Daily PIB 25th October 2023

• International Migration Outlook 2023: Recently, the ‘International Migration Outlook 2023’ was released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). India saw the highest migration flows to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in 2021 and 2022.In terms of nationalities, 0.13 million Indian citizens acquired the nationality of an OECD country in 2021.Inflows of refugees from Ukraine reached the highest level on record, OECD-wide, due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war; more than 10 million people have become either internally displaced or refugees in the OECD region. 

In terms of workers, migration flows from India (+172 percent), Uzbekistan (+122 percent), and Turkey (+240 percent) rose sharply, making them primary countries of origin after Ukraine. 

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):It is an international organisation of 38 countries committed to democracy and the market economy. Its members are typically democratic countries that support free-market economies. It was established on December 14, 1960, by 18 European nations, plus the United States and Canada. Goal: To shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity, and well-being for all. It publishes economic reports, statistical databases, analyses, and forecasts on the outlook for economic growth worldwide. The organisation also seeks to eliminate bribery and other financial crimes worldwide. It maintains a so-called “black list” of nations that are considered uncooperative tax havens. India is one of the many non-member economies with which the OECD has working relationships in addition to its member countries. Headquarters: Paris, France. 

• Kasturi Cotton Bharat: It is a joint initiative by the Ministry of Textiles, the Cotton Corporation of India, Trade Bodies & Industry. Objective: To work on the principle of self-regulation by owning complete responsibility of Branding, Traceability and Certification of Indian Cotton to enhance its’ competitiveness in the global market and create a sustainable ecosystem for all stakeholders involved. The website provides a digital platform for necessary information and updates on this initiatives and highlights the registration process for ginners to produce Kasturi Cotton Bharat Brand. All the ginners in the country have been empowered to produce Kasturi Cotton Bharat brand as per stipulated protocol. The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) the apex body has been designated as the implementing agency for Traceability, Certification and Branding of “KASTURI Cotton India”. 

• Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card: It is an integrated circuit, or a microchip, that identifies the subscriber on a given network. In order for a mobile phone to connect to any cellular network that follows the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, a SIM card is mandatory. This relationship is established using a unique authentication key—a piece of data that a user needs to ‘unlock’ access to the network. Every SIM card stores this data, and it is designed such that the user can’t access it through their phone. Instead, signals sent by the phone into the network are ‘signed’ by the key, and the network uses the signature to understand whether the phone’s connection is legitimate. SIM cards also store information about its own ID number (the integrated circuit card identifier), the IMSI, the subscriber’s location area identity (i.e. their current location), a list of preferred networks (to whom the subscriber can connect when roaming), and, emergency numbers.