Defence/International
Trilateral Maritime Exercise ‘SITMEX'

What's the NEWS

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk, an indigenously built Missile Corvette is participating in the 3^rd edition of India, Singapore and Thailand Trilateral Maritime Exercise SITMEX - 21, from 15 to 16 Nov 21 in Andaman Sea. .

• SITMEX is being conducted annually since 2019 with an aim to enhance mutual inter-operability and imbibing best practices between Indian Navy (IN), RSN and RTN.
• The maiden edition of SITMEX was hosted by IN off Port Blair in September 2019.
• RSN hosted the second edition of the exercise in November 2020. The 2021 edition of the exercise is being hosted by RTN in Andaman Sea.
• The exercise is being conducted as a ‘non-contact, at sea only' exercise in view of COVID-19 restrictions
• It highlights growing synergy, coordination and cooperation in the maritime domain between the three friendly navies.
• The two days of maritime drills will witness the three navies engaged in a various tactical exercises including naval manoeuvres and surface warfare drills.
• SITMEX-21 will fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and further enhance the cooperation between the participating navies towards augmenting the overall maritime security in the region.

What's the NEWS

• India has successfully launched the 41^st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica with the arrival of the first batch of its contingent at the southern white continent.
• The first batch comprising of 23 scientists and support staff reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri on last week
• Four more batches shall be landing in Antarctica by air using DROMLAN facility and onboard chartered ice-class vessel MV VasiliyGolovnin by mid-January 2022.

• The 41^st expedition has two major programs.
• The first program encompasses geological exploration of the Amery ice shelf at Bharati station.
• This will help explore the link between India and Antarctica in the past.
• The second program involves reconnaissance surveys and preparatory work for drilling of 500 meters of ice core near Maitri.
• It will help in improving the understanding of Antarctic climate, westerly winds, sea-ice and greenhouse gases from a single climate archive for past 10,000 years.
• The ice core drilling will be done in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and the Norwegian Polar Institute.
• In addition to accomplishing scientific programs, it will replenish the annual supplies of food, fuel, provisions, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati.

• The Indian Antarctic program, which began in 1981, has completed 40 scientific expeditions, and built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica, named Dakshin Gangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012).
• As of today, Maitri and Bharati are fully operational.
• The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa-an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences-manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.

• As part of AazadiKaAmritMahostav,Nationwide AHDF KCC campaign officially launched by FAHD Minister.

• In order to expand the benefit of Kisan Credit Card to all eligible animal husbandry,dairy and fishery farmers in the country, this department, in association with the Department of Fisheries (DOF) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS), is organizing a "Nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign" from 15th November 2021 to 15th February 2022.

• Livestock sector is crucial to the Indian economy today, comprising one third of the agriculture and allied sector GVA and having over 8% CAGR.
• Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries activities play a significant role in generating farmer income, particularly among the landless, small and marginal farmers and women, besides providing cheap and nutritious food to millions of people.
• It is need of the hour to provide reverential recognition to landless, small and marginal farmers and women involved in Animal Husbandry activities in the country and meet their institutional credit requirement for working capital needs through KCC so as to tap the potential of the sector and increase employment generation and income.

• Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying launched the "LINAC-NCDC Fisheries Business Incubation Centre" (LIFIC)
• Services of the Centre will help augment the development of the fisheries business in India.

• LIFIC is being started by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), which is the End Implementation Agency for Cooperatives under the flagship scheme Pradhan MantriMatsyaSampadaYojana (PMMSY) of the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India.

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Science & Technology inaugurated Tech NEEV @75 as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and interacted with successful start-ups including those from the tribal communities on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

• It is a year-long celebration highlighting the impact of Science Technology Innovation (STI) in empowering community for creating equitable inclusive economic growth.
• The 75 hour programme includes experience sharing of beneficiaries, community change leaders, societal changemakers conclave and round table discussions by various stakeholders apart from compilation of 75 impactful stories on India's progress towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.
• Tech NEEV/नीव @75" should lead to opportunities for land to lab research and building synergies with traditional, local and indigenous knowledge leading to new scientific developments that contribute to building resilient communities.

• The Government will be setting up 30 Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs in different parts of the country for Scheduled Tribes (STs) by end of 2022 to promote scientific talent among tribal communities and for their overall socio-economic development.
• Out of 75 proposed STI Hubs for SCs/STs, 20 have already been established by Department of Science and Technology which will directly benefit 20,000 people through various interventions spreading across farm, non-farm and other allied livelihood sectors.
• India has been on a rising trajectory in the Global Innovation Index (GII) as it improved its ranking from 81 in 2015 to 46 in 2021.

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh unveiled a plaque at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi on November 15, 2021 to rename the institute after former Defence Minister late Manohar Parrikar.

• The renaming as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) by the Raksha Mantri, who is the President of the Institute, follows the unanimous decision by the general body earlier this year to effect the change in the memory of the former Defence Minister.
• The renaming coincided with the 57^th Foundation Day of the Institute that is celebrated on 11th November every year.

Governance/GSII
Audit Diwas
 

What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the event marking the first Audit Diwas at CAG office premises, on 16^th November,2021.

• Audit Diwasis being celebrated to mark the historic origins of the institution of CAG and the contribution it has made to the governance, transparency and accountability over the past several years.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is the Constitutional Authority in India, established under Article 148 of the Constitution of India.
• Comptroller and Auditor General is empowered to Audit all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the State Governments, including those of autonomous bodies and corporations substantially financed by the Government.
• Articles 148 - 151 of the Constitution of India deal with the institution of the CAG of India.
• The former Lt. Governor of UT of Jammu Kashmir G. C. Murmu is the current CAG of India. He assumed office on 8 August 2020. He is the 14^th CAG of India.

Governance/GSII
ALL INDIA PRESIDING OFFICERS' CONFERENCE (AIPOC)

What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of 82  All India Presiding Officers' Conference on 17 November, 2021.

• The All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC), the apex body of the Legislatures in India, is celebrating its hundred years in 2021.
• To commemorate the centennial year of AIPOC, the 82^nd edition of the All India Presiding Officers' Conference will be held in Shimla on 17-18 November 2021.The first Conference was also held in Shimla in 1921.
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