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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. THE BHOPAL DECLARATION

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE-GS-II-INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: The Bhopal Declaration was released after a two-day meeting of Think-20 under G20 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The Declaration was made by more than 300 intellectuals from India and abroad.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Think 20 ?

The Think 20 (T20) is a forum of think tanks from G20 countries that provides policy recommendations to the leaders of the G20. It was created in 2012 to bring the expertise of think tanks from around the world to bear on the G20’s policy-making process, and it meets annually in the lead-up to the G20 summit.

Bhopal Declaration

• Emphasis on promoting traditional medicine systems like AYUSH
• Encouragement of value-oriented development in infrastructure
• Appeal for more inclusive development and care for all sections of society
• Special attention to children and development led by women
• Focus on bridging the gap between North and South
• Importance of localization in achieving G-20 sustainable development goals
• Necessity of triangular cooperation between government, society, and private organizations

What is Triangular cooperation?

• Triangular cooperation refers to a collaborative approach where three parties (typically government, private sector, and civil society) work together to achieve a common goal. It is used to leverage the strengths of each party and enhance the effectiveness of development cooperation. The approach can be used in various sectors such as health, education, and poverty reduction, and it aims to foster inclusive and sustainable growth.

India’s Role in Triangular Cooperation

• Importance of Indian model in changing global scenario
• Recognition of India’s crucial contribution to COVID-19 containment and response to Russia-Ukraine war.

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

2. CHAMUNDI HILLS

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE-GS-III-ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: The citizens’ committee to save Chamundi Hills and its environment has resolved to press for clearance from the heritage committee before the implementation of development works at the hilltop under Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD).

THE EXPLANATION:

About Chamundi Hills:

• It is located in the city of Mysore, Karnataka.
• The average elevation is 1,060 meters.
• The famous Sri Chamundeshwari Temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari is situated on top of Chamundi hills.
• In the earlier days, the Hill was identified as ‘Mahabaladri’ in honour of God Shiva who resides in the ‘Mahabaleswara Temple’. This is the oldest temple on the hills.
• These hills have been mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures such as ‘Skanda Purana’.

Sri Chamundeshwari Temple:

• It is dedicated to the Goddess Chamundeshwari (Chamundi), deity of the Mysore Royal Family.
• This temple is about 1000 steps from the foot of the Chamundi hills.
• It is built in the Dravidian style of temple architecture.
• The temple has a quadrangular structure.
• It has an impressive seven-tier tower called ‘gopuram’ or ‘gopura’ and an equally imposing entrance which is known as ‘dwara’.

What is Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme?

• The Government of India launched the PRASHAD scheme in the year 2014-2015 under the Ministry of Tourism.
• Is a Central Sector Scheme with complete financial assistance by the Government of India.
• This scheme focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience.
• It aims to integrate pilgrimage destinations in a prioritized, planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism experience. The growth of domestic tourism hugely depends on pilgrimage tourism.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

3. WHAT IS HAKKU PATRA?

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The Prime Minister recently launched the ‘Hakku Patra’ (land title deed) distribution drive by distributing title deeds (hakku patra) to about fifty thousand beneficiaries of newly declared revenue villages in Kalaburagi, Karnataka.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Hakku Patra?

• The word ‘Hakku’ means “the right”, and ‘Patra’ means a “paper” or “document”.
• It is a legal document that states an individual’s rightful inheritance of a property.
• It is issued to the nation’s underprivileged section, including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, urban slum dwellers, handicapped, and other disadvantaged populations.
• In most cases, the land on which the Hakku Patra is issued is government-owned with a specific set of conditions attached.

Hakku Patra distribution drive:

• It is a part of the Ambedkar Rural Housing Scheme of Karnataka.
• Under this, the government offers free registration of Hakku Patra land in the beneficiary’s name.
• Any house built on the Hakku Patra land should be used as the beneficiary’s house and not for rental purposes.

Benefits of Hakku Patra:

• It makes you the legitimate owner of your land or property by giving an up-to-date and official record of who owns the land.
• It is a state-guaranteed document.
• The title deeds enable owners to avail of bank loans with the said document.
• Hakku Patra registration resolves all types of disputes regarding the ownership or rights over the land.
• The document helps in preventing any encroachment via trespassing on the boundaries.

4. JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The Jaipur Literature Festival is celebrated in the month of January in the city of Jaipur, the Pink city. The festival was introduced in 2006 and is the largest free literary festival in the world.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah addressed the festival, Abdul received the Nobel prize in literature in 2021. He was honored for his works on the fate of the refugees and the effects of colonialism in the Gulf.
• The Festival is to focus on varied topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Geopolitics, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, crime fiction, translation, economics, etc.

Why is Jaipur Literature Festival Celebrated?

• To bring the literary experts, artists of different fields, and writers to a single platform
• To give space for the artists to indulge in a meaningful debate

Jaipur: Pink City

Jaipur is rich in architecture. In 1876, the city was completely painted pink upon the visit of Prince Albert. Albert was Queen Victoria’s husband. The city was painted pink to welcome him. Since then the city is widely called the Pink city.

5. INDO-EGYPT JOINT TRAINING EXERCISE CYCLONE-I

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The Indian and the Egyptian Armies are to conduct the first-ever joint exercise Cyclone-I. It is to be held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan for 14 days.

THE EXPLANATION:

The exercise is the first of its kind as it brings the special forces of the countries to a common platform. Cyclone-I would help the armies exchange their culture and ethos. Also, they will foster interoperability and aid in boosting the diplomatic relation between the nations.

Objectives of the exercise

• The exercise is to honour the professional skills of the armies.
• It will focus on skills necessary to fight in desert terrain undertaking reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, and other special operations.
• The armies will share their experience, professional knowledge, and tactics
• The exercise aims to build trust between the countries

Training and Drills

• 30-40 special forces are participating in the exercise.
• The armies will engage and get trained in combat free fall, sniping, surveillance, etc.

India-Egypt

• Exercise Desert Warrior is held between the Air Forces of the countries.
• In 2006, the Defense Committee was formed. The committee is responsible for framing key defense decisions between the countries. The sixth meeting of the committee was held in 2016.
• Trade between India and Egypt was 7.26 billion USD in 2021.