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By admin: Feb. 11, 2023

Third ASEAN Digital Ministers meeting approves India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2023

Tags: National National News

India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2023 was approved at the third ASEAN Digital Ministers meeting in New Delhi  February 10. 

An overview of the news

• The Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan, and Ivan John E Uy, Secretary, Department of Information and Communication Technology, Philippines co-chaired the meeting.

• The meeting was held on a virtual platform with the theme of "Synergy Towards a Sustainable Digital Future" to strengthen India-ASEAN ties in the field of Information and Communication Technology.

• The action plan includes capacity building and knowledge sharing in emerging areas of information and communication technology such as artificial intelligence in cyber security.

• In 2022, the ASEAN India Friendship Year was celebrated, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations with ASEAN.

• It furthers the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in ASEAN and India.

India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2023

• The India-ASEAN Digital Action Plan 2023 was approved in the ministers' meeting.

• The action plan includes-

• Capacity building and knowledge sharing in emerging areas of information and communication technology such as artificial intelligence in cyber security.

• Application of IoT and AI in Next Generation Smart City and Society 5.0.

• Sustainable data and transport networks for the future: standards and applications.

• 5G technologies for IoT and future trends,

• Role of ICT in implementation of digital health and safety and assessment for future networks, etc.

India's first drone-air traffic management system

Tags: National News

The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari unveiled the country's first drone-air traffic management system "Sky UTM".

An overview of the news:

What is Sky UTM?

• It is developed by "Sky Air".

• Sky UTM is a cloud-based air traffic management system that integrates unmanned air traffic with manned aviation airspace.

• The system is capable of handling 4,000 flights per hour and 96,000 flights per day.

• Sky UTM is designed to provide situational awareness, autonomous navigation, risk assessment and traffic management to all drone/other aerial moving operators in the airspace.

How does it work?

• Sky UTM captures over 255 parameters of UAV movement and stores them in its 'Blackbox' which is a published systematic description of the entire flight.

• Sky UTM has operated over 300 successful BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drone flights to date.

11th India-Mongolia Joint Working Group Meeting Held in New Delhi

Tags: International Relations International News

The 11th meeting of the India-Mongolia Joint Working Group was held on 10 February 2023 in New Delhi.

An overview of the news

• Co-chaired by Dr. Ajay Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence, India and Brigadier General Gankhuyag Davgdorj, State Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Mongolia, the meeting of the Joint Working Group took place for the first time since the pandemic.

• Both the countries reviewed the progress of various bilateral defense cooperation initiatives and identified measures to further enhance the existing areas of cooperation.

• Both sides reviewed the progress of various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and expressed satisfaction at the efforts made in this direction despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic.

India -Mongolia Relation

•  India established diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1955 and upgraded relations with Mongolia to a strategic partnership.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mongolia in 2015 upgraded it to a "strategic partnership" and declared it as an essential component of the 'Act East Policy'.

• Mongolia has publicly voiced its support for India's membership for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

• Both the countries are members of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Mongolia 

• It is located in North Central Asia.

• Capital:  Ulaanbaatar 

• Currency: Tugrik

• President: Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh

Two-day inception meeting of G-20 EMPOWER group of Ministry of Women & Child Development begins in Agra

Tags: Summits National News

The two-day establishment meeting of the G-20 EMPOWER Group of the Ministry of Women and Child Development began in Agra from 11 February.

An overview of the news

• The theme of the meeting : Empowering Women to Lead across Sectors: Role of Digital Skilling and Future Skills.

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal ministry of India for G20 EMPOWER.

• Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited, is the chairperson of EMPOWER 2023 during India's G20 Presidency.

• Under India's G20 presidency, EMPOWER will host three meetings in February, April and June 2023 in Agra, Thiruvananthapuram and Bhopal respectively.

• An exhibition will also be organized during the event to showcase the work of women-led micro-enterprises, women artisans and craftsmen from different states.

• Women leaders from G-20 countries, guest countries, international organisations and the private sector have been invited to the founding meeting.

• India's G20 Presidency is inclusive, equitable, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented for the economic empowerment of women.

