Goa Affairs
Goa among top 3 states in Centres good governance index
Goa has emerged as one of the top threestateswith efficient Governance models, ranking third in theCentres Index(GGI) 2020-21, which was released on Saturday. Goa scored 5.35 as against a score of 4.29 in 2019, indicating a near 25% improvement over the earlier exercise conducted by the department of Administrative Reforms and public grievances.
Amongthe 10 well-developed states, Goa tops the rankings in terms of public Infrastructure and service utilities. The index also indicates that Goa has taken strong strides to improve the <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and allied sector industrial Growth, social welfare and Environment.
In the overall healthcare sector ranking, Goa was placed third, behind Kerala and Maharashtra. While Goa remains the leader when it comes to availability of doctors at PHCs, many other states have shown a worrying trend of decline in doctors at PHCs. The report has also found a marginal decrease in the Percentage of doctors available at PHCs in Goa.
The index also takes into account actions to mitigate <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change such as polices, planning and initiatives taken by the government. In this aspect, Goa is firmly lodged at fifth place, suggesting that more needs to be done. In the evaluation of citizen-centric governance, particularly participation and transparency, Goa stands fourth, behind Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab.
The ranking for GGI 2020-21 is based on ten sectors and 58 indicators. The sectors are agriculture and allied sectors, commerce and industries, Human resource development, public Health, public infrastructure and utilities, economic governance, social welfare and development, judicial and public security, environment and citizen-centric governance.
National and International Affairs
INS Khukri Decommissioned
The INS Khukri (P49), India’s first indigenously built missile corvette, was decommissioned on December 24, 2021, after 32 years of service at Visakhapatnam.
Highlights:
The , decommissioning pennant, and naval ensign were all lowered at sunset during the decommissioning ceremony.
On August 23, 1989, the Mazagon Dock shipbuilders completed the INS Khukri.
It was unique in that it served in both the Western and Eastern Fleets.
The ship was commanded by 28 commanding officers during her service with the INDIAN NAVY.
It traveled over 6,44,897 nautical miles, which is the equivalent of 30 times around the world or three times the distance between the Moon and the Earth. The ship was assigned to the Indian Army’s Gorkha Brigade.
Indian Armys In-house Messaging app
The Indian Army has launched ASIGMA, a modern messaging app that stands for “Army Secure IndiGeneous Messaging Application.”
Highlights:
The AWAN (Army Wide Area Network) messaging application will be replaced by ASIGMA. For the past 15 years, AWAN has been in operation.
On Army-owned hardware, the ASIGMA app has been distributed. It will serve the army from now on, and it will be able to provide lifetime support with future upgrades.It has been designed to meet all future requirements for the Indian army while also providing a better user experience.
The app includes a number of modern features, such as multi-level security, message prioritization and tracking, a dynamic global address book, and to meet the army’s current needs.
It will meet the Army’s real-time data transfer and messaging needs, especially given the current geopolitical security Environment.
India Aids Mozambique
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari arrived in Maputo, Mozambique, on December 25 with 500 tonnes of food aid as part of the SAGAR Mission.
Highlights:
500 tonnes of food aid were sent to Mozambique to aid the government’s efforts to combat the ongoing drought and the covid-19 pandemic.
India is also committed to assisting Mozambique’s Armed Forces in their capacity-building efforts.
INS Kesari also carried two Fast Interceptor Craft and self-defense equipment, which will be handed over to the Mozambican Armed Forces.
In accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR, aid was extended to Mozambique for the eighth time.
Rare Pink Handfish
After 22 years, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) discovered a rare pink handfish near the Tasmanian coast. The last time the fish was seen was in 1999.
Highlights:
In February 2021, Australian marine researchers used an underwater camera to photograph the seabed in Tasman Fracture Marine Park. They discovered the pink handfish later while reviewing the footage.
The Taman Fracture Marine Park is known for its deep crack in the earth’s crust, which allows scientists to study marine life up to 4,000 meters below the surface.
Pink handfish was previously thought to only live in shallow waters. This time, however, it was discovered at a depth of 150 meters.