INS Sandhayak: GRSE delivers largest survey vessel built in India on Navy Day

INS Sandhayak

• It is the largest survey vessel ever built in India.
• It is fully designed and built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE),
• It is the first in the series of four Survey Vessels (Large), or SVLs, being built by GRSE.
• It is the reincarnation of another ship by that name. The previous warship, also a survey vessel, was commissioned into the Navy in 1981 and decommissioned in 2021.
• The new INS Sandhayak and the remaining ships in the series are far more advanced than their predecessors.
• Features:
  • It is a 110-metre-long ship propelled by two marine diesel engines combined with fixed-pitch propellers.
  • It is fitted with bow and stern thrusters to help the ships manoeuvre at low speeds during surveys.
  • It is capable of full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of port and harbour approaches and the determination of navigation channels and routes.
  • It can also undertake surveys of maritime limits and the collection of oceanographic and geographical data for defence applications.
  • It can carry a helicopter, participate in low-intensity combat, and function as a hospital ship.
  • It can also be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Army Deploys Double Humped Camels In Eastern Ladakh

Double Humped Camels

• Double Humped Camels or Bactrian camels, have two humps on their backs where they store fat.
• Scientific Name: Camelus bactrianus
• Distribution:
  • They are native to the harsh and arid regions of Central Asia.
  • They occupy habitats in Central Asia from Afghanistan to China, primarily up into the Mongolian steppes and the Gobi desert.
  • A small population of Bactrian camels exists in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh.
• Features:
  • They are up to 10 feet (3.0 m) long and weigh 590-1000 kg.
  • They are smaller and slenderer than the one-humped dromedary camels found in Africa and the Middle East.
  • Their fur colour varies from beige to dark brown.
  • They have thick, woolly coats that provide warmth during the cold months and insulation from the desert heat, and they shed this for the summer months.
  • Lifespan: 50 years
  • They typically live in herds of 6-20 members, although they can occasionally be solitary or in groups of up to 30 individuals.
  • Diet: They are omnivores but are primarily herbivores that constantly graze on grasses.

Kamboj chairs briefing ahead of 62nd UN Commission for Social Development

UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD)

• CSocD, formerly known as the Social Commission, is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
• It has been in existence since the very inception of the United Nations, advising ECOSOC and governments on a wide range of social policy issues and from the social perspective of development.
• Purpose:
  • Its primary purpose is to advance social development and formulate policies and recommendations to address global social issues.
  • It focuses on topics such as poverty eradication, social inclusion, and the promotion of equitable and sustainable development.
  • Since the 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, the CSocD has been the key UN body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.
• Membership:
  • Originally 18, membership has been increased several times, most recently in 1996, and now stands at 46.
  • Members are elected by ECOSOC based on equitable geographical distribution for four-year terms.
• Meetings:
  • The CSocD meets every year at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, typically in February.
  • During its meetings, member states, international organisations, and civil society representatives come together to discuss and address various social development issues.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

• It is one of the six principal organsof the UN, which was established by the UN Charter (1945).
• It is responsible for the direction and coordination of the economic, social, humanitarian, and cultural activities carried out by the UN.
• Decisions are taken by a simple majority vote. The presidency of ECOSOC changes annually.
• Members:
  • It has 54 members, which are elected for three-year terms by the General Assembly.
  • Four of the five permanent members of the Security Council have been continuously re-elected.
  • This is because they provide funding for most of ECOSOC’s budget, which is the largest of any UN subsidiary body.
• Functions:
  • ECOSOC is responsible for coordinating the social and economic fields of the organisation, specifically in regards to the 15 specialised agencies, the five regional commissions under its jurisdiction and eight functional commissions.
  • It also serves as a central forum to discuss international social and economic issues and formulate policy recommendations addressed to the member states and the United States system.

Pilatus PC-7 Mk II crash: 5 things to know about the trainer aircraft

Pilatus PC-7 Mk II

• It is a trainer aircraft.
• It is a low-wing, turbo-prop aircraft with tandem seating (the cadet sits in the front, the instructor behind him).
• While the original aircraft has been in service since the 1970s, the Mk II version was introduced in the 1990s, with newer airframe and more advanced avionics.
• It is Powered by a Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engine, it has a maximum speed of 412 km/h and can fly to a height of slightly more than 10,000 m.
• It has a range of 1,200 km without external tanks, which translates to slightly more than 4 hours of flying time.
• There are 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II aircraft in service with the IAF.