About G20 EMPOWER

• The G20 Alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation (EMPOWER) is an alliance of G20 business leaders and governments. 

• It aims to accelerate women’s leadership and empowerment in the private sector.

• The G20 Empower 2023 under India's chairmanship is prioritising the shift from women's development to women-led development.

ADB approves $130 million loan to promote horticulture in Himachal

Tags: State News

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $130 million (over Rs 1,072 crore) loan to enhance agricultural productivity and farmers' income in Himachal Pradesh and promote horticulture agribusiness.

An overview of the news:

• ADB aims to benefit Himachal Pradesh, where more than half of its land area is mountainous and 90 percent of its population lives in rural areas dependent on agriculture.

• Through this, improving subtropical horticulture in the state will create a lot of economic opportunities for the farming families.

• Supporting horticulture value chains will also enhance the contribution of this sub-sector to the development and food security of the country.

Asian Development Bank (ADB):

• It is a regional multilateral financial institution focused on countries in the Asia and Pacific region.

• It currently has 68 members – of which 49 are from the Asia and Pacific region and 19 from outside.

• ADB President: Masatsugu Asakawa

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong City, Manila, Philippines

Govt appoints two new Supreme Court judges

Tags: Person in news National News

The Central Government has approved Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arvind Kumar as judges of the Supreme Court.

An overview of the news

• Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Rajesh Bindal and Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court Arvind Kumar have been made judges of the Supreme Court.

• The total number of judges in the Supreme Court has gone up to 34, which is also the sanctioned number of 34 judges.

• On January 31, the six-member collegium of the Supreme Court sent the names of these two judges to the government for approval.

• Earlier on December 13, 2022, the names of five judges were recommended. These five judges were sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court on 6 February.

• These include the names of Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal, Patna High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Karol, Manipur High Court Chief Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, Patna High Court Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Allahabad High Court Justice Manoj Mishra.

• Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has to finalise 19 judicial appointments in his tenure till November 2024.

World Unani Day

Tags: Important Days

Every year 11 February is celebrated as World Unani Day with the aim of spreading public awareness about health care through Unani medicines.

An overview of the news:

• The theme for World Unani Day 2023 is “Unani Medicine for Public Health”.

• The first World Unani Day was celebrated by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, in 2017 at the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM), Hyderabad.

• The purpose of this day is to spread public awareness about healthcare through Unani medicines.

• The day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan, a social reformer and great Indian Unani physician.

• Hakim Ajmal Khan was an Unani physician, an educationist and the founder of scientific research in Unani medicine.

• He was one of the founders of Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University.

What is the Unani System of Medicine?

• Unani medicine is an alternative medicine system.

• It originated in ancient Greece.

• This includes the use of herbal remedies, dietary habits, and complementary therapies.

• Hippocrates is considered the father of this medical method.

• In India, this system of medicine started with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century.

Moldov's PM Natalia Gavrilita resigns

Tags: Person in news International News

Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced her resignation on 10 February.

An overview of the news

• She resigned, citing lack of support in the former Soviet republic. She was in power only for 18 months.

• Moldova's President Maia Sandu has accepted Gavrilita's resignation and said she will speak to parliamentary groups about a possible replacement.

• Ms. Gavrilita's party won a majority in the elections held in August 2021.

• The next prime minister of Moldova could be Dorin Risen, a European security adviser who is a supporter of Sandu.

• Rieken is expected to be approved as the country's prime minister without interference.

• Moldova, a former Soviet republic with a population of 2.5 million people, is already facing a host of issues such as rising inflation, a massive influx of refugees from Ukraine and a severe energy crisis in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

• Moscow significantly reduced its electricity supply to Moldova.

• Last year alone, the country saw protests against a dramatic increase in prices, particularly for Russian gas.

About Moldova

• Moldova is located between Ukraine and Romania.

• Capital: Chișinău

• President: Maia Sandu

• Official Language : Romanian

• Currency : Moldovan leu

12th World Hindi Conference to be held in Fiji

Tags: Summits International News

The three-day 12th World Hindi Conference will be held in Fiji from February 15.

An overview of the news

• The conference is being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs of India in collaboration with the Government of Fiji.

