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Daily Current Affairs for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC and All State PCS Examinations

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Vienna Convention

Why in NEWS?

• China protests 'forced entry' of US agents into Houston consulate and called it violation of Vienna Convention.

About

• US federal agents and law enforcement officers entered the Chinese consulate in Houston along with locksmiths to shut down, amidst spiralling tensions between Washington and Beijing.
• The Trump administration accused Beijing of stealing intellectual property and claimed that the consulate in Houston was the "epicentre" of China's research theft and economic espionage.
• China expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the US law enforcement officers' "forced entry" into the consulate and lodged a diplomatic protest.
• In a retaliatory move, China has already ordered the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan province.
• Chinese ministry said that the Consulate in Houston is the building of the diplomatic consulate and is also China's national property and according to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the Sino-US Consular Treaty, the US must not infringe on the premises of the Chinese Consulate in Houston in anyway.

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

• It is a treaty that was signed in 1961 and came into force in 1964.
• It is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries.
• It lays out the rules and regulations for diplomatic relations between countries as well as the various privileges that diplomats and diplomatic missions enjoy.
• One of these privileges is legal immunity for diplomats so that they don’t have to face prosecution as per their host country’s laws.
• Its articles are considered a cornerstone of modern international relations.

National Handloom Day

IN NEWS

• PM Modi in his 14th version of ‘Man ki baat’ said that the Handloom of India and our Handicrafts encompass a glorious history of hundreds of years.
• The National Handloom Day is observed annually on 7th August to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also highlight India’s handloom industry.

ABOUT

• August 7 was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this day in 1905 in Calcutta Town Hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government.
• A 'handloom' is a loom used to weave fabric without having to use any electricity. Hand weaving is performed on pit looms or frame looms which are usually located in the homes of weavers.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first National Handloom Day at the University of Madras' Centenary Hall in Chennai, on 7th August 2015.

WHAT ARE THE MEASURES TAKEN TO BOOST HANDLOOM SECTOR IN INDIA?

• Government of India has taken several measures to boost the Handloom sector. The Handlooms (Reservation of Production Articles) Act, 1985, Handloom Census, Geographical Indication, e-commerce initiatives such as 'e-dhaga, capacity building programs and the overall revival of handlooms and Khadi Gramodyog industries are important steps launched by the GoI to boost the handloom sector in India.
• The ‘solar charkha’ program which was recently launched was set up to support artisanal clusters. It is also important to address handloom concerns such as those related to the lack of market connections, pricing, raw materials in labour-intensive activities such as spinning, weaving, and embroidery work.

SCHEMES RELATED TO HANDLOOMS

1. National Handloom Development Programme(NHDP)
2. Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme
3. Yarn Supply Scheme/Mil Gate Price Scheme
4. Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme
5. Weavers MUDRA Scheme.

Indian Intelligence-gathering Satellite Emisat Passes Over Tibet, China

IN NEWS

• India's premier intelligence-gathering satellite EMISAT, operated by the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has taken a good look at the positions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in occupied Tibet.

ABOUT

• The satellite was successfully placed in its intended sun-synchronous polar orbit of 748 km height by PSLV-C45 on April 01, 2019.
• The satellite which carries Kautilya, an ELINT (electronic intelligence) package whose "capabilities are among the most highly-classified and closely-guarded aspects of operation for military purposes
• EMISAT is an Indian reconnaissance satellite under DRDO's project Kautilya which is meant to provide space-based electronic intelligence or ELINT.
• The spacecraft will help improve the situational awareness of the Indian Armed Forces as it will provide information and location of enemy radars.
• ELINT payload is by Defense Electronics Research Laboratory, while augmented Indian Mini Satellite-2 (IMS-2) platform is by ISRO.

FACTS ABOUT THE PSLV C-45:

• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is the third generation launch vehicle of India.
• The first flight of the PSLV was launched on the September 20, 1993 but first successful launch was in October 1994.
• The PSLV-C45 is the 47th mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program.
• The PSLV-C45 was launched from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India.
• The specialty of this mission is that for the first time PSLV will launch satellites in three different orbits. Another distinguished feature of the project is for the first time, PSLV with four strap-on configuration has been identified for this mission.

DRDO

• The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headquartered in Delhi, India.
• It was formed in 1958 by the merger of the Technical Development Establishment and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the Indian Ordnance Factories with the Defence Science Organization.

Referendum 2020

Why in NEWS?

• Chief Minister Amarinder Singh welcomed Canada’s decision not to recognise the results of the ‘Referendum 2020’ being organised by the pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

About

• The CM hoped that other countries would also follow Canada’s example and reject the secessionist `Referendum 2020’, which the Sikh For Justice (SFJ) was promoting to divide India on communal lines.
• He also said that failure to openly oppose the separatist SFJ could set a dangerous precedent for any country as it could be seen as a case of covert support to an organisation that is freely propagating secessionist activities.
• It was in the interest of global peace and security to reject forces that are bent on spreading terror.

Sikh for Justice (SFJ)

• It is a US-based secessionist group that supports the secession of Punjab from India as Khalistan.
• It has been banned by India as a terrorist organisation in 2019.
• Its founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu has been declared a terrorist for actively promoting Pakistan-backed terror activities on Indian soil.
• SFJ started organizing a campaign for 'Referendum 2020’.

Referendum 2020

• As of 2019, SFJ campaigns for a Punjab independence referendum to carve out a separate Khalistan from India as a part of its separatist agenda.
• The group also has at times expressed support for a greater Khalistan whose territory straddles parts of Punjab province of Pakistan and has invited non-Sikhs to register for voting.