SIPRI Report 2022 : India’s HAL, BEL, MDL in Top 100 arms–producing companies
Swedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has released the report titled“World’s Top 100 Arms Producing Companies 2022”. SIPRI Top 100 listing includes the 100 companieswith the largest arms revenue during the yearcovered. It lists the companies which make arms,weapons, military planes and equipment.
- For the 1st time, three Indian Public Sector Units(PSUs) : Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and MazagonDock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) are listed in theTop 100 arms producing companies.
- Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), anIndian PSU specialized in Shipbuilding marks itsdebut in the list by securing 89th position. Itgenerated revenue of USD 1 billion for year 2022.
- The United States (U.S.) continues to dominate the Top 100 list with 42 companies. Despite having mostnumber of U.S. companies in the list, revenue of these companies fell by 7.9% to USD 302 billion in 2022.
About Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI):
Chair: Stefan Löfven (Sweden)
Establishment – 1966
Headquarters – Stockholm, Sweden
ESIC received “ISSA Vision Zero 2023” Award at the 23rd World Congress on Safetyand Health at Work
The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour & Employment(MoL&E) was awarded Vision Zero 2023 Award by International Social Security Association (ISSA) atthe 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health atWork, held in Sydney, Australia from 27th to30th November, 2023.The award was received by Rajendra Kumar,Director General of ESIC.
Key points:
- ESIC was awarded for its outreach in the fieldof safety and health at work places by aligningthe prevention strategy.
- ESIC also provided post-accidentalmechanism for medical care and cash benefits tothe workers and their dependents.
- The award also recognises the improvementsmade in the service delivery of the ESICorporation as well as increase in itsadministrative and operational efficiency using Information Technology (IT) enabled initiatives.
International Social Security Association (ISSA):
i.ISSA offers a global platform and a unique network for all those in social security concerned with thehealth of workers.
ii.ISSA is headquartered at the International Labour Office (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
President – Mohammed Azman
Established in – 1927
About Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC):
Director General – Rajendra Kumar
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established in – 1952
Oxford University Press names ‘Rizz‘ as Word of the Year 2023
On December 4, 2023, the Oxford University Press (OUP) has named ‘Rizz’, a colloquial noun defined asstyle, charm, or attractiveness, as its word of the year for 2023. It is mainly used by the younger generation.
Note: The Oxford word of the year2022 was ‘goblin mode’ describing‘unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy,slovenly or greedy’ behaviour.
Rizz:
- Etymologically, the term is believed tobe a shortened form of the word‘charisma’, taken from the middle partof the word.
- The word ‘rizz’ can also be used as averb, in phrases such as ‘to rizz up’,
- OUP’s Word of the year:OUP, the publisher of the OxfordEnglish Dictionary, annually chooses a word of the year, which reflects the mood, preoccupations, and ethosof the year.
The word should also have the potential to be culturally significant
Pakistan Elected as Vice Chair of UNESCO Executive Board from the Asia PacificGroup
Pakistan was elected as the Vice Chairperson of United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO) Executive Board for the term 2023-2025 from the Asia Pacific Group.Out of the 58-member Executive Board, Pakistan received 38 votes defeating India which got only 18votes.
The election was held on 15th November 2023during the 218th session of UNESCO’sExecutive Board in Paris, France.Note: As the Vice Chair of UNESCO Executiveboard, Pakistan will be able to influence globalpolicies and initiatives in education, science,culture and communication.
Key Points:
- India was elected to the UNESCO executiveboard in 2021 for a 4-year term till 2025.
- In 2023, Pakistan was elected for a 4-yearterm which will end in 2027.
- Group IV includes Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Japan, thePhilippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
About the Executive Board of UNESCO:
i.The executive board, made up of 58 member states with a 4-year term, has the role of administering theUN body and appointing the director-general.
ii.It is one of the 3 constitutional organs of UNESCO, along with the 194-member general conference andthe secretariat.
iii.The bureau of the executive board consists of 12 members: the chairperson, 6 vice-chairpersons and the 5 chairpersons of the permanent commissions and committees.
