Every year, the National Voters Day is celebrated on January 25. The day is celebrated to increase the enrolment of new voters in the country.
Making elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative
Every year, the National Awards for the Best Electoral Practices are conferred at state and district level on the National Voters Day. The awards are presented for election management, security management, IT initiatives and accessible elections. Also, the awards are presented for Election Commission of India icons, media groups and other important stakeholders. The awards are presented by the Election Commission of India.
“My Voter is my Future – power of one vote” programme was launched. It is an awareness contest on social media. The contest reiterated the importance of voting. The contest is conducted in terms of quiz, video making, song composition and poster designs.
The National Voters Day is being celebrated in the country since 2011. The then broadcasting minister Ambika Soni (during Manmohan Singh government) announced that the participation of youths reaching the eligible age of 18 years were showing less interest towards electoral rolls. The day was launched to increase their interest. Thus, the day targets the young population.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) was established on January 25, 1950. The National Voters Day is observed on this day to mark the creation of ECI.
The main purpose of celebrating the day is to create new voters, maximize enrolment of voters and to encourage voting. The day is used to promote voter participation in electoral process.
The Election Commission of India recently decided that the new voters will be provided with the EPIC. EPIC is Elector Photo Identity Card. The EPIC will be delivered along with a voter guidebook and personalized letter of the voters.
On National Voters Day, 2022, a book called “Pledging to Vote – A Decadal Journey of the National Voters Day in India” was published.
Data Privacy Day is celebrated on January 28, every year, with the objective of spreading awareness on Privacy. Observance of the day is “an international effort of creating awareness on importance of respecting privacy, enabling trust and safeguarding data”.
People are more concern about protecting their data, with the proliferation of instant messaging mobile applications like WhatsApp and Telegram.
To ensure data privacy, companies have rolled out many security features on mobile application, such as “end-to-end encryption”. This feature ensure that exchange of information is not visible to anyone and it remain restricted to two people involved in particular conversation. WhatsApp and Telegram are providing this feature.
Governments from different companies have been putting pressure on these companies to allow them to access these conversations. They want tech companies to create “back doors” for law enforcement in a bid to access encrypted platforms. As per government, this will create a safe space for citizens because government will clamp down on bad actors and mischief-makers, by preventing the spread of viral misinformation.
On January 24, 2022, Guatemala Court ruled that, five former paramilitary patrolmen were guilty of sexually abusing and raping the Indigenous women during the war. This ruling has been welcomed by survivors of Guatemala’s decades-long armed conflict.
In Guatemala, the Achi are a Maya people. Their indigenous language is also called Achi. It is closely related to K’iche.
The Maya are an indigenous people of Central America and Mexico. They have continuously inhabited the lands comprising if modern-day Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, & Chiapas in Mexico as well as Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and Honduras.
Maya civilization originated in Yucatan Peninsula. It is known for its monumental architecture as well as advanced understanding of astronomy & mathematics. Rise of the Maya started around 250 CE and lasted until 900 CE.
Guatemala is a country in Central America. It is bordered by Mexico, Belize, Caribbean, Honduras, El Salvador and Pacific Ocean. The country has an estimated population of around 17.2 million. It is the most populous country in Central America. Guatemala is a representative democracy. Guatemala City is the largest as well as capital city of Guatemala.
CHIRU is a naval drill recently conducted by China, Russia and Iran in Gulf of Oman. China sent Urumqi, missile destroyer to take part in the exercise. The countries are now looking for opportunities to deepen their military cooperation. Russia sent its Pacific Fleet task force to participate in the exercise. This included the anti – submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs and Nakhimov missile cruiser.
The countries conducted military artillery fire against the sea targets. Also, they took part in tactical maneuvering. The countries also conducted anti – piracy drills during the exercise.
The Russian government had earlier announced that it would conduct drills in different parts of the world including all areas of its responsibility. Russia had also announced that it will conduct military exercise in the Mediterranean waters, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Okhotsk seas. More than 60 aircrafts and 140 warships are kept ready to take part in such exercises.
