Contents:
- India and WTO
- Zanskar River in the UT of Ladakh
- K9 Vajra T-Gun
- $88 million loan agreement for Assam Inland Water Transport Project
- Ladakh Food Processing Summit
- The end of Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis
- Barapullah DESMI Waste Water Management Project
INDIA AND WTO
Focus: Mains- GS3-Economy, GS2- International organizations, Governance
Why in news?
The Minister of commerce and industry put forward his view at Raisina dialogues
Major Points of dialogue:
- India believes in Multilateralism and Strengthening WTO
- India has been at the receiving end of unfair trade practices for a very long time and therefore believes in the creation of a far more reformed rules based trading system
- India is one of the first four countries to pay all its dues to the World Trade Body
- Trade Policies will have to be people Centric
- Trade policies that are people centric to be sustainable, to eliminate poverty and raise prosperity levels for all citizens
- India allows e-commerce companies to work on the marketplace model where buyers and sellers are free to buy and sell and follow the rules of the marketplace and laws of the country which clearly say that FDI in multi-brand retail will only be allowed up to 49%.
- India is in dialogue with EU and the US to sort out pressing trade issues and further expand engagement with them
Background
- The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.
- Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media and civil society are hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy matters.
- The Dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion, involving heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials, as well as major private sector executives, members of the media and academics.
ZANSKAR RIVER IN THE UT OF LADAKH
Focus: Prelims (Map)
Why in news?
IAF Rescues More than 107 Individuals from the Frozen Zanskar River in the UT of Ladakh
Details
People were a part of the ongoing ‘Chadar Trek’, got stranded when some portions of the frozen Zanskar River melted
Stranded trekkers managed to move to Niraq, a small camp site upstream
Zanskar river
- The Zanskar River is a north-flowing tributary of the Indus. In its upper reaches, the Zanskar has two main branches.
- First of these, the Doda, has its source near the Pensi-la 4,400 m (14,400 ft) mountain-pass
- The second branch is formed by two main tributaries known as Kargyag river, with its source near the Shingo La 5,091 m (16,703 ft), and Tsarap river, with its source near the Bara lacha-La
- Zanskar river then takes a north-eastern course through the dramatic Zanskar Gorge until it joins the Indus near “Nimmu” in Ladakh
K9 VAJRA-T GUN
Focus : Prelims- What it is
Mains GS3: Defence, Make in India
Why in news?
Raksha Mantri flags off 51st K9 VAJRA-T Gun from L&T Armoured System Complex in Gujarat
Details
- Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Armored System Complex is at Hazira in Gujarat
- Government under the ‘Make in India’ initiative want to achieve $26 billion defence industry by 2025 and provide employment to 2-3 million people.
- L&T Defence is currently executing the ‘K9 VAJRA-T’ Tracked, Self-Propelled Howitzer Guns program – the contract awarded to the company by Ministry of Defence through global competitive bidding.
$88 MILLION LOAN AGREEMENT FOR ASSAM INLAND WATER TRANSPORT PROJECT
Focus: Prelims- What is the project and who are the stakeholders
Mains- Government efforts towards better the condition of people
Why in news?
World Bank and Government of India Sign $88 million loan agreement for the implementation of Assam Inland Water Transport Project
Details
- To help modernize Assam’s passenger ferry sector that runs on its rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra
- The Assam Inland Water Transport Project (AIWTP) will help Assam improve the passenger ferry infrastructure and its services and strengthen the capacity of the institutions running the inland water transport.
- The project will support the Government of Assam’s efforts to corporatise its own ferry activities
- The project will draw guidance from ‘working with nature’ principles that aim to design new infrastructure or rehabilitate existing infrastructure in a way that works with natural river processes
- Loan of $88 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a final maturity of 14.5 years including a grace period of five years
Background
- The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.
- The Bank Group works with country governments, the private sector, civil society organizations, regional development banks, think tanks, and other international institutions on issues ranging from climate change, conflict, and food security to education, agriculture, finance, and trade.
- The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA) form the World Bank.
- The World Bank provides financing, policy advice, and technical assistance to governments of developing countries.
LADAKH FOOD PROCESSING SUMMIT
Focus: Prelims- Invest India
Mains- Agriculture Industry
Why in news?
Ladakh Food Processing Summit “Building Partnerships for Inclusive Growth in Food Processing Sector” was organised by the Department of Industries & Commerce, Ladakh in partnership with the MOFPI, GOI and Invest India, the national investment promotion & facilitation agency, in Leh
Invest India
- Invest India, set up in 2009, is a non-profit venture under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
- Focuses on sector-specific investor targeting and development of new partnerships to enable sustainable investments in India
- Also partners with substantial investment promotion agencies and multilateral organizations
- Actively works with several Indian states to build capacity as well as bring in global best practices in investment targeting, promotion and facilitation areas
THE END OF BRU-REANG REFUGEE CRISIS
Focus: Prelims- Details about the tribes and their status
Mains- society(GS1), Governance(GS2), Internal security(GS3)
Why in news?
Union Minister for Home Affairs presided over the signing of an agreement between Government of India, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives in New Delhi today, to end the 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis
Details
- Under the new agreement, he informed, around 34,000 Bru refugees will be settled in Tripura and would be given aid from the Centre to help with their rehabilitation and all round development
- A package of around Rs 600 crores has been announced for the same purpose
- These people would get all the rights that normal residents of the States get and they would now be able to enjoy the benefits of social welfare schemes of Centre and State governments.
Background of conflicts
- In 1997, following ethnic tension, around 5,000 families comprising around 30,000 Bru-Reang tribals were forced to flee Mizoram and seek shelter in Tripura.
- These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur, in North Tripura.
- Till 2014, 1622 Bru-Reang families returned to Mizoram in different batches.
Bru Tribe:
- The Brus, sometimes also called Reangs, are tribes in Northeast India
- They are spread across the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur, and Mizoram.
- In Tripura, they have been recognised as a PVTG.
BARAPULLAH DESMI WASTE WATER MANAGEMENT PROJECT
Why in news?
Foreign Minister of Denmark visited the Barapullah DESMI Project Site on 16th January 2020, to understand the challenges in the area of wastewater management and to discuss the scope of Danish technologies and collaboration with research institutions which may be engaged in this area.
Details
- The Barapullah drain is one of the main water transport ways in New Delhi that collects water from various smaller water drains from all over the city.
- Mainly used for waste water and sewage transport
- The Barapullah drain is an excellent location for research in the area of waste water management
- DBT, Mo S&T, GoI initiated a novel holistic clean-up project in collaboration with DESMI EnviRO-CLEAN A/S, Denmark in January, 2019 at Sun Dial Park in Sarai Kale Khan area
- The aim of the project is to trap the floating debris from the drain and convert it into value added products
- With suitable gasification/ carbonisation technology to mitigate waste of mixed feedstock, collected from rivers or lakes besides reducing the damage to the local environment.
