SMUGGLING IN INDIA REPORT 2019-20 & MORE ( CURRNT AFFAIRS 8 DEC 2020 )

 SMUGGLING IN INDIA REPORT 2019-20

Union Finance Minister released the Smuggling in India Report 2019-20 which analyses organised smuggling trends on Gold and Foreign Currency, Narcotic Drugs, Security, Environment and Commercial Frauds.

About:

• The report has been compiled by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
  
  
• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence detected 412 cases of smuggling resulting in the seizure of contraband worth ₹1,949 crore in 2019-20. It arrested 837 economic offenders and also unearthed 761 complex cases of Customs duty evasion amounting to ₹2,183 crore.
  
  
• On the occasion, the DRI Utkrisht Seva Samman, 2020 was awarded to  Sankaran, an officer of the 1961 batch of the Indian Revenue Service.
  

THARU TRIBALS

The Uttar Pradesh government has recently embarked upon a scheme to take the unique culture of its ethnic Tharu tribe across the world.

About:

• The community of Tharu people belongs to the Terai lowlands, amid the Shivaliks or lower Himalayas. Most of them are forest dwellers, and some practice agriculture.
  
  
• The word tharu is believed to be derived from sthavir, meaning followers of Theravada Buddhism. Tharus worship Lord Shiva as Mahadev, and call their supreme being “Narayan”, who they believe is the provider of sunshine, rain, and harvests.
  
  
• The Tharus live in both India and Nepal. In the Indian terai, they live mostly in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
  
  
• Members of the tribe survive on wheat, corn and vegetables grown close to their homes. A majority still lives off the forest.
  
  
• They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of the Indo-Aryan subgroup, and variants of Hindi, Urdu, and Awadhi. In central Nepal, they speak a variant of Bhojpuri, while in eastern Nepal, they speak a variant of Maithili.
  
  
• Tharu women have stronger property rights than is allowed to women in mainstream North Indian Hindu custom.
  

VANCHIT IKAI SAMOOH AUR VARGON KI AARTHIK SAHAYTA (VISVAS) YOJANA

National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC) and National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) under M/O Social Justice & Empowerment entered in to MoA With Central Bank of India for implementation of Vanchit Ikai Samooh aur Vargon ki Aarthik Sahayta (VISVAS) Yojana.

About:

• It is an Interest subvention Scheme of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment for financial empowerment of economically marginalized OBC/SC SHGs & Individuals.
  
  
• The scheme will benefit OBC/SC SHGs with loans/borrowings up to Rs.4.00 Lakh and OBC/SC individuals with loan/borrowing up to Rs.2.00 Lakh with a quick interest subvention benefit of 5% directly into the standard accounts of borrowing SHGs/beneficiaries.

TWO NEW ZOOS GRANTED RECOGNITION BY CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

At the 37th General Body meeting of Central Zoo Authority chaired by Union Minister for Environment, two new zoos the Rajgir Zoo Safari in Nalanda, Bihar and Shaheed Ashfaque Ullah Khan Prani Udyaan in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh were granted recognition.

Rajgir Zoo Safari, Nalanda, Bihar

• The zoo is established exclusively comprising on only safari enclosures which, on contrary to conventional enclosure, offer larger space for captive animals.
  
  
• The zoo is located close to the historically important Nalanda.
  
  

Shaheed Ashfaque Ullah Khan Prani Udyaan, Gorakhpur, U.P.

• With the establishment of this zoo, the state of Uttar Pradesh has a total of 9 zoos.
  
  
• The zoo is situated in the spiritual land of Gorakhpur and has a high visitation.
  

UN INVESTMENT PROMOTION AWARD

The United Nations (UNCTAD) has declared Invest India- the National Investment Promotion Agency of India- as a winner of the 2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award.

About:

• The award ceremony took place on 7th December 2020 at UNCTAD Headquarters in Geneva.
  
  
• The award recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements and best practices of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) across the globe.
  
