BELGIUM
News -Belgium to scale up defence ties, set to sign MoU this year
- Located in – in Northwestern Europe.
- Bordered by – Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France,
- Capital – Brussels
- Official Languages: Dutch, French, and German
- Government: federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
- Belgium is famous for its – chocolates, waffles, beer, and comic strips
- Belgium is – the birthplace of the European Union
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
News – overexposure by NBFCs may imperil financial system
- Established in – 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference
- Objective of IMF – to promote global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade
- Members – 190 countries.
- Hq – Washington, D.C., United States
- Structure-
- Board of Governors
- Executive Board: Handles day-to-day operations
- Managing Director: Heads the IMF
- Key Reports:
- World Economic Outlook
- Global Financial Stability Report
PMI
News – Manufacturing PMI slid to 56.3 last month
- PMI – Purchasing Managers’ Index
- Defn – PMI measures the economic health of the manufacturing and services sectors
- There are two types of PMI—
- Manufacturing PMI
- Services PMI
- PMI is based on five key variables-
- New orders, output, employment, suppliers’ delivery times, and stock of items purchased.
- Rating-
- PMI above 50 indicates expansion
- PMI below 50 signifies contraction.
GENDER BUDGET
News – Govt. talks big, delivers little on gender budget
- Defn – Gender Budgeting is a policy strategy that integrates a gender perspective into the budgetary process.
- 1st Introduced in – Budget of 2005-06
- Nodal Agency – Min. of Women and Child Dev.
Components:
- Part A: Schemes with 100% allocation for women.
- Part B: Schemes with at least 30% allocation for women.
- Part C Schemes with up to 30% allocation for women
- Importance – Addresses gender disparities in education, health, employment, and political participation.
NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL
News – Take action against ‘illegal’ felling of trees for Kanwar Yatra route: NGT to U.P
- Estb. under – National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
- Nature – Statutory Body
- Jurisdiction:
- NGT handles all civil cases involving environmental questions.
- Guided by precautionary principle, and the polluter pays principle and principles of natural justice.
- Time period for case disposal – 6 months
- Structure – a Chairperson, Judicial Members, and Expert Members.
- Principle Bench at – New Delhi
- India became the third country globally to set up a specialized environmental tribunal.
BIRTH AND DEATH TERMS
News – India hit targeted maternal mortality rate of 100 deaths per lakh live births: Nadda
- Birth Rate: The number of live births per 1,000 people in a year.
- Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): The number of infant deaths (under 1 year of age) per 1,000 live births in a year.
- Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births during pregnancy
- Fertility Rate: The average number of children born to a woman during her reproductive years (15-49 years)
- Crude Death Rate: The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year
- Neonatal Mortality Rate: The number of deaths of newborns (under 28 days of age) per 1,000 live births in a year
MCQs
1. Capital of Belgium is?
A. Rome
B. Brussels
C. Copenhagen
D. Budapest
2. “World Economic Outlook” Report is released by?
A. World Economic Forum
B. Niti Aayog
C. IMF
D. World Bank
3. IMF is established under?
A. Rome Declaration
B. Geneva Convention
C. Delhi Declaration
D. Bretton Woods Conference
4. Who acts as Nodal Agency for “Gender Budgeting”?
A. Min. of Health
B. Min. of Finance
C. Min. of Women and Child Development
D. Min. of Minorities
5. NGT is mandated to dispose cases in how much time?
A. 1 month
B. 6 months
C. 1 year
D. 5 years