1) South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC): Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of multiple road upgradation as part of the SASEC corridor connectivity.
- Genesis: Established in 2001.
- Secretariat : Asian Development Bank
- Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
- Objective: It is a project-based partnership to promote regional prosperity by improving,
- Cross-border connectivity
- Boosting trade among member countries and
- Strengthening regional economic cooperation
- Four Main SASEC Sectors: Transport, Trade facilitation, Energy, and Economic corridor development.
2) Prime Minister’s Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC): Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India has convened the 24th PM-STIAC meeting.
- Constituted in 2018, PM-STIAC advises the Prime Minister on all matters related to Science, Technology and Innovation.
- Council works under the office of PSA and PSA acts as its chairperson.
- Objectives: Synergizing Science & Technology collaborative research with various stakeholders.
- Fostering effective public-private linkages for driving research
- Formulating and coordinating major inter-ministerial Science & Technology missions.
- PM-STIAC shaped several missions such as Deep Ocean Exploration Mission, One Health Mission, National Quantum Mission, etc.
3) Nagoya Protocol: Cameroon, a central African country, has adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization.
- Adopted in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, it is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- India is a party to the Nagoya Protocol.
- It aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.
- It establishes a clear framework on how researchers and companies can obtain access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.
4) Bharat Brand: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution launched ‘Bharat Rice’ at a subsidized rate.
- In the first phase, it will be offered to consumers through three central cooperative agencies – Kendriya Bhandar, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed), and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF).
- Earlier, the government has started retailing subsidized Wheat flour and Chana dal under the ‘Bharat’ Brand.
- It aims to stabilize prices, curb food inflation, and augment domestic availability of these food items.
Places in News:
1) Suriname (Capital: Paramaribo):
- A Parliamentary delegation from the Republic of Suriname, called on the President of India.
- Political Features
- Located on northern coast of South America.
- Boundaries: Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Brazil to the south, and Guyana to the west.
Geographical Features
- Tropical rainforest covers southern part of the country.
- Economically, dependent on extensive supply of natural resources, most notably Bauxite.
- Major Rivers: Maroni, Courantyne, Coppename, Suriname River etc.
- Highest Peak: Juliana Top
