The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced the Second Advance Estimates of Major Crop Production for 2021-22. Foodgrain production is expected to reach a new high of 316.06 million tonnes.

Overview:

Foodgrains – 316.06 million tonnes. (record)

• Wheat –111.32 million tonnes. (record)
• Rice –127.93 million tonnes. (record)
• Maize –32.42 million tonnes. (record)
• Coarse Cereals/Nutri –49.86 million tonnes.
• Tur –4.00 million tonnes.
• Pulses –26.96 million tonnes. (record)
• Gram – 13.12 million tonnes. (record)

Oilseeds –37.15 million tonnes.

• Soyabean –13.12 million tonnes.
• Groundnut – 9.86 million tonnes.
• Mustard and Rapeseed –11.46 million tonnes. (record)

Cotton –34.06 million bales.

Sugarcane – 414.04 million tonnes. (record)

Mesta and Jute –9.57 million bales.

Highlights

According to the 2^nd Advance Estimates for 2021-22, overall foodgrains in the country reached a new high of 316.06 million tonnes, up by 5.32 million tonnes from the previous year’s production. Also, production in 2021-22 is 25.35 million tonnes higher than the average production of foodgrains during the previous five years (2016-17 to 2020-21).

Rice production reached 127.93 million tonnes in 2021-22. It is up by 11.49 million tonnes over the previous five-year average of 116.44 million tonnes.

Wheat production reached 111.32 million tonnes in 2021-22. It exceeds the average wheat production of 103.88 million tonnes by 7.44 million tonnes.

Coarse Cereals/Nutri production is 49.86 million tonnes, which is 3.28 million tonnes higher than the average.

Pulses production is expected to be 26.96 million tonnes in 2021-22, up by 3.14 million tonnes from the previous five years’ average of 23.82 million tonnes.

Production of oilseed is expected to be 37.15 million tonnes in 2021-22, up by 1.20 million tonnes from the previous high of 35.95 million tonnes in 2020-21. Also, oilseeds production in 2021-22 is 4.46 million tonnes higher than the average production of oilseeds.

Sugarcane production in the country is expected at 414.04 million tonnes in 2021-22, up by 40.59 million tonnes from the average sugarcane production of 373.46 million tonnes.

Cotton production is expected to be 34.06 million bales, up by 1.12 million bales from the average of 32.95 million bales.

Jute and Mesta production is expected to be 9.57 million bales.

According to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), India reported an outbreak of highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus on a poultry research farm in state of Bihar. In similar incident, state administration of Maharashtra also confirmed on February 17, 2022, that poultry birds at a small farm in Thane have succumbed to H5N1.

Highlights

• The virus killed 787 out of 3,859 birds on the farm in Patna.
• All the remaining birds were slaughtered.
• Outbreak started on January 18, 2022 and was reported on February 16.

What is H5N1 bird flu?

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 is a subtype of “influenza A virus’’. It can cause illness in humans and many other animal species. A bird-adapted strain of H5N1 is the highly pathogenic causative agent of H5N1 flu, commonly called as avian influenza (or bird flu). It is enzootic in many bird populations, particularly in Southeast Asia. One strain of HPAI A(H5N1) is spreading across the globe, after first appearing in Asia. It is epizootic and panzootic, that kills millions of birds.

Vaccines for H5N1

Various H5N1 vaccines have been developed and approved. These vaccines are stockpiled by a number of countries, including United States, France, Britain, Canada, and Australia, for an emergency use.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)

The World Organisation for Animal Health, formerly called as Office International des Epizooties (OIE), is an intergovernmental organization that coordinates, supports and promotes animal disease control. Main objective of OIE is to control epizootic diseases and prevent their spread. Other objectives of OIE includes- transparency, international solidarity, scientific information, food safety, sanitary safety, promotion of Veterinary Services, and animal welfare. It is recognized as a reference organisation by World Trade Organization (WTO). As of 2018, it had a total of 182 member states. the newest member state is Saint Lucia.

