18 New Products of Uttarakhand gets GI Tag 18 products of Uttarakhand including 12 agricultural goods, 4Handi-craft goods, 1 food-stuff and 1 manufactured goodreceived Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Uttarakhand has become the 1st state in the country to get thehighest number of 18 GI tags in a single day. Chief Minister (CM) of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhamiofficially distributed GI certificates to 18 products. With these 18 new products, the total number of GI products inUttarakhand has become 27. About Uttarakhand: Chief Minister– Pushkar Singh DhamiGovernor– General(Retired) Gurmeet SinghCapital– DehradunFestival– Kangdali Festival; Uttarayani Mela or Uttarayani Fair Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched GIS application ‘Gram Manchitra’ The Union Minister of State (MoS), MoPR, Kapil Moreshwar Patil launched the Geographic InformationSystem (GIS) application “Gram Manchitra” to encouragetechnology driven spatial planning by the GramPanchayat. It utilizes geo-spatial technology to offer a dynamic,unified platform for Gram Panchayats to visualize andplan diverse developmental projects spanning naturalresource management, water harvesting, sanitation,agriculture, and more. Gram Manchitra will serve as a support system for theformulation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan(GPDP). Key Points: This newly launched app will be aided by MoPR’spreviously launched mActionSoft application, which willenhance the platform by integrating geo-tagged data fromassets, providing a detailed view of Gram Panchayatprojects. mActionSoft, mobile-based solution captures photos withGlobal Positioning System (GPS) coordinates/Geo-Tags, creating a transparent record of works and assets,particularly those funded by the Finance Commission. The Gram Panchayat is responsible for the overall development of the village. They also play a key rolein providing basic services like drinking water and sanitation. India Joins Battery Energy Storage Systems Consortium On December 4, 2023, during the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Indiabecame a member of the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Consortium, led by the GlobalLeadership Council (GLC) of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). A total of 11 countries(first-mover countries), including India, have joined the BESS consortium duringthe COP28. The BESS consortium is committed to achievinga combined commitment of 5 Gigawatts (GW)of BESS by the end of 2024. Key Points: 90 GW of storage capacity must be developed, Toachieve the estimated 400 GW of renewable energyrequired to alleviate energy poverty by 2030 andsave a gigaton of Carbon dioxide (CO2),The 5GW goal will support the creation of aroadmap for achieving the rest by 2030. During the Energy Transition Dialogues (TETD)organised by GEAPP in New Delhi in November2023, GEAPP also announced the expansion of its BESS project in India.This aims to achieve the target of 1GW for DISCOMS (Distribution Companies) under BESS by 2026. World Bank Launched Various initiatives to Address Methane Emissions Globally atthe COP28 summit The World Bank (WB) launched partnership platforms namely the Global Methane Reduction Platformfor Development (CH4D), a hub for methane reduction in agriculture and waste, and the Global Flaringand Methane Reduction Partnership (GFMR)which focuses on reducing methane leaks in theoil and gas sector. WB also launched an 18-month “blueprint formethane reduction” to set up 15 nationalprograms to reduce methane emission. The proposals were launched at the 28thConference of the Parties (COP28) of the UnitedNations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC), being held in Dubai, UnitedArab Emirates (UAE) from 30 November to 12December 2023. About World Bank (WB): World Bank Group President– Ajay BangaHeadquarters– Washington, DC, USAEstablished in– 1944 ADB Offered Loans for Various Projects in India and Co-Hosts ‘Kutumb‘ with IIFLHome Finance Ltd Asian Development Bank (ADB) helps its members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance,grants, and equity investments to promote social and economicdevelopment. Recently it has collaborated with GOI,Uttrakhand, and IIFl Home Finance Limited for variousprojects. ADB has approved a USD($) 98 million(Rs.816 Cr) loan toimprove the horticulture crop farmers’ access in India tocertified disease-free planting materials ADB approves USD 200 million boost to enhance water supplyand sanitation in Uttarakhand IIFL Home Finance Ltd. presents the 15th chapter of ‘Kutumb’in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). About Asian Development Bank Founded in-1966Headquarters– Manilla, PhilippinesPresident- Masatsugu Asakawa ONDC launches ‘Build for Bharat’ Initiative to Tackle Challenges in Digital CommerceSpace The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has launched a nationwide initiative called ‘Build forBharat‘ in collaboration with Google Cloud IndiaPrivate Limited, Antler Innovation India PrivateLimited, Paytm(One97 Communications Limited),Protean eGov Technologies Limited and Startup India. Objective: To tackle diverse challenges in digitalcommerce and to promote industry innovation todevelop practical solutions. The initiative, organized at a national-scale in morethan 50 cities across India, plans to utilise India’stechnological and entrepreneurial potential. ONDC is an initiative of the Department forPromotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I). Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module Moves from Lunar Orbit to Earth Orbit The Propulsion Module (PM) of Chandrayaan-3 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)retreats from an orbit around the moon to an orbit around Earth. ISRO performed three maneuvers, including thefirst orbit-rising maneuver (from 150 km to 5112km), the second maneuver moved PM to Earthorbit of 1.8 lakhs x 3.8 lakhs km, and the finalTrans-Earth Injection (TEI) maneuver. ISRO is set to launch India’s first X-raypolarimeter satellite (XPoSat) to investigate thepolarisation of intense astronomical X-raysources. XPoSat has two payloads, including the POLIX(Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and theXSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing). About the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO): Chairman– S. SomanathHeadquarters– Bengaluru, KarnatakaEstablishment– 1969 UNCTAD eWeek – December 4 to 8 2023 The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) eWeek, previously known asUNCTAD eCommerce Week, is a global forum on development and the digital economy.UNCTAD eWeek 2023 is being observed from 4th to 8th December 2023 at the InternationalConference Center of Geneva(CICG) in Geneva, Switzerland. eCommerce Week 2022 was observed from 25th to 29th April 2022. Theme: The theme of UNCTAD eWeek 2023 is “Shaping the future of the digital economy.”Organiser: UNCTAD eWeek 2023 is organised by UNCTAD in collaboration with ‘eTrade for all’partners with the support of the Swiss government About United Nations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD): UNCTAD is the UN’s leading institution dealing with tradeand development.Secretary-General– Rebeca GrynspanHeadquarters– Geneva, SwitzerlandEstablished in 1964.