Rajasthan to Host Iconic 8-Day Long Pushkar Fair
This year, Pushkar Fair is being hosted by Rajasthan from 1st November to 9th November 2022. Pushkar Fair is also known as Pushkar Camel Fair, Kartik Mela, or Kartik ka Mela. The Pushkar Fair will be held without the popular cattle fair due to the spread of lumpy skin disease in livestock.
Rajasthan to Host Iconic 8-Day Long Pushkar Fair- Key Points
Every year, the cattle fair used to be the highlight of the fair. Farmers from all across the state gather at this fair to trade livestock such as cattle, camels, and horses.
This period is also an important season for pilgrimage to the holy Pushkar Lake. Pilgrims from all over the country travel to Pushkar for this pilgrimage.
This year, the state tourism department has invited tourists from all over the world for the fair under the aegis of Pushkar Chalo Abhiyan.
Several cultural events and competitions will take place during the Pushkar fair festivities.
The camel race is also one of the major highlights of the Pushkar festival 2022.
A new book title “Winning the Inner Battle” authored by Shane Watson
A new book titled “Winning the Inner Battle Bringing the best version of you to cricket” is authored by Shane Watson. This book will give you all of the information that you will ever need to deeply understand how to bring the best version of yourself every time your best performance is needed.
Shane Watson is one of Australian cricket’s finest all-rounders, representing his country 298 times. Shane Watson’s new book, Winning The Inner Battle, which explores the mental side of the game through his own experiences of revitalising his career after he had considered retirement in 2015.
Netherlands Turns Top Buyer of Indian Petro-Products Amid Ukraine War
The Netherlands has emerged as the top destination for India’s petroleum product exports such as petrol and diesel in the first half of the current fiscal year. This change comes in the wake of the Ukraine war, with India continuing to buy discounted crude oil from sanctions-hit Russia.
What It Means For India’s Exports:
This bump in exports has also resulted in the Netherlands becoming the third biggest market for India’s overall exports, thereby replacing China. China is now displaced to the 4th position, accounting for just 3.3% of total outbound shipments.
India As A key Refining hub:
India is a key Asian refining hub, with an installed capacity of nearly 250 million tonnes per annum across 23 refineries. South Africa and Brazil also ramped up refined petroleum product purchases including those of ATF from India in H1, making it to the top 10 petroleum product export markets for Indian refiners.
What Has Been Said:
“Oil companies keep changing their storage facility. At times they store in the Netherlands, at times in Singapore or Venezuela. So refined oil moving to the Netherlands could be for the purpose of redistribution to other European countries in the winter. Another point is that a lot of countries do not wish to import fuel from Russia directly and India is getting oil from Russia at competitive prices and we also have a refining facility. And Indian private companies are involved,” Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) director general Ajay Sahai said.
Exports To The Dutch:
The Netherlands accounted for nearly 9% of India’s total petroleum product exports in the April to September period at ₹4.5 trillion, a growth of 180% over the corresponding period last year.
“The amount of refined oil that the Netherlands has started importing is quite substantial. Moreover, if you look at the European energy imports from Russia, it has not come down,” Biswajit Dhar, professor at Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, JNU said.
About The Other Nations: The Dramatic Shift:
Brazil also made it to the top eight export market for India compared to the 19th spot it occupied last year, led by a 273% growth in petroleum product exports at $2.3 trillion in the April-September period.
South Africa rose to become India’s 13th largest export market during the period from being the 22nd largest last year, largely on account of a 324% growth in petroleum exports to $2.6 trillion.
India’s Imports From Russia:
Russia emerged as India’s fifth largest import source in the first half to $21.3 trillion, accounting for 5.62% of India’s total imports with a year-on-year growth of 409% over the first half of 2021-22. To be sure, Russian oil accounted for 15% of India’s total petroleum imports at $14 trillion in the first half of the fiscal.
VP Jagdeep Dhankhar to lead India at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will attend the ASEAN – India commemorative summit and the 17th East Asia Summit (EAS). The ASEAN – India commemorative summit is being held in Cambodia from 11th November to 13th November 2022.
VP Jagdeep Dhankhar to lead India at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit- Key Points
The year 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations and it will be celebrated as the ASEAN-India friendship year which makes it an important milestone.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar aims to discuss the areas of cooperation that include, trade, investment, and connectivity.
He will further review the status of the strategic alliance between the two sides.
Vice President will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his visit to Cambodia for both summits.
The ministry said, there will be bilateral engagements with the Phnom Penh leaders and meetings with leaders from several other countries.
These summits are being hosted in their capacity as the current chair of the ASEAN.
The Vice President will attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in Phnom Penh on November 12.
Justice DY Chandrachud to Take Oath As New Chief Justice of India
Senior-most Supreme Court judge and Chief Justice of India-designate Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud is all set to become the 50th head of the Indian judiciary when President Draupadi Murmu would administer the oath of office to him at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
About Justice Chnadrachud & His Important Judgements:
Justice Chandrachud, born on November 11, 1959, was elevated to the top court on May 13, 2016.
