1. Anwarul Haq Kakar sworn in as the 8th Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan
Tags: International News
Ethnic Pashtun leader Anwarul Haq Kakar was sworn in as the 8th Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the youngest person to hold the role.
An Overview of the News
President Arif Alvi administered the oath of office to Anwarul Haq Kakar in a simple ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Distinguished attendees include outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and prominent leaders.
Kakar formally resigned from the Senate and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), strengthening his commitment to the neutrality expected in his current position.
The Senate Chairman has accepted Kakar's resignation as per Article 64, Clause (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan.
Anwar Ul Haq Kakar: Background and Political Journey
Ethnic identity and party affiliation: Kakar, an ethnic Pashtun, is affiliated with the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).
Birthplace and political entry: Hailing from the provincial capital Quetta, Kakar entered politics in the late 21st century.
Experience as Spokesperson: In a previous role, he served as the spokesperson for the Balochistan Provincial Administration in 2013 and gained valuable insight into regional governance.
Senate tenure and election: Anwar ul Haq Kakar assumed a position in the Pakistani Senate as a senator in March 2018.
He secured this seat in the 2018 Pakistani Senate elections as an independent candidate representing Balochistan through a general seat.
Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan - General Asim Munir
2. Nivriti Rai appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Invest India
Tags: Person in news
Renowned global business and technology expert Nivriti Rai has been appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of Invest India.
An Overview of the news:
- Ms Rai takes over from Manmeet K Nanda, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), who assumed the additional charge of MD & CEO in the interim in March 2023.
Career of Nivriti Rai:
- Ms. Rai joins Invest India after an illustrious 29 years of service as a global business and technology veteran at Intel.
- She was leading Intel India as Country Head for the last 07 years and spearheaded Intel's growth and investments in the country.
Promotion of indigenous technology:
- During his tenure at Intel India, he made significant contributions in the areas of indigenous technology development, start-up ecosystem, electronics manufacturing ecosystem and policy making, especially in the areas of critical and emerging technologies.
Awards and Honors:
- Ms. Rai was also conferred with the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for her outstanding contribution in the field of technology.
Invest India:
- India's National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency.
- Established: 2009 (Carried out as a non-profit enterprise under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry).
- Invest India focuses on sector-specific investor targeting and developing new partnerships to enable sustainable investment in India.
- It leverages private sector experts to meet the government's vision, which includes high standards of transparency, ethics and corporate governance.
- Chairman of the Board of Invest India Secretary of DPIIT: Rajesh Kumar Singh.
3. Nivruti Rai appointed as MD & CEO of Invest India
Tags: Person in news
Nivruti Rai took charge as the Managing Director and CEO of Invest India.
An Overview of the News
Nivruti Rai replaced Manmeet K Nanda, who served as the interim CEO.
Rai brings 29 years of experience from Intel, where he held global leadership roles.
He led Intel India as Country Head for seven years and promoted growth and investment in India.
Nivruti Rai has received the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for her contribution to technology.
The Invest India Board is chaired by Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, DPIIT.
Other Board Members
PK Tripathi, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat.
Aarti Bhatnagar, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, DPIIT.
Mohd Noor Rehman Shaikh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs.
Anand Mahindra, Chairperson, Mahindra Group.
Pankaj R. Patel, Chairperson, Cadila Healthcare.
Harshvardhan Neotia, Chairperson, Ambuja Neotia Group.
Rekha M. Menon, Chairperson and Senior MD, Accenture.
Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM.
Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.
Invest India Contribution and Initiatives
Invest India played a key role in implementing flagship initiatives such as Make in India and Startup India.
The organisation is known for its transparency, ethics and corporate governance.
4. TCRM Matrix Framework unveiled by NITI Aayog to enhance technology assessment and innovation
Tags: National News
NITI Aayog released the Techno-Commercial Readiness and Market Maturity Matrix (TCRM Matrix) framework for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in India on 18 July 2023.
An Overview of the news:
- The TCRM Matrix Framework released by NITI Aayog is a pioneering assessment tool developed to revolutionize technology assessment, foster innovation and encourage entrepreneurship in India.
- This action plan paper highlights the historical evolution of the Technology Framework, including the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Commercialization Readiness Level (CRL), and Market Readiness Level (MRL) scales.
- By building on the core principles of these frameworks, the TCRM Matrix Framework presents an integrated assessment model that provides deep insights and actionable intelligence to stakeholders at every stage of the technology development cycle.
- The Action Plan paper provides clear guidelines for integrating the TCRM Matrix framework within the wider innovation ecosystem.
- By doing so, policy makers, strategists, academics and investors can harness its full potential and drive meaningful change.
- Adoption of the TCRM Matrix framework requires a comprehensive analysis and contextualization within specific national and regional innovation scenarios.
- The launch of the Techno-Commercial Readiness and Market Maturity Matrix (TCRM Matrix) framework is a milestone for India's innovation and entrepreneurship landscape.
