01st, 02nd & 03rd APR, 2023

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INDIA’S DEFENCE EXPORT REACHES AN ALL-TIME HIGH OF APPROX. RS 16,000 CRORE
IN FINANCIAL YEAR 2022-23

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STATUS
India has achieved a remarkable milestone of over 10-times increase in defence OF DEFENCE
exports EXPORTS
since 2016-17.

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India has a target of US $5 billion for defence exports by 2024-25. India is now exporting to over 85 countries.
Some of the major initiatives are: 100 firms exporting defence products at present.
STATUS OF DEFENCE EXPORTS
Formulation of a Defence Export Strategy and constitution of a Defence The topIndia
3 export destinations
is now exporting to overare: Myanmar, Sri Lanka and
85 countries.
Export Steering Committee (DESC) and Export Promotion Cell (EPC). Armenia. 100 firms exporting defence products at present.
A negative list of countries for defence export by the Ministry of External The top 3 export destinations are: Myanmar, Sri Lanka and

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Affairs (MEA). Armenia.

End-to-end online export authorisation curtailing delays and bringing

Ease of Doing Business.
Criterion for Indigenous Content (IC) in Defence Procurement Procedure
(DPP).

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Allowing the government to fund up to 70% of development costs.
Increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) to 74% through the automatic

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route.
Notification of three Open General Export License (OGEL), a one-time
export license to export specified items to specified destinations.
Significance of defence export

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Making Indian defence Industry part of the global defence value chain.
Increasing domestic manufacturing capacity.

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Encouraging the use of new technology.
Enhancing the "Make in India" in the defence industry.

INDIA CELEBRATES 50 SUCCESSFUL YEARS OF “PROJECT TIGER”

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Project Tiger was launched in the year 1973 to protect Tigers in India.
It is a centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment,
Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) providing central assistance to the
tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves.
It was launched in the backdrop of a declining population of tigers, which
had fallen below 2000 in the 1970s.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is its implementing
authority established in 2005 under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
It has overarching supervisory/coordination role and approves the
Tiger Conservation Plan prepared by the State Governments.
NTCA consists of the Minister in charge of the MoEFCC (as Chairperson), the Minister of State in the MoEFCC (as
Vice-Chairperson), 3 MPs, Secretary, MoEFCC.
Achievement of Project Tiger
With a current population of about 3,000 tigers, India is home to more than 70% of the global tiger population.
While Project Tiger initially covered nine tiger reserves, India now has 53 reserves covering approximately 2.4% of the country’s
geographical area.
India achieved a doubling of tiger population in 2018, 4 years ahead of the targeted year 2022.

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HIKE IN PRICES OF ESSENTIAL DRUGS, FORMULATIONS STINGS: INDIAN MEDICAL

ASSOCIATION (IMA)- TELANGANA
According to the IMA Telangana the prices of 384 essential drugs and over 1,000
formulations would see a hike of over 11% due to a sharp rise in Wholesale Price ABOUT CEILING PRICE
Index (WPI). Ceiling price is worked out based on average
Regulation of prices of drugs in India price of all brands having at least 1% market
share of total market turnover of that drug plus a

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Every few years, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare draws up a National
notional 16% retailer's margin.
List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
The NELM was first formulated in 1996 and has been revised in 2003, 2011, and 2015 and 2022.
Medicines under NLEM automatically come under price control under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013.
Also, the government has special powers to bring any item of medical necessity under price controls.

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This provision was used to regulate the prices of cardiac stents and knee implants.

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The DPCO follows a market-based pricing mechanism for fixing the ceiling price.
The ceiling price is allowed an annual increase as per the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
However, for Non-scheduled medicine while there is no price cap, a price increase of 10% per annum is allowed.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers enforces these prices and
the availability of the medicines under the NLEM.

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MINISTRY OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES ISRO SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTS
(MSME) IMPLEMENTS REVAMPED CREDIT GUARANTEE THE REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE
SCHEME FOR MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES (CGSME) AUTONOMOUS LANDING

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It was launched in 2005 to make available collateral-free loans to micro, small MISSION (RLV LEX)
and medium enterprises.

