Bilateral Relations
Passenger Variant Dornier (PVD)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about PVD) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations)
What's the NEWS

• An official ceremony was conducted at Maritime Air Squadron of National Coast Guard, Mauritius for handing over of the Passenger Variant Dornier (PVD).
• The aircraft has been presented to Mauritius Police Force by the Indian Navy, on lease.
• India handover Dornier aircraft to Mauritius as part of Vision SAGAR for enhanced Maritime Security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)

India to Mauritius - naval cooperation

• MSN 4059 has been leased to MPF by Indian Navy on a gratis basis to support the current increased load of air operations.
• Next year, HAL shall be handing over a brand new State-of-the-Art PVD to Mauritius and this purchase has been facilitated by the Line of Credit under the Government of Mauritius.

Know! about Dornier

• The Do-228 is a twin-engine, multirole light transport aircraft designed and developed jointly by Indian aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and RUAG Aerospace, Germany.
• It is derived from a Dornier Do-28 aircraft.
• Around 270 Do-228s were built and 127 of them are in service worldwide, including the Indian Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
• The Do-228 can be deployed in passenger and cargo transportation, as an air taxi, for corporate purposes, for aircrew training, maritime surveillance, search and rescue, border patrolling and medical evacuation missions.

Implementing Vision SAGAR

• Indian High Commission handed over a Dornier aircraft on lease from Indian Navy to Mauritius and exchanged the contract for the purchase of a new Dornier aircraft under Line of Credit (LOC).
• Through SAGAR India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities.
• For this, India would cooperate on the exchange of information, coastal surveillance, the building of infrastructure and strengthening their capabilities.
• Further, India seeks to safeguard its national interests and ensure the Indian Ocean region become inclusive, collaborative and respect international law.
• In 2015, India unveiled its strategic vision for the Indian Ocean i.e. Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR
• It is increasing recognition of the increasing importance of maritime security maritime commons and cooperation.

Internal Security
National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NATGRID) + Mains ( GS II governance + GS III internal security)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister is likely to launch the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) soon.
• NATGRID is aimed at providing cutting-edge technology to boost India's counter-terror capabilities.
• A final synchronisation and testing of the electronic database is reportedly underway.

Know! all about NATGRID

• It is a seamless and secure database for information on terrorists, economic crimes and similar incidents to help bolster India's capabilities.
• It is a robust mechanism to track suspects and prevent terrorist attacks with real-time data and access to classified information like immigration, banking, individual taxpayers, air and train travels.
• These information will be shared with the 10 investigative and intelligence agencies under NATGRID.
• The furnishing and receiving of information to and from these central agencies will be done through the National Intelligence Grid.
• It will provide a mechanism to the security agencies to look for vital information on a real-time basis.

Working Mechanism of NATGRID

• In the first phase, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected with the NATGRID while in later phases about 950 additional organisations will be brought on board
• In the following years, more than 1,000 organisations will be further integrated into the NATGRID.
• NATGRID database will be available to prominent federal agencies including, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Central Board of Direct Taxes (for Income Tax Department) (CBDT), Cabinet Secretariat, Intelligence Bureau (IB), Directorate General of GST Intelligence, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Financial Intelligence Unit and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
• The network will also have access to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, a database that links crime information including First Information Reports across 14,000 police stations in India.

Prelims Factoids
Hindi Diwas - 2021

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Hindi Diwas)
What's the NEWS

• India celebrates Hindi Diwas, also known as Hindi Day, on September 14 every year to commemorate the adoption of Hindi in the Devanagari script as one of the official languages of the nation.

Know! all about Hindi Diwas

• Mahatma Gandhi called Hindi the language of the masses.
• The Father of the Nation also talked about making Hindi the national language of the nation.
• In the year 1918, Mahatma Gandhi had emphasized on making Hindi language as the national language in the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Gandhi had also called it the language of the masses.
• Article 343(1) of Part 17 of the Indian Constitution states that "the official language of the Union shall be Hindi and the script Devanagari."
• Article 351 of the Constitution provides that it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India
• Although both Hindi and English were chosen as the languages of India after independence and the Constituent Assembly accepted Hindi as the official language along with Devanagari script, but in the year 1949, on 14 September, the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi was declared the official language of India.
• Hindi Diwas is celebrated all over India on 14th September on the request of 'Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti, Wardha' since 1953.
• The first Hindi Day was celebrated on 14 September 1953.
• Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in the world after Chinese, Spanish and English.

World Hindi Day

• World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on 10 January.
• The first World Hindi Conference was organized in Nagpur on 10 January 1975 for the promotion of Hindi across the world, hence this day is celebrated as World Hindi Day.
• 122 delegates from 30 countries participated in this conference.
• World Hindi Day is celebrated across the world on 10 January every year since 2006.

Bilateral Relations
India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Talks

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the Ministerial talk -highlights) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations)
What's the NEWS

• The Foreign and Defense Ministers of India and Australia participated in the first India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi.

