SCO Samarkand Summit
Why
is it in news?
The 22nd Regional
Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held in Samarkand,
Uzbekistan today. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has participated in
this summit. Top leaders of other SCO members including Russia have attended
him. Apart from this summit, PM Modi has also held bilateral talks with SCO
member countries. In this episode, he discussed various bilateral issues with Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
Introduction
• The member countries
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have adopted the main document of the
summit - the Samarkand Declaration. A set of documents of cooperation in
various fields were approved.
• The Samarkand
Declaration agreed on regional stability, sustainable economic development,
strengthening transport and communication ties, deepening cultural dialogue.
• The unilateral use of
economic sanctions has been described as inconsistent with international law
principles, except as imposed by the United Nations Security Council.
• Member countries
stressed the importance of an inclusive reform of the World Trade Organization
(WTO) at the earliest, emphasizing adaptation to current economic realities.
• The SCO countries
condemned terrorist acts around the world and resolved to end situations that
support terrorism.
• SCO members have
consistently reiterated the world's resolve for nuclear disarmament.
• Expansion of SCO and
strengthening of international cooperation will help in ensuring security and
stability in the region.
Highlights
• Global Economy: The SCO members have agreed to work together in
view of the current global economic scenario. Especially the Western economic
sanctions on Russia have also been discussed. At the same time, India is also
looking for new economic opportunities with Russia.
• Regional Cooperation: Member countries have also discussed
increasing regional cooperation among themselves. In which agreement has been
reached on cooperation in various fields including health, defence, terrorism,
transport and technology.
• Ukraine-Russia conflict: The Ukraine-Russia conflict was one of the
major global issues, which is discussed seriously among the leaders of the
group. Also, emphasis has been laid on its peaceful solution.
• Covid: The member countries together have resolved to face the
corona epidemic. Along with this, it has been decided to cooperate in taking
necessary steps for this.
• Climate change: Under a joint statement on climate change, member
countries have agreed on "good neighbourhoods, friendship and
cooperation".
Highlights
of PM Modi's speech in the meeting:
•
Millet Food Festival: The Prime Minister has proposed to
consider organizing 'Millet Food Festival' under SCO.
•
Manufacturing Hub: During his speech, the Prime Minister
has spoken of 'India as a manufacturing hub' for full transit rights.
• People-centred development model: PM Modi has talked about more
focus on the proper use of technology in the people-centred development model.
• Startup and Innovation: PM Modi said that India would like to
"share its experience with the member countries of SCO by setting up a new
Special Working Group on Startup and Innovation. To make further progress in
this field of Startup and Innovation".
• Global economic reforms: Prime Minister Modi said during his
address that, after the pandemic, the world is facing the challenge of economic
recovery, so the role of SCO in economic recovery is important.
• Global supply chain: The global supply chain has been disrupted due
to COVID-19 and the situation in Ukraine, resulting in a food and energy security
crisis, which we have to solve together.
• Tourism: Prime Minister Modi said that India is today one of the
most affordable destinations for medical and wellness tourism in the world.
India
got the host of SCO 2023:
India will host the SCO
summit next year in 2023. This will be the 23rd summit of SCO. India has
assumed the next chair of the SCO from Uzbekistan. On this occasion, Chinese
President Xi Jinping congratulated India for this and has spoken of full
cooperation.
Gautam Adani becomes second richest person in the world
Why
is it in news?
• Billionaire
industrialist Gautam Adani, who heads the Adani Group and has become the second
richest person in the world, surpassing Bernard Arnault, co-founder and
chairman of LVMH Moet Hennessy, according to Forbes data.
• According to the
Forbes real-time billionaires list, the net worth of Adani and his family stood
at $155.4 billion as of early Friday, while that of Arnault was $155.2 billion.
Highlights
• Currently on the Forbes list is SpaceX and Tesla
CEO Elon Musk, who have a net worth of $273.5 billion. They are followed by
Adani, Arnault and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (net worth $149.7 billion),
according to the data.
• Reliance Industries
Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani was named 92.3 billionaire after
Microsoft founder Bill Gates (net worth $105.3 billion), Larry Ellison (net
worth $98.3 billion) and veteran Wall Street investor Warren Buffett (net worth
$96.5 billion). It is placed at the eighth position with a net worth of
billions of dollars.
• Notably, 60-year-old
Adani has expanded its port-to-power transmission empire over the years by
foraying into various businesses from data centers to cement, media and more.
The Adani Group also owns India's largest private sector port, airport operator,
city-gas distributor and coal miner.
Military camp in Kibithu named after General Bipin Rawat
Why
is it in news?
• The Kibithu Military
Garrison has been renamed after India's first Chief of Defense Staff General
Bipin Rawat, nearly nine months after General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter
crash.
• Rawat as a young
colonel commanded his battalion 5/11 Gorkha Rifles in Kibithu from 1999-2000
and had contributed immensely in strengthening the security infrastructure in
the region.
• Military camp and 22
km Kibithu-Walong road has been renamed as General Bipin Rawat Road. Apart from
the unveiling of Rawat's life-size mural, the gate of the garrison, built in
the traditional style, has also been inaugurated.
Highlights
• The first Chief of
the Army Staff to be appointed to the top post was General Rawat. He was the
27th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) who took over the command of the Indian
Army from General Dalbir Singh Suhag on 17 December 2016.