India to Represent Asia in Executive Committee of Codex Alimentarius Commission
India has been unanimously elected to represent the Asian region in the Executive Committee of the CodexAlimentarius Commission (CAC).The election took place during the 46th meeting of the CAC held at the Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, Italy from 27th November to 2nd December 2023.The Indian delegation was led by G Kamala Vardhana Rao, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Food Safetyand Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).Note: CAC is an international organization thatdevelops food standards, guidelines, and codes ofpractice. Codex Alimentarius is Latin for “foodcode”.
Key Points:
- As a part of the executive committee of CAC,India can significantly contribute to settinginternational standards for various food categoriesand actively participate in decision-makingprocesses.
- During the meeting of CAC, India proposal to setup group standards for millets under Additionalagendas category. This was discussed during themeeting and was approved by CAC for preparation of 3 project documents.
- CAC also acknowledged India’s initiatives to establish global standard for millets.
About Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC):
The CAC was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World HealthOrganization (WHO).
Chairperson– Steve Wearne
Members– 188 Member Countries (Including India) and 1 Member Organization (The European Union)
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
Vivek Kumar Gupta Appointed as Part-time Govt Director on the Board of RVNL
- Droupadi Murmu, The President of India, has approved the appointment of Vivek Kumar Gupta as ParttimeGovernment Director on the Board of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) with immediate effect. .
- He is currently serving as the Principal ExecutiveDirector (PED)/Gati Shakti, Railway Board.
- He will hold the part time post till he holds theposition of PED/Gati Shakti, Railway Board, oruntil further orders, whichever comes earlier.
- Vivek Kumar Gupta is an Indian Railway Serviceof Engineers (IRSE) officer and was transferredto the Railway Board and posted as PED (GatiShakti), Railway Board in 2023.
- He was a Higher Administrative Grade (HAG)/IRSE in Central Railway and served as ChiefBridge Engineer (CBE) and Chief TrackEngineer (CTE) in Central Railway.
GRSE delivered Sandhayak (Yard 3025) SVL to Indian Navy
Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata (West Bengal) has delivered Indian Naval Ship(INS) Sandhayak (Yard 3025), the first of four Survey Vessel (Large) (SVL) ships to the Indian Navy(IN)on 4th December 2023.Sandhayak has an indigenous content of over 80%by cost.
Yard 3025:
- The contract for building four SVL ships wassigned between the Ministry of Defense (MoD) andGRSE on 30 October 2018.
- The Keel for the ship was laid in 2019 and theship was launched in 2021.After the launch, the ship has undergone acomprehensive schedule of trials in harbour and atsea.
Key Points:
- SVL ships are 110 meter long, 16 meter wide with a displacement of 3,400 tons.
- The hull of these ships is made from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel manufactured by SteelAuthority of India Limited (SAIL).
- The ship is powered by two Diesel Engines and it can achieve speeds upto 18 knots.
- The vessel is fitted with state of the art hydrographic equipment such as Data Acquisition and ProcessingSystem, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle, Differential Global PositioningSystem (DGPS) Long range positioning systems, Digital side scan sonar etc.
China Launches MisrSat-2 satellite jointly-developed with Egypt
China National Space Agency (CNSA) launched the MisrSat-2 or Aiji Yaogan Weixing Erhao (Aiji 2)satellite with a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.MisrSat-2, the optical remote sensing satellite, was jointly developed by the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA)and CNSA.
Key Points:
- The satellite, weighing 350 kg, features an highresolutionimager with a ground resolution of 2metres in panchromatic mode and 8 metres incolour.
- The lifetime of the satellite is 5 years.
- The development of MisrSat-2 is a landmarkproject between China and Egypt under the Beltand Road Initiative (BRI).
- The satellite was tested at Satellite Assembly,Integration, and Test Center (AITC) in Cairo,Egypt.AITC was funded by China.
- The satellite finds its application in fields like farming, national resources, urban planning, and coastalchange monitoring.
