SIPRI Report 2022 : India’s HAL, BEL, MDL in Top 100 arms–producing companiesSwedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has released the report titled “World’s Top 100 Arms Producing Companies 2022”. SIPRI Top 100 listing includes the 100 companies with the largest arms revenue during the year covered. It lists the companies which make arms, weapons, military planes and equipment.
i.For the 1st time, three Indian Public Sector Units (PSUs) : Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) are listed in the Top 100 arms producing companies.
ii.Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), an Indian PSU specialized in Shipbuilding marks its debut in the list by securing 89th position. It generated revenue of USD 1 billion for year 2022.
iv.The United States (U.S.) continues to dominate the Top 100 list with 42 companies. Despite having most number of U.S. companies in the list, revenue of these companies fell by 7.9% to USD 302 billion in 2022.
About Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI):
Chair: Stefan Löfven (Sweden)
Establishment – 1966
Headquarters – Stockholm, Sweden

LIC Notifies Framework for Appointment of Shareholders’ Director in its BoardOn December 1, 2023, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has notified LIC (shareholders’ director) Regulations, 2023 to allow the induction of shareholders’ directors on LIC’s board.

• The regulations was notified in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (f) of subsection (2) of section 4 read with clause (n) of sub-section (2) of section 49 of the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 (31 of 1956).

Highlights from Regulation:
i.Election: Upon notice of not less than 1000 shareholders or one-tenth of the total number of shareholders (whichever is lower), LIC would elect a shareholders’ director through a general meeting of such shareholders.
ii.Term: The board will appoint a shareholders’ director for a tenure of 4 years.
iii.Re-election: The director will be eligible for re-election and re-appointment for another 4 years.
Key Points:
i.After the appointment, the shareholder’s director cannot hold a similar position in more than two companies at the same time, clarifying the corporation in its notification.
ii.At present, LIC has five executive directors, including Chairman Siddhartha Mohanty, nine independent directors, and one government nominee Director MP Tangirala.
About Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC):
Chairperson– Siddhartha Mohanty
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment– 1956

ESIC received “ISSA Vision Zero 2023” Award at the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at WorkThe Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E) was awarded  Vision Zero 2023 Award by International Social Security Association (ISSA) at the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, held in Sydney, Australia from 27th to 30th November, 2023.

• The award was received by Rajendra Kumar, Director General of  ESIC.

Why ESIC?
i.ESIC was awarded for its outreach in the field of safety and health at work places by aligning the prevention strategy.
ii.ESIC also provided post-accidental mechanism for medical care and cash benefits to the workers and their dependents.
iii.The award also recognises the improvements made in the service delivery of the ESI Corporation as well as increase in its administrative and operational efficiency using Information Technology (IT) enabled initiatives.
23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work:
i.It is one of the largest international conferences for work health and safety.
ii.The World Congress was co-organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO),  SafeWork New South Wales (NSW) and ISSA.
iii.The theme of the event was “Shaping Change: Collaborating for a healthier and safer world of work”.
ISSA:
Vision ZERO Award:
i.The award is presented by ISSA to companies and organizations that have
promoted and implemented the 7 Golden Rules of Vision Zero.
ii.It is a transformational approach for prevention of accidents at work places integrating the three dimensions of safety, health and well-being at all levels of work.
International Social Security Association (ISSA):
i.ISSA offers a global platform and a unique network for all those in social security concerned with the health of workers.
ii.ISSA is headquartered at the International Labour Office (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
President – Mohammed Azman
Established in – 1927
About Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC):
Director General – Rajendra Kumar
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established in – 1952

