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Current Affairs 19.02.2024

  1. Indian Heritage
  • Culture
  • Modern Indian history
  • The Freedom Struggle
  • Post-independence
  • Indian Society

A. population and associated issues

B. poverty and developmental issues

C.urbanization

   7. Geographical features

8.Indian Constitution

9. Polity

10. Governance

A. institutions

B. regulatory

C. Government policies

D. role of NGOs

E. measures

11. Social Justice

A. Welfare schemes

National Council for Transgender Persons

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is entrusted with the welfare, social Justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalized section of the society viz. Scheduled Caste, Backward Classes, Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens, and Victims of Drug Abuse etc. Basic objective of the policies, programmes, law and institution of the Indian welfare system is to bring the target groups into the mainstream of development by making them self-reliant. Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for Welfare for Transgender Persons. The Ministry enacted the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and provisions of the same came into force on 10.01.2020. The Ministry has also prepared “The Transgender Persons(Protection of Rights) Rules,2020” for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act and the same has been notified in the Gazette of India on 29.09.2020. Further, in accordance with the provisions of the said Act, the Ministry, vide notification dated 21.08.2020, has constituted the National Council for Transgender Persons.

B Health

C. Education

D. Human Resources

E. poverty and hunger

12. International relations

A. India and its neighbourhood

B. groupings and agreements

ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA)

The 3rd meeting of AITIGA Joint Committee for undertaking the review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA)  was hosted by India in Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi from 16-19 February 2024. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and Ms. Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, Deputy Secretary General (Trade), Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry, Malaysia. Delegates from ASEAN countries viz. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand & Viet Nam participated in the meeting.

The AITIGA was signed in 2009.  In September 2022, both sides tasked the AITIGA Joint Committee  to undertake the review with the aim of making the Agreement more trade facilitative and mutually beneficial. A total of eight Sub-committees have been constituted under the AITIGA Joint Committee for undertaking negotiations on different policy areas related to the Agreement. The   first two meetings of  the Joint Committee were held in  May and August 2023.

The Joint Committee in its 3rd meeting held detailed discussions and took stock of the progress in the  negotiations.  The Sub-Committeesreported the progress and outcome of their discussions related to market access, Rules of Origin and Standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures to the Joint Committee.  Following the   intense discussions, the Joint Committee outlined the  focus areas for  further deliberations  and updated the work programme  for  the Review  while providing necessary guidance to the Sub-committees to carry forward the negotiations.

C.Indian diaspora

13. Economic Development

A. Government Budgeting

B. industrial

E.issues

14. Technology

15. Environment

 Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 

In 1972, the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) awarded Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) to all coastal states. Thereafter, the Union of India, enacted the Maritime Zones of India Act 1976, to claim sovereign rights over the vast sea area of the Exclusive Economic Zone. In one stroke, India acquired 2.01 million sq kms of ocean for extensive exploitation of all living and non-living resources, and this vast area clearly needed to be policed.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends no more than 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and is adjacent to the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the U.S., including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession over which the United States exercises sovereignty. 

  • The EEZ is an area that is adjacent to and beyond the territorial sea.
  • It can extend to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the baseline. The baseline is normally measured is the low-water line along the coast as indicated on large-scale charts officially approved by the coastal state.
  • The EEZ does not include the territorial sea and also does not include the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
  • The EEZ includes the contiguous zone.
  • Within the EEZ, the country has rights over natural resources. The country has jurisdiction over some activities for the reasons of environmental protection, among others.
  • It also has to respect the rights of other countries in the EEZ such as the freedom of navigation.
  • The difference between territorial sea and the EEZ is that the former confers full sovereignty over the waters, whereas the latter is merely a “sovereign right” which refers to the coastal nation’s rights below the surface of the sea. The surface waters are international waters.

Rights of the country in the EEZ

  • The coastal state has the rights to:
  • Explore and exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources (living or non-living).
  • Produce energy from wind, currents and water.
  • Establish and use artificial islands, structures and installations.
  • Conduct marine scientific research.
  • Protect and preserve the marine environment.

Commission for Air Quality Management

Air Quality Index (AQI) clocked 231 as per the AQI Bulletin furnished by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). In view of significant improvement in the average air quality of Delhi witnessed over the past days and also considering the meteorological/ weather forecasts by IITM/ IMD, the Sub-Committee for operationalization of actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) met today to review the current air quality scenario in the region and accordingly take an appropriate decision on the preventive/ restrictive actions under Stage-II of GRAP already in place in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) since 21.10.2023. While comprehensively reviewing the overall air quality parameters of Delhi-NCR, the Sub-Committee observed as under:

  • The average AQI of Delhi has considerably improved in last 4-5 days and remained less than 300 15th February, 2024 onwards, and has been recorded as 231 at 4:00 PM on 19th February, 2024, which is about 70 AQI points below the threshold for invoking the GRAP Stage-II actions (Delhi AQI 301-400). The forecast by IMD/ IITM also indicate the average AQI of Delhi to stay in ‘Moderate/Poor’ category with light rain/ drizzle expected in the coming days.

Therefore, keeping in view this trend of improvement in the overall AQI of Delhi and also the forecasts by IMD/ IITM not indicating the average air quality of Delhi moving to ‘Very Poor’ category in the coming days (for which forecast is available), the Sub-Committee for operationalization of actions under GRAP unanimously decided to revoke Stage-II of GRAP in the entire NCR with immediate effect. Actions under Stage-I of GRAP shall however remain invoked and be implemented, monitored and reviewed by all agencies concerned in the entire NCR and agencies shall keep strict vigil and especially intensify measures under Stage-I of GRAP in order to obviate the implementation of Stage-II of GRAP actions owing to AQI level further slipping into ‘Very Poor’ category.

16. Security

Jeevan Raksha Padak

Jeevan Raksha Padak is awarded for courage and promptitude in saving life under circumstances of grave bodily injury to the rescuer.

 3. Persons of either sex in all walks of life are eligible for these awards. The award can also be conferred posthumously.

 4. It is normal practice to invite nominations for these awards every year from all State/UT Governments and Ministry/Departments of the Government of India. The recommendations are placed before the JRP Awards Committee for its consideration.

 5. The recommendations of the award are considered by the Awards Committee within a period of two calendar years from the date of performance of the act.

 6. The Awards Committee makes its recommendations to the Prime Minister and the President.

7. The award is presented in the form of a medallion and a certificate signed by the Union Home Minister. The decoration is presented by the State/UT Government or the concerned Ministry/Deptt, to which the award winner belongs. A small-size replica of the main medal is also given to the awardees. No miniature medal is given if the award is given posthumously.

17. Disaster Management

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