Why in news?

• Recently National Commission for Women (NCW) launched ‘She is a Changemaker’ programme.

About ‘She is a Changemaker’ programme

• Launched by: National Commission for Women (NCW)
• Main objective: To improve the leadership and decision-making skills of grassroot women political leaders and their communication skills including oration and writing skills.
• The pan-India capacity building programme has been launched for women representatives at all levels, from gram panchayats to the parliament including political workers and office bearers of national and state-level political parties.
• The capacity building programme will be undertaken in coordination with region-wise training institutes.
• The She is a Changemaker programme includes a series of training programmes. They were launched by National Commission for Women Chairperson Rekha Sharma in collaboration with Rhambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, Thane, Maharashtra.
• Benefit: The ‘She is a Changemaker’ programme aims to benefit every woman who wishes to make an identity for herself in politics and help her claim her rightful space in politics.

Why in news?

• Recently, in the Asia Power Index 2021, India Ranked as Fourth most powerful country in the Asia-Pacific region for comprehensive power.

About the Asia Power Index 2021

• India has been ranked the 4th most powerful country in the Asia-Pacific region for comprehensive power out of 26 countries.
• According to the Lowy Institute Asia Power Index 2021, Indians have an overall score of 37.7 out of 100. In comparison to 2020, India’s overall score dropped by two points.
• In 2021, India will once again fall short of the major power benchmark. India is one of 18 Asian countries with a declining overall score in 2021.
• The yearly Asia Power Index assesses the relative power of Asian states by measuring resources and influence.
• It’s a tool that rates 26 countries and territories based on what they have and how they use it, with countries as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States included.
• The 2021 edition, which contains four years of data, is the most complete analysis of Asia’s evolving power distribution to date.
• Top 10 countries are: United States, China, Japan, India, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Why in news?

• According to the recently released World Inequality Report 2022, India is now among the most unequal countries in the world.

About World Inequality Report 2022

Released by:

• World Inequality Lab, which aims to promote research on global inequality dynamics.
• This report presents the most up-to-date synthesis of international research efforts to track global inequalities.

Key Points of the Report

• Distribution of Wealth: The poorest half of the global population “barely owns any wealth” possessing just 2% of the total, whereas the richest 10% of the global population own 76% of all wealth.
• The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are the most unequal regions in the world, whereas Europe has the lowest inequality levels.
• Gender Inequalities: Women’s share of total incomes from work (labour income) was about 30% in 1990 and is less than 35% now. Inequalities within countries are now greater than those observed between countries. At the same time, the gap between the average incomes of the top 10% and the bottom 50% of individuals within countries has almost doubled.
• Rich Countries Poor Governments: Over the past 40 years, countries have become significantly richer, but their governments have become significantly poorer. The currently low wealth of governments has important implications for state capacities to tackle inequality in the future, as well as the key challenges of the 21st century such as climate change.

India Specific Findings

• Distribution of Wealth: India stands out as a poor and very unequal country. The top 1% of the population hold more than one-fifth of the total national income in 2021 and the bottom half just 13%.
• The economic reforms and liberalization adopted by India have mostly benefited the top 1%.
• Average Household Wealth: It stands at Rs. 983,010. It has been observed that the deregulation and liberalisation policies implemented since the mid-1980s have led to “one of the most extreme increases in income and wealth inequality observed in the world”.
• Gender Inequalities: The female labour income share is equal to 18% which is significantly lower than the average in Asia [21%, excluding China] and this value is one of the lowest in the world.

Why in news?

• Government assume tank NITI Aayog recently introduced the launch of ‘e-Sawaari India Electric Bus Coalition’ in partnership with Convergence Energy Service Ltd () and World Resources Institute, India (WRI India), with assistance from Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI).

More about ‘e-Sawari India E-Bus Coalition’

• The coalition has been launched with the intention to share information and learnings on e-bus adoption in India amongst varied stakeholders, together with central and state governments, city-level authorities businesses, transit service suppliers, authentic tools producers (OEMs), financing establishments and ancillary service suppliers.
• As per NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, electrification of public transport particularly in the bus sector is vital to India’s decarbonisation technique.
• The e-Sawaari India Electric Bus Coalition is a step toward ensuring steady and paced electrification of the bus transport system in India.

Why in news?

• Every year on December 10, Human Rights Day is observed globally to honour the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948.
• This was the first-ever global document on human rights that outlines the fundamental rights of all human beings that need to be protected universally.

