{"id":13803,"date":"2021-02-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/10-02-2021\/u-s-moves-to-rejoin-un-rights-council\/"},"modified":"2021-02-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T00:00:00","slug":"u-s-moves-to-rejoin-un-rights-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-02-2021\/u-s-moves-to-rejoin-un-rights-council","title":{"rendered":"U.S. moves to rejoin UN rights council"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>About the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A United Nations body established in <strong>2006<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>It is an <strong>Inter-governmental body<\/strong>, which <strong>replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Headquarter: <strong>Geneva, Switzerland<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Mission: <strong>To promote and protect human rights around the world<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Membership<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>47 members<\/strong> elected by the UN General Assembly for <strong>3 years terms<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Region-based grouping for membership:\n<ul>\n<li>13 from Africa,<\/li>\n<li>13 from Asia,<\/li>\n<li>6 from Eastern Europe,<\/li>\n<li>8 from Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC),<\/li>\n<li>7 from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>No member can occupy a seat for <strong>longer than 2 consecutive terms.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Funding<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Almost two-thirds of UN Human Rights&#8217; income comes from voluntary contributions from the Member States and other donors.<\/li>\n<li>The remainder is covered by the UN regular budget.<\/li>\n<li>The UNHRC passes <strong>non-binding resolutions on human rights<\/strong> issues through a periodic review of all 193 UN member states called the <strong>Universal Periodic Review (UPR).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/105449431229515260_image.png\" style=\"height:511px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Image Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=i&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehindu.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Findia-wins-election-to-unhrc%2Farticle25209675.ece&#038;psig=AOvVaw1NA9nfcV1aK7csFAjulEZW&#038;ust=1613027570828000&#038;source=images&#038;cd=vfe&#038;ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCLC1_Yzi3u4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Amal (Hope) Mission of UAE<<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News:<\/strong> UAE&#8217;s space centre in Dubai confirmed the unmanned craft, called <strong>Amal, Arabic for Hope<\/strong>, had reached the end of its nearly seven-month, 300-million-mile journey and had begun circling the red planet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Amal (Hope) Mission of UAE<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Due to Amal\u2019s arrival, <strong>UAE has joined a league of just five space agencies<\/strong> in history that have pulled off a functioning Mars mission.<\/li>\n<li>It was the country&#8217;s<strong> first venture beyond Earth\u2019s orbit<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>It will study the <strong>Mars Atmosphere.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/855103973832961300_image.png\" style=\"height:229px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:417px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/world\/arab-spacecraft-enters-orbit-around-mars-in-historic-flight-7181750\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>About Mars Mission following Hope mission<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tianwen-1 Mars Mission<\/strong>: <strong>Chinese Lander- Rover combination<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It will look for signs of ancient life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Perseverance: <\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Rover from the US<\/strong>;\n<ul>\n<li>It will be the first leg in the\u00a0<strong>US-Europe joint attempt to bring Mars Soil to Earth.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It will help <strong>examine if the planet had microscopic life<\/strong> in the past.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>About 60% of all Mars missions have ended in failure.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Reasons behind failures:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Crashing.<\/li>\n<li>Burning up.<\/li>\n<li>Falling short in the testament to the complexity of interplanetary travel.<\/li>\n<li>Failure during the descent through Mars\u2019 thin atmosphere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>About other Mars Missions: <\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>At present, a total of <strong>6 satellites (3 US, 2 Europe, and 1 Indian)<\/strong> <strong>excluding Amal<\/strong> are revolving around Mars. <strong>Amal will be the 7th one<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Only two landers are at present operational on Mars i.e. <strong>InSight and Curiosity of NASA<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fce5cd\">\n<p><strong>Successful Mars Missions<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fce5cd\">\n<p><strong>Nation\/ Agency<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<ul>\n<li>Mars Orbiter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<p>USSR<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<ul>\n<li>Marine series<\/li>\n<li>Viking series<\/li>\n<li>Pathfinder<\/li>\n<li>Rovers: Spirt, Opportunity (2003)<\/li>\n<li>Phoenix (2007)<\/li>\n<li>Curiosity (2011)<\/li>\n<li>Maven (2013-14)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<p>NASA (USA)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<ul>\n<li>Mars Express (2001)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<p>European Space Agency (EU)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<ul>\n<li>Mangalyaan (MOM)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<p>ISRO (India)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Benefits of Mars Mission<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Space Diplomacy: <\/strong>The quest to win space is picking up and India also needs to set up to create its own hegemony.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mineral Resources: <\/strong>It may be a vital source of minerals in future<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deep Space Communication Network:<\/strong> Mars satellites may act as a node for establishing a communication link for far space exploration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Origin of Life and Planetary System: <\/strong>It may help in understanding how the solar system came into existence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The catalyst for innovation<\/strong>: Many space technologies are now in common parlance and popularised by ISRO.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chances of Human Habitation in Future.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Criticism of Mars Mission<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wastage of money<\/strong> which could have been used to Solve Hunger and Poverty problems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hasty and Less effective<\/strong>: Too many Mars Missions and space race has led to wastage of resources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Space Debris: <\/strong>Nearly 60 percent of missions have failed, leading to a large number of pieces floating in space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<p><strong>About Mars:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Also known as <strong>Red Planet.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It is the <strong>fourth planet from the Sun<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>It is the <strong>second-smallest planet<\/strong> in the Solar System, bigger than mercury only.<\/li>\n<li>Has <strong>two natural satellites: Phobos and Deimos<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Its atmosphere is 100 times thinner than the earth with little oxygen present.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>After the Earth, Mars is the most habitable planet in our solar system<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Its gravity is nearly 38% of Earth<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>It is revolving on the edge of the Goldilock Zone in the Solar System.