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Current Affairs Daily Digest – 16 December 2023

MoEF&CC launched the Indian Forest and Wood Certification SchemeThe Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has launched the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) to encourage sustainable forest management and agroforestry in India by offering voluntary third-party certification.
About the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme:
The scheme has three main components:

Forest Management Certification
Tree Outside Forest(TOF) Management Certification
Chain of Custody(COC) Certification

IFWCS is governed by the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Council (IFWCC) and operated by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) in Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh) as the designated Scheme Operating Agency (SOA).
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC):
Union Minister– Bhupendra Yadav(Rajya Sabha- Rajasthan)
Minister of State– Ashwini Kumar Choubey(Constituency- Buxar, Bihar)

NITI Aayog, IFPRI sign SoI to Strengthen Policy Frameworks for Agricultural TransformationOn December 13, 2023, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have signed a 5-year long Statement of Intent (SoI) to strengthen the policy and programme frameworks that will contribute to the development of India.
About the SoI:
i.This SoI will broaden the mandate of IFPRI to support the Agriculture Vertical of NITI Aayog in key areas.
ii.IFPRI will provide policy analytics and support to NITI in mutually identified areas within the broader realm of food systems transformation, initially focusing on agriculture, rural development, trade, and climate change policies in India
iii.The activities under the SoI includes

developing and tracking Rural Transformation Indicators
supporting the design and evaluation of flagship programs,
providing policy analytical tools
generating evidence on India’s agri-food trade in regional and global contexts

Note: NITI Aayog has been guiding the development programs through periodic monitoring and evaluation with focus on agriculture to ensure sustainable and inclusive agricultural and rural transformation.
Key People:
Chief Guest- Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
Participants:
Johan Swinnen, Director General of IFPRI and Managing Director of Systems Transformation, CGIAR(Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), France. Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog,
About National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog:
Chairman– Prime Minister (PM) of India (Currently- Narendra Modi)
CEO– B.V.R. Subrahmanyam
Establishment– 2015
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
About International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI):
Director General– Johan Swinnen
Headquarters– Washington, DC, United States of America (USA)
Establishment– 1975

India’s Women Voters to Surpass Male Voters from 2029 General Election: SBI’s ERD ReportOn December 14, 2023, the State Bank of India’s (SBI) Economic Research Department (ERD) released a report titled ‘Women Empowerment & Ladli Behna_Dec23‘ which states that women voters in India will surpass male voters from the 2029 General Election onwards.

In 2029, the total voter turnout is expected to be 73 crores of which women voters will be at 37 crore, which will be higher than the registered men voters at 36 crore.
The report projects that the total voter turnout in the 2024 general election will be around 68 crores of which 33 crore (49%) will be women.

The 2047 General Election Voter Turnout Projection:
ERD projects that in 2047 (probable election year 2049), women voter turnout should increase to 55% and men voter turnout might decrease to 45%.

It is projected that in 2047, around 115 crore would be registered electors.
The voter turnout is projected to be at 80% (92 crore), with women outnumbering men (50.6 crore women, 41.4 crore men).

Rise of Voter Count:
i.In 1951, 8 crore voted; by 2009, it rose to 42 crores, with 19 crores women.
ii.In 2014, the voter turnout increased by 13.7 crores to 55 crores. This includes 26 crore women.

This was 5.5 time higher than average voter turnout between 1962 and 2009. The same was 5.8x for women and 5.2x for men.
2014 witnessed the highest increase in voter turnout with 8.23% increase in voter turnout adding nearly 13.6 crore (6.9 crore women & 6.7 crore men) voters in polling vote.

iii.In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 67.18% women voted as compared to 67.01% men.
iv.In state assembly elections (in last 5 years) across 23 major states, women’s voter turnout surpassed men’s in 18 states.
Key Points:
i.The report highlights Madhya Pradesh (MP) Mukhya Mantri Ladli Behna scheme as a key women empowerment initiative, offering financial support to women aged 21-60 for enhancing the health and nutrition of themselves and their dependent children.
The 17th Lok Sabha of India has the highest ever number of women politicians with a total of 78 which is nearly 14%.

On the other hand, Scandinavian countries such as Sweden Norway, and South Africa have more than 45% women representation in their national legislatures. Japan at 10%, lags behind India.

iii.On the basis National Sample Survey (NSS) data, the report indicates that unpaid women’s total economic contribution amounts to approximately Rs 22.7 lakh crore, constituting 7.5% of India’s Gross Domestic Product/GDP (Rural: Rs 14.7 lakh crore, Urban: Rs 8 lakh crore).

Report on “Logistics Costs in India: Assessment and Long-Term Framework”: Released by DPIITThe Logistics Division of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has launched a report titled “Logistics Cost in India: Assessment and Long-Term Framework” in New Delhi, Delhi.