He has been part of several Constitution benches and landmark verdicts of the top court including on matters relating to the Ayodhya land dispute, the right to privacy and adultery. Justice Chandrachud was also part of the benches which delivered path-breaking judgements on decriminalising same-sex relations after it partially struck down Section 377 of the IPC, the validity of the Aadhaar scheme and the Sabarimala issue.
Recently, a bench headed by him expanded the scope of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy(MTP) Act and the corresponding rules to include unmarried women for abortion between 20-24 weeks of pregnancy. The Justice Chandrachud-led bench had also passed several directions to assuage the miseries faced by people during the COVID-19 crisis, terming the brutal second wave of the pandemic last year as a “national crisis”.
Recently, he was among the two judges of the apex court Collegium which had objected to the method of “circulation” adopted for eliciting the views of its members on the appointment of judges to the top court.
His Academic Background & Career:
After completing his BA with Honours in Economics from St Stephen’s College, New Delhi, Justice Chandrachud did his LLB from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and obtained an LLM degree and a Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD) from Harvard Law School, USA.
He practised law at the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court and was a visiting professor of comparative Constitutional law at the University of Mumbai. He was a judge of the Bombay High Court from March 29, 2000 until his appointment as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court on October 31, 2013.
Justice Chandrachud was designated as a senior advocate by the Bombay High Court in June 1998 and became Additional Solicitor General in the same year till his appointment as a judge.
As A CJI :
He succeeds Uday Umesh Lalit, who had recommended him as his successor to the Centre on October 11. President Draupadi Murmu had appointed him as the next CJI on October 17. Justice Chandrachud will serve as the CJI for two years till November 10, 2024. Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65.
His illustrious father YV Chandrachud was the longest-serving Chief Justice of India (CJI) and remained at the helm from February 22, 1978 to July 11, 1985.
Ghaem-100 Satellite: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launches New Satellite-Carrying Rocket
Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a new satellite-carrying rocket, seeking to demonstrate the hard-line force’s prowess even as anti-government protests rage across the country.
About Ghaem:
The Ghaem 100, Iran’s first three-stage launch vehicle, will be able to place satellites weighing 80 kg (180 pounds) in an orbit 500 km (300 miles) from the earth’s surface, IRNA said.
Iran’s Space Ambitions:
Amirali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Guard’s aerospace division, which developed the Ghaem-100, said the rocket would be used to launch Iran’s Nahid satellite for the Telecommunications Ministry.
Iran has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East. The country says its satellite program, like its nuclear activities, is aimed at scientific research and other civilian applications. Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launched a monkey into space. The program, however, has had several failed satellite launches in recent years, blamed on technical issues.
Iran successfully launched its first military satellite in April 2020, drawing a sharp rebuke from Washington.
What Are Its Repercussions:
The US government fears that the same long-range ballistic technology that launches satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. Tehran has regularly denied having any such intention.
“The United States remains concerned with Iran’s continued development of space launch vehicles (SLVs), which pose a significant proliferation concern,” the spokesperson of US Govt said. “SLVs incorporate technologies that are virtually identical to, and interchangeable with, those used in ballistic missiles, including longer-range systems.”
GSMA elects Airtel CEO Vittal as Deputy Chair
Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal was elected as deputy chair of the Global System for Mobile communications Association (GSMA). Bharti Airtel chief executive officer Gopal Vittal has been elected as the deputy chair of GSMA, a global mobile operators body. Vittal will hold the post for two years beginning January 1, 2023. Member companies selected 26 board members for 2023-24 which include senior executives from mobile operators. Telefonica Group CEO Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete Lopez continues to be the chair of the GSMA board.
Mathew Oomen, president of Reliance Jio too has been elected as a board member. Vittal is the second Indian to hold a senior position in the global grouping of mobile operators. Bharti Airtel founder Sunil Mittal had held the post of GSMA chair during 2017-18.
Mathura-Vrindavan to become a carbon-neutral tourist destination by 2041
Uttar Pradesh government announced that Mathura-Vrindavan, one of India’s largest pilgrimage centers, aims to become a “net zero carbon emission” tourist destination by 2041. Tourist vehicles will be banned from the entire Braj region, which includes famous pilgrim centers such as Vrindavan and Krishna Janmabhoomi. Only electric vehicles used as public transport will be allowed into the area.
Mathura-Vrindavan to become a carbon-neutral tourist destination- Key Points
All 252 waterbodies and 24 forests in the area will also be revived.
According to the plan, the Braj region’s annual pilgrim-tourist footfall is expected to multiply from the current level of 2.3 crores to six crores by 2041.
To attain a net zero carbon emission status, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests for instance.
To facilitate this in Mathura-Vrindavan, the plan divides the entire region into four clusters, each containing two of the eight key cities.
The plan proposes to form small circuits called ‘Parikrama Paths’ which the pilgrim can undertake either on foot or using electric vehicles.