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>It has protection against cosmic rays and solar flare.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/arab-spacecraft-enters-orbit-around-mars-in-historic-flight\/article33798200.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Excessive Use of Fertilizer<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News<\/strong>: <strong>All India Coordinated Research Project on \u2018Long Term Fertilizer Experiments\u2019<\/strong> over five decades have indicated that <strong>continuous use of nitrogenous fertilizer alone had a deleterious effect on soil health and crop productivity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other findings of the Project<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Even the recommended value of NPK is causing micro and secondary nutrient deficiency.\n<ul>\n<li>It is hampering plant growth and causing physiological disorders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Groundwater Pollution: Possibility of Nitrate Pollution above 10mg nitrate per liter\n<ul>\n<li>Human\/ Animal Health at risk.<\/li>\n<li>Nitrate pollution causes <strong>Blue Baby Syndrome<\/strong> in newborns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Fertilizer Consumption from 2018 till Kharif 2020 is as listed below in the table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:625px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Fertilizers<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Quantity (in million tonnes)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Comments\/ Remarks<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Urea<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>54.38<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li>Source of Nitrogen (N)<\/li>\n<li>Government Subsidy: Rs 585\/bag (Rs 13,000 per tonne)<\/li>\n<li>Multiple misuses were reported and hence <strong>Neem-quoted urea<\/strong> was brought.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>56.21<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li>Source of Nitrogen (N) (18%) and Phosphate (P2O5) (P content is 20%)<\/li>\n<li>Govt. Subsidy: Rs 511.55\/bag<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Muriate of Potash (MOP)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>59.88<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li>The prime source of Potash (K)<\/li>\n<li>Govt. Subsidy: Rs 303.5\/bag<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Complexes and Single Super Phosphate (SSP)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>33.85<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SSP<\/strong> is a multi-nutrient fertilizer containing phosphorus (P) (14.5%), Sulphur (S) (11%) and Calcium (Ca) (21%).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/104687908276913460_image.png\" style=\"height:340px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:345px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Other Problems due to excess use of fertilizers:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Increase in input cost of farmers<\/strong>: It makes agriculture a <strong>less profitable occupation<\/strong>, aggravates <strong>Farm indebtedness<\/strong> and <strong>Farmers\u2019 Suicide<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Land Degradation: <\/strong>Nearly 29% of land in India is degraded.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dairy Product Quality: <\/strong>There were reports that Punjab Dairy has a relatively high level of fertilisers and hence unfit for consumption.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Export Rejection:<\/strong> Many agricultural exports are being rejected on grounds of\u00a0 Phytosanitary measures cited by Europe and other nations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Recommendations, Initiative by Govt. to tackle the problem<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>ICAR<\/strong> recommends\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Soil test based balanced and integrated nutrient management<\/strong> through conjunctive use of both inorganic and organic sources of plant nutrients.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use of slow-releasing N-fertilizers (Neem Coated Urea) and nitrification inhibitors<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Growing <strong>leguminous crops<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Use of <strong>resource conservation technologies (RCTs)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>National Mission on Soil Health Card<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>promote soil test based balanced and judicious fertilizer application in the country<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Training and demonstrations are organized through <strong>ICAR institutions including Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and agricultural universities<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Way ahead:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The problem is not in policy formulation and schemes but in awareness level and implementation. To promote the organic brand and to double farmer\u2019s income in a sustainable way there is a need to hand-hold farmers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1696465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PIB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Broad Topics -GS III\/EBD<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Mission Innovation 2.0<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News &#8211;<\/strong>The<strong> <\/strong>Union Minister of Science &#038; Technology addressed the beginning of <strong>Mission Innovation 2.0.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The objective is to reflect on progress, set the scene for the discussions towards an ambitious next phase of <strong>Mission Innovation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>About:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Minister lauded Mission Innovation&#8217;s contribution to <strong>accelerating clean energy innovation <\/strong>and <strong>emphasized Mission Innovation&#8217;s role<\/strong> in<strong> mobilizing greater public <\/strong>and <strong>private investments<\/strong>, partnerships to move the innovation needle.<\/li>\n<li>The Minister underlined the importance of collaborative scientific efforts to realize the vision of an <strong>affordable and reliable clean energy system<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/414086519434619260_image.png\" style=\"height:552px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:452px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Mission Innovation (MI):<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>It was announced at COP21 on November 30, 2015, as world leaders came together in Paris <\/strong>to undertake<strong> ambitious efforts to combat climate change.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It is a<strong> global initiative<\/strong> of <strong>24 countries and the European Union<\/strong> to <strong>accelerate global clean energy innovation dramatically. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0As part of the initiative, participating countries have committed to double their <strong>governments\u2019 clean energy research and development (R&#038;D)<\/strong> investments <strong>over five <\/strong>years, while encouraging <strong>greater levels of private sector<\/strong> investment in <strong>transformative clean energy technologies. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Mission Innovation has identified <strong>eight (8) Innovation Challenges<\/strong> which are global calls to action aimed at<strong> accelerating research, development<\/strong>, and <strong>demonstration (RD&#038;D) in technology <\/strong>areas.