• The main theme of the conference is "Hindi - Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence'. 

• The Conference will be inaugurated by Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka along with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. 

• Apart from one plenary session based on the main theme, 10 parallel sessions will be held.

• Representatives of 50 countries are likely to participate in the World Hindi Conference.

• The event will be used to promote Hindi as a global language.

World Hindi Conference

• The first World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur in 1975 to popularise Hindi as a global language. At that time Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India.

• 11th World Hindi Conference was held at Port Louis, Mauritius between 18-20 August' 2018.

Hindi Diwas

• Every year 14 September is observed as Hindi Diwas in India. 

• On this day in 1949 the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as the official language of the country.

Republic of Fiji 

• It is an archipelago consisting of around 300 islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

• Capital: Suva 

• Currency: Fijian Dollar 

• Prime Minister: Sitiveni Rabuka

President Murmu attends 2nd Indian Rice Congress at ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack

Tags: Sports News

President Draupadi Murmu attended the 2nd Indian Rice Congress at the National Institute of Rice Research (ICAR) in Cuttack, Odisha on February 11.

An overview of the news

• President Draupadi has called for reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers to save soil health.

• She underlined the importance of bio-fortified rice as rice is the only source of nutrition for a large number of poor people.

• She called upon the scientists to develop more and more eco-friendly varieties of rice to address the challenges of drought, water scarcity, soil health and climate change.

• The government has started a pilot project to distribute bio-fortified rice through the PDS and provision has been made in the budget for the same.

• Under Aatmanirbhar package, the government has approved Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the development of the agriculture sector.

About Rice

• Rice is a staple food for most of the population in India. It is a Kharif crop.

• It requires high temperature (above 25 °C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

• West Bengal is the major rice producing state where three crops of rice are grown, called 'Aus', 'Aman' and 'Boro'.

• Rice is cultivated in about one-fourth of the total cropped area in India.

• Major producing states: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

• India is the second largest producer of rice after China.

International day for women and girls in science

Tags: Important Days

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed every year on 11 February.

An overview of the news:

• It was announced by the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate this day on 22 December 2015 to ensure the strong role of women in the field of science and technology as well as to increase gender empowerment.

• This day is celebrated jointly by UNESCO and the United Nations Women's Association (UN Women).

Efforts of the Government of India to increase the role of women and girls in the field of science:

Vigyan Jyoti Scheme:

• Vigyan Jyoti Yojana has been launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

• The scheme aims to increase the percentage of women in the STEM education sector.

GATI Scheme:

• Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) will create a comprehensive charter and framework for assessing gender equality in STEM.

KIRAN Scheme:

• The Kiran scheme was launched by the Department of Science and Technology under the Union Ministry of Science and Technology.

• The full form of Kiran is 'Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing'.

US introduces bill to promote peaceful resolution of conflict between China and Dalai Lama

Tags: International News

US lawmakers have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives and the Senate that outlines US policy for open dialogue between China and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

An overview of the news:

• The Bill calls for the independence of the Tibetan people and the peaceful resolution of their differences regarding Tibet.

• Congressman Jim McGovern and Michael McCaul introduced a bill promoting the Tibet–China Conflict Legislation in the House of Representatives, while it was introduced in the Senate by Senators Jeff Merkley and Todd Young.

• In this bill, emphasis has been laid on peaceful settlement of differences through dialogue.

Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021

Tags: Reports INDEX

India's overall QI system ranking stood at 10th position in the recently released Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021.

An overview of the news:

• India's national accreditation system under the Quality Council of India (QCI) has been ranked 5th.

• While it has been ranked 9th in the standardisation system and 21st in the world in the metrology system (under NPL-CSIR).

• The GQII lists 184 countries in the world based on the Quality of Infrastructure (QI).

Ranking of other countries:

• Germany has topped the list.

• It was followed by China, USA, UK, Japan and France at the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively.

Quality Council of India (QCI):

• The Quality Council of India (QCI) was established in 1996 as a national body for accreditation.

• QCI is a non-profit organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of the year 1860.

• Headquarters - New Delhi

• Chairman - Jakshay Shah

• General Secretary - Dr. Ravi P. Singh