US woman have become the third person worldwide and first woman, to be cured of HIV.

Highlights

• The woman is a leukaemia patient. She received a stem cell transplant from person with natural resistance to Aids-causing virus.
• She has now been free of the virus for 14 months.
• An umbilical cord blood transplant was done, in her case. This transplant was proved to be in her favour. However, this process may not be suitable for most people with HIV.
• This transplant was done as a part of her ongoing cancer treatment.

Stem cell transplants

Potential of stem cell transplants was demonstrated in 2007.  Timothy Ray Brown was the first person to be cured of HIV. He underwent a transplant from a donor, who was naturally resistant to HIV. Since then, this feat has been repeated only twice, with Adam Castillejo and the women patient.

Is this the cure for HIV?

There are some people worldwide, who have natural mutation in their gene. This makes them resistant to HIV. Now, scientists used ‘umbilical cord blood’ from the donor for bone marrow transplant treatment of woman with leukaemia. As a surprise, woman was cured of HIV as well. This was possible because donor’s umbilical cord blood had aforementioned mutation, which cured women’s HIV infection after transplantation. This was the first ever treatment where umbilical cord blood has been used to cure HIV. However, mutation screening in umbilical cord blood is important before using it to treat HIV. Thus, it is not a generalisable treatment, currently.

Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV)

HIV are two species of Lentivirus, that infect humans. They cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) over time, which is a condition where progressive failure of immune system allows life-threatening cancers and opportunistic infections to thrive. Depending on HIV subtype, Average survival time after infection with HIV is 9 to 11 years, without treatment.

On February 15, 2022, Indian Railways connected the main and longest tunnel of T-49, under the Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

Key Points

• The T-49 tunnel is in between Sumber and Arpinchala station of Katra-Banihal section of USBRL project.
• It is a 12.758-Km-long tunnel.
• It is going to be longest tunnel of Indian Railway.
• It has surpassed Peer Panjal Tunnel of 11.2 Km length, which was constructed by USBRL on Banihal-Qazigund section.

South and North Portal of the tunnel

• South portal of Tunnel T-49 is located in Sumber Village. It is at a distance of 45-km from District HQ Ramban. It has been constructed at an altitude of 1,400 meters.
• While North Portal of the tunnel is located near Arpinchala village Tehsil Khari, at an altitude of 1600 meters, in Mahu-Mangat Valley.

Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project

The T-49 tunnel is part of larger 272-km-long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link (USBRL) project. It would connect the valley to the rest of India. It provides an alternate surface link to the Union territory. Out of 272-km stretch, work of 161-km has been commissioned and operationalized. Work on stretch of 111-km between Katra & Banihal is under progress.

Cost of the project

The project is being erected at a cost of Rs 28,000 crore.

India’s first ever cable-stayed rail bridge

Ministry of Railways also shared pictures of India’s first ever cable-stayed rail bridge. This bridge is a part of the project. It is situated over Anji river and is dubbed as Anji Khad Bridge. It will connect Katra and Reasi Section, which is a part of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link.

The Government of India approved the New India Literacy Programme scheme for the fiscal years 2022-2027 that will cover all areas of adult education and match with the national education policy 2020.

Overview:

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced the ‘New India Literacy Programme’ for the next five years, to cover all aspects of adult education. The ministry has decided to use the term ‘Education for All’ instead of ‘Adult Education,’ because the previous term didn’t represent all non-literates who are in the age group of 15 years and above.

This programme is expected to cost Rs 1037.90 crore between 2022 and 2027, with the central government providing Rs 700 crore and the states providing Rs 337.90 crore, respectively.

Implementation of the scheme

Through volunteerism, in an online mode, this newly launched scheme will be implemented. Face-to-face training, workshops and orientation for volunteers will be arranged. All available information and resources will be made available digitally so that registered volunteers can easily access them via digital channels such as radio, television, portals and mobile phone-based free open-source apps.

The Ministry of Education will be the implementing ministry of this scheme.