The Report was prepared by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), along with Asian Development Bank (ADB) experts and task force members.

About the report:
i.The report offers reliable estimates regarding the efficient movement of goods and services.
ii.This report presents

a baseline aggregated logistics cost estimate.
a framework for long-term logistics cost calculation

About the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI):
Union Minister – Piyush Goyal (Rajya Sabha – Maharashtra)
Minister of States(MoS) – Anupriya Singh Patel (Constituency: Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh) ; Som Parkash (Constituency: Hoshiarpur, Punjab)

WHO’s 5th Global Status Reports on Road Safety 2023: Global Road Traffic Deaths Drops by 5%; Rise in India’s Global ShareThe World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the report titled “Global Status Reports on Road Safety 2023”, which shows that the annual number of road traffic deaths across the world has slightly decreased to 1.19 million from 1.25 million, marking a 5% decrease in 10 years between 2010 and 2021.

The 2023 report provides an overview of progress between 2010 and 2021. This is the 5th edition in the series published since 2009.
As of 2019, road traffic injuries are the primary cause of death for those aged 5-29, and the 12th leading cause of death globally when all ages are considered.
In India, the total number of road traffic fatalities went up from 1.34 lakh in 2010 to 1.54 lakh in 2021, and India’s share in global road fatalities also increased from 11% to 13%.

About World Health Organisation (WHO):
Director General– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Founded on– 7 April 1948

LIC Cards, IDFC First & Mastercard Collaborate to Launch Co-Branded Credit CardLIC Cards Services Limited (LIC CSL), IDFC FIRST Bank Limited and Mastercard has collaborated to launch “LIC IDFC FIRST Credit Cards”, a co-branded credit card to meet the dynamic financial needs of India.

The card is available in two variants: LIC Classic Credit Card and LIC Select Credit Card.
The Lifetime free card is (zero joining fee and zero annual fee) specially designed for the customers in Tier II and Tier III cities.

Co-branded Credit Card:
i.The card provides reward points on payment of every Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) insurance premium.
ii.These reward points (valid for 3years) can be redeemed by a cardholder against any online purchase, including the payment of LIC insurance premiums.
iii.The card comes with Zero Joining Fee and Zero Annual Fee with no minimum spend conditions.
Eligibility:
i.Primary cardholder should be above the age of 21 years.
ii.The annual income of a cardholder should be Rs.3 lakhs or more.
Benefits:
i.The card offers low interest rate of 9% per annum.
ii.The card provides upto Rs 50,000 cover for lost card liability and a personal accident insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh.
iii.The card gives complimentary access to lounges at airports and railway stations insurance.
iv.The cardholders also avail a 1% fuel surcharge waiver along with roadside vehicle assistance worth Rs 1,399.
v.The cardholders can use the card to withdraw cash from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at zero interest rate.
About IDFC FIRST Bank Limited:
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– V. Vaidyanathan
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Established– 2015
Tagline– “Always You First”
About LIC Cards Services Limited (LIC CSL):
LIC Cards Services Ltd., (LIC CSL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) of India.
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established in– 2008

Cashfree Payments Launches India’s First Self-Hosted Payments Orchestration Platform
Cashfree Payments has introduced India’s first self-hosted payments orchestration platform ‘FlowWise’ which allows payment management to take place directly on the merchant’s infrastructure.
About FlowWise:
i.FlowWise is one setup solution for Indian businesses for managing different payment systems. It simplifies the complexity and effort of using multiple Payment Gateways (PGs) for businesses.
ii.The platform is considered to be secure as there is no scope for data leaks.
iii.The platform allows to send payments to different partners by cutting processing costs by up to 40% and improving success rates up to 10%.

RIL & DBS Bank India Collaborates to Promote CBG Plants Across IndiaReliance Industries Limited (RIL) and DBS Bank India have collaborated to introduce a customised supply chain financing program meet the requirements of compressed biogas (CBG) project initiated by RIL.

This initiative is a part of RIL’s net zero emissios roadmap.

Note: DBS Bank India’s customized funding structure facilitates the development of a competitive logistics and scalable CBG industry.
Key Points:
i.DBS Bank India customizes its supply chain financing model to accommodate the unique challenges presented by the highly fragmented and seasonally variable CBG industry.
ii.The financing will enable the development of an ecosystem where vendor partners can aggregate agricultural residue as raw material for Reliance’s CBG production plants across India.
Reliance’s Green Vision:
i.RIL sees agricultural residue as pivotal in its net-zero roadmap and plans to invest nationwide in producing CBG as an eco-friendly alternative to imported Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and other fossil fuels.
ii.It has planned to set up 100 CBG plants over 5 years that will not only meet domestic gas demand but also position India as a key biofuel source.
iii.The focus is on converting over 5.5 million tonnes per annum of agricultural residue and organic waste.

