1 Paralympics Games concluded with a grand ceremony, India won a total of 29 medals including 7 gold
The Paralympics Games concluded with a grand ceremony in Paris, France . More than 4,400 players from 168 Paralympic delegations from all over the world participated in the Paris Paralympics. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parson said that France has set a standard for future Paralympic Games. The Mayor of Paris handed over the Paralympic flag to Mr. Parson who transferred it to the Mayor of Los Angeles . The next Paralympic Games are to be held in Los Angeles in 2028. The Indian team performed its best in the Paralympics this year and captured a total of 29 medals including 7 gold, 9 silver and 13 bronze . Star shooter Avani Lekhara won the first medal for India in Paris Paralympics 2024, which came in the form of a gold medal. After this, Nitesh Kumar (Para Badminton), Sumit Antil (Para Athletics), Harvinder Singh (Para Archery), Dharambir (Para Athletics), Praveen Kumar (Para Athletics) and Navdeep Singh (Para Athletics) also won gold medals. Indian players won a total of 29 medals including 7 gold, 9 silver and 13 bronze medals. The 29th medal was won by para athlete Navdeep Singh in Men’s Javelin Throw F41, which was gold. In this way, India’s first and last medal was in the form of gold medal. For the first time, India has won so many gold medals in the Paralympic Games. Earlier, Indian players had won 5 gold medals in Tokyo Paralympics.
2 First case of ampox confirmed in the country
The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in the country . The suspected patient was isolated in the hospital a day earlier. The monkeypox virus has been confirmed in the examination of his sample. This information has been given by the Union Health Ministry. Along with this, the ministry said that the isolated patient has been confirmed to have the monkeypox virus of West African Clade 2 , which is not part of the current public health emergency which is about monkeypox clade 1 .
3 India-US joint military training ‘Yudh Abhyas-2024’ begins in Rajasthan
The 20th edition of the Indo-US joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas began on Monday at the Foreign Training Center in Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan . The exercise will continue till September 22. This exercise has been held every year since 2004 on a rotation basis between India and the US. According to the Ministry of Defense, the scope of the joint exercise has increased significantly in terms of military strength and equipment in this edition. The Indian Army contingent of 600 personnel is represented by a battalion of the Rajput Regiment as well as personnel from other branches and departments. The aim of this joint exercise is to enhance the joint military capability of both sides to conduct anti-terrorism operations in sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. The exercise focuses on operations in a semi-desert environment.4 Defence Ministry signs Rs 26,000 crore contract with HAL for 240 AL-31FP aero engines for Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft
To enhance India’s self-reliance in the defence sector, the Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procurement of 240 AL-31FP aero engines for Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft at a cost of over Rs 26,000 crore . The contract was signed by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence and HAL in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary in New Delhi on September 09, 2024. These aero engines will be manufactured at HAL’s Koraput Division and are expected to meet the needs of the Indian Air Force to maintain the operational capability of the Sukhoi-30 fleet for the country’s defence preparedness. HAL will supply 30 aero engines per year as per the contracted delivery schedule. The supply of all 240 engines will be completed over a period of next eight years .
5 HQ IDS to conduct first core programme for tri-service officers starting Monday
Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) is conducting a Combined Operational Review and Evaluation (CORE) Programme for senior officers of the three services at USI, New Delhi from 9 to 13 September 2024. The five-day development cum familiarisation programme is designed for Major Generals and equivalent officers of the three services as well as officers from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs. The CORE programme aims to promote integration among the three services and enhance cooperation and coordination among various services to build a detailed understanding of the war operational environment. It will host panel discussions and lectures by experts from various fields on different topics every day.
6 GST Council decided to reduce GST rate on cancer drugs from 12% to 5%
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has decided to reduce the GST rate on cancer drugs from 12% to 5%. This decision was taken in the 54th meeting of the GST Council in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and was also attended by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and Finance Ministers of the States. Smt. Sitharaman said that the purpose of reducing the GST rate on cancer drugs is to reduce the cost of treatment of this disease. She said that GST on select breakfast items has also been reduced from 18% to 12%. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the GST Council has decided to form two key Groups of Ministers . One of these groups will work on rationalizing the rates related to medical and life insurance and the other will prepare a framework for compensation cess .
Nepal has become the 101st country to become a full member of the International Solar Alliance . In a post on social media, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that documents related to its approval were given by Nepal in New Delhi . The document was exchanged in this regard during the meeting of Dr. Surendra Thapa, Charge d’Affaires of the Nepalese Embassy and Abhishek Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs . The ‘International Solar Alliance’ is a treaty-based intergovernmental organization whose primary function is to catalyze solar development by reducing the cost of financing and technology. The ‘International Solar Alliance’ is the nodal agency for implementing ‘ One Sun, One World, One Grid ‘ (OSOWOG), which aims to transfer solar energy generated in a specific region to meet the electricity demand of another region. It is an Indian initiative launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at the Conference of Parties (COP-21) of the UNFCCC in France (Paris) with 121 solar resource rich nations that lie fully or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. The Interim Secretariat of ISA is set up at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gwal Pahari, Gurgaon.