On February 17, 2022, the leading digital payments platform PhonePe announced that, NITI Aayog will host the first ever ‘Fintech Open Hackathon’ by collaborating with it.

Key Facts

• The first-ever open-to-all hackathon will be organised with the aim of showcasing path-breaking solutions for fintech
• The Hackathon will provide an opportunity for digital creators, developers and innovators, from across India to think, ideate and code.

What will participants do at the hackathon?

At the hackathon, Participants are required to use any open-data APIs such as ‘PhonePe Pulse’ along with frameworks like Account Aggregator as a foundation to power use cases, such as:

1. Alternate risk models for lending,
2. Insurance or investments with a focus on financial inclusion
3. Innovative products that use power data signals for demographics and goes for broader adoption of financial services;
4. Improved visualisation and derived intelligence based on digital payments data.

Sources available to participating teams

Participating teams can have one or up to five participants. They will be free to use data sources like Open Government Data Platform, PhonePe Pulse and RBI reports on payments for building their submission. They can also access any other open data platforms, along with Setu AA Sandbox or Setu Payments Sandbox to develop their hacks. At the end of the event, they will present a working prototype of their hack to the judges. After this, each hack will be judged based on some parameters. While considering the hacks, judges might ask for additional information on the prototypes.

Cash Prizes

Winners of the Hackathon will be announced on February 28, 2022. Winning teams would be given exciting cash prizes worth Rs 5 lakhs. The winning team will be given Rs 1,50,000. Two teams at second and third places, will be given Rs 1 lakh and Rs 75,000, respectively. Judges may decide to award more or fewer prizes, depending on the submitted hacks.

Last date to register

The last date to register for this event is February 23, 2022. While, deadline to submit final entries is February 25, 2022.

Death toll from mudslides and floods in colonial-era city of Petropolis in Brazil increased to 117 on February 17, 2022 and was expected to increase further because of heavy rains in the country in almost a century.

Key Points

• City recorded 6 cm of rain, resulting into more soil instability and disrupted efforts to clean up the debris and find survivors.
• As per meteorologists, up to 4 cm of rain is expected overnight in the region.
• Streets turned into rivers and houses swept away because of heavy storms.

Background

Brazil has been swept by heavy rains since December 2021. Rains have caused several deadly floods and landslides. In January 2022, torrential rain triggered floods and landslides, killing at least 28 people in south-eastern Brazil, specifically in Sao Paulo state. Petropolis and surrounding region were earlier hit by severe storms in January 2011, in which 900 people died due to flooding and landslides.

What is the reason of heavy rains?

As per experts, rainy season in Brazil is being augmented by La Nina which is defined as the cyclical cooling of Pacific Ocean. It is also due to impact of climate change, because warmer atmosphere holds more water. Global warming increases the risk and intensity of flooding due to extreme rainfall.

Under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued guidelines on Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) on plastic packaging.

Overview

With effect from July 1, 2022, the rules on extended producer responsibility, as well as the prohibition of selected single-use plastic items with low usefulness and high littering potential, are essential measures in reducing pollution caused by plastic waste in the country.

What do the guidelines say?

The guidelines establish a framework for improving the circular economy of plastic packaging waste, promoting the development of plastic alternatives, and establishing steps for firms moving toward sustainable plastic packaging. To limit the consumption of new plastic material for packaging, the standards require the reuse of rigid plastic packaging material.

The guidelines will help in the formalization and growth of the plastic waste management industry. The guidelines enable the sale and purchase of surplus extended producer responsibility certificates, establishing a market mechanism for plastic waste management for the first time.

The guidelines establish a framework for levying environmental compensation based on the polluter pays principle when producers, importers, and brand owners fail to meet extended producer responsibility targets, with the goal of protecting and improving the environment and preventing, controlling, and lessening pollution.

Environmental compensation does not exempt producers, importers, or brand owners of their responsibilities under these rules. Unfulfilled EPR responsibilities will be carried forward to the next year.

Bill Gates, noted philanthropist and creator of Microsoft have been awarded the Hilal-e-Pakistan, Pakistan’s second-highest civilian honor, for his efforts to help eradicate polio in the country.

