14th October 2024

Explanation - India has a long history of service in UN Peacekeeping, having
contributed more personnel than any other country. To date, more than 2,53,000
Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN Peacekeeping missions established
around the world since 1948.
Currently, India is the fifth largest troop contributor (TCC) with 5,323 personnel
deployed in 8 out of 13 active UN Peacekeeping Missions. India’s contribution to
UN Peacekeeping began with its participation in the UN operation in Korea in the
1950s, where India’s mediatory role in resolving the stalemate over prisoners of
war in Korea led to the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War.
In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a
UN
Peacekeeping Mission.
A total 175 Indian peacekeepers have so far died while serving with the United
Nations. India has lost more peacekeepers than any other UN Member State.

Explanation - GHI considers four parameters to for ranking countries -
 Undernourishment: share of the population that is undernourished, reflecting
insufficient caloric intake;
 Child wasting: share of children under the age of five who are wasted (low
weight-for-height), reflecting acute under-nutrition;

 Child stunting: share of children under the age of five who are stunted (low
height-for-age), reflecting chronic under-nutrition; and
 Child mortality: mortality rate of children under age five

Explanation - East Asia Summit is a forum for leaders of countries in the Indo-
Pacific region to discuss political, security, and economic challenges. The EAS

was established in 2005 by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
and is held annually. The EAS was launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2005.
Members — The EAS was originally attended by 16 countries from East Asia,
Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania. In 2011, membership expanded to 18
countries, including Russia and the United States. Currently, EAS is a forum of
18 countries that represent 54% of the world's population and 58% of global GDP.
The 18 countries are — Ten member states of the ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and
Vietnam; along with Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, the Republic of
Korea, Russiaand the United States. The EAS is the only leaders-led forum that
brings together the US, China, Russia, India, RoK, and Australia.
To become a member of the EAS, countries must — Sign the ASEAN Treaty of
Amity and
Cooperation (TAC); Be a formal dialogue partner of ASEAN; Have substantive
cooperative relations with ASEAN
Six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS —
• Environment and Energy,
• Education,
• Finance,
• Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases,
• Natural Disaster Management, and
• ASEAN Connectivity
India and EAS —
• India is member of EAS since 2005.
• At the 4th EAS in Thailand in 2009, leaders endorsed the proposal to revive
Nalanda
University.
• The idea was first proposed by former President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006.

Explanation - AstroSat is a multi-wavelength astronomy mission on an IRS-class
(Indian
Remote Sensing-Class) satellite in a 650-km, near-equatorial orbit. It was
launched by the Indian launch vehicle PSLV from Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
Sriharikota on September 28, 2015 by ISRO. It is the first dedicated Indian
astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV
spectral bands simultaneously with its five unique X-ray and ultraviolet telescopes
working in tandem. One of the unique features of AstroSat mission is that it
enables the simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various astronomical
objects with a single satellite. The Ground Command and Control Centre for
ASTROSAT is located at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
(ISTRAC), Bangalore, India.

Explanation:
Statement 1 is incorrect. The Red Sea corridor has been disrupted due to the
West Asia conflict, not become more crucial for global trade.
Statement 2 is incorrect. Japan's trade struggles are mainly due to challenges in
its export sectors, specifically in industries like machinery and technology, not
primarily in the service sector.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The decline in European imports is not uniform across
all major trading partners; it's particularly noticeable in imports from China.

Statement 4 is correct. The WTO observes that trade routes and economic
alliances are increasingly reorienting along geopolitical lines, with countries
forming new trade blocs.