• The gaddi dance has got the third place in the category of crop harvesting in a competition organised during the National Tribal Festival at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
• The participants of 52 cultural troupes of the country participated in the competition and presented a glimpse of varied culture of their regions.
• Deputy Commissioner DC Rana congratulated the artistes of the Saraswati Lok Kala Sangam of Chamba for getting the third position in the Gaddi.
• Lauding the cultural troupe, Rana said it was a matter of pride for Himachal that Gaddi dance of Chamba district had got the national recognition. He also asked the cultural troupe to enhance the talent.
• The DC presented a reward of Rs 2 lakh to the cultural troupe as prize.
• District Language Officer Tukesh Sharma lauded artistes Atul Sharma, Himanshu, Ramesh Kumar, Karam Chand, Uttam, Vinod, Neeraj, Vivek, Tilak, Tek Chand, Naresh, Sanjay, Neelam, Meenakshi, Pinky, Anita, Rekha, Vandana.

• Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar felicitated Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama with the Gandhi Mandela Award at McLeodganj in Dharamsala.
• The award was presented to him at a function organised by the Gandhi Mandela Foundation, which has been promoting the values and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela in the interest of global peace and freedom.
• The award serves to recognise the global leaders who inspire citizens for peace, unity and freedom.
• The Dalai Lama said non-violence and compassion were essential for world peace and both these had been ingrained in the Indian culture for thousands of years. “Problems cannot be solved through war but through dialogue and peace,” he added.
• He asserted, “For world peace, we have to adopt non-violence and compassion as these are the guiding force for existence.”
• The Governor said the Dalai Lama was perhaps the most deserving person in the world today for this award as he was a universal ambassador of peace, who was carrying forward the Indian culture and ideas. “The Dalai Lama has given two principles — non-violence and compassion — which have become most relevant in today’s times. They are far more powerful than even an army,” he said.
• The Governor said ancient Indian culture lays stress on goodwill, compassion and love towards others which the Dalai Lama has taken forward. “After great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, it is the Dalai Lama, who has the potential to become a world citizen, not bound by physical boundaries of the countries,” he said.
• Earlier, Justice KG Balakrishnan, Jury Chairman and former Chief Justice of India, said the younger generation must follow the teachings of the Dalai Lama. Justice Gyan Sudha Misra, Jury Vice-Chairman and former Supreme Court Judge, said the Dalai Lama had shown the path of peace to the whole world.

• In a significant development and recognition to the country’s efforts in improving access to modern family planning methods, India is the only country to have received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the ‘country category’ at the International Conference on Family Planning held in Pattaya city, Thailand.
• India has made outstanding progress not only in improving access but also adoption of modern contraceptive methods enabling couples to make informed choices about family planning. These are reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) – 5 data. As per NFHS-5 data, overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54 percent to 67 percent in the country, from NFHS-4. Similarly, unmet needs of family planning have witnessed a significant decline from 13 per cent to 9 per cent. The unmet need for spacing has also come down to less than 10 per cent.
• The total ‘demand satisfied’ for family planning among currently married women aged 15-49 in India increased from 66 percent in 2015-16 to 76 percent in 2019-21 which has already crossed the SDG target of 75 set globally for 2030. The government’s focus on improving easy and affordable access to modern contraceptives are reflected in the fact that 68% modern method contraceptive users obtain their method from the public health sector, as per NFHS-5 data. Mission Parivar Vikas, one of the government’s flagship programmes, to reduce unmet needs in family planning, has also been a critical factor in the overall improvement.
• India’s efforts in improving family planning demonstrate the progress the country is making towards achieving the SDG targets on women and maternal health.
• The International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) has served as a strategic inflection point for the global reproductive health community, providing a global stage for more than 120 countries worldwide, organizations, and individuals to make important commitments and celebrate achievements as the world’s largest scientific conclave on family planning and reproductive health. The event was attended by more than 3500 delegates physically and tens of thousands on the virtual platform.

• According to a report issued by the Sri Lankan finance ministry, Sri Lanka has exported five times more than its imports under the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement in the first nine months of this year, 2022.

About:

• Sri Lanka’s exports added up to over 140 billion Lankan rupees under the agreement.
• Imports into Sri Lanka from India stood at 28 billion rupees.
• Trade with India contributed to almost 65 percent of the total trade of Sri Lanka under four existing free trade agreements.
• The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Sri Lanka was the first-ever bilateral trade agreement for both countries, signed in 1998 and enforced in 2000.
• The pact is aimed at further boosting the economic ties between the two countries by liberalising trade norms.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA):

• FTA is an agreement between the countries or regional blocks to reduce or eliminate trade barriers, though mutual negotiations with a view to enhancing trade.
• It can however be comprehensive to include goods, services, investment, intellectual property, competition, government procurement and other areas.
  • On goods, the key areas covered are customs duties or tariffs, rules of origins, non-tariff measures such as technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitary phytosanitary (SPS) measures, trade remedies etc.
  • On services, the negotiations are on barriers to various modes of supply including domestic regulations.

Trade agreements could be bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral.

• Bilateral trade agreementsoccur when two countries agree to unshackle trade restrictions to expand business opportunities.
• Plurilateral agreementsoccur between a large number of countries, either in the regional context or otherwise.
• Multilateral trade agreementsis generally referred to for WTO negotiations since it covers a large number of countries and sets global trade rules.

About:

• The proposal, to allow a regular form of controlled trade in ivory from Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, was defeated at the 19th meeting of the CITES (CoP19) in Panama City.
• India’s abstention — a break from its past stand — was in tune with what Namibia had asked for when it agreed to transfer cheetahs this summer.