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>8 Innovation Challenges are :<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/438080559086076500_image.jpg\" style=\"height:265px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:452px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mission Innovation 2.0- <\/strong>To achieve the shared goal of accelerating innovation, all the members have agreed to develop a s<strong>econd phase (2.0) that <\/strong>includes:\n<ul>\n<li>An <strong>enhanced Innovation Platform<\/strong> building on current activities to strengthen the global clean energy innovation ecosystem and to accelerate learning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New public-private innovation alliances <\/strong>\u2013 Missions \u2013 built around ambitious and inspirational goals backed by voluntary commitments that can lead to tipping points in the cost, scale, availability, and attractiveness of clean energy solutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Steps were taken by India:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>India has been fostering innovations and nurturing an enabling ecosystem to <strong>incubate and scale revolutionary ideas,<\/strong> help improve the <strong>quality of lives of people <\/strong>and <strong>provide solutions to global problems<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>India has played a leadership role in <strong>MI Steering Committee<\/strong> and is a member of the <strong>Analysis and Joint Research and Business &#038; Investor Engagement sub-groups<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Solar installed capacity &#8211;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India has increased <strong>solar installed capacity by 13 times<\/strong> and expanded its <strong>non-fossil fuel-based power generation<\/strong> to <strong>134 Gigawatts<\/strong>, <strong>about 35% <\/strong>of total power generation.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0India has embarked on an ambitious target of having 450 Gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030 and is confident of achieving this.\n<ul>\n<li>The National Solar Mission (a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change) helped India to increase its solar capacity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>India<\/strong> is also working to considerably<strong> increase the proportion of the biofue<\/strong>l blend in <strong>petrol and diesel.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP)<\/strong> aims at blending ethanol with petrol, thereby bringing it under the category of biofuels and saving millions of dollars by cutting fuel imports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ujjwala Yojana<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India launched the world\u2019s most extensive clean cooking fuel programme called \u2018Ujjwala Yojana\u2019,<\/li>\n<li>It is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum &#038; Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Centres of excellence<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Five Centres of excellence in<strong> Bioenergy<\/strong> supported by <strong>Department of Biotechnology in India<\/strong> are working on <strong>both fundamental and translational <\/strong>research for <strong>advanced biofuels<\/strong> like <strong>biobutanol, biohydrogen and biojet fuels<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clean Energy International Incubation Centre-<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>To support the <strong>start-up innovation ecosystem<\/strong>, <strong>the Clean Energy International<\/strong> <strong>Incubation Centre<\/strong> established by the <strong>Department of Biotechnology,<\/strong> India under a<strong> Public-Private Partnership<\/strong> model has played a crucial role.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Partnership with Sweden &#8211;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India and Sweden under a partnership have developed an <strong>Avoided Emission Framework for a sustainable future.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Under this partnership,<strong> eight companies<\/strong> have been selected to demonstrate an<strong> initial 100 million tons<\/strong> of <strong>potential CO2 emission reduction by 2030.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1696298\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Source :PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Broad Topics -GS III\/DEFENCE, GS II\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Ukraine Defence Purchases from India<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News &#8211;<\/strong>Recently, <strong>India and Ukraine <\/strong>signed <strong>agreements<\/strong> to procure military hardware from India to deepen their presence in the <strong>Indian defense market.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The two sides will <strong>discuss a range of proposals<\/strong> to take forward bilateral cooperation at the Bilateral Working Group meeting between the two defense ministries in April.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>About:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ukraine has signed four agreements <strong>worth $70 million<\/strong> which includes the <strong>sale of new weapons <\/strong>as well as <strong>maintenance<\/strong> and <strong>upgrades<\/strong> of existing ones in service with the Indian armed forces.\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0This includes a pitch to India of its <strong>AN-178 medium transport aircraft.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Ukraine is currently upgrading the <strong>AN-32 transport fleet <\/strong>of the Indian Air Force (IAF) under a deal finalised in 2009.\n<ul>\n<li>Ukraine has in the past pitched its AN-132 transport aircraft as a replacement for the IAF\u2019s AN-32 fleet.\n<ul>\n<li>Ukraine also manufactures the R-27 air-to-air missiles which are in use by the IAF on its SU-30MKI fighters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>India and Ukraine:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bilateral Relations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Government of India recognized the <strong>Republic of Ukraine <\/strong>as a sovereign c<strong>ountry in December 1991 and established <\/strong>diplomatic relations in January 1992.<\/li>\n<li>Ukraine is one of the <strong>largest countries in Europe<\/strong>. India has an extensive bilateral relationship with Ukraine, spanning all s<strong>pheres of cooperation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>India and Ukraine have signed several <strong>MOUs\/Agreements<\/strong> in different spheres such as <strong>Diplomatic relations, visa matters, consular matters, trade<\/strong> and <strong>commercial matters, space, science, and technology, defense,<\/strong> etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Commerce and Trade Relations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown significantly in the last 25 years, and in 2018-19, was almost <strong>US$ 2.8 Billion. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>India is Ukraine\u2019s<strong> largest export destination<\/strong> in the Asia-Pacific and the<strong> fifth largest overall export <\/strong>destination.\n<ul>\n<li>Main items of export from Ukraine to India are agricultural products, metallurgical products, plastics, and polymers, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Pharmaceuticals, machinery, chemicals, food products, etc. are the major Indian exports to Ukraine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cultural<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>There is a great interest in Indian culture in Ukraine at the public level, covering various aspects such as<strong> dances, yoga, philosophy, Ayurveda, and spirituality. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0The Embassy of India in Kyiv organized a <strong>nation-wide \u2018Festival of India\u2019 <\/strong>in 2017, which displayed the <strong>richness and diversity <\/strong>of Indian culture through performances by various music, dance groups, and artists from India.<\/li>\n<li><strong>International Day of Yoga<\/strong> is widely celebrated all over<strong> Ukraine<\/strong>, both by the <strong>Embassy as well as Yoga schools.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>During the year 2018-19, to commemorate the <strong>150th Birth Anniversary<\/strong> of <strong>Mahatma Gandhi<\/strong>, the Embassy organized many diverse programs and events, which garnered great interest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>ITEC Assistance\/Other Training Programmes<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India offers training programs to Ukraine under:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00a0ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) <\/strong>program, which offers training or capacity building programs in different centers of excellence in India.