PM Modi’s Visit to the UAE (February 2024)

• Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT):
  • India and UAE signed a BIT to significantly boost bilateral investments.
  • The UAE is the first country with which India has signed a BIT following the 2015-16 model treaty revisions.
• India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC):
  • An Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement was signed to cooperate on the development of the IMEC.
  • Focus areas include logistics, port connectivity, and trade facilitation.
• Fintech Integration:
  • UPI-AANI: Agreement to interlink India’s UPI with UAE’s instant payment platform, AANI.
  • RuPay-JAYWAN: Agreement to interlink India’s RuPay cards with UAE’s JAYWAN (based on RuPay technology).
• Energy and Infrastructure MoUs:
  • MoU on Electrical Interconnection and Trade.
  • MoU on Digital Infrastructure Projects.
  • MoU on cooperation between the National Archives of both countries.
• BAPS Hindu Mandir:
  • Inauguration of the first traditional Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi.
  • Built on 27 acres of land gifted by the UAE government.

PRATYUSH (Probing ReionizATion of the Universe using Signal from Hydrogen)

• Project Overview: A radio telescope project developed by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in collaboration with ISRO.
• Objective: To study the "Dark Ages" and "Cosmic Dawn" of the universe—the era when the first stars and galaxies were formed.
• Deployment: Planned for the Moon (either in orbit or on the surface) to avoid terrestrial radio frequency interference.
• Significance: It aims to detect the highly redshifted 21-cm signal from neutral hydrogen.

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• New Member: Malta has officially joined the International Solar Alliance as the 119th member.
• Background:
  • Headquarters: Gurugram, India.
  • Founded: Jointly launched by India and France at the COP21 Paris Climate Summit (2015).
  • Goal: To promote solar energy deployment and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

MILAN 2024 Naval Exercise

• Edition: 12th edition of the biennial multilateral naval exercise.
• Host: Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam (City of Destiny).
• Participation: Over 50 countries participated, featuring various warships and maritime patrol aircraft.
• Theme: "Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration."

Global Pulses Convention 2024

• Location: New Delhi.
• Organizers: Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India).
• Key Target: India aims to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses by 2027.
• Discussion Areas: Enhancing production, improving supply chains, and addressing global food security.

58th Jnanpith Award (2023)

• Recipients:
  • Gulzar: Renowned Urdu poet, lyricist, and filmmaker.
  • Jagadguru Rambhadracharya: Eminent Sanskrit scholar, polyglot, and spiritual leader.
• Context: This is the second time the Sanskrit language and the fifth time the Urdu language has received the award.
• Award Significance: India’s highest literary honor, presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith.

Summary Table of Key Bilateral MoUs (India-UAE)

Agreement Category	Key Feature
Investment	Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) to safeguard and promote capital flow.
Economy	Framework for India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
Digital Payment	Interlinking of UPI (India) with AANI (UAE).
Card Payments	Integration of RuPay (India) with JAYWAN (UAE).
Logistics	Cooperation in port infrastructure and sea-land connectivity.