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog:
- On January 1, 2015, a new institution NITI Aayog was formed in place of the Planning Commission, envisaging maximum governance, minimum government, emphasizing the spirit of 'cooperative federalism'.
Composition of NITI Aayog:
- Chairman: Prime Minister
- Vice President: Appointed by the Prime Minister
- Governing Council: Chief Ministers of all States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories.
- Regional Council: The Prime Minister or his nominee presides over meetings of Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors to address specific regional issues.
- Ex-officio Membership: Up to four members of the Union Council of Ministers nominated by the Prime Minister.
- Ad-hoc Membership: Two ex-officio members by rotation from leading research institutions.
- Chief Executive Officer: Secretary to the Government of India who is appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed term.
- Special Invitees: Experts in various fields nominated by the Prime Minister.
5. World's largest International Temple Convention and Expo organized in Varanasi
Tags: National News
The world's largest International Temple Convention and Expo (ITCX) will be organized from 22 to 24 July 2023 at the Rudraksh Convention Center in Varanasi.
An Overview of the news:
- Conceived by Temple Connect (India), it is the world's first event solely dedicated to the management of temples.
- The conference will focus on nurturing and empowering the governance, management and operations of the world and temple ecosystem.
Conference Participation:
- More than 450 temple functionaries from 25 countries are expected to participate in the conference.
- Along with Hindus, office bearers of Math-Temples and Gurudwaras belonging to Sikh, Buddhist and Jainism have also been invited.
Launch of the conference:
- The conference will be inaugurated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on July 22.
- The event will be held at Rudraksh Convention Centre.
- For the first time, the International Temples Convention & Expo is being organized by Temple Connect.
Conference organized under Incredible India:
- The three-day event is being organized as part of the Incredible India campaign in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Tourism.
- In this, development, empowerment of temple management, operation and administration will be discussed.
- According to the founder of Temple Connect, best practices will be created for the teams of the leading places of worship in the world.
Theme of the conference:
- During this conference, the experience of pilgrims visiting temples, monasteries and gurudwaras will be asked, topics like crowd management, solid waste management and what should be improved in basic facilities will also be discussed.
- The conference will serve as a platform to introduce the world to India's rich heritage of places of worship, while learning about the diverse cultures, traditions, arts and crafts of places of worship around the world.
6. Union Ministry of Education releases Performance Grading Index for States
Tags: INDEX
The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education released the Performance Grading Index (PGI) report for States/UTs, an index for evidence based comprehensive analysis of school education system in State/UTs.
An Overview of the news:
- According to PGI, even though the states have been successful to a great extent in recent years in connecting most of the children to schools, they are still far behind in the standards of teaching-learning and quality.
PGI 2.0:
- This year's report released by the Ministry of Education has been named PGI 2.0.
Punjab and Chandigarh on top in overall ranking:
- No state has been found in the top-5 category of PGI. Punjab and Chandigarh have been placed at the top position with the highest number of points in the overall ranking of PGI.
- While on the parameters of learning outcome and quality, Rajasthan has also topped with Punjab and Chandigarh with the highest marks.
Six Standards and Ten Categories:
- The Ministry has set six standards and ten categories in place of the earlier five standards and eight categories to determine the performance of the states in school education, in which the subject of teacher education has been added anew.
- In these indexes, the weightage (marks) given on the basis of government work has been reduced.
Six Standards of PGI 2.0:
- Among the six parameters on the basis of which this grade of states has been prepared,
- Learning Outcome and Quality,
- Access to School
- Infrastructure and Facilities,
- Equality,
- Governance Management and
- Includes teacher education and training.
- States have been given marks on the basis of 73 different parameters of all these.
Ten categories of PGI:
- The ten categories that have been created under PGI, which is based on 1000 marks, include:
- Daksha (941-1000)
- Utkarsh (881-940)
- Ati Uttam(821-880)
- Uttam (761-820)
- Pracheshta-1(701-760)
- Prachesta-2 (641-700)
- Pracheshta-3 (581-640)
- Aspirant-1 (521-580)
- Aspirant- 2 (461-520) and
- Akankshi-3 (401-460).
No state in top five:
- In the PGI-2.0 report for the year 2021-22, there is no state in the top-5 categories in the overall ranking, while Punjab and Chandigarh have found place in the sixth category i.e. Prachesta-2.
- Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu were in the seventh category i.e. Prachesta-3.
- Thirteen states have made it to the eighth category of overall ranking i.e. Aspirational-1, including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Sikkim, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman and Dadar Nagar Haveli is included.
- 12 states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand have made it to the ninth category i.e. Akankshi-2.
7. International Day of Parliamentarism - 30 June
Tags: Important Days
June 30 is recognized as the International Day of Parliamentarism, which commemorates the founding of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1889.
An overview of the news
This day holds significance as it provides an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the progress made by parliaments worldwide in achieving their predetermined goals.