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) scholarship<\/strong>, which offers higher-level courses covering a wide range of subjects in eminent Indian Institutions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kendriya Hindi Sansthan Scholarship program<\/strong>, which offers scholarships to foreign students to pursue higher-level Hindi language courses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indian Community<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>There are about <strong>18,000 Indian students <\/strong>studying in Ukraine, mainly in the field of<strong> medicine.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Indian business professionals work predominantly in the fields of <strong>pharmaceuticals, IT, engineering, medicine, education, <\/strong>etc. \u2018<\/li>\n<li>India Club\u2019 founded by Indian ex-pats in 2001, actively engages the Indian diaspora in Ukraine and organizes\/supports several events- such as Diwali festival, Cricket tournaments, Holi festival, Indian dance festival, screening of Bollywood movies, etc<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/ukraine-looking-at-defence-purchases-from-india\/article33774835.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source:TH<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Broad Topic: GS I \/GEOGRAPHY <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Geological evidence of the Eastern Himalaya Earthquake<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News &#8211;<\/strong>Scientists found the first geological evidence of an earthquake at <strong>Himebasti Village on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is documented by historians as<strong> Sadiya earthquake<\/strong> in history that caused <strong>massive destruction<\/strong> in the region and almost destroyed the town in<strong> 1697 CE.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/622810083444156200_image.png\" style=\"height:401px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:384px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About the Study:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), a research institute under the <strong>Department of Science and Technology (DST)<\/strong> carried out a mega trench excavation at Himebasti village, Arunachal Pradesh, where the most recent event records the imprints of the <strong>1697 Sadiya earthquake<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>They found the <strong>first geological surface rupture signatures<\/strong> in the form of <strong>exposed deposits<\/strong> associated with <strong>rivers and streams<\/strong> deformed by a thrust fault along a <strong>Northeast dipping fault zone<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0They also found <strong>large tree trunks <\/strong>embedded in the <strong>youngest flood deposits<\/strong> at the exit of the <strong>Subansiri River<\/strong> (Sadiya town is located roughly 145 km southeast of Subansiri river).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Subansiri or \u201cGold River\u201d:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It originates in Tibet and is the major r<strong>ight-bank tributary of Brahmaputra <\/strong>traversing through <strong>Arunachal Pradesh<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Major tributaries of the river are Laro, Nye, Yume, Tsari, Kamla, Jiyadhol, Ranganadi, and Dikrong.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Lohit River:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lohit River is the <strong>farthest east tributary of Brahmaputra River.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The river originates from the <strong>Tirap Phasi Ranges<\/strong> located in Eastern Tibet.<\/li>\n<li>It enters India via Kibitho which is a small town lying at the border post.<\/li>\n<li>The river travels all along from <strong>Tibet to Arunachal Pradesh<\/strong> for about two hundred kilometers, before merging in Brahmaputra River, Assam.<\/li>\n<li>The river <strong>flows through Mishmi hills<\/strong> to meet the Siang at the head of the Brahmaputra valley.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The relevance of the study <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\n<ul>\n<li>This finding could contribute to a <strong>seismic hazard map <\/strong>of the <strong>eastern Himalaya,<\/strong> which can <strong>facilitate construction<\/strong> and <strong>planning in the region.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It will benefit the inhabitants and help in providing better infrastructure across the Eastern Himalayan foothills which is one of the most densely populated regions in the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is an Earthquake?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is the shaking of the surface of the <strong>Earth resulting from a sudden release<\/strong> of energy in the <strong>Earth\u2019s lithosphere<\/strong> that creates <strong>seismic waves<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>They are caused by the<strong> slow deformation of the outer,<\/strong> <strong>brittle portions of \u201ctectonic <\/strong>plates\u201d, the earth\u2019s outermost layer of crust and upper mantle.\n<ul>\n<li>Due to the <strong>heating and cooling<\/strong> of the rock below these plates, the resulting convection causes the adjacently overlying plates to move, and, under great stress, deform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>An earthquake can range from a <strong>faint tremor<\/strong> to a <strong>severe motion capable<\/strong> of <strong>massive destruction.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>An earthquake\u2019s point of initial rupture is called its <strong>hypocenter or focus<\/strong>. The<strong> epicenter <\/strong>is the<strong> point at ground level directly above the hypocenter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0It is measured on the\u00a0<strong>Richter scale. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/21172711358115028_image.png\" style=\"height:267px; margin-left:130px; margin-right:130px; width:280px\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/31174143980698356_image.png\" style=\"height:247px; width:300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Indian seismic zones:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Earthquake-prone areas<\/strong> of India have been identified on the basis of 3 factors- scientific inputs related to seismicity, earthquakes that occurred in the past &#038; tectonic setup of the region\n<ul>\n<li>Based on these conditions, the <strong>Bureau of Indian Standards <\/strong>divided the country into four seismic zones, viz. Zone <strong>II, III, IV, and V.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/618114182348415200_image.png\" style=\"height:308px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:410px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Zone II<\/strong>: It is a low-intensity zone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zone III<\/strong>: It is the moderate-intensity zone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zone IV<\/strong>: It is a severe intensity zone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zone V:<\/strong> It is a very severe intensity zone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1696073#:~:text=Scientists%20have%20found%20the%20first,the%20town%20in%201697%20CE.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: PIB\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Broad Topic: Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>One Person Companies<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the <strong>Union Budget 2021-22<\/strong>, measures to <strong>ease norms on setting up<\/strong> <strong>One Person Companies<\/strong> (OPCs) have been announced.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The concept of OPCs was introduced by the <strong>Companies Act of 2013<\/strong>, based on the <strong>suggestions of the J.J. Irani Committee Report on Company Law<\/strong>, which <strong>submitted its recommendations in 2005<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>The report highlighted a need for a framework for small enterprises, which would <strong>contribute significantly to the Indian economy<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>However, due to their small size, they <strong>could not be burdened with the same level of compliance requirements<\/strong> as large public-listed companies.