Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 24th November 2022

NIEPA : Diamond Jubilee Anniversary

National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) recently celebrated the Diamond Jubilee anniversary of its establishment.

• It was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education), Government of India.
• It is a premier organization dealing with capacity building and research in planning and management of education not only in India but also in South Asia.
• The Institution is one of the first institutions established in the world in the area of education and planning.
• Over the past six decades, the institute has acquired a global reputation as one of the most recognized national institutions in the theory and practice of educational policy, planning and administration.
• The National Institute has its origin dating back to 1962 when the UNESCO established the Asian Regional Centre for Educational Planners and Administrators which later became the Asian Institute of Educational Planning and Administration in 1965.
• After 4 years of its existence, it was taken over by the Government of India and renamed as the National Staff College for Educational Planners and Administrators.
• Subsequently, with the increased roles and functions of the National Staff College, particularly in capacity building, research and professional support services to governments, it was again renamed as the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) in 1979.

Fourth Edition Of The Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue:

The fourth edition of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) will start in Delhi on November 23, 2022.

• IPRD is an apex level international annual conference of the Indian Navy.
• The idea of an annual IPRD was first conceptualised and conducted in 2018, as the apex level conference of the Indian Navy.
• The National Maritime Foundation is Navy’s knowledge partner and chief organizer of each edition of the event.
• The theme of IPRD-2022 is the ‘Operationalising the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative’.
• Objective:
  • To provide a platform to focus attention on the Indo-Pacific, as a maritime geographical-entity, while deliberating aspects of great relevance to regional geopolitics.
• The first two editions of IPRD were held in 2018 and 2019 respectively in New Delhi, however, IPRD 2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19.
• The third edition of IPRD was held in 2021 in online mode.
• It is focused on seven interconnected spokes or pillars:
  • Maritime Security,
  • Maritime Ecology,
  • Maritime Resources,
  • Disaster Risk-reduction and Management,
  • Trade-Connectivity and Maritime Transport,
  • Capacity-building and Resource sharing, and
  • Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation.

400th Birth Anniversary Of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan:

The three day-long celebration of 400th birth anniversary of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan will begin in New Delhi on November 23, 2022.

• Lachit Borphukan was a commander and councillor in the Ahom Kingdom.
• The Ahom Kingdom resisted the invasion of the Mughal Empire several times and reigned in present-day Assam for over 600 years.
• The Ahom Dynasty was founded in 1228 in Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley.
• The first King of the Ahom Kingdom was Chaolung Sukaphaa, who crossed the Patkai mountainous region to reach the Brahmaputra valley.
• In 1615, the Ahom Dynasty engaged in its first significant conflict with the Mughal Empire.
• The Mughals conquered the Ahom capital of Garhgaon in 1662 but were defeated in later battles.
• Finally, during the battle of Saraighat in 1671, the Ahoms led by Lachit Borphukan successfully defeated the Mughals.
• Borphukan is mainly known for his leadership in this battle. By 1682, the Mughal influence in the region was completely eradicated.

Arittapatti : New Biodiversity Heritage Site

The Tamil Nadu government recently issued a notification declaring Arittapatti and Meenakshipuram villages in Madurai district the first biodiversity heritage site in the State.

• It aims to prevent the loss of biodiversity and preserve the cultural and architectural heritage, the government, as recommended by the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board, has declared Arittapatti a biodiversity heritage site.
• The site, comprising 139.63 hectares in Arittapatti village (in Melur taluk) and 53.58 hectares in Meenakshipuram village (Madurai East taluk), will be known as the Arittapatti Biodiversity Heritage Site.
• Arittapatti, known for its ecological and historical significance, houses around 250 species of birds, including three important raptors — Laggar Falcon (Falco jugger), Shaheen Falcon (Falco peregrinus) and Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata).
• It is also home to wildlife such as the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Python (Python molurus) and Slender Loris (Loris spp).
• The area is surrounded by a chain of seven hillocks or inselbergs, that serve as a watershed, charging “72 lakes, 200 natural springs and three check-dams”.
• The Anaikondan tank, built during the reign of the Pandiyan kings in the 16th century, is one of them.
• The site also features various megalithic structures, Tamil Brahmi Inscriptions, Jain Beds and 2200-year-old rock-cut temples adding to its historical value.