This year's theme is 'Parliaments for the Planet', which urges parliaments around the world to lead by example in building a greener and more sustainable future.
Purpose of the day
The goals of the International Day of Parliamentarism encompass several key aspects, including self-assessment and evaluation of parliamentary performance.
Another focus is on promoting the participation of women and young Members of Parliament (MPs) to ensure diverse representation and inclusivity within parliamentary institutions.
Background of the day
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2018 to establish the International Day of Parliamentarism, emphasizing the importance of parliamentary institutions in democratic governance.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union was founded in 1889, and the inaugural celebration of the UN International Day of Parliamentarism took place in 1899 to mark its establishment.
The day serves as a platform to reflect on the achievements and challenges faced by parliaments globally and to foster dialogue and cooperation among parliamentary bodies.
8. UN chief appoints Xu Haoliang of China as deputy head of UNDP
Tags: Person in news International News
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced the appointment of Xu Haoliang from China as the new Undersecretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
An overview of the news
Xu Haoliang will succeed Usha Rao-Monari from India in this role.
Xu has been serving as the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support at the UNDP since 2019.
Prior to that, from 2013 to 2019, he held the position of UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.
He has worked in various capacities within the United Nations, undertaking assignments both in the field and at headquarters in regions such as Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Central Asia.
Before joining the United Nations, Xu worked in the field of civil engineering in China and the United States.
His academic qualifications include a bachelor's degree in engineering from Tongji University in China, a master's degree in management science from the Stevens Institute of Technology in the United States, and a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.
Xu is proficient in Chinese, English, and Russian.
About The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
It is the leading agency of the United Nations.
It works to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality in 170 countries and territories.
It helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Its work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience.
9. Parshottam Rupala launched NANDI Portal
Tags: National National News
Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala on 26th June at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi launched NANDI (NOC Approvals for New Drugs & Inoculation System).
An overview of the news
The NANDI portal has been developed to digitize and streamline the regulatory approval process in India's Animal Health Sector.
The development of the NANDI portal was carried out in collaboration with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).
The portal aligns with the vision of Digital India and embodies the principles of Minimum Government and Maximum Governance by leveraging IT systems.
The primary objective of the portal is to expedite the assessment and examination of veterinary product proposals, ensuring their safety, efficacy, and essentiality.
The Minister emphasized the transformative impact of the portal and the government's decision to launch Mobile Veterinary Units, which will contribute to vaccinating all livestock in the country.
The NANDI portal is expected to support the development of India as a global manufacturing hub for veterinary products and encourage research and development efforts to enhance animal health.
10. Global Gender Gap Index 2023
Tags: INDEX
India ranks 127 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2023.
An Overview of the News
The Global Gender Gap Index was established in 2006 and this is its 17th edition.
It is published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
It measures gender equality in 146 countries and enables cross-country analysis.
Global Gender Gap Score:
The global gender gap score for 2023 is 68.4%, showing an improvement of 0.3 percentage points from last year.
None of the countries included in the index have achieved full gender equality.
The top 9 countries including Iceland, Norway, Finland and New Zealand have reduced the gender gap by 80%.
Iceland: The most gender-equal country:
Iceland has been ranked first as the most gender-equal country in the world for the 14th consecutive year with a score of 91.2%.
Iceland is the only country that has reduced the gender gap by more than 90%.
Progress of South Asia:
In South Asia, the gender gap score has increased by 1.1 percentage points since the last edition.
Among India's neighbouring countries, Pakistan is at 142, Bangladesh at 59, China at 107, Nepal at 116, Sri Lanka at 115 and Bhutan at 103.
India's ranking and progress:
India has moved up 8 places to rank 127 out of 146 countries in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index.
India has shown an improvement of 1.4 percentage points from the 2022 figures.
Education and Economic Participation:
India has achieved parity in enrollment at all levels of education, reducing the overall gender gap by 64.3%.
However, India has reached only 36.7% equality in economic participation.
India was ranked 135 in the 2022 edition.
Representation in senior positions and technical roles:
Despite increases in pay and income equality, the representation of women in senior positions and technical roles in India has decreased slightly since the last edition.
Political Empowerment:
India recorded 25.3% equality in terms of political empowerment.
Women represent 15.1% of parliamentarians, the highest figure for the country since 2006.
Women's representation in local government:
Of the 117 countries with available data from 2017, 18 have achieved more than 40% female representation in local governance, including Bolivia, India and France.
Improvement in sex ratio at birth:
The report highlights India's progress with an improvement in the sex ratio at birth by 1.9 percentage points, bringing equality after a decade of slow progress.
Global Gender Gap Index 2023 Ranking
1. Iceland - 0.912
2. Norway - 0.879
3. Finland - 0.863
4. New Zealand - 0.856
5. Sweden - 0.815
6. Germany - 0.815
7. Nicaragua - 0.811
8. Namibia - 0.802
9. Lithuania - 0.800
10. Belgium - 0.796
