10 September 2024, The Indian Express
After Singapore, US ties up with India to boost semiconductor sector
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GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- LESS THAN a fortnight before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to the US, Washington on Monday announced a “new partnership” with India to explore semiconductor supply chain opportunities, which will include a “comprehensive assessment” of India’s existing semiconductor ecosystem, regulatory framework, workforce and infrastructure needs. That will serve as the “basis for potential future joint initiatives” to strengthen and grow this critical sector, the US said.
- This comes days after India signed a semiconductor ecosystem partnership with Singapore during Modi’s visit last week.
Finance rejects Agri move for higher incentives to push natural farming
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GS3- Agriculture
- The Finance Ministry has shot down a proposal from the Agriculture Ministry to provide a one-time incentive of Rs 20,000 per hectare to farmers who adopt natural farming, saying it was much higher than what was earlier approved, The Indian Express has learnt.
- The Agriculture Ministry under Shivraj Singh Chouhan had circulated a Cabinet note in July last week seeking the Finance Ministry’s approval for the incentives to be provided to farmers under the proposed National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). However, the Finance Ministry informed the Agriculture Ministry a week later that the proposed rates of incentives were “considerably higher” than the rates approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).
Critically endangered elongated tortoise spotted in Aravallis for first time
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Prelims Syllabus- Environment Current Affairs
- A critically endangered species, the elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), was spotted in Haryana’s Damdama area during a research survey in the Aravallis.
- The tortoise is medium-sized with a yellowish brown or olive shell and distinct black blotches at the centre of each scute. The tortoise has on its nostril a pink ring, which appears in the breeding season. Mature individuals of both sexes develop a distinct pinkish colouration surrounding the nostrils and eyes during the season.
Nuclear to LNG, India & UAE ink 4 key pacts to expand energy ties
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GS2- India and its bilateral relations
- India and the United Arab Emirates on Monday signed four pacts to expand energy cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the visiting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
- An agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts.
The audacity of a mission
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GS2- Governance: Government policies and interventions
- The recent release of the scientific report in the Nature journal on the Swachh Bharat Mission’s (SBM) impact on the reduction in infant and child mortality broadly coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the programme. Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech to the nation from the Red Fort on August 15, 2014, it was formally launched on October 2 of the same year. Focused on the massive challenge of eliminating open defecation in the country by October 2, 2019 (the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi), the SBM sought to change the behaviour of about 550 million Indians from their traditional habit of defecating in the open to using the over 100 million household toilets constructed for them by the government.
- While the success of the programme had many positive spinoffs, including providing dignity and security to women and girls, the Nature report validates its significant health impact, asserting that the provision of toilets under the Mission saved the lives of 60,000–70,000 infants and children under the age of five on an annual basis.
A win-win for academia, industry
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GS2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education
- On July 23, 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of operationalising the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a move that was five years in the making since its first mention, was a pivotal moment for India’s research ecosystem.
- Established under the ANRF Act, 2023, the foundation aims to fund, coordinate, and promote research across India’s universities and colleges, which have long suffered from a lack of infrastructure, particularly in state-run institutions. This initiative is a crucial step in pushing India towards becoming a knowledge-driven society, following the model of research powerhouses like the US, Germany, South Korea, and Israel.
By withholding refuge
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GS2- India and its neighbourhood relations
- When Sheikh Hasina dialled New Delhi on August 5, with a frantic appeal to be allowed into Indian territory, the Government of India’s decision to allow her safe passage was, perhaps, the only available option under the circumstances. What weighed in favour of the Centre’s decision to allow Hasina into the country was, no doubt, her unambiguously warm and friendly relationship with India over the years, and her crusade against religious extremism and terrorism, resulting in a severe crackdown on anti-India militant outfits operating from Bangladesh.
- In sharp contrast, its subsequent decision to deny asylum to the persecuted Bangladeshi minority Hindus in India goes against its consistently held position of making India the “natural home of persecuted Hindus around the world”. Reports continue to pour in about the ongoing religious persecution of minority groups in Bangladesh, with scores of Hindu teachers being forced to resign and other officials and academics being racially profiled.
Sakthan Thampuran and its importance to Thrissur
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Prelims Syllabus- Art & Culture
- Minister of State for Tourism and Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi on Saturday (September 7) pledged to replace a statue of Sakthan Thampuran that was knocked over by a state transport bus in June with a new bronze statue if the Kerala government did not do so within 14 days.
- Raja Rama Varma Kunjipillai or Rama Varma IX, better known today as Sakthan Thampuran, ruled over the Cochin kingdom from 1790 to 1805. He was born in 1751 to Ambika Thampuran and Chendose Aniyan Namboodiri of the Cochin royal family, but was raised by an aunt who called him Sakthan, meaning ‘powerful’. The word thampuran is believed to be an appropriation of the Sanskrit samrat, meaning emperor.
Vaccines for mpox
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Prelims Syllabus- Current Affairs
- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — epicentre of the mpox outbreak that has become virulent and spread to other countries — has received its first donation of mpox vaccines.
- Since January 1, 2022, mpox cases have been reported from 121 countries, including 20 WHO member-states across Africa. As of September 5, 2024, a total 1,03,048 laboratory-confirmed cases, including 229 deaths, have been reported from across the world since January 1, 2022. On Monday, India confirmed its first mpox case, which was a travel-related infection.
Why apex court intervened in Himachal Pradesh HC collegium’s decision
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GS2- Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary
- The Supreme Court has directed the Himachal Pradesh High Court collegium to consider again the names of two judicial officers it had first recommended for elevation to the Bench 21 months ago.
- The unusual direction came after the affected individuals moved the Supreme Court against the HC collegium’s decision to recommend two other names for judgeship earlier this year.
As copper mining stalls and imports surge, players eye overseas assets
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GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development
- Copper demand, a key barometer of economic growth, is poised to surge over the next decade across geographies. For India, though, amid stagnant domestic production, copper concentrate imports have doubled to Rs 26,000 crore in FY24 from around Rs 13,000 crore in FY19, and Indian smelters and refiners are now increasingly looking to secure copper assets overseas, bolstered by some government support.
- Now designated a critical mineral, copper’s role in clean energy technologies—like wind turbines and EV batteries—has put India’s growing import reliance in the spotlight. From developing new import sources in copper-rich countries like Mongolia to buying equity in Zambian and Chilean mines, major players such as Hindalco’s Birla Copper Ltd, Adani’s Kutch Copper Ltd, and Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper Ltd are collaborating with the Ministry of Mines in securing India’s copper supply chain.