Climate Change Performance Index 2023:

India has ranked 8th in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023.

CCPI:

• Published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network annually since 2005.
• It is an independent monitoring tool for tracking the climate protection performance of 57 countries and the European Union.
• These countries collectively account for more than 92% of global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions.
• It aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.
• The CCPI looks at four categories, with 14 indicators: GHG Emissions (40% of the overall score), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%).

CCPI 2023:

• No country performs well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating.
• The first three overall positions therefore remain empty.
• Denmark, Sweden, Chile and Morocco were the only four small countries that were ranked above India as 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th respectively.
• The ranking given by CCPI places India as the only G-20 country in the top 10 rankers.
• The United Kingdom ranked 11th in CCPI 2023.
• China falls ranked 51st in CCPI 2023 and received an overall very low rating.
• The United States (US) rises three ranks to 52nd that’s still overall very low rating.
• The Islamic Republic of Iran ranked 63rd, hence, placing it last in the CCPI 2023.

India’s Status:

• India has been ranked amongst top 5 countries in the world, and the best among the G20 countries.
• India’s rank is the best amongst all large economies.
• India earns a high rating in the GHG Emissions and Energy Use categories, with a medium for Climate Policy and Renewable Energy.
• The country is on track to meet its 2030 emissions targets (compatible with a well-below 2°C scenario).
• However, the renewable energy pathway is not on track for the 2030 target.

India’s First National Centre Of Excellence For Green Port & Shipping:

India’s first National Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) was launched at “INMARCO 2022” held in Mumbai.

• The INMARCO is a quadrennial International Maritime Conference and Exhibition, hosted by the Institute of Marine Engineers (India).
• NCoEGPS is a major initiative by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MOPSW) towards providing greener solutions.
• The NCoEGPS will be working under the framework of the Sagarmala programme of the MoPSW.
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is the knowledge and implementation partner for this project.
• The centre aims to develop a regulatory framework and alternate technology adoption road map for Green Shipping to foster carbon neutrality and circular economy (CE) in shipping sector in India.
• Green Shipping refers to the use of resources and energy to transport people and goods by ship and specifically concerns the reduction in such resources and energy in order to preserve the global environment from Green House Gases (GHGs) and environmental pollutants generated by ships.
• India intends to increase the share of renewable energy to 60% of the total power demand of each of its major ports from a present share of less than 10%.
• This will be through solar and wind-generated power.

Rozgar Mela And Karamyogi Prarambh Module:

As part of the government’s ‘Rozgar Mela’  ,the Prime Minister has distributed over 71,000 appointment letters to new recruits via video conferencing.

• The Prime Minister has also launched ‘Karamyogi Prarambh’, a special online orientation course designed for new appointees in government departments.
• The Rozgar Mela is an initiative of the central government to provide employment opportunities to the youth of the country.
• Under the Rozgar Mela Scheme, 10 lakh jobs will be available for candidates to apply in Group A and B Gazetted Posts, Group B Non-Gazetted and Group C Non-Gazetted posts.
• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would also fill a significant number of posts in various Central Armed Police Forces.
• These recruitments are being done in mission mode by ministries and departments either by themselves or through recruiting agencies such as UPSC, SSC and Railway Recruitment Board.
• The Karmayogi Prarambh module is an initiative under Mission Karmayogi – a National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB).
• The module is an online orientation course for all new appointees in various government departments.
• It will include a code of conduct for government servants, workplace ethics and integrity, human resource policies and other benefits and allowances that will help them to get acclimatized to the policies and transition smoothly into the new roles.
• The motive of the program is to keep the essence of civil service within the people of the country which is the center of all change.

Toilets 2.0 Campaign:

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Toilets 2.0 campaign in Bengaluru on the occasion of World Toilet Day 2022, with the aim to change the face of public and community toilets in urban India through collective action involving citizens and Urban Local Bodies.

The campaign has five thematic areas —

• ‘People for Toilets’ will focus on cleaning and maintaining community and public toilets,
• ‘Partners for Toilets’ aimed at the adoption of public toilets,
• ‘Design Toilets’– to design convenient and low-cost toilets
• ‘Rate your Toilet’ for the promotion of user feedback to improve public toilets
• ‘My thoughts – Our Toilets’ will seek to gather public opinion for toilets