Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs |21 November 2023 | Download PDF

National and International News

China and Pakistan are conducting the third edition of the Sea Guardian-3 bilateral naval exercise in the northern Arabian Sea.

Key points

• The exercise comes just a day after the 2+2 Ministerial dialogue between India and the U.S. where maritime security in the Indo-Pacific was in focus and New Delhi announced its decision to become a full-member of the Bahrain-based U.S.-led multilateral grouping Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), of which Pakistan is also a member.
• The exercise also comes days after Russia and Myanmar held their first naval exercise in the Andaman Sea.
• China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has deployed a Type-093 Song class diesel-electric submarine for the exercise. 

India’s wholesale prices remained in deflationary mode for the seventh month in a row in October, with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) reflecting an inflation of -0.52% from -0.26% in September.

About WPI

• It measures the changes in the prices of goods sold and traded in bulk by wholesale businesses to other businesses.
• Published by the Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It is the most widely used inflation indicator in India.
• Major criticism for this index is that the general public does not buy products at wholesale price.
• The base year of All-India WPI has been revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in 2017.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay an official visit to Jakarta to attend the 10th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) and will address the forum on regional and international security issues

Key points

• Indonesia is hosting the meeting as the chair of ADMM-Plus. 
• The ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. 
• The ADMM-Plus is a platform for the ASEAN member-states, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and its eight dialogue partners, India, the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
• It is to strengthen security and defence cooperation. 
• India became a dialogue partner of the ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 12, 2010. 
• Since 2017, the ADMM-Plus Ministers have been meeting annually to bolster the cooperation among the ASEAN and the Plus countries.

The government will invite bids for 20 critical mineral blocks, including lithium and graphite mines.

Key points

• A national-level strategy on mining and processing of critical minerals will be made.
• Earlier,  the Centre had approved royalty rates of 3% each for lithium and niobium and 1% for Rare Earth Elements (REEs). 
• Critical minerals have become important for the nation’s economic development and national security.
• Lithium and REEs have gained significance, keeping in mind India’s commitment to energy transition and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ₹24,000-crore PM-PVTG Development Mission and a Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra focused on government scheme saturation to the last mile in tribal districts.

Key points

• The scheme is meant to bring 11 key interventions like the PM-Gram Sadak Yojana, PM-Gram Awaas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, etc. by coordinated work of nine ministries to about 22,500 villages across 18 States and Union Territories.
• In addition to launching these schemes, the Prime Minister released the 15th instalment of the PM-Kisan payout to farmers, and dedicated a host of projects worth over ₹7,000 crore to the nation, including a campus of the IIM in Ranchi, and projects in the coal, railways, roads, petroleum and natural gas sectors in Jharkhand.

Odisha Regional Specific News

Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation today signed an MoU with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for the proposed metro train project in Bhubaneswar.

Key points

• As per the MoU, the first phase of Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project will be carried out by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) from the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar to Trishulia in Cuttack. 
• The DMRC will work as a turn-key consultant for the project.
• This is a flagship programme under the 5T Initiative of Government that will also symbolize the emergence of a New Odisha.

5T Initiative

• The 5T initiative in Odisha is a governance framework embodying the principles of Teamwork, Transparency, Technology, Time, and Transformation. 
• It was introduced to enhance governance and ensure the efficient delivery of public services.
• In alignment with the 5T agenda, the Odisha government launched the ‘Mo Sarkar’ or ‘My Government’ initiative in October 2019, resembling a Niti Aayog-like model at the state level.
• In 2022, the Chief of the Odisha Government incorporated an additional T (Tour) into the 5T Initiative, forming the 6T-Mantra.
• Ministers were encouraged to ‘Tour’ more actively, aiming to fortify grassroots connections and further contribute to the initiative’s objectives.

• The Nandankanan zoological park is set to bring in four African white lions, two lions, two cheetahs and five ring-tailed lemurs along with varied exotic species of animals and birds through an exchange programme with Dubai safari park.
• Similarly, five ring-tailed lemur, a pair chimpanzee, three red-necked wallaby, eight hamadryas baboon, seven African grey parrot  and five blue-and-gold macaw will also be brought from Dubai.
• In return, Nandankanan will export a female hippopotamus, six Sangai, five black-bucks, four hog deer, a pair of gaur and red jungle fowl and six gharials to Dubai under the exchange programme.

• • The Odisha State Day was celebrated at India International Trade Fair (IITF)-2023 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
  • The IITF-2023 organized by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 14-27 November carries the theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: United by Trade.”
• The Odisha Pavilion embraces this theme, embodying the spirit of ‘Unity through Trade.’ 

Key points

• A troupe from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay performed Odissi dance while artistes of Adarsha Adivasi Nrutya Kala from Baipariguda in Koraput showcased Birli dance during the celebration.
• The Dalkhai dance of Bargarh-based Baula Jhupa Sanskrutik Anusthan left the audience spellbound. 
• Similarly, devotional song ‘Hara Hara Sambhu’ by Odia singer Abhilipsa Panda received warm response from the audience.
• The silk works of Odisha and the depiction on the maritime history of the state have become the main attraction for the visitors at the pavilion.

20 self-help group (SHG) members of Karlaghati Van Surakhya Samiti (VSS), under Ujalpur forest management unit in Sundargarh forest division, carve a path to selfreliance and sustainable agriculture

Key points

• With crucial support from the OFSDP-II , they have not only established a thriving brown rice enterprise but also demonstrated a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit.
• An integral part of the initiative involves the cultivation of the endangered indigenous paddy variety ‘Lusuri’ using organic methods on five acre of land. 
• Upholding their commitment to tradition, the women manually process the rice using traditional tools like ‘dhenki’, showcasing a labour of love that honors their cultural heritage.

• Patha Utsav, the street festival, is all set to make a comeback very soon.
• Patha Utsav, is popularly known as ‘Raahgiri’.
• The street festival was discontinued due to Covid-19 pandemic and some other reasons.

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