Overview:

A lunch was held at the Pakistani premier’s residence in honor of Bill Gates, who was briefed on Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts and Covid response.

Through Gavi, the vaccine alliance, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been a major donor towards global polio eradication.

Gates also met with Asad Umar, the Minister of Planning and Development and the NCOC’s director, and Dr. Faisal Sultan, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Health.

He was briefed on the NCOC’s function, as well as its accomplishments since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the non-pharmaceutical initiatives taken to prevent disease spread.

About GAVI

GAVI is a public-private global health collaboration that aims to improve vaccination access in low-income countries. By monetary measure, Gavi distributed more than half of total donor aid for health and the majority of donor help for immunization. GAVI is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

It is an American private foundation formed by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. It was founded in 2000 in Seattle, Washington, and as of 2020, it is the world’s second-largest charity foundation, with $49.8 billion in assets. The foundation’s objectives are to improve healthcare and reduce extreme poverty around the world, as well as to promote educational opportunities and information technology access.

Recently, researchers traced the tectonic evolution of “Greater Maldive Ridge (GMR)” which is a geodynamic feature in western Indian Ocean.

Key Facts

• The tectonic evolution can help in reconstruct the original Gondwanaland fracture.
• This feature led to present-day configuration of continents, continental fragments, as well as formation of ocean basins in the Indian Ocean.

What did the team find?

The team found that, Maldive Ridge might have formed in close vicinity of Mid-Oceanic Ridge, where new ocean floor is created due to divergent motion of spreading centre or lithospheric plates. They also concluded that, Deep-Sea Channel region (DSC) may probably be oceanic in nature, because of presence of underplated materials associated with hotspot volcanism. Researchers chalked possible geological cross-sections along the GMR, with the help of high-resolution gravity data derived from satellite.

Research team used gravity anomalies to form a three-dimensional picture of variation along the Greater Maldive Ridge and adjoining ocean basins.

State of Gravitational Equilibrium

Study provides the crustal architecture as well as the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth’s crust and mantle of the GMR segment of larger Chagos-Laccadive Ridge (CLR) system. It was found that, Moho is deeper across Maldive Ridge (MR) segment and shallows southwards in Deep-Sea Channel region (DSC). However, effective elastic thickness values were lower over MR compared in DSC region.

Maldive Ridge

The Maldive Ridge is located in the western Indian Ocean, southwest of India. It is aseismic, that is not associated with earthquake activities. The ridge largely remains uninvestigated. It is of most importance to gain knowledge on structure and geodynamics of such structures. It is a submarine ridge, extends from western shore of Hindustan Peninsula to Arabian-Indian Ridge. It is about 3000 km in length, 200-450 km in width and have the elevation of 2-5 km. Peaks of this ridge rise above the water, to form coral islands (atolls) namely, the Laccadive Islands, Chagos Archipelago and Maldive Islands.

National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) recently relaxed the eligibility criteria for accreditation of higher educational institutions.

Key Points

• University Grants Commission (UGC) is likely to address a webinar on new guidelines soon.
• These guidelines had been communicated to colleges on January 23, 2022 to receive feedback from stakeholders.
• Out of 280 affiliated colleges, more than 200 affiliated higher educational institutions (HEIs) of DAVV are not accredited to NAAC accredited yet.
• As per new guidelines of NAAC, provisional accreditation for colleges (PAC) will help in ascertaining the readiness of institutions for final NAAC accreditation.
• Last date to apply for provisional certificate is February 24, 2022.
• Institutions applying for the PAC process will get feedback on areas they need to work on in order to reach the threshold level of quality.

Validity of PAC

PAC will be valid for two years. Institutions will not get it more than two times it will give window for colleges to prepare accordingly.

Tamil Nadu has told the Supreme Court that it does not want the Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO) to be built in a vulnerable ecological zone in the Western Ghats, at the cost of wildlife and biodiversity, along with local opposition and public outcry against the project.