Oxford University Press names ‘Rizz‘ as Word of the Year 2023On December 4, 2023, the Oxford University Press (OUP) has named ‘Rizz’,  a colloquial noun defined as style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner, as its word of the year for 2023. It is mainly used by the younger generation.
Note: The Oxford word of the year 2022 was ‘goblin mode’ describing ‘unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly or greedy’ behaviour.
Rizz: 
i.Etymologically, the term is believed to be a shortened form of the word ‘charisma’, taken from the middle part of the word.
ii.The word ‘rizz’ can also be used as a verb, in phrases such as ‘to rizz up’,
OUP’s  Word of the year:
OUP, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, annually chooses a word of the year, which reflects the mood, preoccupations, and ethos of the year.
The word should also have the potential to be culturally significant.
Shortlisted words of 2023:
For 2023, the experts of OUP shortlisted 8 words and phrases and released them for public voting.
From the 4 winners of the contest, the OUP experts choose the Oxford world of the year for 2023 through detailed analysis.
1.Celebrity Culture

• Swiftie(noun – n)– an enthusiastic fan of the singer Taylor Swift.
• de-influencing(n)– the practice of discouraging people from buying particular products, or of encouraging people to reduce their consumption of material goods, esp. via social media.

2.Personal Characteristics

• Rizz(n)– style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic partner.
• Beige Flag(n)– a character trait that indicates that a partner or potential partner is boring or lacks originality

3.Shifts in the World

• Prompt(n)– an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program, algorithm, etc., which determines or influences the content it generates.
• Heat Dome(n)– a persistent high-pressure weather system over a particular geographic area, which traps a mass of hot air below it.

4.Relationship Dynamics

• Parasocial(adjective)– designating a relationship characterized by the one-sided, unreciprocated sense of intimacy felt by a viewer, for a well-known or prominent figure in which the follower or fan comes to feel (falsely) that they know the celebrity as a friend.
• Situationship(n)– a romantic relationship that is not considered to be formal or established.

Pakistan Elected as Vice Chair of UNESCO Executive Board from the Asia Pacific GroupPakistan was elected as the Vice Chairperson of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Executive Board for the term 2023-2025 from the Asia Pacific Group.

• Out of the 58-member Executive Board, Pakistan received 38 votes defeating India which got only 18 votes.
• The election was held on 15th November 2023 during the 218th session of UNESCO’s Executive Board in Paris, France.

Note: As the Vice Chair of UNESCO Executive board, Pakistan will be able to influence global policies and initiatives in education, science, culture and communication.
About the Executive Board of UNESCO:
i.The executive board, made up of 58 member states with a 4-year term, has the role of administering the UN body and appointing the director-general.
ii.It is one of the 3 constitutional organs of UNESCO, along with the 194-member general conference and the secretariat.
iii.The bureau of the executive board consists of 12 members: the chairperson, 6 vice-chairpersons and the 5 chairpersons of the permanent commissions and committees.
Iv.The 6 Vice-Chairs are from each electoral group of the board. The 6 electoral groups are:

• Group I (Western European and North American States)
• Group II (Eastern European States)
• Group III (Latin-American and Caribbean States)
• Group IV (Asian and Pacific States)
• Group V (a) (African States)
• Group V (b) (Arab States)

Chair and Vice Chairpersons (2023-2025):
The Chairperson of the UNESCO Executive Board, for the term 2023-2025 is Vera Lacoeuilhe, a French-Lebanese diplomat and the representative of St. Lucia.
The Vice-chairs for 2023-2025 are:

• USA (Group I),
• Lithuania (Group II),
• Haiti (Group III),
• Pakistan (Group IV),
• Botswana (Group V (a))
• Oman (Group V (b))

Note: Vice-chairpersons representing Groups I, II, III, V (a) and V (b) were elected by consensus. Voting was held only in Group IV.
Role of Vice Chair:
i.The vice-chairperson has no decision-making powers.
ii.In the absence of the Chairperson during a session, the functions of the chair are exercised in turn by the Vice-Chairpersons.
Key Points:
i.India was elected to the UNESCO executive board in 2021 for a 4-year term till 2025.
ii.In 2023, Pakistan was elected for a 4-year term which will end in 2027.
iii.Group IV includes Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Rajiv Anand Appointed as Chairman of Max Life Insurance; succeeds Analjit SinghRajiv Anand, a Non-Executive Director of Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd. nominated by Axis Bank Ltd, has been named the Chairman of Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd., with effect from 5th December 2023.

