GS PAPER II NEWS
India and Korea trade
Why in News
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- The Trade Minister of the Republic of Korea is on an official visit to India at the invitation of the Ministries of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles.
Key point
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- The two ministers discussed in detail the entire spectrum of bilateral trade and all aspects of investment.
- Both agreed to intensify negotiations on an advanced form of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
- They also agreed to encourage B2B interaction (company-to-company interaction) between industry personalities of both the countries regarding trade and investment.
- Both the Ministers agreed that efforts would be made to remove the bottlenecks pointed out by the industries on both sides.
- They directed their respective negotiating parties to meet regularly so that the talks on the advanced version of CEPA are completed at the earliest within the stipulated time frame.
- For this, the support of the relevant stakeholders should be taken, so that the trade target of US $ 50 billion can be achieved before 2030. It is noteworthy that this was agreed upon in the apex meeting held in 2018.
- This regular interaction serves as a forum to discuss trade issues of both the countries, covering all trade-related issues including supply chain.
- Both ministers agreed to promote bilateral trade between India and Korea, so that both sides can develop trade in a balanced manner for mutual benefit.
GS PAPER II
National Youth Day
Why in News
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- National Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12 January. This day is celebrated every year on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Key point
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- On this occasion, lectures and writings related to the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda are also done by the students to inspire the youth of India.
- Swami Vivekananda had a deep connection with the youth, so his birthday has been dedicated to the youth.
Objective
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- The objective of National Youth Day is to present the teachings and ideals of Vivekananda as a role model for the Indian youth.
This day is celebrated as National Youth Day, so that the youth of the country can take inspiration from the life, working style, consciousness and ideals of Swami Vivekananda.- Various programs are organized in schools and colleges across the country on the day of National Youth Day.
About Swami Vivekananda
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- Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in Kolkata.
- He was a renowned and influential spiritual teacher of Vedanta.
- He was a very good disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa.
- He represented Sanatan Dharma on behalf of India in the World Dharma Mahasabha held in Chicago, USA in the year 1893.
- The credit of propagating Hinduism among other religions of the world goes to him.
- Swami Vivekananda’s real name was Narendra Nath Dutt.
- He propagated and spread the philosophy of Vedanta and Yoga of India in the western countries.
- Swami Vivekananda is also known for maintaining the concept of nationalism in colonial India.
Background
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- It was announced by the Government of India in the year 1984 to celebrate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda as National Youth Day.
- The main objective of celebrating it is to spread the importance of ideals and ideas of Swami Vivekananda among the youth of India.
GS PAPER II
National Youth Festival
Why in News
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- The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the 25th National Youth Festival in Puducherry through video conferencing.
Objective
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- The objective of the National Youth Festival is to guide the young minds of India and unite them as a force for nation building.
- It is involved in the greatest effort of social integration and intellectual and cultural integration. Its goal is to bring together the diverse cultures of India and unite them in the unity of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
Key point
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- January 12, 2021 is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda; this day is celebrated as National Youth Day.
- During the programme, the Prime Minister unveiled selected essays on “India of my dreams” and “Unsung heroes of the Indian independence movement”.
- These essays have been selected from the articles submitted by more than 1 lakh youth on the above two subjects.
- The Prime Minister also inaugurated a Technology Center of the Ministry of MSME in Puducherry, which has been built with an investment of about Rs 122 crore.
- The Prime Minister also inaugurated Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam, an open-air theater auditorium built by the Government of Puducherry at a cost of about Rs 23 crore.
- Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister greeted the countrymen on National Youth Day. Saluting Swami Vivekananda, the Prime Minister said that in this year of the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, his birth anniversary has become more inspiring. The Prime Minister underlined the added importance of this year as the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Aurobindo and the 100th death anniversary of the great poet Subramanya Bharati also fall this year. The Prime Minister said, “These two sages have a special relationship with Puducherry. They have been partners in each other’s literary and spiritual journey.”
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Youth identity of ancient country: PM
- Speaking about the youthful identity of this ancient country, the Prime Minister said that today the world looks at India with a look of hope and confidence. Because the people of India are also young and the mind of India is also young.
- India is younger than its potential and younger than its dreams. India is young in its thinking and also young in its consciousness. He said that the thinking and philosophy of India has always accepted change and there is modernity in its antiquity.
- The Prime Minister said that the youth of the country have always come forward in times of need. Whenever there is division in the national consciousness, youths like Shankar come forward and unite the country in the form of Adi Shankaracharya.
- The sacrifices of youth like Sahibzade of Guru Gobind Singh ji guide us even today in the times of atrocities. When India needed sacrifice for its independence, young revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Netaji Subhash came forward to dedicate their lives for the country.