Why is the state opposing the implementation of the project?

The proposal for the observatory, according to the Tamil Nadu government, would create permanent damage to the Western Ghats.

In June 2021, the Chief Minister met with the Prime Minister and requested that the project not be implemented. In September 2021 a delegation led by Member of Parliament T.R. Balu met with the Ministers of Industries and Forests to communicate the State’s opposition to the proposal.

According to the State, this corridor connects the Periyar Tiger Reserve on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border and the Mathikettan Shola National Park.

The project area also has ecological ties to the Srivilliputhur Meghamalai Tiger Reserve, which is located in the eastern habitats. It is home to tigers from the area, which assists in a genetic spread. The tiger’s movement would be affected by even the smallest disturbance. The area is also a significant watershed and catchment zone for the rivers Sambhal and Kottakudi.

Though the experiments in the observatory would be done a kilometer underground excavations, transporting, and tunneling would jeopardize the zone’s ecology.

So, going through with the implementation of the project will cause harm to this area.

About Neutrino Observatory

The India Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a particle physics research project being constructed in Theni, Tamil Nadu, to study atmospheric neutrinos. This project is noteworthy because it is expected to give exact measurements of neutrino mixing parameters. The project has a multi-institutional partnership and is one of India’s most significant experimental particle physics programmes.

If and when this project will be completed, the world’s largest magnet will be used in the magnetized iron calorimeter experiment, which will be four times larger than the 12,500-tonne magnet used in the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

Recently, Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar announced that, February 15 would now be commemorated as “Shahid Diwas”.

Key Points

• February 15 would be commemorated as Shahid Diwas, in the honour of 34 freedom fighters who were killed by police 90 years ago, in Tarapur town in Munger district of Bihar.
• These freedom fighters had never got their due, even though this was the biggest massacre carried out by the British police after Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 in Amritsar.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also referred to the Tarapur massacre in his January 2021 Mann ki Baat radio address.

About Tarapur Massacre

This incident took place on February 15, 1932, when a group of young freedom fighters had planned to hoist “Indian national flag” at Thana Bhavan in Tarapur. Police were not aware of their plan but several officers were present at the spot. During this, police carried out a brutal lathi charge on them. Despite the lathi charge, one of the freedom fighters (Gopal Singh) succeeded in raising the flag at Thana Bhavan. A strong crowd of 4,000 pelted the police with stones, in which an officer of civil administration was injured. In response, police opened indiscriminate fire on the crowd. Around 75 rounds were fired, after which 34 bodies were found at the spot.

India’s new green hydrogen policy was unveiled, promising cheaper renewable energy, a 25-year fee waiver for inter-state power transmission for projects completed before June 2025, land in renewable energy parks, and mega manufacturing zones to help local industries move away from fossil fuels.

Overview:

The policy aims to boost green hydrogen and ammonia, also making it easier for green power producers to ‘bank’ their surplus renewable energy with an electrical distribution business for up to 30 days. It also proposes the construction of bunkers near ports for the storage of green ammonia for export.

Importance of Green Energy for India

The race for green energy takes is very important as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has pushed up energy prices around the world, particularly in India, which imports 85 percent of its oil and 53 percent of its natural gas. A transformation to large-scale hydrogen fuel use could assist India’s geopolitical influence as well as its energy security. India’s strategy is to use its vast landmass and low solar and wind tariffs to manufacture low-cost green hydrogen and ammonia for export.

Domestic boost caused by the policy

Any new renewable energy facilities built to produce power for green hydrogen generation before July 2025 will receive 25 years of free power transmission under the new policy. This move is projected to make green hydrogen production more cost-effective for users of hydrogen and ammonia, such as the fertilizer, oil refining, and steel industries.

On February 19, 2022, Asia’s largest Bio-CNG plant will virtually be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Indore.

Highlights

• Indore is considered as one of the cleanest cities India.
• With the inauguration of bio-CNG plant, it will set another high standard in cleanliness.

How will Bio-CNG plant be operated?

