Society

Grievance Redressal Assessment And Index (GRAI) 2023 - PIB 

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space recently launched Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) 2023.

Polity 

Comptroller and Auditor General of India - The Hindu 

The President recently appointed 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer K. Sanjay Murthy as the new Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

World Affairs 

G-20 summit: Key Takeaways - The Hindu

G20 leaders met in Rio de Janeiro recently for talks on climate change, ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, and more, at a forum that highlighted differences between world powers but also delivered some successes.

Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor is operational: Sonowal - The Hindu 

The Chennai-Vladivostok eastern maritime corridor has become operational and is carrying oil, food, and machines, recently. India and Greece would work together on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) announced last year. 

Chennai-Vladivostok eastern maritime corridor

• About: Connects Russia's east coast (Vladivostok) with South India (Chennai) & offers significant reductions in cargo transit time and distance.
• Benefits:
  • Transit Time: Cuts transit time by up to 16 days compared to existing routes. 
  • Distance: Reduces distance by up to 40% (5,608 km shorter than the Mumbai-St. Petersburg route via Suez Canal).

• Current vs. Proposed Route:
  • Current route (Mumbai to St. Petersburg): 8,675 nautical miles (16,066 km), ~40 days.
  • EMC route (Chennai to Vladivostok): 5,647 nautical miles (10,458 km).
• Route Path:
  • Passes through Sea of Japan, East China Sea, South China Sea, Malacca Straits, Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal.
  • Includes port options: Dalian, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Dhaka, Colombo, Chennai.

How India could counter the CBAM - The Hindu

Innovative protectionist ideas, such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU-CBAM), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the EU Deforestation Regulation, have led to concerns in developing nations. India has criticised the EU-CBAM, in particular, as being “arbitrary”.

Economy 

Is imposing tariffs on Chinese imports a good idea? - The Hindu

The President-elect of the U.S., has promised to impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese imports to correct the huge trade deficit the U.S. has with China and also as a punitive measure to make China reduce the subsidisation of its domestic production, which make Chinese goods cheaper and attractive to American consumers as compared to locally produced American goods.

Impact of Tariff Imposition by the U.S.

Meta to appeal CCI’s ₹213 crore fine for WhatsApp privacy policy change - The Hindu 

Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, recently said it would appeal against the ₹213.14 crore penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) over the messaging app’s 2021 privacy policy update.

Environment 

56th Tiger Reserve of the country notified in Chhattisgarh -PIB

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change recently informed the Nation about the notification of the Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh, as the 56th Tiger Reserve of the country. 

Science and Tech 

‘One Day One Genome’ initiative to harness the microbial potential of India - PIB 

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) recently introduced the 'One Day One Genome' initiative to showcase the enormous microbial potentialof India. 

Defence

WHAT ARE ATACMS, THE US MISSILES UKRAINE FIRED INTO RUSSIA? - Indian Express

In a major escalation of the war on its 1,000th day, Russia on Tuesday alleged that debris from a US-made ATACMS missile has fallen in the Bryansk region of the country. 

ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) Missiles

• About: Long-range missile system with multiple variants which often carries cluster bomblets or high-explosive warheads.
• Variants and Specifications
  • M39A1 Block IA:
    • Guided by GPS.
    • Range: 70-300 km.
    • Payload: 300 bomblets.
    • Used in Operation Iraqi Freedom; added to the U.S. arsenal in 1997.
  • M57:
    • Delivers a 230-kg high-explosive warhead.
    • Range: 70-300 km.
    • First used in 2004; deployed in multiple conflicts.

Impact of ATACMS on Russia-Ukraine War

• Extended Strike Capability
  • Ukraine can now target deep inside Russian territory, including areas like the Kursk region.
  • Likely targets include Russian military assets and North Korean troop concentrations.
• Military Implications
  • Hundreds of Russian military objects are within ATACMS range, according to analysts from the Institute for the Study of War.
  • Russia has likely moved some military assets deeper into its territory to counter this new threat.