UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

Foreign Trade Policy 2023 announced UN General Assembly to seek the opinion of the ICJ on countries’ obligations to address climate change PNGRB introduces implementation of Unified Tariff-a much awaited reform in natural gas sector

Centre launched the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. India's overall exports, including services and merchandise exports, has already crossed US$ 750 Billion and is expected to cross US$ 760 Billion this year, he said. The Key Approach to the policy is based on these 4 pillars: (i) Incentive to Remission,  (ii) Export promotion through collaboration - Exporters, States, Districts, Indian Missions, (iii) Ease of doing business, reduction in transaction cost and e-initiatives and (iv) Emerging Areas – E-Commerce Developing Districts as Export Hubs and streamlining SCOMET policy. Foreign Trade Policy (2023) is a policy document which is based on continuity of time-tested schemes facilitating exports as well as a document which is nimble and responsive to the requirements of trade. It is based on principles of ‘trust’ and ‘partnership’ with exporters. In the FTP 2015-20, changes were done subsequent to the initial release even without announcement of a new FTP responding dynamically to the e

  A resolution adopted this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York is being hailed as a victory for climate justice.   The resolution   means that the UN General Assembly will seek the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on countries’ obligations to address climate change. The resolution was spearheaded by the   Pacific nation of Vanuatu , a country bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. Co-sponsored by more than 130 countries, the resolution states that the UN General Assembly will also seek the ICJ’s opinion on the legal consequences for states that, “by their acts and omissions”, damage the climate in such a way that it affects others, particularly small island nations who are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Established in 1945, the ICJ is the highest UN judicial body and was set up to deal with disputes between nation states. This is a very significant development for climate justice for present and future generations.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (“PNGRB”) has amended PNGRB (Determination of Natural Gas Pipeline Tariff) Regulations to incorporate the regulations pertaining to Unified Tariff for natural gas pipelines with a mission of “One Nation, One Grid and One tariff”.  Based on the regulations, PNGRB has notified a levelized Unified Tariff of Rs.73.93/MMBTU and created three tariff zones for Unified Tariff, where the first zone is up to a distance of 300 kms from gas source, second zone is 300 – 1200 kms and third zone is beyond 1200 kms. The Zonal unified tariffs will be effective from 1st April 2023 and details of the same are webhosted on the PNGRB’s website(www.pngrb.gov.in).  The national gas grid covers all the interconnected pipeline networks owned and operated by entities viz. Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, GAIL (India) Limited, Pipeline Infrastructure Limited, Gujarat State Petronet Limited, Gujarat Gas Limited, Reliance Gas Pi

Ganga - India's First Cloned Gir Female Calf World’s first cloned Pashmina Goat ‘Noori’ passed away Leopard 2 Central Government to form panel to look into issues on Pension Schemes Biotransformation Technology and Plastic Pollution Aravalli Green Wall Project Launched

Scientists of the  National Dairy Research Institute  (NDRI) in Karnal  produced country’s first Indigenous Gir cow clone calf The Ganga. Times of India

Noori  (Arabic word for "light") is a female  pashmina goat , the first pashmina goat to be  cloned  using the process of  nuclear transfer .  Born on 9 March 2012, she is kept at the place of her birth, at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry,  Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir , Shuhama,  Srinagar  in the  Indian  territory of  Jammu and Kashmir . It is to be noted that she had given birth to 7 kids during her lifespan. Wikipedia , The Kashmir Monitor

  The   Leopard 2   is a   third generation   German   main battle tank   (MBT). Developed by   Krauss-Maffei   in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier   Leopard 1   as the main battle tank of the   West German army . Various iterations of the Leopard 2 continue to be operated by the   armed forces of Germany , as well as 13 other European countries, and several non-European states around the world, including   Canada ,   Chile ,   Indonesia , and   Singapore . Some operating states have licensed the Leopard 2 design for local production and domestic development. There are two main development tranches of the Leopard 2. The first encompasses tanks produced up to the Leopard 2A4 standard and are characterised by their vertically faced turret armour. The second tranche, from Leopard 2A5 onwards, has an angled, arrow-shaped, turret appliqué armour, together with other improvements. The main armament of all Leopard 2 tanks is a smoothbore 120 mm cannon made

Centre on Friday decide to set up a committee under the chairmanship of finance secretary to look into the issues related to New pension scheme. It was formed to improve New Pension Scheme(NPS) and also to address concerns of employees while maintaining Fiscal prudence. This committee was formed at a time when several non-BJP ruled states like Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have informed Central Government their decision to revert to old pension scheme. They have also requested Center to refund the corpus accumulated under New Pension Scheme. However, Centre decided not entertain any requests from states to revert to old Pension Scheme. About New Pension Scheme: The  National Pension System (NPS) was introduced for Central Government employees w.e.f. 01.01.2004 for all new recruits joining the Central Government service (except armed forces) from 01.01.2004.   As Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 were amended benefits of old pensio