- The Prime Minister said that whenever the country needs spiritual upliftment, sages like Aurobindo and Subramania Bharati come to the fore.
- The Prime Minister said that the youth of India have democratic values as well as demographic dividend; their democratic dividend is also incomparable. He said that India considers its youth as a demographic dividend as well as a development driver.
- The Prime Minister emphasized that if the youth of India has the charm of technology, and then there is also the consciousness of democracy. Today the youth of India has the power of labor, so there is also the clarity of the future. That is why what India says today, the world considers it to be the voice of tomorrow.
- The Prime Minister said that the young generation that was there at the time of independence did not take a moment to sacrifice everything for the country.
- But today’s youth have to live to fulfill the dreams of our freedom fighters for the country. He said that the youth has that ability that ability that he does not carry the burden of old stereotypes; he knows how to shake them.
- This youth can evolve himself, society, according to new challenges, new demands, can create new ones. The Prime Minister said that the youth of today are imbued with the spirit of ‘I can do’, which is a source of inspiration for every generation.
- The Prime Minister said that today the youth of India are writing the story of global prosperity. The Indian youth is a force to be reckoned with in the unicorn ecosystem all over the world.
India today has a strong ecosystem of more than 50 thousand start-ups. Out of these, more than 10 thousand start-ups came to the fore in the midst of the challenge of the pandemic.- The Prime Minister gave the mantra of New India – compete and win; that is, unite and win; Get involved and win the battle.
- The Prime Minister cited the youth’s performance in the Olympics and Paralympics and in the immunization campaign as an example of the youth’s sense of responsibility and the desire to win.
- Daughter Son Equal
- The Prime Minister said that the government considers son and daughter equal. With this thinking, the government has decided to rise the age of marriage to 21 years for the betterment of daughters.
- He said that daughters should also be able to make their career, they should get more time, this is an important step in this direction.
- The Prime Minister said that we have had many such fighters in the freedom struggle, whose contribution did not get the recognition that they deserved.
- The more our youth write, research about such persons, the more the coming generations of the country will be.
GS PAPER II
Henley Passport Index 2022
Why in News
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- The Henley Passport Index has released the passport rankings for the first quarter of 2022.
Key point
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- India’s passport strength has improved in this quarter as compared to 2021. India is now ranked 83rd in the Henley Passport Index. Last year it was ranked 90th.
- The Indian passport has climbed 7 places to 83rd position in the Henley Passport Index Index, from 90th in the year 2020 last year.
- Now Indian passport allows you visa-free access to 60 countries. Earlier, only 58 countries could be visited without a visa.
- According to the Henley Passport Index, in the recent report, Japan and Singapore continue to top the rankings.
- Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan are ranked as the world’s weakest passports in 2022.
Henley Passport Index
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- The Henley Passport Index (HPI) is a global ranking of countries around the world according to the travel freedom of their ordinary passport holders.
- It provides rankings for 199 passports in the world whose holders can travel visa-free. The stronger the ranking, the more visa-free visits to different countries are allowed.
- The Henley Passport Index has been ranking passports every year since 2006, showing which countries have the freest passports in the world.
- Japan and Singapore have been ranked first among 192 countries in the Henley Passport Index-2022 report.
- Passport holders from Japan and Singapore can travel visa-free to 192 countries.
- Henley Passport Index report showed that, South Korea and Germany can travel visa-free to 190 countries of the world, so these two countries are in second place.
- Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain are all together in third place. People from all these countries can travel visa-free to 189 countries of the world.
- France, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and Denmark are all together in fourth place. People from all these countries can travel visa free to 188 countries of the world.
- Ireland and Portugal rank fifth in its index. Switzerland, Norway, Belgium and New Zealand are also in 6th place along with US and UK.
- Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece and Malta are at number-7, while Hungary and Poland are at number eight.
- The Henley Passport Index also ranks passports for the world’s most vulnerable countries, and North Korea ranks number 104, where passport holders can only travel visa-free to 39 countries.
- At the same time, people of Nepal and Palestine can travel visa free to only 37 countries and both these countries are at number 105.
GS PAPER III
Anti-Tank Guided Missile
Why in News
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- Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted the last successful test of Manned Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) on January 11, 2022.
Key point
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- This indigenously developed anti-tank missile is a low-weight, fire-and-forget missile, as it does not need to be redirected after being fired and then does not emit smoke.
The missile was fired from a manned launcher integrated with the thermal sight. The missile struck the designated target and destroyed it. The final episode was captured on camera during the test and the missile successfully met all the objectives confirming its capabilities.- In the present test, it was to be demonstrated to the minimum extent in a series of performances.
- All objectives were met during this mission. The missile has limited infrared imaging seeker and advanced avionics for on-board control and guidance.
- The missile’s performance has been proven to the maximum extent in earlier test trials.