About Human Rights Day

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948.
• The year, 2021 celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• The year, 2021’s theme is Human Rights Day theme is “Equality, Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights.”
• This year’s Human Rights Day theme relates to ‘Equality’ and Article 1 of the UDHR – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
• The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. Equality is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and with the UN approach set out in the document Shared Framework on Leaving No One Behind: Equality and Non-Discrimination at the Heart of Sustainable Development.
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been translated into more than 500 languages and is the most translated document in the world.

Why in news?

• In the untimely death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, India has lost a fine soldier who rose to become the country’s most senior general as its first Chief of Defence Staff.
• All but one of the 14 people on board were killed in the crash of the Mi-17V5 transporter, which was ferrying them from Sulur air base to the Staff College at Wellington.

About GENERAL BIPIN RAWAT

• Rawat, who was Army chief until December 2019, when he was elevated to the newly created office of CDS, was a vastly experienced officer, having served in both the Northern and Eastern commands.
• He was involved in counter-insurgency operations in both Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, and his battalion was among those deployed along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh during the 1987 clash with the People’s Liberation Army in Sumdorong Chu.
• Rawat started his career as an officer in the Gorkhas and rose to command 5/11 Gorkha Rifles, the battalion his father Lt Gen L S Rawat also commanded.

Why in news?

• As per the report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) titled ‘Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies, 2020’, 3 Indian defence manufactures companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Indian Ordnance Factories, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) ranks among the Top 100 manufacturers globally
• The HAL, ranked 42nd, and BEL, ranked 66th, and Indian Ordnance Factories ranked 60th.
• The arms sales of HAL, BEL, and Indian Ordnance Factories increased by 1.5 percent, 4.0 percent, and 0.2 percent respectively in 2020 when compared to 2019.

Important points

• The combined arms sales of the world’s largest top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in 2020 was about $531 billion.
• The arms sales of the Top 100 were 17 percent higher in 2020 than in 2015.
• With 41 arms companies, the USA has the highest number of companies in the top 100 worldwide.
• Together, their arms sales amounted to $285 billion, an increase of 1.9 percent compared with 2019. The top five companies are from the US.
• With 13 percent share of total Top 100 arms sales, China stands at 2nd to the US in terms of manufacturing military equipment, arms and weapons.

Why in news?

• On the occasion of the Mahaparinirvana Diwas 2021(6th December), Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment(SJE), Dr Virendra Kumar participated in the event organised by Dr Ambedkar Foundation at Dr Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi campus and launched the ‘Shreshtha Yojna’ and National Fellowship Management and Grievance Redressal Portal during the event.
• He also paid floral tribute to Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar at the Dr Ambedkar National Memorial, New Delhi.

About  Shreshtha Yojna:

• The Shreshtha Yojana will support the socio-economic upliftment and overall development of the Scheduled
• Caste(SC) students by providing quality residential education in reputed private schools.

Highlights of the event:

• Union Minister Dr Virendra Kumar also launched a special book titled “Social Justice and Empowerment Reflections from Dr Ambedkar Chairs” published by Dr Ambedkar Foundation.
• He also released a brochure on Dr Ambedkar’s ‘Panchteerth’ and several schemes and scholarships for the SC students by the MoSJE

Why in news?

• NITI (National Institute for Transforming India) Aayog and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a report titled ‘Waste-wise Cities: Best practices in municipal solid waste management’, a comprehensive knowledge on India’s solid waste management.

About report

• The Report documents best practices of solid waste management from 28 cities in 15 states of India.
• The report contains, source segregation, material recovery and technological innovations to the management of different kinds of wastes and systems such as biodegradables, plastics, Electronic-waste (e-waste), Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste and landfills

Why in News

• President of the Russian Federation H.E. Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to India, New Delhi on 6 December 2021 for the 21st India–Russia Annual Summit news?

About 21st India – Russia summit

• Both of them discussed things related to terrorism and drug trafficking, including the situation in Afghanistan.
• Both countries welcomed the signing of a new Long-Term Program for Military and Technical Cooperation for the period 2021-2031
• The first 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the Russian and Indian ministers was held at the Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, Delhi.
• India has also begun to receive S-400 missiles from Russia and Russia has also started delivering the S-400 missile systems to India in December 2021. The S-400 is a mobile long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system developed by a Russian state-owned enterprise Almaz-Antey.
• Both nations also signed an agreement for the joint production of 6,01,427 assault rifles AK-203 through Indo Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd, in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi
• About Russia:
• Capital – Moscow
• Currency – Russian ruble
• President – Vladimir Putin
• Prime Minister – Mikhail Mishustin