Current Context : Recently, India and Sri Lanka launched Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre(MRCC). This initiative underscores the deepening maritime security cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. ABOUT MRCCs are part of an international network under the UN’s International Maritime Organisation. Objective : to monitor the sea lanes with swift response to emergencies, such as vessels in distress, rescue and evacuation of people and prevention of and containing environmental disasters such as oil spills. The MRCC, established by state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), will serve as the nerve centre for search and rescue operations at the sea. It is built with....Read More

Current Context : Recently, India-IORA Cruise Tourism Conference was held In New Delhi. IORA Member States including Bangladesh, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Seychelles and Tanzania participated in the Conference. ABOUT INDIAN OCEAN RIM ASSOCIATION (IORA) It is an intergovernmental organisation established to promote economic cooperation and regional integration among countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Aim : to work on various initiatives related to trade, investment and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). Established on 7 March 1997 Currently IORA have 23 Member States. IT HAS TWO OBSERVERS GROUPS The Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG)....Read More

Current context : Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Italy to attend the annual G7 summit of advanced economies. The G7 summit will take place at the Apulia region of Italy from June 13 to 15. This marks India's eleventh participation in the G7 summit and Modi's fifth consecutive attendance. ABOUT The G7 (Group of Seven) comprises the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan. European Union is not a member of the G7, although it attends the annual summit. Italy is the current chairing country of G7 Presidency of G7 rotates annually among the member states.Read More

Current Context : Recently, India participated in the first ministerial meeting of the BRICS group of countries with the newly added members held in the Russian city of  Nizhny Novgorod. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined BRICS at the 15th BRICS summit meeting was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2023. Russia is the current Chairman of BRICS. Brazil will be the next chairman of BRICS after Russia. ABOUT BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation that originally consisted of four countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The first summit BRIC countries was held in....Read More

Current Context : United Nations officially declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in  General Assembly meeting. Aim : to strengthen national capacities in the basic sciences and science education. The year-long initiative will celebrate the impacts of quantum science on technology, culture, and our understanding of the natural world . Objective : to bring quantum (science) education and research to young people in Africa and developing countries around the world with the hope of inspiring the next generation of scientists. It was supported by more than 70 countries.Read More

Current Context : India, South Korea, Japan, the US, and the European Union launched an alliance to put joint efforts to build a resilient supply chain in the biopharmaceutical sector. It was announced on the inaugural meeting of the Biopharmaceutical Alliance, during the Bio International Convention 2024, the world’s largest biopharmaceutical exhibition. It was held in San Diego, California. The alliance was launched in response to the drug supply shortages experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. ABOUT BIOPHARMACEUTICALS Biopharmaceuticals are a type of medical drug which is produced by using a living being's organs and tissues, microorganisms, animal fluids, or genetically....Read More

Current Context : Recently, Pakistan, Somalia, Denmark, Greece and Panama were elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning 2025. The five members were elected by a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly for a 2-year term starting on January 1, 2025, until December 31, 2026. ABOUT UN SECURITY COUNCIL The UN Security Council is the most important body of the United Nations and it is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security. The decision of the Security Council is binding on all the members of the United Nations. It comprises 15....Read More

Current Context : India participated in ITU’s WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event and ‘AI for Good’ Global Summit. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum 2024, a High-Level Event, conducted by International Telecom Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland from 27th May - 31st May, 2024. The event was co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD. During the AI for Good Global Summit at ITU, India took over the baton of hosting WTSA 2024 in New Delhi from 15-24 October 2024. India also highlighted the reforms undertaken by country using AI in the telecom sector and to build sustainable future....Read More

Current Context : UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) launched a new $135 million Blue and Green Islands Integrated Programme (BGI-IP). It was launched during the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4). Aim : to emphasize the role of nature and expand nature-based solutions to combat environmental degradation in three key sectors: urban development, food production, and tourism. The BGI-IP will support 15 SIDS. It will support sustainable agriculture and fisheries, promote nature-friendly tourism, reduce pollution and improve resilience to extreme weather events. ABOUT BLUE AND GREEN ISLANDS INTEGRATED PROGRAMME (BGI-IP) The Blue and Green Islands....Read More

Current Context : The World Health Organization (WHO) launched its first-ever Investment Round as part of a broader plan to transform the way the Organization into an era of climate change, mass migration, pandemic threats, an ageing world population and turbulent geopolitics. The theme of the Assembly is All for Health, Health for All. Investment Round has been launched at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA). Objective : to save 40 million lives and improve the health of 6 billion people. Focusing on health emergencies, AMR, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases, vaccination. Aim : to mobilize resources....Read More