The Bio-CNG plant will be operated using 100 per cent wet waste. It is estimated to produce 18,000 kg gas per day. As per estimates of Indore Municipal Corporation, amount of Bio-CNG will help in running around 400 buses in the city daily.

Capacity of the plant

The bio-CNG plant has a total capacity of 550 MT. It will produce CNG with 96 per cent pure methane gas.

PPP model

This ‘lighthouse plant’ has been set up under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Indo Enviro Integrated Solutions Limited (IEISL). From this, Indore Municipal Corporation will earn a revenue of Rs 2.5 crore per year.

Significance of the plant

This plant will improve the calorific value as well as increase the effectiveness of Bio-CNG. It will help in purifying the air quality of densely-populated cities. It will further help in mitigating 1,30,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Location of the plant

The bio-CNG plant is located at Devguradiya Trenching Ground in Indore.

Features of the plant

This plant has some unique features, like:

1. Fully automated pre-treatment unit and separation hammer mill technology. This will prepare bio-slurry feed to run digesters.
2. Anaerobic digesters, that have been mounted with agitators. They work on Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) principle.
3. Use of ‘Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) technology’, to ensure high-quality recovery of bio-CNG fuel from raw biogas.

Indore: Cleanest City of India

Indore has emerged as the cleanest city in India, over the past few years. It ensures 100 per cent segregation of solid waste at source. It leads to less than 1 per cent impurities in wet waste. As per experts, quality of wet waste in Indore is one of the best across the world. This prompted the private partners to participate in PPP bid to set up the plant.

On the basis of several efforts taken by the government in Budget 2022-23, the Indian economy is expected to grow at the fastest rate among the large nations, according to the Finance Ministry’s Monthly Economic Review.

Overview:

Agriculture will boost food stocks as it continues to rise via crop diversification and the net sown area which in turn will benefit farmers through large volumes of purchases made at remunerative minimum support prices and income transfers under the PM KISAN scheme.

The review added that India is still the only major and large country listed by the IMF whose growth projection has been revised upwards in FY 2022-23, despite IMF’s January 2022 update lowering its global growth estimate for 2022.

According to the report, the Budget of 2022-23 has reinforced the economic direction set by the previous year’s budget.

The CAPEX budget, which is 35.4 percent higher than the current year’s budget estimates and rises to 4.1 percent of GDP when grants-in-aid to states for capital works are considered, will power Gatishakti’s seven engines, reducing the infrastructure gap and helping private investment in the country.

The report said, considering the third wave of COVID-19, overall economic activity remained strong as seen by the strong performance of numerous high-frequency indicators such as electricity consumption, exports, PMI manufacturing, and e-way bill generation.

In 2022-23, the Budget has set a nominal GDP growth target of 11.1%, with a GDP deflator of 3.0-3.5%. This indicated real growth component of just over 8% is similar to the prediction in the Economic Survey for 2021-22, as well as the 7.8% predicted by RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) during the meeting that was held on February 2022.

The MPC’s accommodative approach, together with the unchanged repo and reverse repo rates, prioritizes growth during these uncertain times and strengthens the budget’s focus on investment.

Since 1963, the Munich Security Conference has been held in Munich, Germany, as an annual conference on international security policy. Münchner Konferenz für Sicherheitspolitik and Wehrkundetagung were the previous names for the conference. It is the largest meeting of its kind in the world.

Overview:

The Munich Security Conference has developed into the most important independent venue for international security policy decision-makers to exchange ideas during the last four decades.

Every year, it brings together over 350 top officials from over 70 countries to engage in a discussion on various security concerns. Heads of state, international organizations, and governments as well as members of parliament, ministers, high-ranking military representatives, civil society, science, the media, and business are among those expected to attend this conference.

The conference takes place every year in February in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany.

History

The conference arose from Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Internationale Schmenzin’s Wehrkundebegegnung / Münchner Wehrkundetagung, which he created in 1963.

