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International Relations

India, UAE target $100-bn non-oil trade by 2030

India and the UAE have set a target to increase the non-oil trade from $48 billion to $100 billion by 2030.

About the deal:

• Objective: The goal to achieve $100 billion non-oil trade was set in the first meeting of the Joint Committee of India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
• Bilateral non-oil trade between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached $50.5bn in the first 12 months of the countries' Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), up 5.8% on year.
• India and the UAE have been trading partners for several decades.
• However, a significant shift in the economic relations between the two nations happened post-1990s.
• India exported several minerals, gems, jewellery, machinery, equipment, and chemicals to UAE and is the third-largest crude petroleum importer.

Polity and Governance

CoWIN vaccination data leak

The Health Ministry has reported that the information regarding data breach of beneficiaries who received COVID vaccination are “without any basis and mischievous in nature”.

About:

• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) had been asked to investigate the issue and submit a report.
• In June 2021, a hacker group named ‘Dark Leak Market’ claimed that it had a database of about 15 crore Indians who registered themselves on the ‘CoWIN portal’.
• The CoWIN data:
• Beneficiary dashboard: The person who has been vaccinated can have access to the CoWIN data through the use of a registered mobile number with OTP authentication.
• Co-WIN authorised user: The vaccinator with the use of an authentic login credential provided can access the personal level data of vaccinated beneficiaries. But the COWIN system tracks and keeps a record of each time an authorised user accesses the CoWIN system.
• API-based access: The third-party applications that have been provided authorised access to CoWIN APIs can access personal level data of vaccinated beneficiaries only through beneficiary OTP authentication.

Polity and Governance

Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM Poshan)

The Centre has decided to form a joint team of officials from the Ministry of Education and the Kerala government to examine the "improbable" claims made by the state about almost 100 per cent of enrolled students in primary availing mid-day meal on a daily basis in 2022-23.

About:

• Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) earlier known as the National Programme of Mid-Day Meal in Schools is one of the foremost rights based Centrally Sponsored Schemes under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).
• The primary objective of the scheme is to improve the nutritional status of children studying in classes’ I-VIII in eligible schools.
• The objectives of the Scheme are to address two of the pressing problems for majority of children in India, viz. hunger and education by:
  • Improving the nutritional status of eligible children in Government and Government aided schools.
  • Encouraging poor children, belonging to disadvantaged sections, to attend school more regularly and help them concentrate on classroom activities.
  • Providing nutritional support to children of elementary stage in drought-affected and disaster affected areas during summer vacation.