About People Republic of China:
President – Xi Jinping
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi(Yuan)
About Egypt:
President – Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
Capital – Cairo
Currency – Egyptian Pound
World’s Biggest Experimental Nuclear Fusion Reactor JT-60SA Inaugurated in Japan
The world’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion reactor, Japan Torus-60 Super Advanced (JT-60SA)started its operations in Naka, Japan. The reactor is a joint initiative between the European Union (EU) andJapan.
Key Points:
- JT-60SA reactor is a six-storey-high machinewhich is constructed as per Broader Approach (BA)Agreement.The agreement was signed between the EuropeanAtomic Energy Community (Euratom) and Japan in2007.The Satellite Tokamak Programme (STP) involvedthe construction of JT-60SA reactor
- It comprises a doughnut-shaped “tokamak”vessel set to contain swirling plasma heated up to200 million degrees Celsius.
- The term “tokamak” means “toroidal chamber with magnetic coils”
- The reactor is the most advanced tokamak in the world.
- It uses powerful superconducting coils cooled to approximately -269 °C (absolute temperatureapproximately 4K) to confine plasma that can reach 100 million °C.
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Indian Researcher Dr. Akshata Krishnamurthy, 1st Indian Woman to Operate a Roveron Mars with NASA
- Indian Researchers Dr Akshata Krishnamurthy has became the first indian citizen (woman) to operate therover (Perseverance) on Mars and also the firstIndian citizen to collect sample from the Mars tobring back to Earth.
- She is currently working as a Principalinvestigator and mission science Phase lead atNational Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration(NASA).
- After completing her Ph.D. in Space SystemsEngineering from the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT), the United States of America(USA), she secured a position as SystemsEngineer and Scientist, at NASA Jet PropulsionLaboratory (JPL).
- She leads project verification and validation evidence management for the NASA-Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission.
- She was the Science Data Analysis Lead on the Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research inAstrophysics (ASTERIA) mission
Space regulator IN-SPACe Launches Seed Fund Scheme for Startups to PromoteInnovation in Space Sector
- India’s space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) hasunveiled a seed fund scheme to offer financial assistance of up to Rs 1 crore each to start-ups operatingin the areas of Urban Development and Disaster Management by using space technology
- The scheme was launched in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’sNational Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to provide opportunities to companies that leverage spacetechnology for societal benefit.
- Aim: To promote space technology and provide mentorship support, training, and networkingopportunities.
- Start-ups will receive seed funding to developprototypes using space technology, ISRO facilitysupport, including earth observation (EO) data,for concept validation, mentorship support, andaccess to a data algorithm as a transfer oftechnology from the Department of Space.
- The seed fund grants of up to Rs. 1 crore aredisbursed in 3 or more instalments. The firstinstalment may constitute up to 40% of the totalapproved commitment.
- The intellectual property rights (IPR) generatedunder the program will be owned by therespective startup, adding a layer of support forinnovation in India’s evolving space sector.
International Volunteer Day 2023-December 05
The United Nations (UN) International VolunteerDay for Economic and Social Developmentcommonly known as International Volunteer Day (IVD) is annually observed across the globe on 5December to raise awareness about volunteer service, encouraging individuals, who dedicate their time andskills to contribute their services as volunteers locally andinternationally.The 2023 theme of IVD centres on “The power of everyone –collective action – if everyone did”.
Key Points:
- The International Volunteer Day for Economic and SocialDevelopment was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) through Resolution A/RES/40/212 on December 1985.
About United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme:
Executive Coordinator– Mr Toily Kurbanov (Russian Federation)
Headquarters– Bonn, Germany
It is the volunteer arm of the UN that was created by the UNGA in1970.
World Soil Day 2023 – December 05
- The United Nations(UN)’s World Soil Day (WSD) is annually observedacross the globe on 5th December to create awareness about theimportance of healthy soil and to advocate the sustainable managementof soil resources.
- 5th December 2023 marks the observance of 10th WSD.
- The theme of WSD 2023 is “Soil and water, a source of life”.
Key Points:
- On 20th December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/68/232 and proclaimed the 5thDecember of every year as World Soil Day and declared the year ‘2015’as the International Year of Soils.
- The first ever WSD was observed on 5th December 2014.
About Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO):
Director-General– QU Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, ItalyFounded in – 1945