Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 04 July 2024 | Download PDF

• India has officially announced its participation in the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

About SCO:

• Establishment: June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, China.
• Coverage:
  • World’s largest regional organization by geography and population.
  • Covers about 80% of the Eurasian landmass and 40% of the world population.
• Objective:
  • Promote cooperation and peace among member states.
  • Foster a new democratic, fair, and rational international political and economic order.
• Founding Members: 
  • Kazakhstan, 
  • China, 
  • Kyrgyzstan, 
  • Russia, 
  • Tajikistan, and 
  • Uzbekistan.
• Expansion:
  • India and Pakistan joined in 2017.
  • Iran joined in 2023.
• Total: 9 member states.
• Observer States: Mongolia, Belarus, and Afghanistan.
• Resources:
  • Controls 20% of the world’s oil reserves.
  • Controls 44% of the world’s natural gas reserves.
• Organizational Structure: 
  • Supreme Decision-Making Body: Heads of State Council (HSC).
  • Meets once a year.
  • Adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organization.
• Permanent Bodies:
  • SCO Secretariat based in Beijing.
  • Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
  • Promotes cooperation against terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
• Official Languages: Chinese and Russian.

• The union government is working on making the National Test House (NTH) as the apex certification body for all Indian products.

About NTH:

• Establishment and Legacy:
  • Formerly known as the Government Test House.
  • Established in 1912.
  • Rich legacy as India’s largest multi-location multidisciplinary industrial central government testing laboratory.
• Facilities and Services:
  • Specializes in testing, calibration, and quality evaluation related to industry, commerce, and trade.
  • Complies with international and national standards.
  • Provides testing, evaluation, and calibration of raw materials and finished products.
• Branch Locations:
  • Kolkata, 
  • Mumbai, 
  • Chennai, 
  • Ghaziabad, 
  • Jaipur, 
  • Guwahati, and 
  • Varanasi.
• Functions:
  • Test and evaluation of materials, products, equipment, modules, systems, and sub-systems across all branches of Science & Technology.
  • Test and Certification of Welders under the Central Authority for Testing and Certification of Welders.
  • Assists industries in developing indigenous products for export promotion and import substitution.
  • Supports industries’ quality assurance programs.
  • Assists BIS in the formulation of National Standards.
  • Provides R&D support in Test Engineering.
  • Assists NABL in the accreditation of Testing & Calibration Laboratories in India.
• Administrative Details:
  • Functions as a subordinate office under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and the Department of Consumer Affairs.

• The Indian Army contingent has departed to participate in the joint military Exercise MAITREE with Thailand.

About Exercise MAITREE:

• 13th Edition: India-Thailand joint military Exercise MAITREE.
• Location: Fort Vachiraprakan, Tak Province, Thailand.
• Previous Edition: Conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya in September 2019.
• Main Representation: Battalion of the LADAKH SCOUTS
• Aim and Objectives:
  • Primary Aim: To foster Military Cooperation between India and Thailand.
  • Key Focus: Enhancing combined capabilities in executing Joint Counter Insurgency/Terrorist Operations in Jungle and Urban Environments.
  • Framework: Operations conducted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.

• Efforts to drain an artificial lake formed in the Saryu River have failed for the second consecutive day, posing a significant threat.

About Saryu River:

• States: Flows through Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• Alternative Names: Also known as the Sarayu or Sarju River.
• Significance:
  • Mentioned in the Vedas and the Ramayana.
  • Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, is situated on its banks.
• Course:
  • Originates from the foothills of the Himalayas.
  • Flows through Kapkot, Bageshwar, and Seraghat towns.
  • Discharges into the Sharada River at Pancheshwar on the India-Nepal border.
  • The Sharada River (Kali River) flows into the Ghaghara River in Sitapur District, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The lower Ghaghara is known as Sarayu, especially as it flows through Ayodhya.

• The member of Niti Aayog in the First International Conference on Steel Slag Road released guidelines for the utilization and processing of steel slag.
• It is jointly organized by CSIR-CRRI and PHDCCI at New-Delhi.

About Steel Slag Road:

• Industrial byproduct from steel manufacturing.
• Produced in large quantities during steel-making using electric arc furnaces or by smelting iron ore in a basic oxygen furnace.
• Primarily consists of calcium, magnesium, manganese, and aluminium silicates and oxides.
• Applications of Steel Slag:
  • Environmental Remediation:
    • Acts as a barrier material for waste sites, preventing heavy metal leaching.
    • High oxide mineral content forces heavy metals to precipitate out of solution in water runoff.
    • Successfully treats acidic water discharges from abandoned mines.
  • Construction: 
    • Replaces coarse aggregate due to higher impact and crushing strength.
    • Offers better anti-skid capacity for road surfaces.

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