The initiative contributes to India’s net-zero goals, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 2 million tonnes annually.

Benefits of CBG Plants:
i.CBG plants play a crucial role in controlling air pollution, caused primarily by burning organic waste.
ii.These plants not only manage waste effectively but also contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions.
iii.It will also contribute towards the production of Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) which will enhance soil fertility and reduce the consumption of chemical fertilizers over a period.
iv.It can benefit farmers from an additional revenue stream, avoiding penalties tied to residue burning.
About Reliance Industries Limited (RIL):
Chairman and Managing Director(CMD)– Mukesh D. Ambani
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About DBS Bank India Limited:
It is a wholly owned subsidiary of DBS Bank Ltd, Singapore.
MD & CEO– Surojit Shome
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

Music Conductor Daniel Barenboim & Peace Activist Ali Abu Awwad honourd with Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace 2023The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development for 2023 has been jointly awarded to Daniel Barenboim, an Argentine-Israeli classical pianist and conductor, and Ali Abu Awwad, Palestinian peace activist, for their efforts towards a non-violent resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

They utilised instruments of music and people’s action to promote meaningful political and humanitarian dialogue, mutual social and cultural understanding, and peaceful public cooperation.
They brought together the youth and peoples of Israel and the Arab World for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East

About Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust:
Chairperson– Sonia Gandhi
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi

India’s first woman candidate, Uma Sekhar, elected to Governing Council of UNIDROITIndia’s first woman candidate, Uma Sekhar was elected to the Governing Council of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) in its 82nd session, by winning 45 out of 59 votes in the initial round of elections held in Rome, Italy on 14 December 2023.

The election consisted of 32 contestants from different countries.
With this, India will be a member of the Governing Council for the period from 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2028.
Uma Sekhar is an Additional Secretary and Legal Adviser in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India.

Note:
The current President of this Governing Council is Maria Chiara Malaguti (As of December 14 2023).
Key Points:
i.To be elected to the Governing Council, 21 votes were required
ii.The Governing Council consists of 25 positions which are held by distinguished legal experts.
iii.India, as a Governing Council member, is positioned to significantly influence UNIDROIT’s direction and policies in its term.
iv.UNIDROIT aims to study and develop uniform laws to modernize, harmonize, and coordinate private and commercial laws among states and state groups.
About International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT):
Secretary-General– Professor Ignacio Tirado
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
Members– 65 Nations
Re-established in – 1940

CCI Approves Acquisition of 100% Shareholding in Constantia by Capripack
On December 12, 2023, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of sole control over Constantia Flexibles Holding GmbH (Constantia) by Capripack BidCo GmbH (Capripak).

The sole control will be acquired by the acquisition of 100% of Constantia’s shareholding and voting rights from Constantia Lux S.à r.l.

Acquirer– Capripak
Target – Constantia
Seller– Constantia Lux S.à r.l.
About Capripack:
i.Capripack is an acquisition vehicle owned by investment funds managed and advised by One Rock Capital Partners, LLC (ORC), a private equity firm based in New York, United States of America(USA).
ii.ORC manages funds that invest in portfolio companies operating across diverse industries like chemicals, specialty manufacturing, healthcare, food, and environmental services.
About Constantia:
i.Constantia, headquartered in Austria, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Constantia Lux S.à r.l. It is indirectly controlled by funds managed or advised by Wendel SE, a French investment company.
ii.It is global producer of flexible packaging products for everyday use products.

Its products are mainly based on aluminium (foil), film and paper.

About Competition Commission of India (CCI):
Chairperson– Ravneet Kaur
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment– 2003
Tagline– Fair Competition for greater Good

India’s Fastest’ Solar-Electric Boat Barracuda Launched in Kerala
India’s fastest solar-electric boat, Barracuda was launched at the Navgathi Panavally Yard in Alappuzha, Kerala. The vessel was jointly developed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and Navalt Solar & Electric Boats Private Limited.
About the vessel:
i.Barracuda has twin 50 kilowatt (kW) electric motors, a marine-grade LFP battery, and 6 kW solar power system.
ii.The vessel can be deployed in the rough seas as a workboat to ferry up to 12 passengers and cargo.
ii.The vessel is of 14-metre-long and 4.4-metre-wide.
iii.It can travel at a top speed of 12.5 knots (23 kmph) and has a range of seven hours on a single charge.

China Launches Uncrewed Reusable Spacecraft Into the Orbit
China launched a reusable uncrewed spacecraft atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China.