• The contribution of
General Rawat in strengthening the defense infrastructure of the country is
unparalleled. His vision was instrumental in implementing infrastructure
development and ensuring social progress in the region.
• Bipin Rawat died in a
helicopter crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu on 8 December 2021. He was
accompanied by his wife Madhulika and 12 armed forces personnel. The main
reason for the crash of the IAF helicopter was inclement weather, which led to
an incident called Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Rawat was also
awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour,
posthumously earlier this year.
• The name of Kibithu
Military Camp has been changed to General Bipin Rawat Military Garrison.
• Simultaneously, the
Governor inaugurated the grand gate made in the local traditional architectural
style.
• The 22 km long road
from Walong to Kibithu and the garrison is named after General Rawat in a
ceremony.
• The ceremony was
attended by Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brigadier (Retd) BD Mishra, Chief Minister
Pema Khandu, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita and Gen Rawat's
daughter Tarini.
Where
is Kibithu?
• The location of the Reema Post of the Chinese
People's Liberation Army is right in front of the Indian post.
• The military post conducts surveillance along the
Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive area.
• Kibithu is located near the LAC and is the
easternmost military post of India. It is situated in the hilly and difficult
terrain of the Lohit Valley.
• The small village is inhabited by the Mayor and
Jerkin tribes.
What
is the significance of Kibithu?
• The garrison is strategically important.
• During the Sino-India War of 1962, Kibithu faced
the initial onslaught of Chinese aggression.
• It was first captured by the 2 Assam Rifles with a
platoon in December 1950. The post was further strengthened with an additional
platoon in 1959.
• Kibithu was recaptured by the 2 Assam Rifles at
the end of the war in 1964. In 1985, 6 Rajputs defended it.
• General Rawat
significantly upgraded the garrison during his tenure and coordinated
civil-military relations with the local people and formalized the Border
Personnel Meeting Mechanism.vv
Tribes of 5 states included in Scheduled Tribes (ST)
Why
is it in news?
The Union Cabinet
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved the inclusion of
tribes of five states in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
Highlights
• The Union Cabinet has
approved the inclusion of the tribes of Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh in the ST category.
• In this 12
communities have been included in the ST list.
• These also include
the Hattee community living in the Trans-Giri area of Sirmaur district of
Himachal Pradesh.
• The community is
named after its traditional occupation of selling domestic crops, vegetables,
meat and wool in small town markets called haats.
• The community has
been demanding ST status since 1967, when it was given to people living in the
Jaunsar Bawar area of Uttarakhand, which borders Sirmaur district.
• Other communities
recently granted ST status were the Gonds with their five sub-castes in Bhadohi
district of Uttar Pradesh, the Betta-Kuruba community in Karnataka, the
Binjhias in Chhattisgarh and the Narikurvans and Kuruvikarans in Tamil Nadu.
• Narikuravan and
Kuruvikaran in Tamil Nadu have been demanding ST status since 1965 on the basis
of the recommendations of the Lokur panel. They were earlier recognized as the
most backward community.
• The Union Cabinet has
included the Betta-Kuruba community in the ST list as a synonym for "Kadu
Kuruba".
• Betta-Kuruba tribes
in Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Mysuru districts of Karnataka have been demanding
ST status for the past 3 decades, but it has not been granted due to spelling
errors and similar sounding names.
• The newly listed
communities in the ST list will benefit from the existing schemes targeting the
Scheduled Tribes in the country.
• Some of these
benefits include post-matric scholarships, foreign scholarships and national
fellowships, concessional loans from the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and
Development Corporation and hostels for students.
• Members of these
communities will also benefit from reservation in services and admission in
educational institutions.vv
Most of the Amrit Sarovars were built in Uttar Pradesh
Why
is it in news?
vUttar Pradesh has
created the maximum number of lakes under Amrit Sarovar, the ambitious mission
of the Government of India.
Highlights
• Uttar Pradesh has
constructed 8,462 Amrit Sarovars (lakes) under the Modi government's ambitious
Mission Amrit Sarovar, which aims to conserve water for the future generation.
• Other top performing
states under this mission are Madhya Pradesh (1,668 lakes), Jammu and Kashmir
(1,458 lakes), Rajasthan (898 lakes) and Tamil Nadu (818 lakes).
• Within Uttar Pradesh,
Lakhimpur Kheri was the top performer with 256 Amrit Sarovars constructed.
• At present, Uttar
Pradesh is planning to build 1.20 lakh Amrit Sarovar.
• Under the first phase
of Mission Amrit Sarovar, the UP government had set a target to develop 75
Amrit Sarovar in 75 districts of the state under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme.
• This target was
accomplished ahead of schedule.
• Large-scale
construction of Amrit Sarovar is providing employment to a large section of the
rural population in the state and their income has also increased.
• It had reduced the
irrigation issues faced by the farmers in the state.
• Presently, the fully
prepared Amrit Sarovar is being used by the farmers as an additional source of
income for fish farming.
Amrit
Sarovar Mission
• Amrit Sarovar Mission
was launched by the Government of India on April 24, 2022 to promote water
conservation by development and rejuvenation of water bodies in all districts
of India. Under this initiative 50,000 reservoirs of about one acre size will
be created. The overall mission is expected to be completed by August 15, 2023.
• Each Amrit Sarovar
will be of about 1 acre with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters of water.