Today's Current Affairs 28th March 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Humza Yousaf Elected Leader Of Scottish National Party

Pakistani-origin Humza Yousaf has won the Scottish National Party leadership contest and is set to become Scotland's First Minister replacing Nicola Sturgeon. The 37-year-old son of Asian immigrants is set to become the first person of colour to serve as Scotland's first minister,

The Scot of Pakistani heritage, a Sturgeon loyalist, defeated Kate Forbes, the country's finance minister and Ash Regan, who quit the government in opposition to proposed changes to gender recognition,

"I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland. I will work every minute of every day to earn and to re-earn your respect and your trust," Yousaf said in his acceptance speech.

Yousaf won 52% of the final votes cast, running on a platform dedicated to delivering Scottish independence, combating the cost-of-living crisis.

IAEA Board reappoints Rafael Grossi as director general

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday reappointed Rafael Grossi as the agency's director general for a second four-year term.

The IAEA said in a statement that its 35-nation Board adopted the decision by acclamation at its quarterly meeting. The reappointment is subject to approval by the annual General Conference of the agency's all 176 member states in September. Grossi is slated to begin his second term in early December 2023 .

"I'm deeply honored by the Board's unanimous decision to appoint me for another term in office, and very grateful for the confidence and trust member states continue to place in me as head of this truly remarkable organization," Grossi said.

"It comes at a time when we face many major challenges, and I'm fully committed to continue to do everything in my power to implement the IAEA's crucial mission in support of global peace and development," he added. Grossi has served as head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog since December 2019

NATIONAL

AFINDEX 2023: Second Africa-India joint military exercise another step towards Modi’s idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”

The second Africa-India joint military exercise from 21-29 March is a key element to India’s diplomatic ties with African countries. 24 African militaries were represented by their contingents or teams of observers. The inaugural event of the second edition of the Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX 2023) began at the Foreign Training Node of the Indian Army located at the Aundh Military Station in Pune on March 21. The ten-day exercise focused on Humanitarian Mine Assistance and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations(UNPKF). The multinational military drill will promote the idea of Africa-India Militaries for Regional Unity (AMRUT) and will focus on incorporating the current dynamics of UNPKF through comprehensive discussions and tactical exercises.

The collective effort will also focus on achieving the desired interoperability and cohesive operational ability of the troops from all participating nations. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (Sanskrit: वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्) or “The World Is One Family” or all living beings on the earth are a family has been the favourite theme of Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi all along. The theme and the logo for India’s G20 Presidency are “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth-One Future”.” The Bhagvad Gita, calls the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam the “Loftiest Vedantic Thought.” This is what is expected to be achieved through theSecond Africa-India joint military exercise.

Sasha, one of the female cheetahs brought to India from Namibia, has died

Sasha was part of the first lot of eight cheetahs brought to India from Namibia last year, which were released into Kuno National Park by prime minister Narendra Modi on September 17. On January 22 this year, Sasha had been diagnosed with a kidney infection and had been treated by a global team of veterinarians. She initially showed signs of recovery, but continued to be kept in the quarantine enclosure to which she had regressed to after having spent a few weeks in a larger enclosure.

Though Sasha had shown signs of recovery, she was being fed within the quarantine enclosure. However, her condition suddenly deteriorated, and she died on Monday (27 March) morning. Sources from the Cheetah Conservation Fund say that they suspect renal failure to be the cause of her death,

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Mumbai to host 1st Trade & Investment Working Group meeting Under G20

Investment and trade are key drivers of growth and employment creation and in order to find common solutions, it is important to create a shared knowledge of the difficulties that come while accelerating global trade and investment. With this aim, the 1st Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency is scheduled to be held in the financial capital of India, Mumbai, from March 28−30, 2023. Over 100 representatives from G20 member nations, invitee nations, regional groups, and international organisations will participate in this three-day meeting to discuss ways to speed up international trade and investment.

On the first day, a seminar on ‘Trade Finance’ will be conducted by the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) and India EXIM Bank. The two-panel talks will take place to discuss the role of banks, financial institutions, development finance institutions, and export credit agencies in closing the trade finance gap. The seminar will also focus on how digitalisation and fintech solutions can improve access to trade finance.