The launch marked the third instance of a reusable robotic spacecraft after 2020 and 2022.
The spacecraft was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
The spacecraft was launched in a series of secretive orbital test flights which is aimed at developing reusable technologies to reduce space mission costs.
The spacecraft will operate in orbit for a certain period of time and return to the designated landing site in China.
China’s reusable spacecraft mission coincides with the United States of America(USA)’s X-37B.

China starts up world’s first fourth-generation nuclear reactor
China has commenced the operations of 200 megawatt (MW) High-Temperature, Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) plant which is the world’s first fourth-generation nuclear reactor in Shandong, China.

The plant was developed jointly by state-run utility Huaneng, Tsinghua University and China National Nuclear Corporation.
The plant uses a modular design(less than 300MW) which can be constructed off-site.
China has a goal to produce 10% of electricity from nuclear by 2035 and 18% by 2060.

About People’s Republic of China:
President – Xi Jinping
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi(Yuan )

Leander Paes & Vijay Amritraj Become 1st Indians to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of FameIndian tennis legends Leander Paes; Indian sports commentator and promoter Vijay Amritraj; and British sports journalist and writer Richard Evans were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2024.

Leander Paes was selected under Player Category and Vijay Amritraj and Richard Evans were selected under Contributer Cateogry.
Paes and Amritraj have became the 1st two Indians to receive the honours and the 1st Asian men to be selected in their respective categories.

Note: With this, India has became the 28th nation represented in the Hall of Fame.
About Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP):
Chairman– Andrea Gaudenzi
Chief Executive Officer– Massimo Calvelli
Headquarters– London, United Kingdom (UK)
Formed in– September 1972

BCCI Retires MS Dhoni’s Iconic Jersey Number 7 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the retirement of the former Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s (MS Dhoni) iconic jersey number “7” to honour his achievements in Indian cricket.
About the Retirement of Jersey Number:
i.MS Dhoni becomes the second Indian to be given this honour after Sachin Tendulkar, whose jersey number “10” retired in 2017.

Since both the two jersey numbers “7” and “10” were retired, they will not be designated for any other Indian cricket players.

ii.According to International Cricket Council(ICC) rules, the numbers 1-100 were allotted to cricket players as jersey numbers when they debuted for the national team.

BCCI also reported that around 60 out of 100 numbers were already designated to the players who currently plays for the Indian team and those in contention. Thus, the upcoming debutant will choose from the remaining undesignated numbers.
The present Indian players with popular jersey numbers are Virat Kohli (18) and Rohit Sharma (45).

About MS Dhoni:
i.MS Dhoni, a Ranchi(Jharkhand)-born cricketer, made his international debut for the Indian cricket team in December 2004 against Bangladesh.
ii.He has represented India in 90 test matches, scoring 350 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 98 Twenty20 Internationals (T20I), with 4876, 10773, and 1617 runs respectively.
iii.MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on 15th August 2020. He made his last appearance wearing India’s jersey No.7 in the 2019 World Cup (England & Wales) semi-final against New Zealand .
iv.He played in the Indian Premier League(IPL) for Chennai Super Kings(CSK)(2008 – 2015 & 2018 – Present)and Rising Pune Supergiants(2016 – 2017).
Records:
i.MS Dhoni is the only captain in the history of cricket to win three ICC trophies: the World T20 in 2007 (held in South Africa), the ODI World Cup in 2011 (held in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh), and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 (held in England and Wales).
ii.He holds the record for most dismissals by an Indian keeper, with 634 catches and 195 stumpings in his cricket career.
iii.He had also won 5 IPL trophies (2010,2011,2018,2021 & 2023)
Honors & Awards:
i.He was the recipient of Padma Shri (2009) and Padma Bhushan (2018) for sports.
ii.He is the 2nd cricketer to be awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna) in 2007 after Sachin Tendulkar in 1997–1998.
iii.He was bestowed the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army in 2011.

Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka wins ITF World Champion awards 2023Novak Djokovic, a Serbian tennis player, has been named men’s International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion 2023 for the eighth time in his career.

Aryna Sabalenka, a Belarusian tennis player, has been named as the women’s ITF World Champion for the first time for her consistent performance in the 2023 season.
The ITF World Champions Awards honours tennis players for their outstanding performances from the previous season.

Winners of ITF World Champion Awards 2023:

In the 2023 season, Djokovic won three out of four grand slams, including the Australian Open 2023, the French Open 2023, and the US Open 2023.
He also holds the record for the most number of grand slam titles(24).

ii.Women’s Singles:In the 2023 season, Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open women’s singles title and reached the semifinals of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the finals of the US Open.

iii.Men’s Doubles: Rajeev Ram (United States of America) and Joe Salisbury (United Kingdom) have been named men’s doubles ITF World Champions for a second time.