15th June 2021
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2021
Floating Raft Agriculture
One nation one Ration Card
NATO meet
G-7 Statement on China
Consumer Price and Wholesale Price Index
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2021
The Swedish think tank releases its stockholm International Peace Research Institute year book 2021.
Findings:
It finds out that the overall number of warheads in global military stockpiles now appears to be increasing.
It says that the declining trend of global nuclear arsenals have come to halt since the end of the Cold War.
It found out the nuclear weapon stockpile of China, India and Pakistan.
It found out that India possessed an estimated 156 nuclear warheads at the start of 2021, compared with 150 last year.
Further Pakistan had 165 warheads which increased from 160 in 2020.
And China’s nuclear arsenal consisted of 350 warheads, up from 320 at the start of 2020.
The nine nuclear armed states of the world include the U.S., Russia, the U.K., France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.
These nuclear states together possessed an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons at the start of 2021.
Both Russia and the U.S. together possessed over 90% of global nuclear weapons.
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force in early 2021. It highlights the growing divide between the nuclear-armed states, which are all investing in the long-term future of their nuclear forces, and other countries that are impatient to see progress on nuclear disarmament promised by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation TreatySource: SIPRI.org
Floating raft agriculture
News: Farmers in Vembanad backwaters have developed a floating raft to cultivate marigold flowers to be used in the Oman festival.
About the Floating raft:
The base of the floating raft will be made through Bamboo.
It will be held together by the coir geotextile with a bed of degraded water hyacinth.
It is made to improve adaptability and resilience in the background of climate change
Similar successful experiments were done with amaranthus in Alappuzha-Cherthala Canal near Kalavoor.
One Nation One Ration Card
News: Government representatives in supreme court submitted that 86% of the NFSA population in the country were swiftly brought under the ONORC plan by December 2020”.
Aim:
It aims to empower all migrant beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act to access foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop [FPS] in any state by using the same ration card.
To ensure that migrant workers and their families gets assured access to nutrition via national portability of ration cards under the Food Security Act.
NATO meet
News: NATO meeting took place in Brussels.
Outcome:
U.S. President Joe Biden said that the defence of Europe, Turkey and Canada was a “sacred obligation” for the United States.
He seeks NATO assistance against U.S. strategy to contain China’s military rise as well as showing unity in the face of Russian aggression.
The US said that Russia and China are not holding up onto the principles of liberla democracy.
Significance:
This indicates a marked shift of US policy towards NATO, where the previous President Donald Trump policy, giving warnings to withdraw from the military alliance.
G-7 Statement on China
After a three day summit of G-7 in Carbis Bay in England. G- 7 released a statement on China slamming China over abuses against minorities in the Xinjiang region and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, while U.S. President called for Beijing to “start acting more responsibly in terms of international norms on human rights”
Consumer Price and Wholesale Price Index
News: In May the Consume hit a six-month high of 6.3%, and Wholesale price index reached a record 12.94% inflation in may.
Inflation rIse:
Persistent rise in fuel and edible oil prices were the reason for rise in inflation.
The ‘fuel and light’ inflation for Consumers was 11.58%.
Food inflation again rise to 5.1% from just 1.96% in the month of April