Russia had already conducted naval drills with Belarus amidst the Ukraine tensions. Russia is also holding talks with the US over the Ukraine issues. The latest naval drills are increasing the tensions.
Uruqmi is a Chinese missile destroyer. She was commissioned in 2018. Uruqmi is Type 052D destroyer. It uses canister type vertical launching system. It uses combined diesel or gas propulsion. It is designed to carry helicopters. It has AESA, Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. It is a contemporary to the US Aegis Combat System. Apart from Uruqmi, China also sent its supply ship Taihu, forty marines and ship borne helicopters.
Varyag of Russia participated in the drills. Varyag is a missile cruiser. It is a Slava class of guided missile cruiser. It was designed and built by the Soviet Union. It is a anti – ship rocket cruiser. Russia also sent its Boris Butoma.
The Sudan security forces recently killed three protestors. This has re-kindled the Sudan unrest. In the early January 2022, the Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned. This led to civilian unrest in the country.
In October 2021, the Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok was sacked by the Sudanese military. He then resigned from power as a part of a deal. Hamdok had signed a deal to share the power with the military. He then stepped down because the anti – military protests increased in the country following the deal. The deal signed by Hamdok was opposed by the pro – democratic supporters. They wanted the military generals to hand over the power to the civilians.
Sudan was governed by an Arab elite in Sudan with occasional breaks. The wealth of the country was largely looted under the Arab’s rule.
Kleptocracy is a Greek word. It is a government run by the corrupt leaders. In Kleptocracy, the corrupt leaders use political power to loot the wealth of the country. It is basically misappropriation of government funds.
Basically, the issue is all around OIL. South Sudan is rich in oil and holds 75% of Sudan’s oil. General Omar al – Bashir ruled Sudan for more than thirty years. In 2011, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan. This was a part of the referendum signed between General Omar al – Bashir and the South Sudanese rebels. The rebels were fighting for independence for more than 21 years.
In 1993, the US government added the Bashir’s government in Sudan to its list of terrorism sponsors. Also, US imposed sanctions on Sudan in 2018. Following the sanctions, Sudan faced economic collapse. In 2019, Bashir was overthrown by a military coup. There were country wide protests due to increasing food costs and other essentials.
After overthrowing Bashir, a sovereignty council was formed. The council was made of eleven members. It included civilian and military leaders. The council appointed Hamdok as the Prime Minister.
Every year the National Tourism Day is celebrated on January 25. The day is celebrated to create awareness about the growth aspects of tourism sector. Also, the day aims to spread the impact of tourism sector on the economic development of the country.
Rural and Community centric tourism
The tourism sector was first introduced in India in 1948. A tourism committee was formed in 1948. Later in 1958, a separate tourism department was created under the Ministry of Tourism and Communication.
It includes activities of domestic tourism and outbound tourism. Domestic tourism includes activities of the residents of the country and the also the activities of the foreign tourists within India. Outbound tourism includes activities of residents of the country in foreign soil.
Thomas Cook. He was an English innovator who founded Thomas Cook and Son, a world famous travel agency. He is the inventor of modern tourism.
Maharashtra has the highest number of tourists visiting the state. More than five lakh tourists visit the state annually. After Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu ranks second in tourism with more than four lakh tourists visiting the state. After these two states, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi are at third and fourth places respectively. UP has more than three lakh tourists visiting the state and Delhi has more than two lakh visitors.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism sector in India generated 220 billion USD of revenue annually. Also, the tourism sector contributes to 9.2% of the total GDP of the country. The sector contributes 8.1% of employment. The medical tourism of India is 3 billion USD and is expected to grow more.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently released a five year road map for the electronics sector. The ministry also released a vision document called “300 billion USD Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing and Exports by 2026”.
This the second part of the document. The first part was released in November 2021. It was called “Increasing India’s Electronics Exports and Share in GVCs”.
On January 25, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that, government has notified a draft scheme for amalgamation of Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank with Unity Small Finance Bank (SFB).
The amalgamation came into force with effect from date of the notification of the scheme, that is January 25, 2022. All the branches of PMC Bank will function as branches of Unity SFB, from this date.
