26.11.2021 ENG

21st India-Russia Annual Summit

  • President Putin is coming to attend the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

  • After the BRICS summit meeting in Brasilia in November 2019, this summit will be the first one-on-one meeting between the two leaders.

  • The India-Russia Annual Summit was last held in September 2019. In 2019, PM Modi visited Vladivostok (Russia). The 2020 annual summit was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 summit agenda

  • During the 2021 summit, the two leaders will review the prospects of bilateral relations.

  • They will discuss ways to further strengthen the strategic ties between the two countries.

  • The summit will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on international, multilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.

  • They will exchange views on topical issues on the international agenda such as BRICS, G20 and joint work within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

  • The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue will be held between the two countries on December 6, 2021. It was presented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to their Indian counterparts, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

India-Russia relations

  • At present Russia is the largest defense supplier to India. India has bought defense systems like the S-400 from Russia. India and Russia are members of BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Russia also supports India's permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The astronauts selected for India's human spaceflight program were trained by Russia. Russia is helping India in the construction of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.

Indo-French joint military exercise 'Shakti 2021'

  • The sixth edition of the biennial Indo-French joint military exercise 'Shakti- 2021' concluded in France on November 26, 2021.

  • 'Shakti- 2021' consisted of 12 days of intensive joint military training.

  • During this exercise, the armies of both the countries displayed their combat prowess on extremist groups in counter terrorism and counter insurgency environment.

  • The exercise provided an opportunity to both sides to train in counter-terrorist operations in a joint environment under the UN Charter.

two stages of practice

  • The Shakti exercise was conducted in two phases. This included combat conditioning and tactical training in counter-terrorist operations. It culminated with the validation of training in a semi-urban environment. The armies of both sides shared their best operational practices and experiences.

strength exercises

  • The exercise focuses on counter-insurgency operations in semi-urban areas under the mandate of the United Nations. It is organized biennially with the aim of enhancing military cooperation and interactivity between the armies of the two countries. The exercise was started in 2011 and is conducted alternately in India and France.

5th edition of the exercise

  • The last edition of the exercise of power (5th edition) 2019 was held in Rajasthan. In this edition, both the armies had practiced "anti-terrorist operations in semi-desert terrain".

Other Defense Exercises Between India and France

  • India and France conduct the following defense exercises:

  • Varuna, which is a naval exercise

  • Desert Night-21

  • Garuda, an air exercise.

Inauguration of Ayurveda Parv-2021

  • Minister of State for AYUSH Munjpara Mahedrabhai inaugurated it in New Delhi on November 26, 2021.

  • Ayurveda Parv-2021 is a three-day event, which is being organized to promote Ayurveda.

  • As part of this event, an exhibition consisting of 40 stalls has been organized in addition to the participation of pharmaceutical companies.

  • The event has been organized for proper utilization of Ayurvedic health care as well as for coordination and better use of Ayurvedic education, research and manufacture of medicines.

Ayurveda Parv

  • Ayurveda Parv is organized with an aim to ensure greater acceptance of Ayurveda among the people and to popularize Ayurveda as the main treatment for many lifestyle diseases. This initiative is supported by the Ministry of AYUSH.

Importance

  • This initiative has become even more important in the light of the situation of COVID-19 in the last two years. It stressed the need to promote Ayurveda amidst the pandemic situation.

Ayurveda

  • Ayurveda is an ancient medical system that has its roots in the Indian subcontinent. Ayurveda is very popular in countries like India and Nepal. Ayurveda uses system of medicine to cure lifestyle diseases of about 80% of the population. In India, Ayurveda is promoted by the Ministry of AYUSH, which was constituted by the Government of India on November 9, 2014. India also celebrates "National Ayurveda Day" on Dhanteras, which marks the birth of Dhanvantari.

COVID Variant B.1.1.1.529 Declared a 'Worrying Appearance'

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated COVID-19 variant B.1.1529 as a 'variant of concern'.

  • This variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been named Omicron.

  • This variant was first detected in the Botswana region of South Africa on 24 November.

  • South Africa is seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections, coinciding with the discovery of the omicron variant.

Who monitors the development of the virus?

  • The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of the COVID-19 virus. TAG-VE is an independent group of experts.

Omicron

  • The newly discovered variant has a large number of mutations.

  • Preliminary evidence suggests that, compared with other anxiolytic variants, there is an increased risk of reinfection with this variant.

  • This variant can be detected using SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics.

travel ban

  • The European Union, Canada, the US, Saudi Arabia have imposed travel restrictions and suspended flights from South Africa amid growing concerns over the new version in South Africa.

Cabinet approves continuation of O-SMART

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of the umbrella scheme named “Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)” for the period 2021-26.

  • Approval was given to continue it at a cost of Rs 2,177 crore.

The O-Smart plan consists of seven sub-schemes:

  • ocean technology

  • Ocean Modeling and Advisory Services (OMAS)

  • Ocean Observation Network (OON)

  • ocean non-living resources

  • Marine Life Resources and Ecology (MLRE)

  • coastal research

  • Operation and maintenance of research ships.

  • All the sub-schemes are being implemented by autonomous institutions of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

What is O-Smart plan?

  • O-SMART is a government scheme, which was launched on August 29, 2018 with the aim of promoting ocean research and establishing early warning weather systems. It aims to address ocean development activities such as technology, services, science, resources and observation. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Objectives of O-Smart Scheme

  • The objectives of the O-SMART plan include:

  • To provide forecasts and services based on continuous observation of the oceans,

  • To develop technologies and exploratory surveys for sustainable exploitation of ocean resources.

  • Promoting pioneering research in ocean science.

importance of planning

  • O-SMART is a multidisciplinary sustainable plan. It will enhance the capacity building of the nation at the international level in the field of oceanography through extensive research and technology development activities. The scheme will provide further comprehensive coverage over the next five years by consolidating the ongoing activities to provide state-of-the-art technology which will be applicable for the maritime domain.