India Backs Ethiopia’s WTO Entry | Myopia Pandemic | BHAVYA Scheme | International Booker Prize

India Backs Ethiopia’s WTO Entry

Syllabus: GS2/IR

Context

• India and Ethiopia signed a bilateral accession protocol in Geneva as part of Ethiopia’s process of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO).

World Trade Organization (WTO)

• Mandate – It is the only global international organization responsible for regulating and facilitating trade between nations.
• Established on – January 1, 1995, as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which had governed global trade since 1948.
• Member countries- 166 representing over 98% of global trade
• Headquartered in – Geneva, Switzerland.

Myopia Pandemic

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• By 2050, approximately 4.75 billion people,nearly half the world’s population, are expected to be myopic.
• The prevalence of myopia among urban children in India has increased from 4.44% in 1999 to 21.15% in 2019 and is projected to rise to nearly 48% by 2050.

Myopia

• It is primarily a refractive condition caused by excessive axial elongation of the eye.
• In a myopic eye, the axial length, which is the distance between the front and back of the eye, becomes too long.
• As a result, incoming light rays focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it, causing distant objects to appear blurred.
• Concerns: As the axial length of the eye increases, the tissues of the eye, including the sclera, choroid, and retina, undergo stretching and thinning. This increases the risk of retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and early cataract formation.
• High myopia, generally defined as a refractive error of −6 dioptres or greater, is associated with potentially irreversible visual impairment and blindness.
• Prevention: Research suggests that more outdoor time may help reduce progression risk.
• Regular eye exams are important, especially in school-age children.

BHAVYA Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/Government Schemes

Context

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has released the operational guidelines for implementation of the BHAVYA Scheme.

Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA)

• Aim: To create 100 “future ready” industrial parks that will integrate with the PM GatiShakti programme so that they can avail of that programme’s multi-modal connectivity and last-mile access.
• These parks will set new benchmarks in industrial infrastructure, ensuring reliability, reducing inefficiencies, and enhancing productivity across sectors.
• Land Use: Industrial parks ranging from 100 to 1,000 acres will be taken up for the development.
• Funding: While the Central government will provide funding of up to Rs 1 crore per acre, the scheme is meant to include the involvement of the respective State governments as well as the private sector.
• Infrastructure: Core infrastructure like internal roads, underground utilities, drainage, common treatment facilities, ICT and administrative systems.
• The National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, will play a key role in implementing the initiative.
• The scheme duration would be for six years starting in 20526-27.

Additional Information –  PM GatiShakti

• It was launched in – 2021
• Objective – to enhance the country’s infrastructure and promote seamless connectivity across various sectors.
• Significance – It is a transformative approach for economic growth and sustainable development which is driven by seven engines – railway, roads, ports, waterways, airports, mass transport and logistics infrastructure.
• Implementation: PM Gati Shakti will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.

International Booker Prize

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• The International Booker Prize completed a decade in its present form in 2026.

International Booker Prize

• Establishment: Originally set up in 2005 as the Man Booker International Prize.
• It is a prestigious literary award presented annually for a single work of fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
• Prize Value: £50,000, which is split equally between the author and the translator.
• Shortlisted authors and translators each receive £2,500.Core
• Objective: To promote global fiction and elevate the critical, historically invisible role of translators.

Additional Information – Comparison: Booker Prize vs. International Booker Prize