• Rajiv Anand, Deputy Managing Director (MD) of Axis Bank(since 2021) succeeded Analjit Singh, the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Max Life Insurance Co Ltd.
• Analjit Singh has formally stepped down from the Chairman position and as a member of the Max Life Insurances board as of 4 December 2023.

Note: Max Life Insurance Co Ltd is a 70:30 Joint Venture (JV) between Max Financial Services Limited (MFSL), a part of the Max Group, and Axis Bank Limited.
About Rajiv Anand:
i.He joined Axis Asset Management Co. Ltd (AMC) in 2009 and was the founding MD and CEO of Axis AMC.
ii.In 2013, he was appointed as the President (retail banking) of Axis Bank and was inducted on to the Board of the bank in 2016.
iii.He was apppointed as the Executive Director (Wholesale Banking) of Axis Bank in 2018.
iv.He is a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee and the Committee of Whole Time Directors of Axis Bank.
v.He is the Co-Chair of the Banking Taskforce at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)- Western region, and a member of the National Committee on Banking at CII.
About Analjit Singh:
i.He has served as non-executive Chairman of Vodafone India and a Director on the boards of several companies like Tata Global Beverages and Sofina NV/SA, Belgium.
ii.He has also served as member of Prime Minister(PM)’s Joint Indo-US CEOs Forum and the Chairman of CII’s National Committee on Insurance & Pension.
iii.He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2011 for Trade and Industry.
About Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd:
MD and CEO– Prashant Tripathy
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
Launched in– 2000

India to Represent Asia in Executive Committee of Codex Alimentarius Commission
India has been unanimously elected to represent the Asian region in the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC).  

• The election took place during the 46th meeting of the CAC held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, Italy from 27th November to 2nd December 2023.
• The Indian delegation was led by G Kamala Vardhana Rao, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Note: CAC is an international organization that develops food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice.  Codex Alimentarius is Latin for “food code”.
Key Points:
i.As a part of the executive committee of CAC, India can significantly contribute to setting international standards for various food categories and actively participate in decision-making processes.
ii.During the meeting of CAC, India proposal to set up group standards for millets under Additional agendas category. This was discussed during the meeting and was approved by CAC for preparation of 3 project documents.
iii.CAC also acknowledged India’s initiatives to establish global standard for millets.
About the Executive Committee of CAC:
i.The Executive Committee comprises of the Chair, 3 vice Chairs, 6 regional coordinators and 7 elected representatives from the 7  geographical regions of Codex: (Africa; Asia; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; Near East; North America; & The Southwest Pacific).
ii.The Executive Committee is chaired by the Chairperson of the CAC.

• At present, Chairperson of CAC is Steve Wearne, Director of Global Affairs at the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency.

About Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC):
The CAC was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chairperson– Steve Wearne
Members– 188 Member Countries (Including India) and 1 Member Organization (The European Union)
Headquarters– Rome, Italy

Vivek Kumar Gupta Appointed as Part-time Govt Director on the Board of RVNL
Droupadi Murmu, The President of India, has approved the appointment of Vivek Kumar Gupta as Part-time Government Director on the Board of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) with immediate effect. .

• He is currently serving as the Principal Executive Director (PED)/Gati Shakti, Railway Board.
• He will hold the part time post till he holds the position of PED/Gati Shakti, Railway Board, or until further orders, whichever comes earlier.

Vivek Kumar Gupta is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer and was transferred to the Railway Board and posted as PED (Gati Shakti), Railway Board in 2023.

• He was a Higher Administrative Grade (HAG)/IRSE in Central Railway and served as Chief Bridge Engineer (CBE) and Chief Track Engineer (CTE) in Central Railway.

Note: RVNL is a Navaratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Railways. It undertakes and executes the development, financing, and implementation of projects related to rail infrastructure.

Indian Air Force Officer Manisha Padhi Appointed India’s 1st Woman Aide-De-Camp to Mizoram Governor
Squadron leader Manisha Padhi, a 2015 batch Indian Air Force (IAF) officer was appointed as the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) of Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati. She became the first woman Indian Armed Forces officer to be appointed as Aide-de-Camp (ADC).

