International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

Notes:
The book “Narendra Modi: The Making of a Legend” has been authored by Bindeshwar Pathak, the Sulabh International founder and a Padma Bhushan recipient. The book is recently launched by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat in New Delhi. The coffee table book is all about PM Modi and the inspiring journey of his life. It has images and text depicting Modi’s journey, his struggles and several initiatives taken by him since he took oath as country’s prime minister in 2014.

Notes:
SAARC is regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia. It promotes development of economical and regional integration. 
Member Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan (joined in 2007
The first SAARC summit was held in Dhaka (Bangladesh) in December 1985.

Notes:
Every year June 20 is observed as World Refugee Day to raise awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. The observance of the day seeks to draw attention to the plight of refugees and also to celebrate their courage and resilience and renew commitment to solve refugee problems

Notes:
The first G-20 summit was held in Washington D.C., United States, in response to the global financial crisis. The summit brought together leaders from 20 major economies to discuss solutions to the crisis and ways to reform the international financial system. The city was chosen as the host because it is the home of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, two key institutions involved in addressing the global financial crisis.

Notes:
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that is aimed to promote and regulate regulation of international trade between nations. It commenced its operations on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement.

Notes:
The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property was signed on March 20, 1883 in Paris, France.   It was one of the first intellectual property treaties. The convention established a Union for the protection of industrial property.   It still applies today, and has 177 member countries.  The convention’s provisions fall into three main categories:

1. National treatment
2. Right of priority
3. Common rules

The convention applies to:  Patents, Trademarks, Industrial designs, Utility models, Service marks, Trade names, Geographical indications, Repression of unfair competition.  The convention’s provisions include a 12-month priority period. This period begins on the date of filing the first application to the first country.

Notes:
Dhruva is India’s largest indigenous research and production nuclear reactor. It is an indigenously built 100MWt research reactor at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai. Operational since 1985, this heavy-water moderated and cooled reactor predominantly uses uranium as fuel. The reactor is used primarily for the production of weapons-grade plutonium for India’s nuclear deterrent program. Additionally, it is also used for research in materials science and to provide irradiation services.

Notes:
The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is a joint venture between India and Russia. The plant is located in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It is the largest nuclear power station in India.
The plant was built as a result of an inter-governmental agreement signed in 1988 by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The agreement called for the construction of two reactors of 2 GW. The first concrete for unit 1 was poured in March 2002, and for unit 2 four months later.
The reactors are pressurised water reactors of Russian design. The thermal capacity is 3,000 MW, the gross electrical capacity is 1,000 MW, and the net capacity is 917 MW.

Notes:
The Sanskrit poet Padmagupta Parimala composed “Navasaha Sankacharitam” , in which he described the exploits of Paramara
King Sindhuraja (995-1010 AD) of Dhara, who possessed the title “Nava Sahasanka”. It deals with the marriage of Sindhuraja  (the father of King Bhoja of Dhara) with the Shashi Prabha (daughter of Nagaraja Shankhapara) and the personal aspects of his life.

Notes:
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted Resolution 2427 to protect children in armed conflict. It aimed at providing legal framework for mainstreaming protection, rights, well-being and empowerment of children throughout the conflict cycle. The resolution 2427, which won unanimous approval of the 15 members of the council, strongly condemns the recruitment and use of children by parties to armed conflict as well as their re-recruitment, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and abductions. It demands that all relevant parties immediately put an end to such practices and take special measures to protect children. The resolution also emphasizes the responsibility of all states to put an end to impunity and to investigate and prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other egregious crimes perpetrated against children. The council was chaired by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.