<\/li>\n<li>The report suggested giving an outlet to the entrepreneurial instincts of the people in the age of information technology even without an association of persons.<\/li>\n<li>It also<strong> advised for a provision of the simpler regime through exemptions<\/strong> so that the single entrepreneur does not waste his\/her time, energy and resources on procedural matters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prior<\/strong> to the introduction of OPCs, an <strong>individual could get into the business through a sole proprietorship mode<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Features of One Person Companies<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>OPC is a company that can be <strong>formed by just one person as a shareholder<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>These companies can be <strong>contrasted with private companies<\/strong>, which <strong>require a minimum of two members to get going<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>However, for all practical purposes, <strong>OPCs are like private companies<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The 2013 Act <strong>exempted OPCs from many procedural requirements<\/strong> and, in some cases, also <strong>provided relaxations<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>For example, OPCs <strong>do not need to conduct an annual general meeting<\/strong>, which is a requirement for other companies.<\/li>\n<li>OPCs also <strong>do not require signatures of both the company secretary and director <\/strong>on its annual returns. One is enough.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>However, <\/strong>there were <strong>criticisms <\/strong>that some<strong> rules governing OPCs were restrictive <\/strong>in nature, which have been dealt with by the Budget 2021-22.<\/li>\n<li><strong>OPCs in India<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>There were <strong>34,235 OPCs<\/strong> out of a total number of about 1.3 million active companies in India, as of <strong>31st December 2020<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The number of OPCs was <strong>2,238<\/strong> out of a total of about 1 million companies as of <strong>31st March 2015<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Data also shows that <strong>more than half of the OPCs are in business services<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>New Changes in Budget 2021-22<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Removal of restrictions on paid-up capital and turnover<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>A 2014 rule stated that an OPC would cease to have that status once its paid-up share capital exceeds Rs. 50 lakh or its average turnover for the preceding three years exceeds Rs. 2 crores. This rule has been lifted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduction of the residency limit for an Indian citizen<\/strong> to set up an OPC from 182 days to 120 days and also allow Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to incorporate OPCs in India.\n<ul>\n<li>Earlier, only an Indian citizen and an Indian resident could start a single-person company.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increasing the capital base and turnover threshold <\/strong>for companies that can be classified as small, meaning they can enjoy easy compliance requirements a bit longer.\n<ul>\n<li>The capital base limit has been increased from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 2 crores, and the turnover limit has been increased from Rs. 2 crores to Rs. 20 crore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Benefits<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Directly benefit start-ups and innovators<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Encourage the corporatization of small businesses<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>\u00a0Sole Proprietorship<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A <strong>sole proprietorship<\/strong> is a form of business organization owned and managed by one person.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>proprietor <\/strong>has the <strong>ultimate authority and responsibility<\/strong> of taking every business decision and is ultimately the <strong>sole recipient of any profits\/loss<\/strong> the business accrues.<\/li>\n<li>Sole proprietorship firms in India are <strong>not regulated under any one law to protect the interest of individual proprietors<\/strong> and therefore, this type of business organization is the <strong>simplest one in terms of registration and compliances<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Major Differences Between OPCs and Sole Proprietorship<\/strong><\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>One Person Company<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Sole Proprietorship<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Legal Status<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>The person and the company are considered separate legal entities.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>The owner and the business are considered the same.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Liability<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>The sole owner\u2019s liability is limited to that person\u2019s investment.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>The owner has unlimited liability as they are not considered different legal entities.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/business\/Industry\/the-hindu-explains-what-are-one-person-companies-and-why-do-we-need-them\/article33770849.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Facts In News (FIN)<\/h2>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#93c47d\">\n<h3>Jagannath Temple<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#93c47d\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>Union Minister of Culture and Tourism announced the withdrawal of the draft Heritage bylaws for Shri Jagannath Temple issued by National Monuments Authority (NMA).<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Draft Heritage bylaws prohibit any kind of construction within a 100-metre radius of the temple and its subsidiary shrines.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><em>Puri is famous for the world-famous Jagannath Temple &#038; Longest Golden Beach.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>\u00a0It is one of the Dhammas (Holiest of the holy place) out of four Dhamas i.e. Puri, Dwarika, Badrinath &#038; Rameswar, in India.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Shree Jagannath Puri Temple is one of the most impressing monuments of the Indian state Odisha.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>It was constructed by a famous king of Ganga Dynasty Ananta Varman Chodaganga Deva dating back to 12th century at the seashore Puri.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>\u00a0The main temple of Jagannath is an impressing and amazing structure constructed in Kalinga architecture, with a height of 65 meters placed on an elevated platform.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/223856287317054660_image.png\" style=\"height:148px; width:198px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<h3>Pong Dam Lake Sanctuary<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>It is located in Kangra District, <strong>Himachal Pradesh <\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>\u00a0In 1975, it was created as a result of a dam built across<strong> Beas River.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>\u00a0It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1983 and is now also a Ramsar site. <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>In 1994, the Government of India declared it a <strong>\u201cWetland of National Importance\u201d.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The Pong Dam Lake is significant for a wildlife sanctuary with wildlife species like Nilgai, Sambar, Barking Deer, Wild Buar, Clawless Otter, and Leopard.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/854272815950010500_image.png\" style=\"height:113px; width:298px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<h3>National Research Centre (NRC) for Makhana<\/h3>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>ICAR-National Research Centre (NRC) for Makhana, Darbhanga (Bihar) was sanctioned by the Department of Agricultural Research &#038; Education as a new scheme during the IX Five Year Plan period (1997\u20132002) for Conservation, Research &#038; Development of the Makhana crop. <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>However, during Xth plan period (2002-2007), the NRC for Makhana was merged and brought under the administrative control of ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region (RCER), Patna, without changing the mandate.