  
• This United Nations Investment Promotion Award is the most coveted award for Investment Promotion Agencies.
  
  
• UNCTAD is a central agency that monitors performance of IPAs and identifies global best practices. Germany, South Korea and Singapore have been some of the past winners of the award.
  

GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE 2020

A primary school teacher from Maharashtra’s Solapur district has won the one-million US dollar Global Teacher Prize 2020 for promoting girls' education.

About:

• Ranjitsinh Disale from Paritewadi village, was awarded in recognition of his efforts to promote girls’ education and initiating a quick-response (QR) coded textbook revolution in India.
  
  
• The 32-year-old teacher emerged the winner from 10 finalists from across the world for the annual prize. He has announced that he will share half of the one million dollar award money with the nine other finalists so that they too may continue their good work.
  
  
• The award was established by the London-based Varkey Foundation and is given in partnership with UNESCO.
  
  
• In the past, Disale had been named as the Innovative Researcher of the Year 2016 and has featured in the Satya Nadella’s book ‘Hit Refresh’.
  

SKILL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE IN CHALLAKERE

HAL-IISc Skill Development Centre in Challakere of Chitradurga district in Karnataka launched its first training programme offering five courses in virtual mode.

About:

• The programmes offered are in the niche engineering areas of aerospace, mechanical, electrical and electronic sectors.
  
  
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had formally inaugurated the Skill Development Centre in Challakere this year.
  
  
• The Centre is located in IISc’s new 1500 acre campus in Challakere, projected as a Science and Technology city. It is well equipped with modern labs, class rooms, auditorium and residential accommodation for 250 trainees and faculty members.
  

DRAFT GUIDELINES OF TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF FLOATING STRUCTURES

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has issued the draft guidelines for technical specifications of floating structures for public consultation, with a vision to deploy world-class floating infrastructure all along the coastline.

About:

• Floating structure because of its inherent advantages, is attractive solution and being encouraged by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
  
  
• Deployment of floating jetties, especially in locations having a large tidal range, where conventional quay poses problems during low tide periods, is very convenient.
  
  
• The benefits of floating jetties over the conventional quay and fixed concrete structures are as follows:
• It is a cost-effective solution and much cheaper than conventional structures price.
  
  
• Setting up of floating structures is much faster as compared to conventional jetties. Usually, floating structures can be built in 6-8 months as compared to 24 months for conventional structures.
  
  
• Its environmental impact is minimal.
  
  
• Expansions are easily feasible due to modular construction techniques.
  
  
• It is easily transportable in case of reconfiguring of the port.
  
  
• It provides constant freeboard between jetties and boats.
  
• JEHAN DARUVALA
  Jehan Daruvala created history by becoming the first Indian to win a Formula 2 race during the Sakhir Grand Prix, Bahrain.
  

  FIA Formula 2 Championship:

  • The FIA Formula 2 Championship is a second-tier single-seater racing championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
    
    
  • The championship was introduced in 2017, following the rebranding of the long-term Formula One feeder series GP2.
    
    
  • It is designed to make racing affordable for the teams and to make it an ideal training ground for life in Formula One.

  BANGLADESH SIGNS FIRST PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENT (PTA)

  Bangladesh signed its first Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Bhutan allowing duty free access to a range of goods between the two countries.

  

  About:

  • This is the first PTA Bangladesh has signed with any country in the world.
    
    
  • The agreement was signed on the occasion marking the 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
    
    
  • In 1971, Bhutan was the first country in the world, followed by India as the second, to recognise Bangladesh as an independent country.
    
    
  • Under the PTA 100 Bangladeshi products will get duty free access to Bhutan. At the same time, 34 items from Bhutan will get duty free access into Bangladesh. Further items can be added in the list later on the basis of discussion between the two countries.
    
    
  • Bangladesh is expected to sign 11 more PTAs and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with countries like Indonesia and Nepal by June next year.