Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 30th January 2023

World Economic Situation And Prospectus 2023 Report:

UNDESA have produced this report.

Key observations:

• The world economy was much affected by COVID-19 lockdowns and the war in Ukraine in 2022
• World output growth will decelerate to 1.9% in 2023 (from 3% in 2022)
• The economic outlook has “significantly deteriorated due to high food and energy prices, monetary tightening and fiscal vulnerabilities” with average GDP growth projected to moderate to 4.8% in 2023 from 5.6% in 2022
• Economic growth in India is projected to moderate in 2023, with higher interest rates weighing on investment and slower global growth weakening exports
• It recommends Reprioritization of public expenditures esp. in education, health and digital infrastructure; more social protection.

About UNDESA:

• The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) (est. 1948; HQ: New York) is part of the UN Secretariat and assists countries around the world in agenda-setting and decision-making with the goal of meeting their economic, social and environmental challenges (including SDG Goals)

About UNCTAD:

• The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (est. 1964; HQ: Geneva, Switzerland) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade.

First Jharkhand Migrant Survey:

The first Jharkhand Migrant Survey (JMS) was recently conducted across 24 districts of the state.

• Nearly 8.5 lakh migrant workers belonging to the state travelled back to Jharkhand during the Covid crisis.
• The initiative is part of the state’s Safe and Responsible Migration Initiative (SRMI), which was launched in 2021-end and includes the preparation of a database of migrant workers.
• Jharkhand is not the only state to conduct migrant labour surveys.
• Kerala has been a pioneer in this field, followed by states like Tamil Nadu and Punjab.
• But there is a basic difference in labour movement between Kerala and Jharkhand.
• In Kerala, workers mostly go abroad (mainly to Gulf countries).
• However, the issue is internal migration in Jharkhand.

Bharat Parv 2023:

The six-day mega event “Bharat Parv” is being organized by the Government of India, as part of the Republic Day Celebrations.

• Bharat Parv was previously held from 2016 and virtually in the year 2021
• The physical event is being organized after a gap of 2 years.
• The event would have a Food Festival, Handicraft mela, folk and tribal dance performances, performances by cultural troupes, a Display of Republic Day Tableaux, illumination of Red Fort etc.
• Branding and promotion of Dekho Apna Desh, Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat, G20 and Mission LIFE would be undertaken during the event.
• Ministry of Tourism has been designated as the nodal Ministry for the event, the highlights of which include showcasing of the best Republic Day Parade tableaux at the venue, cultural performances by the Zonal Cultural Centres as well as cultural troupes from States/ UTs, a pan – India Food Court and a pan – India Crafts Bazaar.

Exercise Veer Guardian:

The inaugural edition of the bilateral air exercise ‘Veer Guardian 2023’ between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) concluded recently in Japan.

• This is Indo-Japan’s maiden bilateral air exercise.
• The IAF contingent participated in the exercise with the Su-30 MKI aircraft complemented by one IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft and two C-17 Globemaster strategic airlift transport aircrafts.
• The other exercises that India conducts with Japan include Dharma Guardian (Military), JIMEX (naval), SHINYUU Maitri (air force) and Malabar (along with Australia and the US).
• It was also the first time when an IAF woman fighter pilot was a part of the Indian contingent for aerial wargames in a foreign land.

Indus Waters Treaty:

India recently issued a notice to Pakistan for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

• Indus Water Treaty was signed in September 1960 between India and Pakistan.
• The treaty was brokered by the World Bank, which too is a signatory to the treaty.
• The treaty fixed and delimited the rights and obligations of both countries concerning the use of the waters of the Indus River system.
• It gives control over the waters of the three “eastern rivers’ the Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej to India, while control over the waters of the three “western rivers’ ‘ the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum to Pakistan.
• The treaty allows India to use the western river waters for limited irrigation use and unlimited non-consumptive use for such applications as power generation, navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc.
• It lays down detailed regulations for India in building projects over the western rivers.

Lucy Mission : NASA

NASA recently announced that it is adding a new target for the Lucy mission as the spacecraft goes on its more than 6-billion-kilometre-long journey to study the Jupiter trojan asteroids..

• NASA’s Lucy mission is the first spacecraft launched to explore the Trojan asteroids, a population of primitive asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter.
• Lucy was successfully launched Oct. 16, 2021, and will visit eight asteroids over 12 years one asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and seven Trojan asteroids leading and trailing Jupiter in its orbit.
• Asteroids sharing an orbit with a planet, but which are located at the leading (L4) and trailing (L5) Lagrangian points, are known as Trojan asteroids.
• These asteroids occupy a stable Lagrangian point in a planet’s orbit around the Sun.
• Trojan Asteroids are some of the oldest remnants from the formation of our solar system 5 billion years ago.
• There are currently over 4,800 known Trojan asteroids associated with Jupiter.