SFBs are a specific segment of banking, created by RBI, to undertake basic banking activities to underserved and un-served sections. Draft guidelines to license small banks in private sector were formulated and released in 2014, by RBI. SFBs were set up with the objectives of increasing financial inclusion.
PMC is a multi-state co-operative bank, starting operating in 1983. It has 137 branches, with 100 branches in Maharashtra. It is regulated by Reserve Bank of India. PMC has been registered under Cooperative Societies Act.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and former General Secretary late EMS Namboodirpad are among the two personalities who refused the Padma Awards, from state.
Padma Awards were instituted in 1954. It is awarded to citizens of India, to recognise their distinguished contribution in several spheres of activity including education, arts, literature, industry, acting, science, social service, medicine, and public affairs. It has also been awarded to some distinguished individuals who were not citizens but contributed in multiple ways to India.
The selection criteria for the award have been criticised in some quarters, claiming that highly deserving artists have been left out to favour certain individuals. Following the criticism, India has created an online nomination platform for common citizens for recommending nomination for the awards.
Government of Serbia revoked the licenses for lithium mining to Rio Tinto, after protests for around two months. Rio Tinto is an Anglo-Australian multinational mining organisation.
Serbians have been protesting against the Rio Tinto’s plan to mine lithium, in Jadar Valley near Lozinca town in Serbia. People are taking to the streets, blocking main roads and bridges and halting traffic.
Rio Tinto had discovered lithium deposits in 2006, in Serbia and had bought land in Lozinca area. The company had been planning to invest USD 2.4 billion in the project. If completed, the project would be one of the biggest investment projects in the country.
The mine would have produced enough lithium, for operating one million electric vehicles along with sodium sulphate and boric acid. Once it is fully functional, mine would have created 58,000 tonnes of refined battery-grade lithium carbonate, annually. This would have made the mine, Europe’s most lithium-producing mine.
Though, Rio Tinto said to be fulfilling all Serbia’s and European Union’s environmental standards. But protestors have been highlighting that, lithium mining in USD 2.4-billion mine project would irrevocably pollute the drinking water. They are also protesting against President Aleksandar Vucic, who called China to be a “saviour” for its copper mining projects in Serbia.
Serbia has been ranked as Europe’s fifth and world’s 32nd most polluted country among 98 countries. As per 2019 report of Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, Serbia is one among top ten countries with most deaths due to pollution, accounting for 175 deaths per 100,000.
On January 25, 2022, the Government imposed restriction on export of human hair. This ban was imposed with the aim of curbing alleged smuggling of products from India.
Hair exporters welcomed this decision. It was a long pending demand. This labour-intensive industry was facing a challenge of smuggling of raw human hair to countries like China and Myanmar, which in turn is hurting local industries and exports. With the implementation of new norms, only genuine exporters will be able to export the product.
West Bengal is the major hub of raw hair industry in India. Apart from West Bengal, industries are there in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Major competitors of India include Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Myanmar.
In India, raw human hair is mainly collected from households and temples across the mentioned states. collection of hair primarily caters to the beauty market globally. In India, two types of hair are collected:
During April-November in Fiscal year 2021-2022, hair exports stood at USD 144.26 million. In 2020-21, the export was USD 15.28 million.
As a part of larger contract to manufacture AK 203 assault rifles in India, the armed forces received first batch of 70,000 rifles from Russia.
The AK rifles are being manufactured under a complete technology transfer clause. This clause will also enable the exports of rifles to friendly foreign nations in future. Rifles will be manufactured by the Indo Russian Rifles Private Limited Joint Venture between Russian Rosboronexport and Advanced Weapons & Equipment India Ltd (erstwhile OFB).
The deal for AK 203 rifles was signed in December 2021. The deal of worth Rs 5,124-crore is the biggest defence deal between both the countries in recent years. Under the deal, Russian side gave an assurance to manufacture with technology transfer within two to three years. Furthermore, Russia has been sending technical teams to assist Indian partners.
Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) is a rifle-manufacturing facility, established at Korwa in Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh. It will manufacture the AK-200 variant of Kalashnikov family of rifles. The factory is a joint-venture of Ordnance Factory Board of India and Kalashnikov Concern of Russia. In it, Rosoboronexport holds a minority stake. The factory will produce 750,000 AK-203. The factory is also being upgraded with modern production line, in a bid to manufacture latest version of the Kalashnikov rifles. A small arms range has also been set up at the factory, to conduct acceptance trials by the armed forces before taking delivery.
AK-203 rifles are a magazine-fed, gas-operated, select fire assault rifle. It has been designed to chamber 7.62×39mm cartridge. It is one of the latest iterations of AK series of assault rifles. It was originally designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov.
Recently, 61 winners of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) 2021 and 2022 got digital certificates, that use blockchain-driven technology.
The digital certificates, provided using blockchain technology, will be stored on digital wallets installed on mobile devices of the recipients. Certificates cannot be forged and are verifiable worldwide, selectively disclosable as well as sensitive to user content.
On December 28, 2021, PM Modi had launched the blockchain-based digital degrees at IIT Kanpur, during a convocation ceremony.
The digital technology is being implemented by CRUBN. CRUBN is a firm that offers blockchain solutions. It was founded by 4 IITians namely,
The technology was developed under the mentorship of Padma Shri Prof. Manindra Agrawal and Prof. Sandeep K Shukla, who are the joint coordinators of National Blockchain Project under National Security Council Secretariat.
The National Blockchain Project is being funded by National Security Council Secretariat for developing e-governance solutions using blockchain technology. The project involves a three-month feasibility study to decide on use of blockchain technology and outline its research & validation as well as incubation plan. Under the first phase, two e-governance applications were identified, to demonstrate the utility of blockchain.
It was proposed by Ministry of Electronics and IT in December 2021. It has adopted multi – institutional approach. The strategy involves National Informatics Centre (NIC), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C – DAC) and National Informatics Centre services Inc (NICSI) to offer blockchain as service. It seeks to provide trusted digital platform for providing e – governance services by means of blockchain technology.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its World Economic Outlook on January 25, 2022.
As per IMF, amid emergence of Omicron Covid-19 variant, countries have reimposed mobility restrictions. Increasing energy prices and supply disruptions have resulted in higher and more broad-based inflation than it was expected, in United States and other developing economies & emerging market. Ongoing retrenchment of real estate sector in China and slower recovery of private consumption have also limited growth prospects.
Recently, the World Bank also had predicted a slowdown in a global growth, keeping it at 4.1% in 2022.
On January 25, 2022, President Ram Nath Kovind approved 384 gallantry awards and other military decorations for security forces personnel.
The President will posthumously award Ashok Chakra to Assistant Sub Inspector Babu Ram of Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Republic Day parade on January 26, 2022. Ashok Chakra is India’s highest peace-time gallantry award. Babu Ram had killed three terrorists in Srinagar, during an operation on August 29, 2020.
Shaurya Chakra is the third highest peacetime gallantry award of India. The award will be posthumously conferred to nine personnel as well as to 3 other personnel. The awardees include:
The President approved 384 Gallantry awards, on the eve of 73rd Republic Day. It includes- 29 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 53 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 4 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, 3 Bar to Vishisht Seva Medals, 13 Yudh Seva Medals, 122 Vishisht Seva Medals, 3 Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 2 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 81 Sena Medals (Gallantry), 8 Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), 40 Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), and 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty).
Recently, in a Twitter exchange, CEO of Tesla Elon Musk, co-founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin and founder of e-commerce platform Gumroad Sahil Lavingia talked about population collapse and use of ‘artificial wombs’ to tackle this crisis.
A synthetic womb is also called as “artificial uterus” or “artificial womb”. This device allows for extracorporeal pregnancy. In this process, foetus is grown outside the body of an organism, normally carrying the foetus to term.
Artificial womb is a replacement organ, that have many applications:
Development of an artificial womb could help in saving lives of premature babies.
In 2017, a device closest to an ‘artificial womb’ was reported, when a research team from Philadelphia revealed that, prototype biobag successfully supported lamb foetuses. All emerged from the biobag healthy and evaded complications associated with preterm birth.