• Three-time Commonwealth medallist Vikas Thakur has been conferred with the Arjuna Award by President Droupadi Murmu for the year 2022 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today.
• The 29-year-old weightlifter, who hails from Patnaun village, had bagged a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 in Birmingham in the 96-kg category. He had also won silver and bronze medals at the CWG in 2014 and 2018, respectively.
• Vikas, who is currently serving in the Indian Air Force, received a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh along with a certificate and a bronze statue of Arjuna. He said now his aim was to win gold for the country at the Asian Games 2023, which are due to be held in China.

• UK India Business Council released the eighth edition of the ‘Doing Business in India’ Report.

About the ‘Doing Business in India’ Report 2022

• ‘Doing Business in India’ Report 2022 was released by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC). Its findings are based on a survey of 111 UK businesses and higher education institutions. It is consistent with the 7 previous surveys that were conducted each year from 2015 to 2021. Their purpose is to assess the views and experiences of UK businesses and higher education institutions in India’s business environment.
• The findings of the 2022 report were shared with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) – the nodal department for promoting ease of doing business in India – and with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, which is responsible for supporting investors in the state.

The key findings of the report

• Maharashtra was rated the highest among the Indian states in terms of the operating environment. Other top performers are Gujarat, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
• The reforms most desired by UK businesses are improving turnaround time of approvals and bureaucratic processes. Simplification of the GST processes and increasing regulatory certainty also received large vote shares as the most desired reforms.
• The Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative is seen by more than 67 per cent of surveyed businesses as an opportunity to do more trade and investment in India. 33 per cent of the businesses see this initiative as a hurdle, raising concerns about the prioritization of local goods and manufacturing over international alternatives.
• The requirement to transfer intellectual property is seen as an issue by the UK business. These businesses are looking for improved investor protection, regulatory certainty and IP protection and processes.
• The strong elements that are supporting business operations in India are telecommunication facilities, skilled labour force and availability of supply chain.

• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the 24th National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) and Preparedness Meeting in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on November 30, 2022. Director General, ICG Shri VS Pathania, who is the Chairman of NOS-DCP, chaired the meeting.
• About 100 delegates, including representatives of various Ministries, Central and State Government departments and agencies, State Pollution Control Board, Ports and Oil Handling Companies participated. National capabilities with the common aim to ensure collective preparedness to respond to any oil and chemical spill contingency in Indian waters were reviewed.
• In his address, Shri VS Pathania stated that ICG is prepared to deal with threats to the region and its resources, including marine oil and chemical spill at sea. He stressed that as new vulnerabilities continue to emerge, the stakeholders must recognise the opportunity to enhance cooperation through stronger partnerships, effective coordination and imbibing best practices of the developing technology.
• Presently, as the third largest importer of crude, India receives a large volume of oil through ships. Similarly, it stands sixth in the world as major chemical importer country.
• Both oil and chemicals if spilled pose inherent risks to the maritime zones of India and the connected coastlines housing large coastal population, marine ecosystem, industries and various installations along with supporting tourism industry.
• Therefore, preventive measures by the Central Coordinating Agency, Ports, Ship Owners, Oil Handling Facilities, Coastal States and other concerned stakeholders are required to be taken to prepare for any likely marine spill.

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it would start using the term “mpox” for monkeypox, which has infected about 80,000 people in the first major outbreak of the viral disease outside Africa that began early this summer.
• The disease spread mainly in the Americas including the United States and Europe, primarily among men who have sex with men (MSM).
• The change of name, announced after a series of consultations with global experts, has been provoked by the racist connotations that “monkeypox” sometimes carries. Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while “monkeypox” is phased out, the WHO said.
• “When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year, racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings and in some communities was observed and reported to WHO.
• In several meetings, public and private, a number of individuals and countries raised concerns and asked WHO to propose a way forward to change the name.
• In fact, monkeypox, which was named in 1970 because the virus that causes the disease was first discovered in captive monkeys in 1958, does not have much to do with monkeys.
• The most likely reservoir for the virus, which has circulated for several years in a few central African countries after jumping to humans through zoonosis in the bush, are rodents.
• This year’s outbreak mainly among MSM has increased the marginalisation of the community that has traditionally been stigmatised for its association with HIV and AIDS.
• The WHO said that assigning names to new and, in some cases, existing diseases is the responsibility of the global body under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the WHO Family of International Health Related Classifications through a consultative process which includes WHO Member States. In the case of monkeypox, the process was accelerated, the release said.
• According to WHO best practices, “new disease names should be given with the aim to minimize unnecessary negative impact of names on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, and avoid causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups”.

