05-06-03-22 Daily-Odisha-OPSC Current Affairs

For smooth transportation of Minerals from Keonjhar to the port town Paradip, the has urged the Centre for development of an economic corridor from Paradip to Bhadrasahi-Barbil.

Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra has raised the demand before Secretary, Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, Giridhar Aramane during a meeting held recently.

Mahapatra highlighted the need for development of an economic corridor and advised that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should go ahead for land acquisition to have 100 metre (right of way) ROW along the road for all future use including provision of assorted utilities.

Out of a total length of 5,753 km of NH, 243 km roads were developed to 6-lane; 1,486 km were developed to 4-lane, 1,934 km were developed to 2-lane with paved shoulder, 1,257 km were developed to 2-lane, and around 834 km were developed to single or intermediate lane. Besides, 20 other projects worth Rs 15,015 crore for improvement of around 901 km of roads were taken up by the NHAI.

The Ministry implements Qaumi Waqf Board Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS) under which financial assistance to State Waqf Boards (SWBs) towards computerization and digitization of Waqf records.

Under the scheme the Ministry also supports the SWBs for deployment of manpower viz. Assistant Programmer, Survey Assistant, Accountant and Legal Assistant, setting up of Video Conferencing Facility, Centralized Computing Facility (CCF) & Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Solution for better administration of SWBs.

A dedicated online portal called WAMSI (Waqf Assets Management System of India) has been developed by this Ministry for computerization & digitization of records of waqf properties and Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping of waqf properties to prevent encroachment under Qaumi Waqf Board Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS).

India and Bangladesh will soon finalise a joint study on the prospects of entering into a bilateral , which aims at further strengthening economic ties between the countries, the commerce ministry said.

Both sides held extensive discussions on a variety of issues including the development of RAILWAY Infrastructure, port infrastructure, joint study on Comprehensive Economic PARTNERSHIP Agreement (CEPA), Border Haats, regional connectivity through multi-modal transportation, harmonisation of standards, mutual recognition agreement.

CEPA is a kind of comprehensive free trade pact under which two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. They also liberalise norms to facilitate <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/trade-in-Services“>Trade in Services and boost investments.

Major exports from India to Bangladesh include Cotton, Cereals, fuel, vehicle parts and machinery and mechanical appliances.

Lufthansa and Swiss have started strategic cooperation with the manufacturer Synhelion for market launch.

Technology has been developed for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from sources by Synhelion, a spinoff from the Swiss Institute of Technology in Switzerland.

Under this deal, the Lufthansa Group and Swiss will help in developing the commercial fuel production facilities in Spain that have been planned by Synhelion.

This convention was signed to address the long-running Straits Question of who should manage the strategically important route between the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

During wars, this pact gives Turkey the right to regulate the naval warship transits and blocking of the strait for warships of the countries in conflict.

The Montreux Convention Regarding the Straits Regime, or simply the Montreux Convention, is an international treaty that governs Turkeys Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits.

Military warships are restricted in terms of tonnage, number, and weaponry, with specific rules that govern their duration of stay and mode of entry.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions is a humanitarian imperative-driven legal instrument which prohibits all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. In addition, it establishes a framework for cooperation and assistance to ensure adequate assistance to survivors and their communities, clearance of contaminated areas, risk reduction <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Education“>Education and destruction of stockpiles.

The cluster convention ejects explosive bombs that are designed to kill personnel, destroy vehicles and critical like power lines, disperse chemical/biological weapons, etc.

123 states have joined the Convention, with 110 states that have ratified it, and 13 states have signed the Convention but not yet ratified it. (As of 10^thFebruary 2022).

Russia and Ukraine are not signatories to this convention.

Members of the World <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Health“>Health Organisation (WHO) held the first round of negotiations towards the pandemic treaty on February 24, 2022.

In December 2021, the World Health Assembly agreed to start a global process to draft the pandemic treaty. The need for an updated set of rules was felt after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the shortcomings of global health systems. The Health Assembly adopted a decision titled The World Together at its second special session since it was founded in 1948.

Under the decision, the health organisation established an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate the contents of the pandemic treaty in compliance with Article 19 of the WHO Constitution.

More than 437 million COVID-19 cases have been globally reported so far, and more than 5.9 million people have lost their lives. In India, over 34 million cases have been reported so far. Death toll stands at over five lakh.