<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Darbhanga in particular and Mithila is a major Makhana producing region in the country.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;><\/p>\n<p><strong>In News:<\/strong> Biden administration has decided to re-engage with the much-maligned<strong> U.N. Human Rights Council<\/strong> from which Trump withdrew 3 years back.<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<p><strong>About the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A United Nations body established in <strong>2006<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>It is an <strong>Inter-governmental body<\/strong>, which <strong>replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Headquarter: <strong>Geneva, Switzerland<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Mission: <strong>To promote and protect human rights around the world<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Membership<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>47 members<\/strong> elected by the UN General Assembly for <strong>3 years terms<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Region-based grouping for membership:\n<ul>\n<li>13 from Africa,<\/li>\n<li>13 from Asia,<\/li>\n<li>6 from Eastern Europe,<\/li>\n<li>8 from Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC),<\/li>\n<li>7 from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>No member can occupy a seat for <strong>longer than 2 consecutive terms.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Funding<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Almost two-thirds of UN Human Rights&#8217; income comes from voluntary contributions from the Member States and other donors.<\/li>\n<li>The remainder is covered by the UN regular budget.<\/li>\n<li>The UNHRC passes <strong>non-binding resolutions on human rights<\/strong> issues through a periodic review of all 193 UN member states called the <strong>Universal Periodic Review (UPR).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/105449431229515260_image.png\" style=\"height:511px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Image Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=i&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehindu.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2Findia-wins-election-to-unhrc%2Farticle25209675.ece&#038;psig=AOvVaw1NA9nfcV1aK7csFAjulEZW&#038;ust=1613027570828000&#038;source=images&#038;cd=vfe&#038;ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCLC1_Yzi3u4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Amal (Hope) Mission of UAE<<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News:<\/strong> UAE&#8217;s space centre in Dubai confirmed the unmanned craft, called <strong>Amal, Arabic for Hope<\/strong>, had reached the end of its nearly seven-month, 300-million-mile journey and had begun circling the red planet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Amal (Hope) Mission of UAE<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Due to Amal\u2019s arrival, <strong>UAE has joined a league of just five space agencies<\/strong> in history that have pulled off a functioning Mars mission.<\/li>\n<li>It was the country&#8217;s<strong> first venture beyond Earth\u2019s orbit<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>It will study the <strong>Mars Atmosphere.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/855103973832961300_image.png\" style=\"height:229px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:417px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/world\/arab-spacecraft-enters-orbit-around-mars-in-historic-flight-7181750\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>About Mars Mission following Hope mission<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tianwen-1 Mars Mission<\/strong>: <strong>Chinese Lander- Rover combination<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It will look for signs of ancient life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Perseverance: <\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Rover from the US<\/strong>;\n<ul>\n<li>It will be the first leg in the\u00a0<strong>US-Europe joint attempt to bring Mars Soil to Earth.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It will help <strong>examine if the planet had microscopic life<\/strong> in the past.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>About 60% of all Mars missions have ended in failure.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Reasons behind failures:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Crashing.<\/li>\n<li>Burning up.<\/li>\n<li>Falling short in the testament to the complexity of interplanetary travel.<\/li>\n<li>Failure during the descent through Mars\u2019 thin atmosphere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>About other Mars Missions: <\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>At present, a total of <strong>6 satellites (3 US, 2 Europe, and 1 Indian)<\/strong> <strong>excluding Amal<\/strong> are revolving around Mars. <strong>Amal will be the 7th one<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Only two landers are at present operational on Mars i.e. <strong>InSight and Curiosity of NASA<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fce5cd\">\n<p><strong>Successful Mars Missions<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fce5cd\">\n<p><strong>Nation\/ Agency<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<ul>\n<li>Mars Orbiter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<p>USSR<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<ul>\n<li>Marine series<\/li>\n<li>Viking series<\/li>\n<li>Pathfinder<\/li>\n<li>Rovers: Spirt, Opportunity (2003)<\/li>\n<li>Phoenix (2007)<\/li>\n<li>Curiosity (2011)<\/li>\n<li>Maven (2013-14)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<p>NASA (USA)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<ul>\n<li>Mars Express (2001)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#cfe2f3\">\n<p>European Space Agency (EU)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<ul>\n<li>Mangalyaan (MOM)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<p>ISRO (India)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Benefits of Mars Mission<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Space Diplomacy: <\/strong>The quest to win space is picking up and India also needs to set up to create its own hegemony.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mineral Resources: <\/strong>It may be a vital source of minerals in future<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deep Space Communication Network:<\/strong> Mars satellites may act as a node for establishing a communication link for far space exploration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Origin of Life and Planetary System: <\/strong>It may help in understanding how the solar system came into existence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The catalyst for innovation<\/strong>: Many space technologies are now in common parlance and popularised by ISRO.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chances of Human Habitation in Future.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Criticism of Mars Mission<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wastage of money<\/strong> which could have been used to Solve Hunger and Poverty problems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hasty and Less effective<\/strong>: Too many Mars Missions and space race has led to wastage of resources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Space Debris: <\/strong>Nearly 60 percent of missions have failed, leading to a large number of pieces floating in space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:624px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\">\n<p><strong>About Mars:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Also known as <strong>Red Planet.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It is the <strong>fourth planet from the Sun<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>It is the <strong>second-smallest planet<\/strong> in the Solar System, bigger than mercury only.