The release said “various advisory bodies were heard during the consultation process, including experts from the medical and scientific and classification and statistics advisory committees which constituted representatives from government authorities of 45 different countries”.

• National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB), a premier R&D institute under Administrative Control Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India, is organizing 17th International Conference on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials.
• This year’s theme of the conference is “Moving towards Net Zero Carbon Emission”.
• Shri Anurag Jain, Secretary to Government of India, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry will inaugurate the international conference on 06th December 2022.
• Further in Concluding Session on 09th December,2022, Shri Som Prakash, Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India will be presenting the National Awards for Energy Efficiency, Environmental Excellence, Circular Economy and Total Quality Excellence in Indian Cement Industry.
• The biennial event is being organized this year from 6-9 December, 2022 at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. These conferences have emerged as a single largest event in this part of the globe, in which the cement and construction industry all over the world look forward to participation.
• The forthcoming conference has received overwhelming response from various industrial sectors, Government, academia, machinery manufacturers & consultants from India and across the globe.
• Besides panel discussions and keynote addresses from eminent speakers from industry and academia, about 150 technical papers shall be presented close to 20 technical sessions. More than 80 leading equipment manufacturers and service providers of India and the world, will also showcase their technological prowess, new products and services in a Technical Exhibition, in sync with conference.
• NCB’s areas of work span over the entire spectrum of cement manufacturing and usage – starting with geological exploration of raw materials through the processes, the machinery, the manufacturing aspects, energy and environmental considerations to the final utilization of materials in actual construction, third party quality assurance services of construction projects, condition monitoring & rehabilitation of buildings and structures.
• It serves as the nodal agency for providing the Government the necessary support for formulation of its policy and planning activities related to growth and development of cement and construction industry.
• It is devoted to protect the interests of consumers of cement and concrete in the country. NCB’s stakeholders are Government, Industry and Society, who perceive NCB’s role as discharging national responsibility, providing adequate technology support and improving the quality of life respectively.

About:

• International Jaguar Day is observed annually on November 29.
• International Jaguar Day was created to raise awareness about the increasing threats facing the jaguar and the critical conservation efforts ensuring its survival.
• It celebrates the Americas’ largest wild cat as an umbrella species for biodiversity conservation and an icon for sustainable development and the centuries-old cultural heritage of Central and South America.
• This is the third largest Cat Predator of the World and an important species of Amazon Rainforest.
• International Jaguar Day also represent the collective voice of jaguar range countries, in collaboration with national and international partners, to draw attention to the need to conserve jaguar corridors and their habitats as part of broader efforts to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Jaguars (Panthera onca):

• Jaguars (Panthera onca) are often mistaken for leopards, but can be differentiated due to the spots within the rosettes on their coats.
• While many cats avoid water, jaguars are great swimmers, and have even been known to swim the Panama Canal.

Range and habitat:

• Jaguars once roamed broadly from central Argentina all the way up to the southwestern United States.
• Since the 1880s, they have lost more than half their territory.
• Their main stronghold today is the Amazon Basin, though they still exist in smaller numbers through Central America as well.
• They are typically found in tropical rainforests but also live in savannas and grasslands.

Conservation:

• Jaguars are classified as Near-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
• The species has national protections in almost every country it’s found, and trade in its parts is banned by CITES.

• According to the latest ‘Ericsson Mobility report, 5G will represent around 53 per cent of mobile subscriptions in India by 2028, with 690 million users.
• 5G subscriptions in India are expected to reach around 31 million by the end of this year, as telecom providers like Jio and Airtel continue to roll out 5G services across the country.
• Average data traffic per smartphone in the country is projected to grow from 25GB per month in 2022 to around 54 GB per month in 2028, according to the latest ‘Ericsson Mobility Report’.
• The smartphone subscriptions in India as a percentage of total mobile subscriptions are expected to grow from 77 per cent this year to 94 per cent in 2028.
• 4G subscriptions are expected to peak in India in 2024 at around 930 million, and from there, will decline to an estimated 570 million by the year 2028, the report mentioned.
• “5G will play a crucial role in achieving India’s digital inclusion goals especially for bringing broadband to rural and remote homes,” said Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India and Head of Network Solutions for South east Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson.
• Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA) are expected to be the early use-cases for 5G in India, “which will help address the concern of the limited fixed broadband penetration levels in the country and improve the data experience while on the move,” Bansal added.
• The average data traffic per smartphone in the India region is the highest globally at the moment.
• Total mobile data traffic in the India region is estimated to grow from 18 EB per month in 2022 to 53 exabyte (EB) per month in 2028, growing at a CAGR of 19 per cent, said the report.
• Global 5G subscriptions remain on track to top one billion by the end of this year, and five billion by the end of 2028, despite current and developing economic challenges in many parts of the world.
• On 5G, about 110 million subscriptions were added globally between July-September 2022, bringing the total to about 870 million globally.