Trainer aircraft

• A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews.
• Modern military aircraft are notoriously difficult to master for rookie pilots. Hence, they must first be trained on other, more basic aircraft.
• Trainer aircraft are far more forgiving than the aircraft military pilots will eventually fly — they fly slower, have fewer complex systems, and are designed to be resistant to and recoverable from stalls and spins, a common challenge for rookie pilots.
• They are also much cheaper, allowing air forces to buy them in bulk to train cadets.

664 crimes against women per million: NCRB data

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

• It was established in 1986 to act as a repository of information on crime and criminals.
• It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA), Government of India.
• It was set up based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee, the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the Task Force of the Home Ministry.
• It is responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as well as serving as a repository of such information to aid investigators in tracing crimes and criminals.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• In 2009, the NCRB was entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring, coordination, and implementing the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) project. This project connects about 15,000 police stations and 6,000 high offices in the country.
• In 2017, the NCRB launched the National Digital Police Portal, which allows police officers to look for a criminal or suspect on the CCTNS database and gives citizens with services such as online complaint filing, etc.
• The Bureau has also been entrusted to maintain the National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) and share it with the States/UTs on a regular basis.
• NCRB has also been designated as the Central Nodal Agency to manage the technical and operational functions of the ‘Online Cyber-Crime Reporting Portal’ through which any citizen can lodge a complaint or upload a video clip as evidence of crime related to child pornography, rape/gang rape.
• The NCRB has also launched CyTrain, a portal for online training of different stakeholders in cybercrime investigations and prosecution.
• The Central Finger Print Bureau under the NCRB is a national repository of all fingerprints in the country.
• NCRB also compiles and publishes National Crime Statistics i.e. Crime in India, Accidental Deaths & Suicides, and also Prison Statistics.
• NCRB also assists various States in capacity building in the areas of Information Technology, CCTNS, Finger Prints, Network security, and Digital Forensics through its training centres in Delhi and Kolkata.

COP28: Germany unveils Climate Club to tackle industrial emissions

Climate Club

• It is led by Germany and Chile, the Club has garnered support from 36 member countries including Kenya, the European Union, Switzerland and others.
• It aims to make decarbonisation of industries successful for climate and businesses, through ambitious policies, alignment of methodologies and standards and improving finance and assistance for emerging and developed economies.
• The activities of the club are divided into three key pillars: -
  • Pillar 1: Advancing ambitious and transparent climate change mitigation policies.
  • Pillar 2: Transforming industries
  • Pillar 3: Boosting international cooperation and partnership
• Two co-chairs will be elected for two-year terms for the Club. Currently, Germany and Chile serve as the co-chairs.
• A body of members will determine the scope and approve the work programme, budget and amendments.
• Furthermore, a steering group will be formed to support the body of members when the Club reaches 40 members.
• A secretariat will be formed to implement the work program.
• Currently, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and International Energy Agency are the joint interim heads of secretariat.

International Social Security Association’s ISSA Vision Zero 2023 Award

International Social Security Association

• It is the principal international institution bringing together social security agencies and organisations of the world.
• Aim: To promote dynamic social security as the social dimension in a globalising world by supporting excellence in social security administration.
• It was founded in 1927 under the auspices of the International Labour Organization
• It has over 320 member institutions from over 160 countries.
• Headquarters: Geneva (at the International Labour Office)
• It provides access to information, expert advice, business standards, practical guidelines and platforms for members to build and promote dynamic social security systems worldwide.
• The vision of dynamic social security provides a framework for the ISSA''s actions.

