FTA provisions to prevail in case of conflict over Rules of Origin on imported goods: CBIC

• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said customs field officers should be sensitive to applying CAROTAR and maintain consistency with the provisions of relevant trade agreement or its Rules of Origin.
• Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) or CAROTAR Rules, came into effect from September 21, 2020.
• It empowers officers to seek further information from an importer, consistent with the trade agreement, in case the officer has reasons to believe that the country-of-origin criteria have not been met. Where the importer fails to provide the requisite information, the officer can make further verification consistent with the trade agreement.

Uttar Pradesh eyes to develop 16,000 MW renewable energy capacity by 2027

• The policy was released by the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA).
• The government has proposed to meet the ambitious 16,000 MW target by generating 4,000 MW from solar rooftop projects, 2,000 MW from distributed solar generation and the rest (10,000 MW) from utility/grid scale solar projects and solar parks.
• Under the proposed policy, the government would develop 20 solar cities covering 10 lakh households with rooftop installations. The draft also proposes rooftop solar installations in government buildings and in 21,000 unelectrified primary schools.

Under Indo-Russian joint venture, production of AK-203 rifles to begin by year-end at Amethi

• The production was originally scheduled to begin early this year. As per the contract, over 6.1 lakh AK-203 assault rifles costing over ₹5,000 crore will be manufactured by a Joint Venture, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd (IRRPL), at Korwa, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
• IRRPL was set up jointly between erstwhile OFB [now Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) and Munitions India Limited (MIL)] of India and Rosoboronexport (RoE) and concern Kalashnikov of Russia.
• As per contractual terms, first 70,000 AK-203 rifles will be produced in India with a phased increase in the extent of localisation from 5% to 70%. The remaining rifles will be produced with 100% localisation.

Indian team deliberating on ocean diversity pact

• The agreement follows a resolution by the UN General Assembly in May and is expected to be the final in a series set in motion since 2018 to draft an international legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• The high seas comprise nearly 45% of the Earth’s surface.
• A key aspect of the agreement is deciding on the rights of companies that undertake exploration for biological resources in the high seas.
• Last June, the Union Cabinet approved a ‘Blue Economy’ policy for India, a nearly ₹4,000-crore programme spread over five years. This among other things will develop a manned submersible vessel as well as work on “bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes”.

119-year-old Curzon Gate in Bengal is at centre of political firestorm

• Of all the Viceroys of India, Curzon is possibly the most criticised — he is the man who partitioned Bengal in 1905, and triggered a wave of Bengali nationalism that contributed to the wider Indian national movement.
• He was also one of the more openly imperialist of viceroys, and a man who saw Britain’s rule over India as critical to the survival of empire. In 1900, Curzon famously stated, “We could lose all our [white settlement] dominions and still survive, but if we lost India, our sun would sink to its setting.”
• He served as Under-Secretary of State for India (1891-1892), and for Foreign Affairs (1895-1898), before being appointed Viceroy of India in 1899.
• Curzon created a separate Muslim majority province of the North-West Frontier Province, sent a British expedition to Tibet, established a separate police service, and established the Archaological Survey of India, in order to study and protect historical monuments.

India, Thailand reviewed defence, trade ties: Ministry of External Affairs on Jaishankar''s Bangkok visit

• The Devasthan is the Royal Brahmin Office of the Thai Royal Court and is the official centre of Hinduism in Thailand.
• India and the Southeast Asia region share a long history of cultural and commercial relations.
• The classical Sanskrit and Pali texts from India carry references of the region using various names such as Kathakosha, Suvarnabhumi (the land of god) or Suvarnadvipa (the golden island), indicating that this was a region that attracted Indian merchants.
• In more recent times, European and Indian scholars have referred to Southeast Asia as ‘Farther India’, ‘Greater India’, or ‘Hinduised or Indianised states’.
• The Ramayana — known in Thailand as Ramakriti (the glory of Rama) or Ramakien (the account of Rama) — has provided an outlet of cultural expression in Thailand for both the elite and the common man. Episodes from the epic are painted on the walls of Buddhist temples and enacted in dramas and ballets.

Indian Air Force contingent to participate in Exercise Pitch Black in Australia

• The exercise is being held in Darwin till the 8th of next month.
• This is a biennial, multi-national exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force.
• The Defence Ministry said that the exercise will see the participation of over one hundred aircraft and two thousand 500 military personnel from various air forces.

The 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2023 will be held at Indore in January next year.

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year on 9th Januray to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
• It also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9th January 1915.