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RLV LEX test was the second of five tests that
It also motivates first generation entrepreneurs towards self-employment by are a part of ISRO’s efforts to develop RLVs or
providing credit guarantee funding for third-party guarantee-free / space planes/shuttles under the Reusable
collateral-free loans. Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstration
Lending institutions include commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks, (RLV-TD) Programme.

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Scheduled Urban Co-operative Banks, Non Scheduled Urban Co-operative RLV is essentially a space plane with a low
Banks, etc. lift to drag ratio and can travel to low earth

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orbits to deliver payloads and return to
Implementing Authority- Credit Guarantee Fund Trust, established by Ministry
earth for use again.
of MSME and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
This vehicle will be scaled up to become the
Revamped Provisions: first stage of India’s reusable two-stage
Corpus of CGSME: Has been infused with a sum of Rs. 8,000 crore. orbital (TSTO) launch vehicle.

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Reduction of RLV-TD Programme aims at developing
Annual guarantee: essential technologies for a fully reusable
Fee for loans upto launch vehicle to enable low-cost access to
Rs. 1 crore from a space
peak rate of 2% per SALIENT It includes technologies like hypersonic
annum to as low as FEATURES flight (HEX), autonomous landing (LEX),
0.37% per annum. return flight experiment (REX), powered
Limit on ceiling for cruise flight, and Scramjet Propulsion
guarantees: Has Experiment (SPEX).
been enhanced NASA is using RLV for long time and private
from Rs. 2 crore to space agencies such as Space X
Rs. 5 crore. demonstrating partially reusable launch
systems
Claim Settlement:
For settlement of Advantages: RLV is considered a low-cost,
claims in respect of reliable, and on-demand mode of accessing
guarantees for loan space.
outstanding upto Challenges: Selection of materials like
Rs. 10 lakh, special alloys, composites, and insulation
initiation of legal materials and the crafting of its parts is very
proceedings will no complex and demands highly skilled
longer be required. manpower.

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NEW FOREIGN TRADE POLICY (FTP) 2023 LAUNCHED BY THE DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF
FOREIGN TRADE (DGFT), MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
New FTP 2023 replaced FTP (2015-20), which was extended due to COVID-19 pandemic and volatile geo-political scenario till
31.03.2023.
FTP is a set of guidelines and instructions for matters related to the import and export of goods.
FTP 2023 seeks to boost the country's exports to $2 trillion by 2030 by shifting from incentives to remission and entitlement based
regime.

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FTP 2023 will not have a five-year target date.
Key Highlights

Objective/Feature Measures Proposed in Policy

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Ease of doing business Automatic approval of various permissions, Reduction in user charges for MSMEs under Advance
Authorizations (AA) and Export Promotion capital Goods Scheme (EPCG), etc.

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Export promotion
Merchanting trade reform, Rupee payment to be accepted, Towns of Export Excellence etc.
initiatives
Districts as Export Hubs
Capacity building at the district level, Infrastructure and logistics development intervention etc.
initiative
E-Commerce Exports

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Facilitation for E-Commerce exports, Dak Niryat facilitation centre and E-Commerce Export Hubs.

Prime Minister Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) scheme brought
Steps to Boost
under the CSP (Common Service Provider) Scheme of EPCG, Status House Certification extended
Manufacturing
for Fruits and vegetables etc.

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Special one-time Amnesty For exporters who are unable to fulfill their EO (Export Obligation) against the EPCG and AA.
Scheme

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Streamlining SCOMET
(Special Chemicals, SCOMET policy emphasizes India’s export control in line with its international commitments under
Organisms, Materials, various export control regimes (Wassenaar arrangement, Australia group and Missile Technology
Equipment and Control Regime).
Technologies) Licensing

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Procedure

ALSO IN NEWS

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In 2022-23, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) created a milestone by entering into the highest
ever Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) in a year.
It is an agreement between a taxpayer and tax authority, determining the transfer pricing