• She formally joined her post and reported to the Mizoram Governor at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Aizawl, Mizoram.
• She was previously posted at Air Force Stations in Bidar (Karnataka), Pune (Maharashtra), and Bhatinda (Punjab).

i.In India, Aide-de-Camp is a title of honour, and current as well as former aides-de-camp have conferred the post-nominal letter ADC.
ii.ADC is an officer in the armed forces who assists a higher-ranking officer, they are also personal assistants or secretaries to people of high rank, such as the head of state.
iii.In India, the Governor of states have 2 ADCs, one from either the Army/Navy/Air Force, and the other from the state’s police force.

• Zonun Thara, a Mizoram state police officer, is the other ADC to the Governor of Mizoram.

Note: The service chiefs, including the chief of the Army, Navy, and Air Staff, usually have 3 ADCs and the President has 5 ADCs (3 from the Army and 1 each from the Navy and the Air Force). There is also one honorary ADC from the Territorial Army.

GRSE delivered Sandhayak (Yard 3025) SVL to Indian NavyGarden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata (West Bengal)  has delivered Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sandhayak (Yard 3025), the first of four Survey Vessel (Large) (SVL) ships to the Indian Navy(IN) on 4th December 2023.

• Sandhayak has an indigenous content of over 80% by cost.

Yard 3025:
i.The contract for building four SVL ships was signed between the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and GRSE on 30 October 2018.
ii.The Keel for the ship was laid in 2019 and the ship was launched in 2021.

• After the launch, the ship has undergone a comprehensive schedule of trials in harbour and at sea.

Specifications:
i.SVL ships are 110 meter long, 16 meter wide with a displacement of 3,400 tons.
ii.The hull of these ships is made from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel manufactured by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
iii.The ship is powered by two Diesel Engines and it can achieve speeds upto 18 knots. 
iv.The vessel is fitted with state of the art hydrographic equipment such as Data Acquisition and Processing System, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) Long range positioning systems, Digital side scan sonar etc.
Primary Role of Sandhayak:
i.It will conduct full scale coastal and deep-water Hydrographic Survey of Port/ Harbour approaches and will determine the navigational channels/ routes.
ii.The zone of operation includes maritime limits upto the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.
iii.The vessel will gather oceanographic and geophysical data for both defence and civilian purposes
Additional Info:
Other three Survey Vessel (Large) (SVL) are Nirdeshak (Yard 3026), Ikshak (Yard 3027) and Sanshodhak (Yard 3028)

China Launches MisrSat-2 satellite jointly-developed with EgyptOn 4th December 2023, China National Space Agency (CNSA) launched the MisrSat-2 or Aiji Yaogan Weixing Erhao (Aiji 2) satellite with a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

• MisrSat-2, the optical remote sensing satellite, was jointly developed by the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) and CNSA.

About MisrSat-2:
i.The satellite, weighing 350 kg, features an high-resolution imager with a ground resolution of 2 metres in panchromatic mode and 8 metres in colour.
ii.The lifetime of the satellite is 5 years.
iii.The development of MisrSat-2 is a landmark project between China and Egypt under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
iv.The satellite was tested at Satellite Assembly, Integration, and Test Center (AITC) in Cairo, Egypt.

• AITC was funded by China.

v.The satellite finds its application in fields like farming, national resources, urban planning, and coastal change monitoring.
Note: In June 2023,  China delivered the two prototype satellites of MisrSat-2 to Egypt.
Two More Satellite:
i.Along with the MisrSat-2, two remote sensing satellites namely Starpool (Xingchi-1) 02-A and Starpool(Xingchi -1) 02-B, developed by Chinese startup EllipSpace, were also launched by the same rocket.
ii.These satellites will provide wide-area comprehensive perception services, laying a solid foundation for the construction of the “StarPool Plan” integrated communication, navigation and remote sensing system.
About People Republic of China:
President – Xi Jinping
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi(Yuan)
About Egypt:
President – Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
Capital – Cairo
Currency – Egyptian Pound