Key agendas that will be discussed during the first sessions:-

Current trends in international trade and trade finance amidst the pandemic and growing import bills in developing countries.

Cause of trade finance gaps, including reduced credit line support in the private sector and inflation cuts into bank lending limits.

The role of export credit agencies in bolstering trade finance

India-Africa Army Chiefs Conclave On March 28 And 29

Pune will also host the strategically significant India-Africa Army Chiefs Conclave, on March 28 and 29. The conclave will include talks by renowned speakers on the India-Africa Defense partnership, the Indian defence industry’s potential and contribution towards regional security.

There is a natural feeling of partnership between India and Africa,” remarked Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today (March 28) while addressing the first India-Africa Army Chiefs’ Conclave. The event is being organised on the sidelines of the second Africa-India Joint Exercise ‘AFINDEX’

India has been one of the biggest contributors of troops to UN Peacekeeping Operations all over the world and the country’s Army is considered to be among the expert agencies in the world in mine removal operations.

Gentari signs pact (MoU) with Tata Motors for 5,000 e-commercial vehicles

Clean energy solutions provider Gentari on Monday said it has signed an agreement with Tata Motors for the delivery of 5,000 units of e-commercial vehicles.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) through its affiliate entity is for three years, Gentari said in a statement. "Gentari, through its affiliated entity Amplus Power Supply Private Limited, signed an MoU with Tata Motors, India's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, in 2022, whereby the latter will deliver 5,000 units of Tata Ace EV, over three years. The MoU includes delivery of 1,000 units in the first year for deployment in cities, such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata," it said.

High-quality electric four-wheelers coming into the market opens a whole new segment to electrify in the urban delivery ecosystem, MoEVing CEO Vikash Mishra said.

"We are excited to work with Gentari to deploy three- and four-wheeler commercial electric vehicles across India to reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries. With our operations, charging and maintenance footprint spanning across India, we hope to bring change on-ground and electrify deliveries for e-commerce, e-grocery, the logistics segment and now also large FMCG and traditional companies,"

Telangana signs three MoUs with Western Australia government

A total of three MoUs were signed between the governments of Telangana and Western Australia when a delegation led by Western Australia’s Minister for Emergency Services, Innovation and Digital Economy, Stephen Dawson visited State-led startup incubators T-Hub and WE-Hub.

The MoUs signed include one between Hyderabad’s Cyber Security Centre of Excellence DSCI and Western Australia’s CyberWest, a government-funded innovation hub, which will harness the expertise of both organisations using innovation, design, workshops and industry engagement. The second MoU was between Cyber Security Centre of Excellence DSCI and Edith Cowan University, through this there will be a collaboration for mutual benefit including research, education, innovation, incubation, marketing, hackathons, corporate innovation and training programs.

The third MoU was a Letter of Intent between WE-Hub and CyberWest which will accelerate growth in the local and international ecosystem and support goals of diversity and inclusion within the cyber security sector. This collaboration will also help in seeding female-led cyber security startups and also integrating cyber safety into all cohorts. Speaking on the occasion, Mr.Dawson said: “Western Australia is at the forefront of cyber security research and innovation with leading organisations. The purpose of this visit is to engage with the Telangana ecosystem and understand the priorities as well as convey.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

AuditOnline Application Wins WSIS Prizes 2023 for Online Audits in India

The AuditOnline Application has received global recognition for its contribution in facilitating online audits across Panchayati Raj Institutions in India. The software program was awarded the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2023 in the Action Line category ICT Applications: e-Government at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) headquarters in Geneva.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), along with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), has been recognized for its efforts in developing the AuditOnline application. The application enables the online audit of all Panchayati Raj Institutions, and its success has earned the team the WSIS Prizes Award 2023.

The application was submitted under the category “C7 – ICT Applications: e-Government” in the 12th edition of the contest. The WSIS Prizes recognize the excellence of stakeholders in supporting the implementation of WSIS outcomes, WSIS Action Lines, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).