8 Indian government to launch ranking system for working women’s hostels
The Government of India has announced the launch of a ranking system for working women’s hostels on 8 September . The initiative aims to provide better infrastructure and facilities to the growing number of women who are pursuing their education and career simultaneously. The move is expected to promote the overall well-being and comfort of working women students. This will help them focus on their academic and professional activities. The ranking will be made available on a website which will be a one-stop portal of all working women hostels in the country . The move also aims to ensure better female workforce participation in urban areas. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has held meetings with the Quality Council of India (QCI) to develop certain criteria on the basis of which the ranking will be done. QCI has already sent a proposal, which has also been discussed with the state governments. The current Minister of Women and Child Development of India is Smt. Annapurna Devi. Just before the Lok Sabha elections in the year 2019, she left RJD and joined BJP.
9 India to host Global Cooperative Conference from 25-30 November in New Delhi
India will host the Global Cooperative Conference in New Delhi from 25 to 30 November . Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, informed the media in New Delhi. Dr. Kumar said that this five-day conference is focused on finding new solutions, technology and best practices for the cooperative movement. He said that it is a proud moment that India will host this conference for the first time in the 130-year history of the Global Cooperative Alliance. Global Cooperative Alliance Director General Jeroen Douglas said that there are 30 lakh cooperative societies across the world, of which India has the highest number of societies.
10 Delhi government banned firecrackers till January 1
The Delhi government on August 9 banned the production, storage, sale and use of firecrackers till January 1 to tackle air pollution . Environment Minister Gopal Rai has given instructions for this. Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that an action plan will be prepared in collaboration with Delhi Police, DPCC and Revenue Department to strictly implement the ban. The government is preparing a winter action plan based on 21 focus points to control pollution. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is lodged in Tihar Jail. He was arrested by the ED on March 21, 2024 in a money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam .
11 US Open: Jannik Sinner defeats Taylor Fritz to win his second Grand Slam title
Jannik Sinner won his second Grand Slam title by defeating Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the US Open Tennis . Earlier, he had won the Australian Open this year. He is the first Italian player to win the US Open title.
12 Indian boxer Deepali Thapa won the first Asian School Girls Championship in UAE
Indian boxer Deepali Thapa has won the first Asian School Girls Championship in the United Arab Emirates . With this victory, India has secured its seventh title in the women’s category in this competition. Deepali defeated Ukraine ‘s Lyudmyla Veselychenko in the 33 kg weight category. At the same time, in the 35 kg weight category, Bhumi won the second title for India by defeating Kazakhstan’s Aisel Zalimbekova in the final. Nishal Sharma also defeated Ukraine’s Maria Matsuura in the 37 kg weight category . In the 43 kg weight category, Rakhi defeated Ukraine’s Veronika Holub. In the 52 kg weight category, Naitik defeated Kazakhstan’s Arina Orazimbet. India’s Trusana Vinayak Mohite also won in the 67 kg weight category . At the same time, Gursirat Kaur also won.
13 Time magazine released the list of 100 most influential people in the world
Three Indians have found a place in Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2024. These include Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav , actor Anil Kapoor and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani . All three were included in the ‘ Shapers ‘ category. The Union IT Minister was included in the list for leading India’s efforts in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Time Magazine wrote that he played an important role in the country’s progress towards AI. India hosted the Global India AI Summit in July, which was attended by more than 2,000 AI experts. Under Vaishnav’s leadership, India is expected to be among the top five countries manufacturing semiconductors in the next five years. This is an essential component for AI systems. It has already started in India. The magazine wrote about Anil Kapoor that he won an important victory in the Delhi High Court against the unauthorized use of AI. The court had banned the misuse of his name, image or voice through AI. The magazine wrote about Nandan Nilekani that he is optimistic about the potential of AI. He focused on practical applications of AI technology through ‘Ek Step’ startup. Some people of Indian origin have also got a place in the list of Time Magazine. These include Microsoft Research India’s chief researcher Kalika Bali, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Apart from these, Amazon’s AI chief scientist Rohit Prasad, Perplexity’s Arvind Srinivas, Abridge’s co-founder Shiva Rao, Proton’s product lead Anant Vijay Singh, Indian-American businessman Vinod Khosla, Amba Kak and United Nations Secretary-General’s technology envoy Amandeep Singh Gill are included.