The Stauffenberg circle of resistance fighters advocated for the prevention of future military confrontations such as the Second World War and gathered together leaders and professionals in security policy to do so. Henry Kissinger and Helmut Schmidt were among the 60 people who attended the inaugural meeting.

Von Kleist headed the meetings until 1997 when he was succeeded by politician and business manager Horst Teltschik, who led them from 1999 to 2008.

Wolfgang Ischinger, a veteran diplomat, has led the conference since 2009.

This conference has been cancelled twice, once in 1991 because of the First Gulf War and again in 1997 due to Kleist-Schmenzin’s retirement.  The Security Conference started in the year 1999 under Teltschik’s leadership for military, political, and business leaders from Eastern and Central, as well as India, the People’s Republic of China and Japan.

The first country to adopt India’s UPI system will be Nepal which will be critical in modernising the neighbouring country’s digital economy.

Overview:

To deliver the services in Nepal, NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), NPCI’s international arm, has partnered with Manam Infotech and Gateway Payments Service (GPS). In Nepal, GPS is the authorized payment system operator, and Manam Infotech will implement the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) there.

Purpose of the collaboration

According to NPCI, the collaboration will benefit Nepal’s greater digital public good by strengthening interoperable real-time person-to-merchant (P2M) and person-to-person (P2P) transactions in the neighbouring country. This collaboration will allow the citizens of Nepal’s last-mile consumers to benefit from an interoperable, open payment system that enables real-time financial transfers between merchant payments and bank accounts.

It will open the way for real-time cross-border P2P transfers between Nepal and India in the future. UPI’s real-time payment system can help accelerate Nepal’s financial inclusion process while also expanding business opportunities.

It will aid in the modernization of Nepal’s digital payment infrastructure and provide citizens with the convenience of digital payments.

On February 17, 2022, Government of Gujarat unveiled new Biotechnology Policy, that offers up to 25 per cent financial support on capital investments in the biotechnology sector.

About the New Biotechnology Policy

• Operative period of the new biotechnology policy will be five years, from 2022 till 2027.
• The policy seeks to create around 1.2 lakh new employment opportunities.
• It will attract estimated investment of more than Rs 20,000 crore in the sector.
• It will promote partnerships between stakeholders including NGOs, scientific establishments and industries.
• Apart from providing interest subsidy on term loan for such projects, policy also offers 100 per cent reimbursement on electricity duty for five years.

Aim of the policy

The new policy aims to make Gujarat a globally-recognized Biotechnology Hub

On February 17, 2022, The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to show its support for an independent Ukraine.

Key facts

• Senate also condemn Russian military aggression toward its neighbour, amid emergence of fresh fears of a possible invasion which in turn could spiral toward a European war.
• This resolution was passed after President Joe Biden noted that, US has every indication of a potential Russian attack on Ukraine.

Resolution from the Senators

Resolution from the senators does not carry ‘force of law’ but puts legislative body of the US on record with “unwavering support of United States for a secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine”. It also denounces the military build-up Russia on Ukraine’s border. The vote was unanimous, without formal roll call or objection.

Allies of Ukraine in the Senate

Ukraine has strong allies in the Senate. There is also a broad support for sanctions on Russia as powerful foreign policy tool, that could be used if Russia furthers aggression toward Ukraine.

Central Bank Governors and G20 Finance Ministers are looking for a sustainable long-term international financial solution with the help of strengthening the global resilience in the event of future pandemics and closing gaps in health systems between countries.

Overview

The G20 Financial leaders discussed this issue during the two days G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting which was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Indonesia’s finance minister, said to the G20 participants in a discussion panel that the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the global health system is not prepared to deal with the pandemic and that the global financing system is still insufficient.

The G20 member countries should work together to create a more resilient global health system, which will demand more financial investment and resources.

President of the World Bank Group David Malpass advised that the G20 countries create international platforms to aid developing and low-income countries in their recovery from the crisis.

According to Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, low and middle-income countries, lack the means to deal with the pandemic and require international assistance. Hence, she has urged the members to provide quick vaccination deliveries to close the gap between the countries.