gaganyaan-tepa

TEPA Agreement

• India and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) reached a Trade & Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) after 15 years of negotiations.
• EFTA countries are Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.
• Switzerland is India's largest trading partner within EFTA.
• EFTA aims to increase India's foreign direct investment (FDI) stock by USD 100 billion in the next 15 years and create 1 million direct jobs.
• EFTA's highest governing body is the EFTA Council, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• EFTA was established in 1960 by the Stockholm Convention.
• TEPA is India's 4th such agreement since 2014, following agreements with Mauritius (2021), UAE (2022), and Australia (2022).

EFTA Details

• EFTA's founding member states include Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
• Iceland joined in 1970, Liechtenstein in 1991, and Finland in 1986 (now part of the EU).
• The European Economic Area (EEA) includes EU members plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway (Switzerland is not part of the EEA).
• EU's single market encompasses the EEA plus Switzerland.

International Women's Day

• Celebrated on March 8th.
• 2024 theme: Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress.
• First International Women's Day was in 1911.

Women Business and Law Report 2024

• 10th annual report by the World Bank Group.
• A report aligning with the ongoing #AccelerateEquality initiative.
• Includes 8 indicators, with the 2nd report adding 2 more.
• High-income OECD economies, 11 scored 90+ (Italy #1 with 95).
• Main weakness is women's safety.
• Global average score: 36.
• India's ranking: 113.

Schemes Supporting Women

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme (2015): Encourages the education and safety of girls.
• Sukanya Samridhi scheme (2015): Savings scheme under the above campaign.
• Mission Shakti Scheme (2022): 5-year scheme for women.
• Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017: Provides 26 weeks of paid leave post-childbirth (12 for surrogates/adoptive).
• POSH Act, 2013: Broadened the scope of the Vishaka Guidelines (1997 Supreme Court guidelines).
• POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, 2012: Other key legislation important for women.

Women in STEM & Other Demographics

• Women comprise only 28% of the STEM workforce in India (202x data given).
• Sex ratio at birth: 943 girls per 1000 boys (Census 2011).
• More than 60% of adolescent girls in India are anemic.
• 106th Constitutional Amendment Act reserves 1/3rd of seats for women in Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and Delhi Assembly.

Women in Indian Armed Forces

• Women officers were inducted into the Indian army under the Women Special Entry Scheme (WSES) in 1992.
• 5-year service periods.
• Restrictions on roles in infantry and armored corps.
• WSES replaced by the Short Service Commission Scheme (SSC) in 2006.

International Day of Violence Against Women

• Observed on November 25th.

PIB-Fact Check Unit

• Press Information Bureau (PIB) established in 2019.
• Fact Check Unit (FCU) established under IT Rules (Amendment), 2023.
• Amended IT Rules, 2021.
• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Legal challenges against FCU provisions filed by various parties.
• Intermediaries risk losing safe harbor protection if they fail to remove flagged content.
• FCU reports to the principal director general of PIB.

Demand for Ladakh's 6th Schedule Status

• Ladakh became a UT in 2019 without a legislature (Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019).
• Petitioning for statehood and implementation of the 6th Schedule under Article 244.
• Former state of J&K had 4 Ladakh representatives in its legislature.

6th Schedule

• Provides for Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in 4 NE states.
• ADCs have legislative, judicial, and administrative autonomy.
• 30 members in each ADC district council (26 elected, 4 nominated).

Pangong Tso Lake

• 135km long landlocked lake at 14,000ft (4350m).
• Highest-altitude lake in the world filled with saline water.
• 8 mountain spurs, known as fingers, protrude into the water.

J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019

• Passed on August 5, 2019, effective October 31.
• Repealed Article 370.
• UT of J&K administered by the president via a Lieutenant Governor.
• Parliament has legislative powers over J&K, except for police and public order (state list), and any subject on the concurrent list.

Environment Concerns in Ladakh

• Ladakh and Himalayas: 3rd pole of the world.
• Glaciers are melting.
• Increase in tourist activity and vehicular/industrial pollution.

National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem

• Launched in 2010, formally approved in 2014.
• One of 8 missions in the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCAP).

SECURE Himalaya Project

• Part of the Global Wildlife Program (GEF).

Ladakh Region

• "Land of passes," largest in area among the J&K regions.
• Bordering Chinese Tibet, Himachal Pradesh, UT of J&K, Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, and Xinjiang.
• Rivers include Indus, Shyok, and Nubra; suru, dras, and zanskar in Kargil.
• Lakes: Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri.

BrahMos Missiles

• India delivered BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines (1st export order).
• Joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
• Derived from Brahmaputra + Moskva rivers.
• Range extended post-2016 MTCR membership.
• 2-stage missile with solid propellant booster and liquid ramjet.
• Speed up to 3 Mach.

Gaganyaan Mission

• PM Modi announced Gaganyaan mission on August 15, 2018.
• Sending 3-member crew to space for at least 7 days by 2024-25 using GSLV Mk III.
• Estimated cost below ₹10,000 crores.
• Astronauts to be called "Vyomnauts."
• India to become 4th nation to send humans to space.
• Four astronauts (Group Capt Prashanth Balkrishnan Nair, Group Capt Ajit Krishnan, Group Capt Angad Pratap, Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla ) named.
• Training in Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (2020-2021).
• NASA training for ISS by 2024.