<\/li>\n<li>Has <strong>two natural satellites: Phobos and Deimos<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Its atmosphere is 100 times thinner than the earth with little oxygen present.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>After the Earth, Mars is the most habitable planet in our solar system<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Its gravity is nearly 38% of Earth<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>It is revolving on the edge of the Goldilock Zone in the Solar System.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>It has protection against cosmic rays and solar flare.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/arab-spacecraft-enters-orbit-around-mars-in-historic-flight\/article33798200.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Excessive Use of Fertilizer<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News<\/strong>: <strong>All India Coordinated Research Project on \u2018Long Term Fertilizer Experiments\u2019<\/strong> over five decades have indicated that <strong>continuous use of nitrogenous fertilizer alone had a deleterious effect on soil health and crop productivity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other findings of the Project<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Even the recommended value of NPK is causing micro and secondary nutrient deficiency.\n<ul>\n<li>It is hampering plant growth and causing physiological disorders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Groundwater Pollution: Possibility of Nitrate Pollution above 10mg nitrate per liter\n<ul>\n<li>Human\/ Animal Health at risk.<\/li>\n<li>Nitrate pollution causes <strong>Blue Baby Syndrome<\/strong> in newborns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Fertilizer Consumption from 2018 till Kharif 2020 is as listed below in the table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:625px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Fertilizers<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Quantity (in million tonnes)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p><strong>Comments\/ Remarks<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Urea<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>54.38<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li>Source of Nitrogen (N)<\/li>\n<li>Government Subsidy: Rs 585\/bag (Rs 13,000 per tonne)<\/li>\n<li>Multiple misuses were reported and hence <strong>Neem-quoted urea<\/strong> was brought.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>56.21<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li>Source of Nitrogen (N) (18%) and Phosphate (P2O5) (P content is 20%)<\/li>\n<li>Govt. Subsidy: Rs 511.55\/bag<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Muriate of Potash (MOP)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>59.88<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li>The prime source of Potash (K)<\/li>\n<li>Govt. Subsidy: Rs 303.5\/bag<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>Complexes and Single Super Phosphate (SSP)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<p>33.85<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"vertical-align:top\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SSP<\/strong> is a multi-nutrient fertilizer containing phosphorus (P) (14.5%), Sulphur (S) (11%) and Calcium (Ca) (21%).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/104687908276913460_image.png\" style=\"height:340px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:345px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Other Problems due to excess use of fertilizers:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Increase in input cost of farmers<\/strong>: It makes agriculture a <strong>less profitable occupation<\/strong>, aggravates <strong>Farm indebtedness<\/strong> and <strong>Farmers\u2019 Suicide<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Land Degradation: <\/strong>Nearly 29% of land in India is degraded.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dairy Product Quality: <\/strong>There were reports that Punjab Dairy has a relatively high level of fertilisers and hence unfit for consumption.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Export Rejection:<\/strong> Many agricultural exports are being rejected on grounds of\u00a0 Phytosanitary measures cited by Europe and other nations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Recommendations, Initiative by Govt. to tackle the problem<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>ICAR<\/strong> recommends\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Soil test based balanced and integrated nutrient management<\/strong> through conjunctive use of both inorganic and organic sources of plant nutrients.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use of slow-releasing N-fertilizers (Neem Coated Urea) and nitrification inhibitors<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Growing <strong>leguminous crops<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Use of <strong>resource conservation technologies (RCTs)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>National Mission on Soil Health Card<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>promote soil test based balanced and judicious fertilizer application in the country<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Training and demonstrations are organized through <strong>ICAR institutions including Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and agricultural universities<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Way ahead:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The problem is not in policy formulation and schemes but in awareness level and implementation. To promote the organic brand and to double farmer\u2019s income in a sustainable way there is a need to hand-hold farmers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1696465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PIB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Broad Topics -GS III\/EBD<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Mission Innovation 2.0<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News &#8211;<\/strong>The<strong> <\/strong>Union Minister of Science &#038; Technology addressed the beginning of <strong>Mission Innovation 2.0.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The objective is to reflect on progress, set the scene for the discussions towards an ambitious next phase of <strong>Mission Innovation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>About:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Minister lauded Mission Innovation&#8217;s contribution to <strong>accelerating clean energy innovation <\/strong>and <strong>emphasized Mission Innovation&#8217;s role<\/strong> in<strong> mobilizing greater public <\/strong>and <strong>private investments<\/strong>, partnerships to move the innovation needle.<\/li>\n<li>The Minister underlined the importance of collaborative scientific efforts to realize the vision of an <strong>affordable and reliable clean energy system<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/414086519434619260_image.png\" style=\"height:552px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:452px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Mission Innovation (MI):<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>It was announced at COP21 on November 30, 2015, as world leaders came together in Paris <\/strong>to undertake<strong> ambitious efforts to combat climate change.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It is a<strong> global initiative<\/strong> of <strong>24 countries and the European Union<\/strong> to <strong>accelerate global clean energy innovation dramatically. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0As part of the initiative, participating countries have committed to double their <strong>governments\u2019 clean energy research and development (R&#038;D)<\/strong> investments <strong>over five <\/strong>years, while encouraging <strong>greater levels of private sector<\/strong> investment in <strong>transformative clean energy technologies. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Mission Innovation has identified <strong>eight (8) Innovation Challenges<\/strong> which are global calls to action aimed at<strong> accelerating research, development<\/strong>, and <strong>demonstration (RD&#038;D) in technology <\/strong>areas.