21 June 2023

• Diplomacy: PM Modi arrived in New York for the 9th International Yoga Day event at the United Nations, launching his US state visit.
• Climate: The Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact identified a 4 trillion dollar annual gap in SDG and climate investment.
• Cryosphere: The ICIMOD Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment found glaciers losing mass 65 per cent faster than the global average.
• Sports: Badminton pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won India's first-ever BWF Super 1000 title at the Indonesia Open.

GS area: International Relations, Culture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the 9th International Yoga Day event at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 21 June 2023. This was the inaugural event of his state visit to the United States (21-24 June).

• International Yoga Day: 21 June, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Declared by the UN General Assembly in December 2014 following India's proposal. The resolution was co-sponsored by a record 177 nations.
• Attendance: The 2023 UN event saw participation from diplomats of over 150 member countries.
• Significance of the date: The summer solstice has cultural and spiritual significance in many traditions worldwide.
• First state visit: The full state visit to Washington (21-24 June 2023) was PM Modi's first official state visit to the United States. Previous trips were working visits. A state visit involves a formal welcome ceremony at the White House, state dinner, and address to a joint session of Congress.

Static linkage: International relations; India and the world.

GS area: Environment, Geography

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) released a comprehensive assessment of glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region.

• ICIMOD: An intergovernmental regional learning centre serving eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Key finding: HKH glaciers are losing mass 65 per cent faster than the global average.
• Water supply: The HKH contains the largest volume of ice outside the polar regions. It feeds 12 major river systems serving 1.65 billion people, including the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra.
• Projection: Water availability in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra will increase through 2050 as more ice melts, then decrease sharply, potentially by up to 80 per cent by 2100 as glaciers are exhausted.
• Himalayan ibex: Its habitat is projected to reduce by 33 to 64 per cent due to climate change.

Static linkage: Indian geography; environment; international organisations.

GS area: International Relations, Environment, Economy

France hosted a Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, focused on closing the gap between climate finance commitments and actual flows to developing countries.

• The gap: 4 trillion dollars annually needed globally for SDGs and climate transition. Only 25 per cent of this investment reaches South Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
• Wealth tax proposal: A 2 per cent wealth tax on the world's super-rich (those with over 1 billion dollars in assets) could generate approximately 2 trillion dollars annually. This was floated as a new financing mechanism.
• India's role: India co-chaired the steering committee alongside France.
• SDR allocation: The IMF allocated 100 billion dollars in Special Drawing Rights to vulnerable developing countries.
• World Bank climate clause: The World Bank introduced disaster pause clauses allowing countries to suspend debt repayments during declared natural disasters or climate emergencies.
• Outcome: 200 billion dollars in additional lending capacity was unlocked from multilateral development banks.

Static linkage: International relations; environment; international economics.

GS area: Economy, Science and Technology

The Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2023 ranked India third in the world, after the United States and China.

• Number of startups: Approximately 75,000.
• Innovation index: India moved from 81st in 2015 to 46th in the Global Innovation Index in 2022.
• Patent and publication rankings: 9th globally for patent filings; 3rd for research publications.
• Cities: Bengaluru ranked 20th globally. Mumbai moved up 5 places.
• Challenges: Funding gaps (only 3 unicorns added in 2023, down from 44 in 2021); regulatory complexity; talent retention; access to deep technology.

Static linkage: Economy; science and technology.

GS area: Sports, Culture

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the Indonesia Open, a BWF Super 1000 tournament, becoming the first Indian pair to win a tournament of this level.

• BWF Super 1000: The highest tier in the Badminton World Federation World Tour, commanding the most ranking points and prize money.
• Significance: India has historically been a singles-dominant nation in badminton (Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth). A doubles pair winning at this level is unprecedented.

Static linkage: Sports.

• C.A. Bhavani Devi: Won India's first-ever Asian Fencing Championships medal (bronze, women's sabre), in Wuxi, China. First Indian to win at the Asian fencing level.
• GEMCOVAC-OM mRNA vaccine: India's first indigenous mRNA vaccine for the Omicron variant, developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, received approval. Storage advantage: stable at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (standard refrigerator), unlike earlier mRNA vaccines that needed ultra-cold storage.
• Golden Temple broadcast: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee passed an amendment making the broadcast of Gurbani from the Golden Temple free for all media outlets. The SGPC manages gurdwaras in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, including Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), which was completed in 1589 and given its gold overlay by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1830.