World’s Biggest Experimental Nuclear Fusion Reactor JT-60SA Inaugurated in JapanThe world’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion reactor, Japan Torus-60 Super Advanced (JT-60SA) started its operations in Naka, Japan. The reactor is a joint initiative between the European Union (EU) and Japan.
About JT-60SA:

1. JT-60SA reactor is a six-storey-high machine which is constructed as per Broader Approach (BA) Agreement.

• The agreement was signed between the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and Japan in 2007.
• The Satellite Tokamak Programme (STP) involved the construction of JT-60SA reactor.

ii.It comprises a doughnut-shaped “tokamak” vessel set to contain swirling plasma heated up to 200 million degrees Celsius.
iii.The term “tokamak” means “toroidal chamber with magnetic coils”
iv.The reactor is the most advanced tokamak in the world.
v.It uses powerful superconducting coils cooled to approximately -269 °C (absolute temperature approximately 4K) to confine plasma that can reach 100 million °C.
Similar to ITER:
i.JT-60SA serves as a precursor to its larger counterpart, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France.

• ITER is currently under construction.

ii.Both the reactors aim to induce the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into a heavier element, helium, releasing energy in the form of light and heat.
iii.The mission of JT-60SA is to support research for ITER to meet its technological goals, and provide knowledge for the transition from ITER towards DEMOnstration (DEMO) reactors.
What is Nuclear Fusion?
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy. The energy released is used for various purposes, such as electricity,etc..

Indian Researcher Dr. Akshata Krishnamurthy, 1st Indian Woman to Operate a Rover on Mars with NASA
Indian Researchers Dr Akshata Krishnamurthy has became the first indian citizen (woman) to operate the rover (Perseverance) on Mars and also the first Indian citizen to collect sample from the Mars to bring back to Earth.

• She is currently working as a Principal investigator and mission science Phase lead at National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA).

After completing her Ph.D. in Space Systems Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the United States of America (USA), she secured a position as Systems Engineer and Scientist, at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

• She leads project verification and validation evidence management for the NASA-Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission.
• She was the Science Data Analysis Lead on the Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics (ASTERIA) mission.

Space regulator IN-SPACe Launches Seed Fund Scheme for Startups to Promote Innovation in Space Sector
India’s space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has unveiled a seed fund scheme to offer financial assistance of up to Rs 1 crore each to start-ups operating in the areas of Urban Development and Disaster Management by using space technology.
The scheme was launched in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to provide opportunities to companies that leverage space technology for societal benefit.
Aim: To promote space technology and provide mentorship support, training, and networking opportunities.

• Start-ups will receive seed funding to develop prototypes using space technology, ISRO facility support, including earth observation (EO) data, for concept validation,  mentorship support, and access to a data algorithm as a transfer of technology from the Department of Space.
• The seed fund grants of up to Rs. 1 crore are disbursed in 3 or more instalments. The first instalment may constitute up to 40% of the total approved commitment.
• The intellectual property rights (IPR) generated under the program will be owned by the respective startup, adding a layer of support for innovation in India’s evolving space sector.

International Volunteer Day 2023- December 05 The United Nations (UN) International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development commonly known as International Volunteer Day (IVD) is annually observed across the globe on 5 December to raise awareness about volunteer service, encouraging individuals, who dedicate their time and skills to contribute their services as volunteers locally and internationally.

• The 2023 theme of IVD centres on “The power of everyone – collective action – if everyone did”.

Background:
i.The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) through Resolution A/RES/40/212 on December 1985.
About United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme:
Executive Coordinator– Mr Toily Kurbanov (Russian Federation)
Headquarters– Bonn, Germany
It is the volunteer arm of the UN that was created by the UNGA in 1970.

World Soil Day 2023 – December 05The United Nations(UN)’s World Soil Day (WSD) is annually observed across the globe on 5th December to create awareness about the importance of healthy soil and to advocate the sustainable management of soil resources.

• 5th December 2023 marks the observance of 10th WSD.