GJ 1002 b and c: Two New Planets

GJ 1002 b and c: Two New Planets:

• An international group of researchers has recently discovered the presence of two planets with masses comparable to that of the Earth in orbit around the star GJ 1002.
• GJ 1002 b and c: The two new planets are named, GJ 1002 b and GJ 1002 c.
• These planets lie in so-called habitable zones, within which water could be found in liquid form, and which is located in the immediate vicinity of the star due to its low luminosity.
• Planet b has a mass slightly higher than Earth’s, is the closer of the two and its year lasts only 10 days.
• Planet c is about a third more massive than Earth and takes about 20 days to orbit the star.
• The two planets were discovered using the radial velocity (RV) method.

Extended Reality (XR) Startup Program:

The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), and Meta have recently announced the list of 120 startups and innovators for the Extended Reality (XR) Startup Program.

• The XR Startup Program is a collaboration between Meta and MeitY Startup Hub (MSH).
• Aim is to accelerate India’s contribution towards building the foundations of the metaverse and nurturing the development of Extended Reality (XR) technologies in India.
• It includes two segments namely; an Accelerator and a Grand Challenge
• The Accelerator will nurture and foster 40 early-stage startups working with XR technologies through a well-designed 6-month program.
• Each startup will get access to many benefits, including a grant of ₹ 20,00,000, mentorship by industry experts and researchers, access to a network of potential strategic partners and investors, technology and infrastructure support, and opportunities to participate and present at relevant industry events.
• The Grand Challenge is aimed at supporting early-stage innovators to upscale from the R&D phase to developing workable prototypes and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs).
• It will encourage early-stage innovators in sectors like Education, Learning and Skills, Healthcare, Gaming and Entertainment, Agritech & Climate Action and Tourism & Sustainability.
• It will include 4 sector-specific challenges to advance the XR technology ecosystem in India.

The National Logistics Portal (marine) In New Delhi:

The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways inaugurated The National Logistics Portal (marine) in New Delhi.

• The National Logistic Portal (marine) (NLP) is a project of national importance, as envisaged by the Ministry of Ports Shipping Waterways and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• Aim to use IT to connect all logistics community stakeholders, to improve efficiency and transparency by reducing costs and time delays and achieving easier, faster, and more competitive service offerings.

Key features of the Portal:

• NLP will serve as a single point of contact for all logistics trade processes across the country, including all modes of transportation via waterways, roads, and airways.
• The activities of NLP Marine are categorized into four distinct verticals
  • Carrier
  • Cargo
  • Banking and Finance
• Regulatory Bodies and Participating Government Agencies (PGAs).
• The Latch On feature facilitates the trade in providing the required features that are not directly embedded into NLP Marine, by linking through systems developed by other agencies seamlessly without duplication of efforts.
• It is envisaged that many standalone applications, developed by multiple vendors, users, and other stakeholders will integrate with NLP Marine through appropriate curation.

Pallas’s Cats:

Researchers have discovered one of the planet’s rarest Pallas cats for the first time in the Mount Everest Region.

• The Pallas’s cat, also known as manul, is a small wild cat, perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions typical of its habitat.
• Naturally secretive, it is rarely seen and little known.
• Habitat: Wide but fragmented distribution throughout montane grasslands and steppes of Central Asia.
• Its core populations are in Mongolia and China.
• Conservation status : IUCN Red List: Least concern

Noble’s Helen Butterfly:

Extremely rare Noble’s Helen butterfly was recorded for the first time in India from the Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh.

Noble’s Helen butterfly:

• It is a swallowtail butterfly with a wingspan of 100–120 mm.
• It has an extra white spot in the dorsum of the forewing.
• Scientific name: Papilio noblei
• They are found in Myanmar, Yunnan, Hubai (China), North Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam.
• The species is known to be very rare in occurrence in its previously known ranges.

Namdapha National Park:

• It lies on the international border between India and Myanmar (Burma) within Changlang District in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The Namdapha protected area is located between Dapha Bum ridge of Mishmi Hills, of North Eastern Himalayas and Patkai Ranges.

Mughal Gardens Renamed As Amrit Udayan:

The Central Government has decided to rename the Mughal Gardens inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan as Amrit Udayan.

Features of Mughal gardens:

• These are developed in Islamic architectural style by the Mughals in India and other countries.
• These gardens are frequently seen as a place for relaxation and meditation.
• This gardening design was influenced by Persian, namely the Charbagh structure.
• Gardens are formal in style; symmetrically designed in rectangular or square
• The garden area is divided into four plots by water channels.
• These four channels represent four rivers of life.
• The running water provides coolness and freshness to the garden.
• The four plots are planted with trees, shrubs, etc.,
• Mughal gardens are surrounded by a high, robust wall.
• The wall’s summit is decorated with serrated battlements.

Black vulture : Spotted In The Delhi NCR Region

An American black vulture was recently spotted in the Delhi NCR region causing a stir amongst birdwatchers and conservationists.

• Black vultures are most abundant at low elevations.
• They breed in dense woodlands but usually forage in open habitats.
• It is mainly found in the northeastern United States to Peru, Central Chile and Uruguay South America.
• They typically avoid crossing large bodies of water and do not cover long distances.
• Conservation status : IUCN Red List: Least Concern