19 April 2024, The Indian EXPRESS
Indonesia’s Mt Ruang erupts
Page no- the world section
GS1- Important Geophysical Phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc
- Indonesian authorities closed an airport and residents left homes near an erupting volcano Thursday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami.
- Mount Ruang on the northern side of Sulawesi Island had at least five large eruptions Wednesday, causing the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation to issue its highest-level alert, indicating an active eruption.
- The crater emitted white-gray smoke continuously during the day Thursday, reaching more than 500 metres above the peak.
Urge India to maintain its active role to help stop war in Gaza: Iran
Page no-1
GS2- Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests
- At the heart of the Iran-Israel crisis is the war in Gaza and Iran has urged India to “maintain its active role through international bodies,” including the United Nations Security Council, to halt the war in Gaza, Iran’s Ambassador to New Delhi Iraj Elahi told The Indian Express Thursday.
- His remarks come the day Ann Tessa Joseph, a female cadet who was among the 17 Indians onboard container vessel MSC Aries that was seized by Iranian military due to its alleged links with Israel over the weekend, returned to Kochi.
SC reserves order, says rising turnout shows people’s faith
Page no-1
GS2- Salient Features of the Representation of People’s Act.
- Reserving its decision on a batch of petitions seeking complete cross-verification of votes polled on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, the Supreme Court on Thursday said the rising voter turnout is an indicator of the people’s faith in the electoral process.
- As some petitioners said “the anxiety is that there has to be a faith in the system,” Justice Sanjiv Khanna responded: “Every year, the percentage of people who have been voting has grown. 60 per cent or 66 per cent or even higher is an indication of the faith the people have.”
Clash of aspirations
Page no- 10
GS2- Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources.
- India is today at an inflexion point. During the current century, the country has experienced a couple of decades of economic growth rates that have been significantly greater than the growth rates in the first four decades post-independence.
- This acceleration of growth, combined with rapidly changing geopolitical realities, has suddenly positioned India in the eyes of itself and parts of the Western world as an economic and political counterweight to China.
- This view hopes that India will become a key driver of the world economy in the coming three decades.
Opening up
Page no-10
GS3- Effects of Liberalization on the Economy, Changes in Industrial Policy and their Effects on Industrial Growth
- The government may have timed the notification of its liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) rules with the visit of US tech mogul Elon Musk next week.
- But the policy, approved by the Union Cabinet in February, is also of a piece with its drive to position India as a space power.
- It allows 74 per cent FDI under the automatic route for satellite manufacturing and data products, 49 per cent for launch vehicles and spaceports, and up to 100 per cent for manufacturing components required by the sector.
- The liberalised regime fits in with the changing profile of the country’s space programme.
- Largely known in the past for excellent communication and weather-related satellites, India’s stock as a space-faring nation has gone up globally since the launch of Chandrayaan last year and the setting up of the solar laboratory in January.
- ISRO also has plans to send astronauts into space next year. These missions signal the expanding capacities of the premier space agency. But in recent years, private companies have also made their presence felt in the arena.
Govt kicks off consultations with domestic industry, Tesla reps
Page no- 13
GS3- Effects of Liberalization on the Economy, Changes in Industrial Policy and their Effects on Industrial Growth
- Ahead of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s visit to India, the Centre on Thursday held the first consultation meeting with the automobile industry players, including Tesla representatives, to evolve guidelines to operationalise the new electric vehicles (EV) policy released last month, industry and official sources aware of the development told The Indian Express.
- The participants in the meeting, the first of the more such deliberations, included officials from Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) and the Finance Ministry, along with car manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Toyota, as well as Tesla representatives.
Outward FDI drops 39% to $28.64 billion in FY24
Page no- 13
GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development
- India’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), or overseas direct investment, declined by 39 per cent to $28.64 billion in the year ended March 2024, amid uncertain global economic conditions.
- In the year ended March 2023, outward FDI, which is represented by total financial commitment, stood at $46.96 billion, according to the RBI data.
- The data released shows overseas direct investment both under the automatic route and the approval route.
- Of the total overseas direct investment, commitments through the equity route stood at $9.62 billion in fiscal 2024, compared to $19.13 billion in FY2023, the data showed.
- The equity contributed around 34 per cent of the total financial commitment made in FY2024.
Cost and benefits: Israel’s expensive defence against aerial threats
Page no- 14
GS3- Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life
- Israel has claimed that 99% of the more than 300 missiles and drones launched by Iran against the Zionist country over the weekend were intercepted.
- On the surface, this was a “significant strategic success” for Israel, as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said. But this success came at a significant economic cost, which will recur in the event of more or bigger Iranian attacks.