• According to the World Bank report, Market potential and investment opportunities in space cooling will be $1.5 trillion by 2040 in India. Therefore, it would be imperative for the government to create an adequate enabling investment framework that can attract financing from the private sector.
• The report titled “Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector” further estimated that by 2050, 45 per cent of the country’s peak electricity demand in 2050 is expected to come from space cooling alone.
• This will require sizeable investments in creating costly peak generating capacity and result in a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions unless suitable low-energy alternatives are available to meet thermal comfort needs in buildings, the report noted.
• India is experiencing higher temperatures every year. By 2030 over 160-200 million people across the country could be exposed to lethal heat waves annually, the report said in its finding.
• Around 34 million people in India will face job losses due to heat stress-related productivity decline.
• The current food loss due to heat during the transportation is close to $13 billion annually. By 2037, the demand for cooling is likely to be eight times more than current levels.
• This means there will be a demand for a new air-conditioner every 15 seconds, leading to an expected rise of 435 per cent in annual greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades, the study revealed.
• “India’s cooling strategy can help save lives and livelihoods, reduce carbon emissions, and simultaneously position India as a global hub for green cooling manufacturing,” said Auguste Tano Kouame, the World Bank’s country director in India.
• The report further noted that sustainable cooling can also support India’s development and help in a green Covid-19 recovery by creating jobs and boosting the economy.

• The Odisha Cabinet has approved the Odisha Tourism Policy 2022 incorporating the latest tourism products and potentials in the state ahead of the ‘Make in Odisha Conclave’.
• “Gauging the transformative changes in the last decade, the new policy is drafted to promote sustainable & responsible tourism encouraging professional management and private sector participation driven by lucrative investment opportunities.
• It focuses on accelerated development of the sector with a view to creating employment opportunities and bring about socio-economic benefits to the stakeholders,” said officials.
• According to the government officials, the policy paves the way for enhancement of enhancement of capital incentive Subsidy (CIS) to 30% from the previous 20%-25% CIS with an aim to encourage investment in tourism sector in the state.
• They said “health, wellness & medical tourism” will now be an eligible tourism unit and provision of incentives to the interested investors.
• This initiative is said to have aimed not only at incentivizing establishment of advanced and super-specialty health establishments within the state, but also to encourage inbound travel of people seeking such services from outside.
• The new tourism policy provides innovative tourism products & offerings to ensure round the year tourism, said the officials adding that it shall help Odisha become a major destination for the tourists.
• It is also expected to promote beach tourism, Buddhist tourism, heritage tourism, religious tourism, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, caravan, campervan/camping van tourism, health and wellness tourism, marine, cruise and yacht tourism, sand art tourism, adventure tourism, in a mission mode.

• Dinesh Kumari from Nurpur, Kangra district has bagged the national award for promoting the art of Chamba ‘rumal’.
• Union Textile and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal conferred the award on Kumari during the Shilp Guru and National Awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.
• Dinesh Kumari had earlier bagged the state award in 1994-95 by the HP Handicraft and Handloom Corporation. She is also a recipient of Dr BR Ambedkar National Award-2017.
• In 2018, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had conferred the Art and Culture Shikhar Samman on her.
• Giving details of the artwork, she said its specialty is that the same pattern is seen on both sides of the cloth. “Chamba ‘rumals’ are exquisitely embroidered art pieces, which depict scenes from epics such as Geet Govind, Bhagavata Puran or simply Radha-Krishna and Shiva-Parvati,” Kumari added.
• To popularise the Chamba ‘rumal’ and pass on this handicrafts talent to the next generation, she is also training girls in the art.
• Significantly, the craft came to be associated specifically with Chamba due to the patronage given by the rulers of the area.
• Historically, the craft mainly flourished during the reign of Raja Umed Singh of Chamba from (1748-68), a patron of miniature artists.