Ivory trade Ban

• The ivory trade was globally banned in 1989 when all African elephant populations were put in CITES Appendix I.
• No trade is allowed in species listed in CITES Appendix I while trade is strictly regulated in those under Appendix II.

What is CITES?

• It is an international agreement to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily.
• It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). It entered into force in July 1975.
• Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws.
• The CITES Secretariat is administered by UNEP and is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference of the Parties to CITES is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention and comprises all its parties.

• Commissioning of the sixth hydro power plant in the North East e. 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station in Arunachal Pradesh will be a major step towards fulfilling Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of the Governement  of India pledged under Paris Agreement 2015. The project will form part of projected hydro capacity addition of  30000 MW by 2030.
• The project will form part of projected hydro capacity addition of  30000 MW by 2030.
• The project stretches over more than 80 kilometers in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh at a cost of approx. Rs 8200 Crore.
• This will make Arunachal Pradesh a power surplus state with huge benefits to the National Grid in terms of grid stability and integration and balancing of solar and wind energy sources in the grid.

• With China adopting an aggressive stance in the Indo-Pacific, security experts and strategic thinkers will review its impact on the region during the three-day conference at New Delhi beginning November 23.
• It is part of the Indian Navy’s annual international meet called the “Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue” (IPRD).
• The overarching theme of this year’s conference is Operationalising the “Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative” (IPOI) Programme.  The discourse is being led by the National Maritime Foundation( NMF), which is also the Indian Navy’s knowledge partner.
• In 2018, the initial conception of an IPRD was made. With the exception of 2020, when it had to be postponed owing to the Covid-19 epidemic, the event has been hosted annually since its initial year in 2018.
• The IPRD reviews the current geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region and identifies opportunities, dangers, and problems that might be present. It is difficult to exaggerate how important the IPRD is since it is not only essential to India’s own policy-formulation but also to all other nations in the region.
• Additionally, IPRD remains crucial to its interests because one of the main goals of the NMF is to conduct analyses of international relations and geopolitical factors that are important to India strategically, with the aim of proposing maritime Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) and amplifying maritime cooperation among seafaring nations as well as to achieve a sustainable security environment in the Indo-Pacific Region.
• As the term “Indo-Pacific,” recognises the geopolitical unity of littoral nation-states of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean across a primarily oceanic regional-expanse, it has become intrinsic to global political, economic, and strategic discourse over the past ten years, and as such the Indo-Pacific region continues to be synonymous with the IPRD.

• World Children’s was celebrated on November 20.
• The theme for International children’s day is, “Inclusion, for every child”.
• On the occasion, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights will launch training modules for Chairpersons and Members of Child Welfare Committees and Protocols for the Restoration and Repatriation of Children in New Delhi.
• These modules and protocols have been developed to address the amended roles of Child Welfare Committees and District Child Protection Officers in matters of children in need of care and protection.
• The Training Module has been made with the aim to bring the roles and responsibilities of Child Welfare Committees into one place. Women and Child Development Ministry said, the government is committed to reaching out to every child needing care and protection.
• The Union Ministry for Women Child and Development launched training modules for the Child welfare committee and protocols for repatriation and restoration for children at Vigyan Bhawan.
• The aim of the programme is to provide training to members and officials to the child welfare committees (CWCs) and Districts Child Protection Unit (DCPUs) for the effective implementation of Juvenile Justice Rules in the country.
• The training Programme, was launched on World Children’s day by the Secretary of Women Child and Development, Indevar Pandey, Chairman of National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) Priyank Kanoongo and member secretaries.
• India has 55 crore children, and since they are the nation’s future, it is our duty to protect their rights.
• During the programme, a portal, ‘GHAR” means “Go Home and Re-Unite for restoration and repatriation of children also launched.

• India has improved its position by six slots and is now placed at 61st rank as per the Network Readiness Index 2022 report released recently. In its latest version of 2022, the report maps the network-based readiness landscape of 131 economies based on their performances in four different pillars technology, people, governance, and impact.
• India has not only improved its ranking but also improved its score from 49.74 in 2021 to 51.19 in 2022.
• The report states that India secured 1st rank in AI talent concentration, the second rank in Mobile broadband internet traffic within the country and International Internet bandwidth, third rank in Annual investment in telecommunication services and Domestic market size, fourth rank in ICT Services exports, fifth rank in FTTH and Building Internet subscriptions and AI scientific publications.
• The report was prepared by the Portland Institute, an independent non-profit, nonpartisan research and educational institute based in Washington DC. The report mention that India has a greater network readiness than would be expected given its income level.
• The country is ranked third out of 36 in the group of lower-middle-income countries after Ukraine and Indonesia.

• After assuming the G20 Presidency, India will take over the Chair of Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, GPAI.
• Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar will represent the country at the GPAI meeting to be held in Tokyo for the symbolic takeover from France.
• GPAI is an international initiative to support responsible and human-centric development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• GPAI is a congregation of 25 member countries, including the US, UK, European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore.
• India had joined the GPAI in 2020 as a founding member. The Artificial Intelligence is expected to add 967 billion US dollar to Indian economy by 2035 and 450-500 billion dollar to India’s GDP by 2025.
• It is expected to account for 10 per cent of the country’s 5 trillion-dollar GDP target.
• India occupying the chair also signifies how the world today perceives it as a Trusted Technology partner and one that has always advocated for the ethical use of technology for transforming citizens lives.