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>8 Innovation Challenges are :<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cfstatic.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/file_library\/mix_content\/438080559086076500_image.jpg\" style=\"height:265px; margin-left:200px; margin-right:200px; width:452px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mission Innovation 2.0- <\/strong>To achieve the shared goal of accelerating innovation, all the members have agreed to develop a s<strong>econd phase (2.0) that <\/strong>includes:\n<ul>\n<li>An <strong>enhanced Innovation Platform<\/strong> building on current activities to strengthen the global clean energy innovation ecosystem and to accelerate learning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New public-private innovation alliances <\/strong>\u2013 Missions \u2013 built around ambitious and inspirational goals backed by voluntary commitments that can lead to tipping points in the cost, scale, availability, and attractiveness of clean energy solutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Steps were taken by India:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>India has been fostering innovations and nurturing an enabling ecosystem to <strong>incubate and scale revolutionary ideas,<\/strong> help improve the <strong>quality of lives of people <\/strong>and <strong>provide solutions to global problems<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>India has played a leadership role in <strong>MI Steering Committee<\/strong> and is a member of the <strong>Analysis and Joint Research and Business &#038; Investor Engagement sub-groups<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Solar installed capacity &#8211;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India has increased <strong>solar installed capacity by 13 times<\/strong> and expanded its <strong>non-fossil fuel-based power generation<\/strong> to <strong>134 Gigawatts<\/strong>, <strong>about 35% <\/strong>of total power generation.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0India has embarked on an ambitious target of having 450 Gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030 and is confident of achieving this.\n<ul>\n<li>The National Solar Mission (a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change) helped India to increase its solar capacity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>India<\/strong> is also working to considerably<strong> increase the proportion of the biofue<\/strong>l blend in <strong>petrol and diesel.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP)<\/strong> aims at blending ethanol with petrol, thereby bringing it under the category of biofuels and saving millions of dollars by cutting fuel imports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ujjwala Yojana<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India launched the world\u2019s most extensive clean cooking fuel programme called \u2018Ujjwala Yojana\u2019,<\/li>\n<li>It is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum &#038; Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Centres of excellence<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Five Centres of excellence in<strong> Bioenergy<\/strong> supported by <strong>Department of Biotechnology in India<\/strong> are working on <strong>both fundamental and translational <\/strong>research for <strong>advanced biofuels<\/strong> like <strong>biobutanol, biohydrogen and biojet fuels<\/strong>\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clean Energy International Incubation Centre-<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>To support the <strong>start-up innovation ecosystem<\/strong>, <strong>the Clean Energy International<\/strong> <strong>Incubation Centre<\/strong> established by the <strong>Department of Biotechnology,<\/strong> India under a<strong> Public-Private Partnership<\/strong> model has played a crucial role.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Partnership with Sweden &#8211;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India and Sweden under a partnership have developed an <strong>Avoided Emission Framework for a sustainable future.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Under this partnership,<strong> eight companies<\/strong> have been selected to demonstrate an<strong> initial 100 million tons<\/strong> of <strong>potential CO2 emission reduction by 2030.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1696298\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Source :PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Broad Topics -GS III\/DEFENCE, GS II\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Ukraine Defence Purchases from India<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In News &#8211;<\/strong>Recently, <strong>India and Ukraine <\/strong>signed <strong>agreements<\/strong> to procure military hardware from India to deepen their presence in the <strong>Indian defense market.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The two sides will <strong>discuss a range of proposals<\/strong> to take forward bilateral cooperation at the Bilateral Working Group meeting between the two defense ministries in April.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>About:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ukraine has signed four agreements <strong>worth $70 million<\/strong> which includes the <strong>sale of new weapons <\/strong>as well as <strong>maintenance<\/strong> and <strong>upgrades<\/strong> of existing ones in service with the Indian armed forces.\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0This includes a pitch to India of its <strong>AN-178 medium transport aircraft.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Ukraine is currently upgrading the <strong>AN-32 transport fleet <\/strong>of the Indian Air Force (IAF) under a deal finalised in 2009.\n<ul>\n<li>Ukraine has in the past pitched its AN-132 transport aircraft as a replacement for the IAF\u2019s AN-32 fleet.\n<ul>\n<li>Ukraine also manufactures the R-27 air-to-air missiles which are in use by the IAF on its SU-30MKI fighters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>India and Ukraine:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bilateral Relations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Government of India recognized the <strong>Republic of Ukraine <\/strong>as a sovereign c<strong>ountry in December 1991 and established <\/strong>diplomatic relations in January 1992.<\/li>\n<li>Ukraine is one of the <strong>largest countries in Europe<\/strong>. India has an extensive bilateral relationship with Ukraine, spanning all s<strong>pheres of cooperation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>India and Ukraine have signed several <strong>MOUs\/Agreements<\/strong> in different spheres such as <strong>Diplomatic relations, visa matters, consular matters, trade<\/strong> and <strong>commercial matters, space, science, and technology, defense,<\/strong> etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Commerce and Trade Relations<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown significantly in the last 25 years, and in 2018-19, was almost <strong>US$ 2.8 Billion. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>India is Ukraine\u2019s<strong> largest export destination<\/strong> in the Asia-Pacific and the<strong> fifth largest overall export <\/strong>destination.\n<ul>\n<li>Main items of export from Ukraine to India are agricultural products, metallurgical products, plastics, and polymers, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Pharmaceuticals, machinery, chemicals, food products, etc. are the major Indian exports to Ukraine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cultural<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>There is a great interest in Indian culture in Ukraine at th<br \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC): A United Nations body established in 2006. It is an Inter-governmental body, which replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Headquarter: Geneva, Switzerland. Mission: To promote and protect human rights around the world. Membership 47 members elected by the UN General Assembly for 3 years terms. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[76,25],"class_list":["post-13803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-gs","tag-gs1"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/7209544current-affairs-3-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}