CARBON EMISSIONS GOAL

A Study published by Council for Energy Environment and Water (CEEW) said Developed countries were responsible for three-fourths of existing carbon emissions.
They will end up emitting 38% more carbon in 2030 than they have committed.
The NDCs of developed countries already fall short of the global average reduction of emissions to 43% below 2019 levels.
Instead, developed countries’ collective NDCs only amount to a 36% cut.
Except Belarus and Norway, none of the developed countries seem to be on the path to meet their 2030 targets.
Japan and Kazakhstan are close, and are expected to miss their targets by only a single percentage point.

‘PENNY DROP’ VERIFICATION

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority made ‘penny drop’ verification mandatory for the withdrawal of funds by subscribers of the National Pension System.
Through the process, Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRAs) check the active status of the savings bank account and match the name in the bank account number with the name in Permanent Retirement Account Number.
The provisions will apply across NPS, Atal Pension Yojana and NPS Lite for exits/withdrawals and for modification in subscribers’ bank account details.
The validity of the account is verified by making a ‘test transaction’ by dropping a small amount into the beneficiary’s bank account and matching the name based on the response.

Dominic Martin, an estranged member of Jehovah’s Witnesses took the responsibility for the series of blasts at a prayer convention of the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect near Kochi.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian sect.
They do not believe in the Holy Trinity (the doctrine that God exists in three equal persons of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit).
They worship Jehovah as “the one true and Almighty God, the Creator”, who is “the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus”.
They believe Jesus Christ to be the “King of God’s Kingdom in heaven”, but not as the Almighty God.
They base their beliefs only on the text of the Bible, which they see as the word of God. They don’t celebrate Christmas or Easter, because they believe such festivals to be inspired by Pagan traditions.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for their evangelical work.
The origins of the sect lie in a Bible Student movement started in the 1870s.

NITI Aayog is consolidating ten sectoral thematic visions into one ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ document.
The vision document aimed at making India a developed country.
Ten sectoral groups of secretaries (SGoS) from various ministries created around themes including infrastructure, welfare, commerce and industry, technology, and governance have each prepared a vision document.
It has also forecasted that India’s economy will be worth $30 trillion in 2047, with a per capita GDP of $17,590.
The ten sectoral groups of secretaries (SGoS) are based on themes of rural and agriculture, infrastructure, resources, social vision, welfare, finance and economy, commerce and industry, technology, governance, and security and foreign affairs.
The document will be critical in helping India avoid the middle-income trap.

The middle-income trap is a scenario where a middle-income country is unable to transition to a high-income economy and achieve higher per-capita income levels.
This may be due to rising costs and declining competitiveness.
However, it is easier for low-income countries to transition to middle-income economy faster due to factors like low wages and cheap labour.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) releases International Migration Outlook.
According to the International Migration Outlook 2023 report Migration to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries has reached record levels, with over 6 million new permanent immigrants in 2022.
India has emerged as the top country of origin of new citizens in OECD countries in 2021 with 4 lakh new migrants (excluding students).
Migrant women have more children than native-born peers, but fertility rates remain below replacement levels (2.1 children per woman) in most OECD countries.
Immigrant mothers face a notable disadvantage in employment compared to immigrant women without children and native-born peers, with a 20% gap in employment rates across the OECD
Migrant mothers are often trapped in inactivity due to childcare responsibilities.

Doklam is an area spread over less than 100 sq km comprising a plateau and a valley at the trijunction between India, Bhutan, and China.
It is surrounded by the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, Bhutan’s Ha Valley, and Sikkim.
Doklam is strategically located close to the Siliguri Corridor.
It connects mainland India with its north-eastern region.
The corridor, also called Chicken’s Neck, is a vulnerable point for India.