Biotransformation Technology: 1. This technology was co-developed by Imperial College in London, UK, and a Britain-based startup, Polymateria. 2. Plastics developed using this technology have predefined lifetime. Until this lifespan, they will have better appearance and quality like traditional plastics. 3. Once their lifespan expires, with the help of surrounding environment, they will get degraded biodegradable wax which can be consumed by bacteria. It could be major development in plastic intensive industries as plastic is one of the major pollutant. As per UNEP,  Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our ocean .  Plastic pollution  is a global problem. Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or dumped. India’s effort to reduce plastic waste: 1.   MoEFCC imposed a ban on identified single use plastic on 12th August 2021 and also notified Guide

About Aravalli Green Wall Project: The Aravalli Green Wall Project is part of the Union Environment Ministry's vision to create green corridors across the country to combat land degradation and desertification. The project covers states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi - where the Aravalli hills landscape span over 6 million hectares of land. The project will involve planting native species of trees and shrubs on scrubland, wasteland and degraded forest land, along with rejuvenating and restoring surface water bodies such as ponds, lakes and streams. The project will also focus on agroforestry and pasture development to enhance the livelihoods of local communities. 1. It was launched on  International Day of Forests at Tikli Village in Haryana. 2. The project was launched with the objectives of  increasing the green cover and biodiversity of the Aravalli through afforestation, reforestation and restoration of water bodies, improve the soil fertility, water availability and

Sarus Crane Conservation Plan for Great Indian Bustards Great Indian bustard All India Judicial Service - Current Status All India Judicial Service - A Debate Russia to deploy its nuclear weapons in Belarus There is no scope for fourth country for Developing Nuclear Powered Submarines under AUKUS Partnership AUKUS Road Map Biomining LVM3 M3/OneWeb India-2 mission successfully launched by ISRO

Relavance:  Amethi man who rescued Sarus crane gets U.P. Forest Department notice - The Hindu   Key Facts Common Name : Sarus crane Scientific Name : Grus antigone Population : Estimated to be 15,000-20,000 individuals in India Height : 52-156 cm. Large, elegant crane Length : 90-130 cm Weight : 6.8-7.8 kg Status : Listed in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and as Vulnerable on IUCN Red List Characteristics The Sarus crane is the tallest flying bird in the world standing 152-156 cm tall with a wingspan of 240cm. It has a predominantly grey plumage with a naked red head and upper neck and pale red legs. It weighs 6.8-7.8 Kgs. It is a social creature, found mostly in pairs or small groups of three or four. Known to mate for life with a single partner, its breeding season coincides with heavy rainfall in monsoon. Nests are constructed on water in natural wetlands or in flooded paddy fields. Usually a clutch has only one or two eggs, which are incubated by both parents for

The Ministry is taking various measures for conservation and protection of Great Indian Bustard in the country, including in Rajasthan. Some important steps in this regard are as follows: 1. The Great Indian Bustard is listed in Schedule-I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, thereby according it the highest degree of legal protection from hunting. 2. Important habitats of Great Indian Bustards are designated as National Parks/ sanctuaries for their better protection. 3. The species has been identified for conservation efforts under the component ‘Species Recovery Programme’ of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme- Development of Wildlife Habitats. Financial and technical assistance is provided to the State/ Union Territory Governments under the scheme for providing better protection to Great Indian Bustard and its habitat. 4. Conservation breeding of the Great Indian Bustard has been undertaken in collaboration with Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra Forest Departments and technical sup

Key Facts Common Name: Great Indian bustard Scientific Name : Ardeotis nigriceps Population : 200 individuals worldwide Height : 100 cms or 1 metre Length : Wingspan of 210-250 cm Weight : 15-18 kg Status : Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972, in the CMS Convention and in Appendix I of CITES, as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016). It has also been identified as one of the species for the recovery programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Characteristics The great Indian bustard can easily be distinguished by its black crown on the forehead contrasting with the pale neck and head. The body is brownish and the wings are marked with black, brown and grey. Males and females generally grow to the same height and weight but males have larger black crowns and a black band across the breast. They breed mostly during the

  Article 312 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of All India Judicial Service (AIJS), which shall not include any post inferior to that of a District Judge.  The constitutional provision enables creation of the AIJS at District Judge level. In Government's view, a properly framed All India Judicial Service is important to strengthen overall justice delivery system. This will give an opportunity for induction of suitably qualified fresh legal talent selected through a proper all-India merit selection system as well as address the issue of social inclusion by enabling suitable representation to marginalized and deprived sections of society. A comprehensive proposal was formulated for the constitution of an All India Judicial Service (AIJS) and the same was approved by the Committee of Secretaries in November, 2012. Besides attracting some of the best talent in the country, it may also facilitate inclusion of competent persons from marginalized sections and women in t

I. Basic Constitutional Provisions relating to Subordinate Judiciary Chapter VI of Part VI of the Constitution of India deals with subordinate courts. Clause (1) of Article 233 says that “appointments of persons to be, and the posting and promotion of, district judges in any State shall be made by the Governor of the State in consultation with the High Court exercising jurisdiction in relation to such State.” Article 234 says that appointments of persons other than district judges to the judicial service of a State shall be made by the Governor of the State in accordance with the rules made by him in that behalf after consultation with the State Public Service Commission and with the High Court exercising jurisdiction in relation to such State. Article 235 vests control over the subordinate courts in the High Court. Article 236 is an interpretation clause. It defines the expressions “district judge” and “judicial service” respectively. It is sufficient to notice the definition