Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 09 November 2024 | Download PDF

National and International News

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, inaugurated the 70th anniversary celebrations of EEPC India and unveiled its new logo in New Delhi.

Key Points:

• EEPC India is the trade and investment promotion organization for the engineering sector sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. 
• As an advisory body it actively contributes to the policies of the Government of India and acts as an interface between the engineering industry and the Government.
• EEPC India organizes promotional activities such as buyer-seller meets (BSM) – both in India and abroad, overseas trade fairs/exhibitions, and India pavilion/information booths in selected overseas exhibitions. EEPC sponsors the India Engineering Exhibition (INDEE)
• EEPC India organizes India Engineering Sourcing Show (IESS), This is recognized as the only sourcing event in India – showcasing technology and providing a meeting place for global buyers and sellers.

• To provide a big boost to the medical devices industry, the Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, launched the Scheme for Strengthening the Medical Device Industry.

Key Points:

• It is a comprehensive scheme which targets critical areas of the medical device industry and is expected to make India self-reliant in the sector.
• Components:  It consists of five sub-schemes namely:
  • Common Facilities for Medical Devices Clusters: aims to  enhance infrastructure by creating shared facilities, including R&D labs, design and testing centers, and animal labs etc. 
  • Marginal Investment Scheme for Reducing Import Dependence: aims at  localized production of key components, raw materials etc.
  • Capacity Building and Skill Development for Medical Devices: offers financial support for running various courses to develop skilled technical workforce.
  • Medical Device Clinical Studies Support Scheme: provide financial aid for animal studies, human trials, and clinical performance evaluations.
  • Medical Device Promotion Scheme: supports industry associations and export councils for organizing conferences, conducting studies and surveys.

• World Immunization Day, observed annually on November 10, aims to raise awareness about the vital role vaccines play in preventing infectious diseases and protecting public health. 

Key Points:

• Immunization is one of the most effective and cost-efficient interventions for controlling and eradicating diseases, saving millions of lives globally each year.
• By reducing the incidence of infectious diseases, immunization not only safeguards individuals but also strengthens community health by building herd immunity. This day encourages governments, healthcare providers, and communities worldwide to emphasize the importance of vaccines and extend immunization coverage, especially to underserved populations.
• The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of India’s most comprehensive public health initiatives, aiming to provide life-saving vaccines to millions of newborns and pregnant women each year.
•  Since 2005, under the National Rural Health Mission, the UIP has become a central component of India’s public health efforts, focusing on ensuring that vaccines reach every child, even in the most remote parts of the country.

• The third edition of the joint military exercise AUSTRAHIND began at the Foreign Training Node in Pune, Maharashtra.

Key Points: 

• Exercise AUSTRAHIND is an annual event conducted alternatively in India and Australia. 
• Last edition of the same exercise was conducted in Australia in December 2023.
• Aim of Exercise AUSTRAHIND is to promote military cooperation between India and Australia through enhancement of interoperability in conduct of joint sub conventional operations in semi-urban environment in semi-desert terrain under Chapter VII of the UN mandate. 
• The exercise will be conducted in two phases – combat conditioning and tactical training phase and validation phase. 
• Drills/ aspects to be rehearsed during the exercise will include response to a terrorist action of capturing a defined territory; establishment of a Joint Operations Centre; conduct of joint counter terrorism operations like Raid and Search and Destroy Missions; securing of a helipad; employment of drones and counter drone measures and Special Heli Borne Operations, among others.

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, celebrating ten years of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, hailed it as a tribute to the courage and sacrifices of veterans and ex-servicemen who devote their lives to safeguarding the nation.

Key Points:

• In simple terms, OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement.
• Earlier, ex-servicemen used to get pensions as per the Pay Commission’s recommendations of the time when they had retired.
• A Pay Commission examines and reviews the existing pay structure & recommends changes in the salary, allowances, and other facilities for civil employees as well as for the armed forces.
• Under OROP, future enhancements in the rates of pension would be automatically passed on to the past pensioners. 
• This implies bridging the gap between the rate of pension of current and past pensioners at periodic intervals i.e. every 5 years.
• The scheme covers all three services — Air Force, Navy and Army. 

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