Employees’ State Insurance Corporation

• It is a statutory corporate body set up under the ESI Act 1948.
• It is responsible for the administration of the ESI Scheme.
• Headquarter: New Delhi
• Composition
  • Chairman: The Union Minister of Labour
  • The Central Government appoints a Director General as the Chief Executive Officer of ESIC.
  • The ESIC comprises members representing crucial interest groups, including employers, employees, the Central and State Governments, representatives of the Parliament and the medical profession.
  • Standing Committee: It is constituted from among the members of the ESIC, which acts as an executive body.
  • The Standing Committee has the power to administer the affairs of the ESIC and perform functions of the ESIC under its overall control and superintendence.
  • The Secretary, Ministry of Labour, is the Chairman of the Standing Committee.
  • The Director General of the ESIC is also an ex-officio member of the Standing Committee.
  • The other members of the Standing Committee are nominated and elected among the members of the ESIC.
  • The nominated members include the following: 3 members of the Central and State Governments, 3 members representing employers and employees, and 1 member representing Parliament and the medical profession.

UNCCD launches ‘Global Drought Snapshot’ report at COP28 in collaboration with International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA)

Report

• Agriculture and forests
  • 70% cereal crops were damaged by drought in the Mediterranean, 2016–2018.
  • 33% loss of grazing land in South Africa due to drought
  • Five consecutive rainfall season failures in the Horn of Africa, caused the region’s worst drought in 40 years, contributing to reduced agricultural productivity, food insecurity and high food prices.
  • Africa’s drought-related economic losses in the past 50 years at $70 billion.
• Water conditions
  • 75% reduction of cargo capacity of some vessels on the Rhine due to low river levels in 2022, leading to severe delays in shipping arrivals and departures
  • 5 million people in southern China affected by record-low water levels in the Yangtze River due to drought and prolonged heat
• Social dimensions
  • 85% of people affected by droughts live in low-or middle-income countries.
  • 2 million people in the Central American Dry Corridor needing food aid after five years of drought, heatwaves and unpredictable rainfall.

UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

• It is one of three Conventions originated at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (The other two address climate change (UNFCCC) and biodiversity (UN CBD).
• It is the only legally binding framework set up to address desertification and the effects of drought.
• There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union.
• The Convention – based on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralisation – is a multilateral commitment to mitigate the impact of land degradation, and protect our land so we can provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people.
• Parties to the Convention meet in Conferences of the Parties (COPs) every two years, as well as in technical meetings throughout the year, to advance the aims and ambitions of the Convention and achieve progress in its implementation.

COP28 UAE: Methane Alert and Response System alerted governments of 127 plumes spanning four continents

Methane Alert and Response System

• It is a data-to-action initiative with the mission to put open, reliable, and actionable data into the hands of individuals who can reduce methane emissions.
• It was announced at the Conference of Parties (COP 27) in November 2022 and began its initial pilot phase in January 2023.
• The pilot phase presented an opportunity for UNEP’s **International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO)**to engage with partners, countries, and operators to refine MARS processes and procedures before making data public.
• It uses satellites to scan the globe for major emission sources and alerts countries and companies so that they can take methane action and accelerate progress supporting the Paris Agreement and Global Methane Pledge.
• This initiative works in partnership with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• MARS brings together four critical components to drive transparency and enable emission reductions:
  • Detection of large sources of human-caused methane emissions.
  • Notification of relevant countries and companies about these detected emissions.
  • Response from notified stakeholders to address the emissions.
  • Tracking progress of actions taken to reduce emissions and collaboration to prevent future methane.

International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO)

• It was presented at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2021.
• It focused initially on emissions of Methane from the fossil industry.
• It reconciles methane data from scientific measurement studies, satellites through the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), rigorous industry reporting through the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0), and national inventories.
• The Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) is UNEP’s flagship programme that includes a partnership of companies to improve the accuracy and transparency of methane emissions data from the oil and gas sector through a committed framework.

US military aircraft wreckage found, five crew members confirmed deceased

CV-22B Osprey

• It is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines the vertical take-off, hover, and vertical landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range, fuel efficiency, and speed characteristics of a turboprop aircraft.
• It was developed to fulfil the needs of the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy operational requirements worldwide.
• It is built by Boeing, an American aerospace company.
• It is used for a wide-range of missions, including long-range infiltration, exfiltration, medium-range assault, special operations, VIP transport, resupply, disaster relief, search-and-rescue, medical evacuation, and humanitarian missions