India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue -Highlights

• Agreed to maintain an open, free, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific region [in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• Working together through multilateral and regional mechanisms to diversify supply chains between trusted and reliable trading partners for critical health, technology and other goods and services.
• To continue working together on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) to combat terrorism and extremism.
• Agreement to further strengthen cooperation in vaccine manufacturing under the Quad Framework and provide quality vaccines to Indo-Pacific partners.
•  Australia has invited India to participate in future Talisman Sabre exercises which will enhance interoperability.
• The two countries also lobbied for an early resolution of the issue of taxation of offshore income of Indian firms under the India Australia Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).

So far India held 2+2 Ministerial Dialogues with

• Russia
• US
• Japan
• Australia

International Relations
Iran nuclear deal

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) + Mains ( GS II international relations)
What's the NEWS

• Iran agrees to allow IAEA to service monitoring cameras at nuclear sites
• According to the 'International Atomic Energy Agency' (IAEA), Iran is increasing reserves of 'highly enriched uranium' in violation of the nuclear deal.
• At the same time, Iran has also "severely weakened" 'verification' and 'surveillance operations'.

Know! all about Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

• Signed in 2015 by Iran and several world powers, including the United States, the JCPOA placed significant restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
• Tehran agreed to cut its stockpile of all major components of nuclear weapons (centrifuges, enriched uranium and heavy water)
• President Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018, claiming it failed to curtail Iran's missile program and regional influence.
• Iran began ignoring limitations on its nuclear program a year later.
• In January 2020, Iran announced its non-compliance with the terms of the 'Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action' (JCPOA), following a drone attack on the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Qassem Soleimani.
• In 2021, President Joe Biden said the United States will return to the deal if Iran comes back into compliance, though Iran's leaders have insisted that Washington lift sanctions first.
• Washington and Tehran have both said they would return to the original deal but they disagree on the steps to get there.
• The JCPOA, which went into effect in January 2016, imposes restrictions on Iran's civilian nuclear enrichment program.
• At the heart of negotiations with Iran were the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and Germany-collectively known as the P5+1. The European Union also took part.
• The P5+1 wanted to unwind Iran's nuclear program to the point that if Tehran decided to pursue a nuclear weapon, it would take at least one year, giving world powers time to respond.

What's India's interest in this region

• India's interests in Chabahar Port, Bandar Abbas Port, and other projects related to regional connectivity.
• Counterbalancing the presence of China in Pakistan's Gwadar port.
•  Assistance in the purchase of cheap oil from Iran and energy security for India.
• India's interests are also promoted through the 'International North-South Transit Corridor' (INSTC) passing through Iran.

Prelims Factoids
Smallholder Agribusiness and Resilience Project (SARP)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about SARP + IFAD)
What's the NEWS

• Sri Lanka and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are working together to promote the island's agriculture-based economy.
• In the event of food emergency-like situation and irregularities in food prices, the government and the International Agricultural Development Fund (IFAD) are working together on the 'Smallholder Agri Business and Resilience Project' (SARP).
• SARP aims to tackle poverty, food insecurity and gender inequality and promote an agriculture-based economy in Sri Lanka

Know! about SARP

• Sri Lanka and IFAD have come together to develop SARP to specifically foster rural development.
• The project was approved in 2019 and costs around $82 million.
• IFAD allocated $42.76 million while domestic financers offered $27.6 million.
• The World Food Programme and the United Nations Development Program covered the rest of the funding.
• A total of 82% of all Sri Lankans live in rural areas and half of the impoverished population are rural farmers.
• The project's objective is to reduce smallholder poverty and increase food security within the Dry Zone region.
• This will cover the land in more than six districts, all of which are in the northwest region.

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations
• It was formed in the year 1977 as a result of the 'World Food Conference' held in the year 1974.
• Headquarters : Rome
• Member Countries: 177
• Major Publication : 'Rural Development Report'
• Objectives and tasks: To work in the field of poverty alleviation in rural areas of developing countries and to provide grants and loans with low interest for allied projects, working with rural population to increase their food security, nutrition- Enabling them to improve standards and increase income, increase their profits through market participation and strengthen the environmental sustainability and climate resilience of their economic activities.

Prelims Factoids
World's Northernmost Island

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Qeqertaq Avannarleq and Udak Island)
What's the NEWS

• Scientists claim to have discovered the world's northernmost island by chance off the coast of Greenland when they travelled to Oodaaq Island

Know! about the new Island

• A new island has been discovered off the coast of Greenland.
• Size: 60×30 meters and raised land of three meters above sea level
• It has become the new northernmost piece of land on Earth.
• Researchers have suggested that the discovery be named 'Qeqertaq Avannarleq', which means "the northernmost island" in Greenlandic.
• Earlier 'Udak Island' was marked as the northernmost region of the earth.
• It is formed by the Soil and debris of the ocean floor, complete absence of vegetation
• Global warming is having a serious impact on the Greenland ice sheet, although the new island is not a direct result of climate change.
  
  

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