Prelim Bits 18-09-2022 & 19-09-2022 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

EV100 Initiative

• It was launched in 2017 to make electric transport the new normal.
• Companies joining EV100 make an individual commitment to transitioning their fleets to electric vehicles and/or installing charging infrastructure at their relevant premises by 2030.
• They can choose to make the commitment in one or more of four influence areas:
  1. Directly controlled fleets (owned/leased),
  2. Service provider contracts,
  3. Workplace charging, and
  4. Customer charging
• EV100 is supported by We Mean Business, Climate Works Foundation and Heising Simons Foundation

Reference

1. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/waycool-joins-ev100-initiative-of-climate-group/article65894725.ece
2. https://www.theclimategroup.org/about-ev100
3. https://climateinitiativesplatform.org/index.php/EV100

Colour Revolutions

At the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, China appealed to the SCO members to cooperate with each other to prevent foreign powers from destabilising their countries by inciting “colour revolutions”.

• Colour revolutions or Coloured revolutions refer to a series of uprisings that first began in former communist nations in Eastern Europe since around 2004.
• But they are also used in reference to popular movements in the Middle East and Asia.
• Most have involved large-scale mobilisation on the streets, with demands for free elections or regime change, and calls for removal of authoritarian leaders.
• Protesters often wear a specific colour, such as in Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, but the term has also been used to describe movements named after flowers like the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia.
• Some of the better known “colour revolutions” are
  1. Ukraine’s Orange Revolution,
  2. Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution, and
  3. Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution.

Orange Revolution

• It refers to a series of protests that occurred in Ukraine between November 2004 and January 2005.
• The movement was in response to reports that claimed that the country’s 2004 Presidential election runoff was rigged in favour of the President Viktor Yanukovych, who was backed by Moscow.
• The election commission had declared Yanukovych was the winner. This led to protesters wearing orange who took
• In the aftermath, the took to the streets across the country.
• The results were subsequently annulled and the Ukrainian Supreme Court ordered a re-vote, in which Viktor Yushchenko emerged victorious and the movement was concluded.

Tulip Revolution

• It is also called the First Kyrgyz Revolution.
• The movement led to the ouster of Kyrgyzstan’s President Askar Akayev in early 2005.
• These protests were in response to the parliamentary elections in February 2005, in which Akayev’s allies and family members won.

Jasmine Revolution

• It is the popular uprising that occurred between December 2010 to January 2011 in Tunisia.
• This uprising was in response to the underlying corruption, unemployment, inflation and lack of political freedoms in the country.
• The immediate catalyst for the movement was the self immolation of a young vegetable vendor in front of a government building in the town of Sid Bouzid after his wares were confiscated by the police.
• The Tunisian government faced widespread domestic and international criticism for the violence used by security forces to quell the movement.
• The protests not only led to Ali’s ouster in January 2011, but also inspired a wave of protests in North Africa and the Middle East, which came to be known as the Arab Spring.

Reference

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/what-are-colour-revolutions-chinas-xi-jinping-warned-8157165/
2. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinas-xi-says-china-will-help-train-law-enforcement-personnel-sco-countries-2022-09-16/
3. https://www.britannica.com/place/Ukraine/The-Orange-Revolution-and-the-Yushchenko-presidency#ref986649

National Logistics Policy 2022

The Prime Minister of India has launched the National Logistics Policy (NLP) 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• The National Logistics Policy 2022 was announced for the first time in Union Budget 2020.
• This policy sets the roadmap for developing a more interconnected and tech-driven framework for building cost and operational efficiency in the sector.
• It aims to promote smooth movement of goods across India and boost competitiveness of the Indian goods in the domestic and international markets.
• It aims to bring down the logistics cost, which in turn would improve efficiency of various sectors of the economy, boosting value addition and economic growth.
• Focus areas - Its focus areas are Integration of Digital System (IDS), Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), Ease of Logistics (ELOG) and System Improvement Group (SIG).
  1. The IDS will integrate 30 different systems of seven different departments, such as customs, aviation, road transport, railways, international trade and commerce ministries.
  2. The ULIP aims to ensure continuous monitoring of cargo movement.
  3. The ELOG would seek to simplify procedures and achieve ease of doing business.
  4. The SIG would monitor all projects related to logistics in a regular basis and ensure the removal of hurdles faced in the sector.
• An empowered group of secretaries (EGoS) has been constituted under the Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti to monitor and review the implementation of the NLP.

Reference

1. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1860192
2. https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-national-logistics-policy-2022-sets-roadmap-for-developing-more-interconnected-framework-199467
3. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/trade/exports/insights/pm-modi-launches-national-logistics-policy-nlp-strengthen-indias-supply-chain/articleshow/94269540.cms