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methodology for pricing the taxpayer’s international transactions for future years.
It can be Unilateral, Bilateral APA (BAPA), or Multilateral APA (MAPA).
Advance Pricing Income-tax Act, 1961 provides for APA.
Agreement (APA) Benefits: Avoids double taxation, certainty for complex and high risk transactions, reduces
compliance costs, promotes ease of doing business etc.
Government has extended mandatory fitness testing through a registered ATS for heavy goods
and passenger motor vehicles to October 1, 2024.
In 2022, fitness testing was made mandatory from April 1, 2023 under Central Motor Vehicle Rules
1989.
An ATS uses mechanical equipment to automate the various tests required to check the fitness of a
Automated Testing Station vehicle.
(ATS) Special purpose vehicles, state governments, etc. were allowed to open ATS for testing the
fitness of both personal and transport vehicles.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways launched the Sagar Setu Mobile App of NLMP.
NLPM is a national maritime single window platform encompassing complete end-to-end
logistics solutions.
It helps exporters, importers, and service providers exchange documents seamlessly and
National Logistics Portal transact business.
Marine (NLPM)

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The overarching NLP Marine Vision is to cater to various stakeholders in the G2G, G2B and B2B
model.
It has the capability to integrate with various Port Operating Systems/ Terminal Operating
Systems and other stakeholder(s) systems in the ecosystem.

The ENP has got its first fernarium.

About ENP
Location: Southern Western Ghats near Idukki, Kerala.

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Vegetation: Grasslands, shrublands and Shola forests.
Highest peak: Anamudi at 2695 meters (also the highest peak of the Indian Peninsula ).
Rivers: Tributaries of River Pambar in the east and tributaries of the River Periyar and Chalakuddy
Eravikulam National Park in the west

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(ENP) Fauna: The largest population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, other animals include Nilgiri
Marten, Ruddy Mongoose, Small Clawed Otter, etc.

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Flora: Neelakurunji (blooms only once every 12 years), Drosera peltate, etc.
Brazilian researchers recently succeeded in taking pictures of upward lightning.
Upward lightning is a phenomenon whereby a self-initiated lightning streak develops from a
tall object that travels upward toward an overlaying electrified storm cloud.
For this to happen, storm electrification and the resulting presence of a cloud charge region are

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enabling factors:
Upward lightning or The vertical elevation of a tall object accentuates the electric field locally on the ground.
upward flashes This results in conditions favourable for the initiation of an upward streak (called a leader)
from a tall object.

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Recent work by the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) has shown the potential
of the quinoline derivatives to treat drug-resistant leishmaniasis or kala-azar (black fever).

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The quinoline derivative is a potent inhibitor of enzyme topoisomerase 1, which is essential
for maintenance of DNA architecture in the parasites.
Kala-azar is a vector borne (sandfly) neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan
parasites of the genus leishmania.

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Leishmaniasis or kala-azar More than 95% cases from India and other tropical countries.
The four States endemic for kala-azar in India are: Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Uttar

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Pradesh.
Chhattisgarh's Nagri Dubraj rice variety got a geographical indication tag.
After Jeeraphool rice in 2019, Dubraj is the second brand to get the GI tag.
The women's self-help group “Maa Durga Swasahayata Samuh” of Nagri in Dhamtari district has

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been harvesting Dubraj and had applied for the GI tag.
Features:
The Nagri Dubraj is known as the Basmati of Chhattisgarh because of its fragrance.
Nagri Dubraj rice
The grain finds reference in Valmiki Ramayana.
The rice is of an indigenous variety and has small grains.

‘Poothan and Thira’ is an ancient folk dance was performed during celebration of
Thiramahotsavam in Thrissur district, Kerala.
Poothan and Thira are usually performed every year during the Pooram festival.
According to mythology, Thira and Poothan are the lieutenants of Lord Siva who were sent along
with Goddess Kali to kill the demon king Darika.
After slaying the demon, Thira and Poothan danced along with Kali to celebrate their victory.
Thiramahotsavam
The dancers belong to Mannan and Perumannan communities.
The main musical instrument used is Para (a percussion instrument).

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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