Contents

1. Strategic Partnership Agreement 
2. Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Ji
3. Future Investment Initiative Forum
4. International Customs Day, 2021
5. Davos Dialogue

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT 

Focus: GS 2;Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. 

Why in News?

India signs Strategic Partnership Agreement with International Energy Agency (IEA)

About Strategic Partnership Agreement

• The Framework for Strategic Partnership between the International Energy Agency (IEA) members and the Government of India was signed on 27th January, 2021 to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation & enhance global energy security, stability and sustainability.
• This partnership will lead to an extensive exchange of knowledge and would be a stepping stone towards India becoming a full member of the IEA.
• The contents of the Strategic partnership will be jointly decided by the IEA Members and India, including a phased increase in benefits and responsibilities for India as an IEA Strategic partner, and building on existing areas of work within Association and the Clean Energy Transitions Programme (CETP), such as Energy Security, Clean & Sustainable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Enhancing petroleum storage capacity in India, Expansion of gas-based economy in India etc.
• The IEA Secretariat will be responsible for implementation of the cooperative activities in India and for facilitating discussion between the IEA Members and India to further develop the Strategic Partnership.
• The Government of India endeavours to take necessary steps to encourage and promote strategic and technical co-operation in the energy sector in the identified areas noted above, through the Framework Agreement.

About International Energy Agency (IEA)

• The International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. 
• The IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics about the international oil market and other energy sectors.
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an autonomous organisation which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy.
• It was established in the wake of 1973 (set up in 1974) oil crisis after the OPEC cartel had shocked the world with a steep increase in oil prices.
• It is headquartered in Paris, France. World Energy Outlook report is released by IEA annually.
• India became an associate member of the International Energy Agency in 2017.
• Mexico officially became the International Energy Agency’s 30th member country in February 2018, and its first member in Latin America.

BHARAT RATNA GOVIND BALLABH PANT JI

Focus: GS 1; The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.

Why in News?

Garlanding Ceremony of Statue of Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant.New Site at Pandit Pant Marg Being Developed To Honour The Great Indian Leader

About Bharat Ratna Govind Ballabh Pant Ji

• Govind Ballabh Pant Ji was an Indian freedom fighter and one of the architects of modern India.
• Alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabh Bhai Patel, Pant was a key figure in the movement for India’s Independence and later a pivotal figure in the Indian Government.
• Pant was born on 10 September 1887 in what is now Uttarakhand, at Almora.
• In Kashipur, he established an organisation called Prem Sabha that started working towards several reforms.
• He also saved a school from shutting down due to non-payment of taxes to the British government.
• In December 1921, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, which he later renamed Uttar Pradesh.
• He was elected as a candidate of the Swaraj Party from Nainital.
• In the 1937 provincial elections held under the Government of India Act, 1935, Pant was appointed premier.
• He served the post till 1939, when all Congress ministers resigned after the British committed India to the Second World War of its own accord.
• In the United Provinces election held in 1946, Pant was once again appointed the premier.
• First chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
• He served as India’s home minister from 1955 to 1961. 
• It was during his tenure that states were reorganized on linguistic lines.
• Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Ji, is the largest dam of India by volume.
• The reservoir of Rihand Dam is called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Ji and is India’s largest artificial lake.
• In 1957, Pant was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
• Govind Ballabh Pant Ji died on 7 March 1961

About Contributions of Govind Ballabh Pant Ji

• During his tenure, he raised several important issues like the need to abolish the zamindari system and championed the cause of forest preservation.
• He also worked to protect farmers from excessive rents levied by the British government.
• He encouraged many cottage industries in the country and raised his voice against the coolie-beggar law, which forced porters to transport the heavy luggage of British officials without any payment.
• Following Gandhi Ji’s footsteps, Pant Ji also organised a massive salt movement in the United Provinces.
• In May 1930, he was arrested and held at Dehradun jail.
• He also protested against the Simon Commission.
• Pant Ji was always against a separate electorate for minorities, saying the step would further divide communities.

FUTURE INVESTMENT INITITIVE FORUM 

Focus: GS 1; Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

Why in News?

Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses the 4th edition of Future Investment Initiative Forum. Highlights Five Big Trends emerging due to COVID-19 and influencing Global Business. Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan will develop and Strengthen Health Systems across a Continuum of Care to meet Challenges of Current and Future Pandemics”.COVISHIELD to be supplied to Saudi Arabia. “We are improving not only the Ease of doing Business but also the Ease of Living”

About Future Investment Initiative Forum

• The Future Investment Initiative (FII) is an annual investment forum held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss trends in the world economy and investment environment.
• It is hosted by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF).
• The first event was in October 2017 and featured the announcements of the launch of NEOM, a proposed $500bn independent economic zone in the northwest of Saudi Arabia.
• The Future Investment Initiative was announced in September 2017 by the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s main sovereign wealth fund, in the context of the Saudi Vision 2030 program of economic and social reform.
• The fourth edition of Saudi Arabia’s annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference will be held from January 27-28 in a multi-hub format for the first time amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with host Riyadh serving as the central hub and four additional global satellite hubs in Beijing, New York, Paris and Mumbai.

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOUMS DAY, 2021 

Focus: GS 2; Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate

Why in News?

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs celebrates International Customs Day, 2021 and holds ceremony for World Customs Organisation Certificate of Merit Award

About International Customs Day, 2021

• The International Customs Day (ICD) on 26 January 2021 will be dedicated to the united efforts of Customs to emerge from the coronavirus crisis and support people and businesses by strengthening the global supply chain, reinforcing collaboration, harnessing technology, and putting “people” at the center of the transformation process, with the slogan “Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal, and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain”.
• WCO Members will have the opportunity to showcase their efforts and activities in this domain.
• The theme for this year as given by World Customs Organisation (WCO) is “Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal, and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain”.

About World Customs Organization

• The World Customs Organization is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
• WPO is noted for its work in areas covering international conferences, equipment, and equipment development, commodity classification, evaluation, collection of rules of origin, customs revenue, and other topics.
• The WTO takes account of the naming of International Relevant System (HS) goods, the technical aspects of the Trade Organisation (WTO), customs assessment, and rules of origin.
• The WCO’s primary objective is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of member customs administrations, thereby assisting them to contribute successfully to national development goals, particularly revenue collection, national security, trade facilitation, community protection, and collection of trade statistics.

DAVOS DIALOGUE

Focus: GS 2; Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Why in News?

PM to address WEF’s Davos Dialogue on 28th January

About Davos Dialogue

• The WEF summit, often referred to as the congregation of the rich and powerful, is an annual event held at the ski resort of Davos in Switzerland, which sees the participation of world leaders, politicians, economists and business leaders.
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) will adopt a new twin-summit format for its annual Davos meeting in January 2021, by bringing together leaders from across the globe for in-person as well as virtual dialogues with a theme of ‘The Great Reset’.
• The forum originally set out to promote this idea that businesses should serve society as a whole.
• The gathering of the world’s rich and powerful, held every year in Davos, the Swiss ski resort town, will also open its doors virtually for everyone across the world online and through a network of more than 400 hubs globally.
• ‘The Great Reset’ will be the theme of this unique twin summit in January 2021.
• In the run-up to the main annual meeting, the WEF will also host a virtual series, The Great Reset Dialogues. 
• There is an urgent need for global stakeholders to cooperate in simultaneously managing the direct consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.
• To improve the state of the world, the World Economic Forum is starting The Great Reset initiative.

About World Economic Forum (WEF)

• Based in Geneva, Switzerland, WEF is a not-for-profit International organization established in the year 1971.
• The Forum provides a platform for the CEOs of the largest companies, heads of state of countries, to meet each other and discuss business through bilateral meetings.
• It’s a meet to showcase countries’ potential in order to attract businesses.
• The 51st World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2021 will be held on the theme “The Great Reset” representing a commitment to jointly and urgently build the foundations of the global economic and social system for a more fair, sustainable and resilient future.
• It is basically a networking event where countries project themselves to garner investment.