UPSC QUIZ 24.06.2024

Explanation:

• Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has proposed a solid waste management (SWM) cess of Rs 100 per month for each household.
• Urban local bodies (ULBs) levy user fee or SWM cess as per the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• As per these guidelines, ULBs should charge user fee/cess for the provision of SWM services. Though there is no specified rate, ULBs usually charge around ₹30-50 per month as SWM cess, which is collected along with property tax.

SWM Cess

• Solid Waste Management (SWM) cess is a user fee or charge levied by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in India.
• A cess is a form of tax or levy imposed by governments to fund specific services or purposes, such as waste management or infrastructure development.

Explanation:

• Giving a significant boost to India’s port development programme, nine Indian ports have found a place in the global top 100 in the latest edition of the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), 2023, a report prepared by the World Bank and S&P Global Marketing Intelligence.
• The credit for this achievement has been given to the Sagarmala programme which has focused on the modernisation of the ports and improving their efficiency.

Key Highlights of the CPPI 2023

• It is a global index developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. It measures and compares the performance of container ports around the world.
• The index ranks 405 global container ports by efficiency, focusing on the duration of port stay for container vessels.
• Its primary aim is to identify areas for enhancement for the benefit of multiple stakeholders in the global trading system and supply chains, from ports to shipping lines, national governments, and consumers.

Explanation:

• Swedish think tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has recently released a report on the status of nuclear weapons around the world.
• According to this report, many nuclear-rich countries of the world including India have modernized their nuclear weapons.
• There are nine nuclear-rich countries in the world which include US, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.
• If we look at it, then the US and Russia are at the center of nuclear weapons, which have about 90% of the nuclear warheads out of the total 12,121 nuclear weapons in the world.

Country-Specific Developments

• Russia and USA: Together hold almost 90% of all nuclear weapons.
• China: China has significantly increased its nuclear arsenal from 410 to 500 by January 2024 and is expanding its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country.
• North Korea has approximately 50 warheads and materials for up to 90.
• Israel is modernising its arsenal and enhancing plutonium production capabilities (though not officially acknowledged).

Explanation:

• Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) won the Blue Planet Prize for 2024.
• IPBES was awarded as "the leading global authority on the state of knowledge and science about biodiversity, ecosystem services and nature's contributions to people".
• The other awardee is Robert Costanza from the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, for his contributions to the field of ecological economics.

Blue Planet Prize

• It was established in 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit.
• This award is given annually by Japan's Asahi Glass Foundation for outstanding achievements in scientific research and its application which have helped to solve global environmental problems.
• Two winners are chosen every year and the prize includes an award of USD 500,000.

Explanation:

• India announced a medical e-visa facility for Bangladesh citizens.
• India and Bangladesh signed 10 pacts on defence, digital partnership, maritime cooperation etc.
• India would also start a medical e-visa facility for Bangladesh citizens.
• India will also open a new consulate in Rangpur, Bangladesh for people in the northwestern region of the country.
• India and Bangladesh signed agreements on digital partnership, green partnership, maritime cooperation and blue economy, space cooperation, railway connectivity, oceanography, defence and strategic operation studies, etc.
• This is the first incoming bilateral state visit by a foreign leader after the formation of the new government.
• To review the protection and management of the Teesta River in Bangladesh, a technical team will also travel to Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh is crucial for India's Neighbourhood First policy, Act East Policy, Vision SAGAR, and Indo-Pacific vision
• The sixth rail link between India and Bangladesh has started between Jakhoda and Agartala.
• Bharat-Bangladesh Maitri Satellite will also enhance the relationship between both countries.
• Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was on a two-day visit to India.