting in Cornwall.
