1.NITI Aayog launches Geospatial Energy Map of India
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar , NITI Aayog Member Dr. VK Saraswat and NITI Aayog CEO Mr. Amitabh Kant launched the Geospatial Energy Map of India . Chairman of ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, Dr. K. Sivan participated in the event. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Power Ministries of the Government of India has developed a Comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) Energy Map of India. This GIS map provides a holistic picture of all the energy resources of the country depicting energy installations like conventional power plants, oil and gas wells, petroleum refineries, coal fields and coal blocks and renewable energy through 27 thematic categories. Presents district-wise data on power plants and renewable energy resource potential etc.
2.Delhi entrepreneur ‘Vidyut Mohan’ selected for ‘Earthshot Award’
Delhi- based entrepreneur ‘ Vidyut Mohan ‘ has recently been selected for the ‘ Earthshot Award ‘, also known as the ” Eco Oscars “. He has won this award for his innovative technology ( Takachar Innovation ), which recycles agricultural waste to make fuel . It is an award established by Prince William and the Royal Foundation . The ‘Royal Foundation’ is a charity founded by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and historian David Attenborough . ‘Sir David Attenborough’ to ‘ Indira Gandhi Peace Prize ‘ in the year 2019’ was awarded. The award was instituted in the year 2020 and for the first time in the year 2021, the award is being presented to the finalists for their contribution. The award will be given to five finalists between 2021 and 2030 for developing solutions to combat the climate crisis. The winner will be awarded a prize money of one million euros. The winners will be selected by the Earthshot Prize Council. Each year five winners will be selected for each of the five United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are:
- Nature restoration and conservation
- clean air
- ocean revival
- waste free life
- climate action
3.The first maritime dialogue between India and Britain took place through virtual medium
The first maritime dialogue between India and Britain took place through virtual medium. In this, discussions were held according to the set framework about the future India-UK relationship. The India-UK Framework 2030 was adopted at the virtual summit meeting of the Prime Ministers of both the countries in May this year. The Foreign Ministries of the two countries participated in the talks and discussed issues of cooperation in the maritime domain, Indo-Pacific and regional and multilateral cooperation.
4.UGC issues notification to recognize Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery as a special degree
The University Grants Commission has issued notification to recognize Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery (BSRMS) as a special degree. The duration of this degree is kept at least five years . The eligibility for admission will be plus two . Sowa Rigpa is a traditional and famous system of medicine in the Himalayan region . After this notification, any university can award BSRMS degree in its college.
5.India, USA, UAE and Israel form a new Quad (QUAD)
The US , India , Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have laid out the roadmap for their new alliance. In the meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries, it has been decided to focus on economic cooperation for the time being, but these countries will also forge alliances in the field of maritime cooperation. An international forum on economic cooperation has been announced between them, which can bring new opportunities for India’s business. At the same time, the four countries have decided not to mark this organization with the name of Quad and it has been described as an international forum.
6.India and Israel to resume talks on FTA
India and Israel in November 2021 by the FTA ( Free Trade Agreement – FTA) have agreed to resume negotiations. Both the countries will negotiate the FTA with an aim to complete the long pending deal by June 2022. Discussions about FTA between India and Israel have been going on for more than a decade. However, for the first time a fixed time limit has been set. India and Israel have joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA), a global initiative launched by India. s. The agreement was signed between Jaishankar and Israel’s Energy Minister Karin Elharer. Both the countries have helped each other even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bilateral relations between India and Israel are extensive. The two countries share military, economic and strategic ties. Israel is represented by an embassy in New Delhi while it has consulates in Mumbai and Bangalore. India has set up its embassy in Tel Aviv.
7.Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh launches air quality early warning system
Earth Sciences Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Air Quality Early Warning System on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Festival week . Speaking on the occasion, Dr Singh said that the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has developed a new decision support system and the existing air quality early warning capability to have decision making capability for air quality management. He said that integrated air alert with Decision Dedicated System will become a user-friendly tool for air quality management in Delhi and beyond.
8.J&K Administration and Dubai Government sign MoU on Industrialization and Development
The Jammu and Kashmir Administration and the Government of Dubai signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Srinagar. This agreement will help in taking industrialization and sustainable development to new heights in the state. The MoU includes real estate development, industrial parks, IT towers, multi-purpose towers, medical colleges and setting up of super-specialty hospitals . On this occasion, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the unprecedented development of Jammu and Kashmir. Commerce, Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal were also present on the occasion.
9.India and Israel agree on recognition of Kovid vaccination certificate
India and Israel have agreed to recognize each other’s COVID-19 vaccination certificates . External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made the announcement after talks between Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid . Dr. Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Israel these days. During his stay he held meetings with Israeli government officials, business leaders and the Indian Jewish community.
10.Commodore Amit Rastogi (Retd) appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director of National Research Development Corporation (NRDC)
Indian Navy for 34 years after the illustrious career of Commodore Amit Rastogi ( retired ) by October 18, 2021 the National Research Development Corporation (RDC N) has taken over as the new Chairman and Managing Director. NRDC is a Public Enterprise of the Department of Scientific and Technological Research under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. It is involved in the development, promotion and transfer of technologies emanating from various national R&D institutions.
11.Allium negianum: a new species of onion
A new plant recently discovered in Uttarakhand – ‘ Allium negianum ‘ – has been confirmed to belong to a genus that includes several staple foods such as ‘ onion ‘ and ‘ garlic ‘. Food items form a major part of the diet of a population. They are used regularly and on a daily basis and they supply a large portion of a person’s energy and nutritional needs. Allium, ‘ Amarylidaceae‘ (Amaryllidaceae) is one of the largest species. Amarylidaceae is a family of herbaceous soft-stemmed plants, which mainly includes perennial and bulbous flowering plants. The ‘Allium’ genus includes about 1,100 species worldwide, including many staple foods such as onions, garlic, scallions and shallots. This genus is naturally found in the dry climates of the northern hemisphere and South Africa, but the newly identified species is restricted to the western Himalayan region . ‘Allium Negianum’ is named after the late Dr. Kuldeep Singh Negi , an eminent explorer and collector of alliums from India . These species are useful for various medicinal purposes.
12.UIDAI to organize Aadhaar Hackathon 2021
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will organize ” Aadhaar Hackathon 2021 “. This is the first event organized by Aadhar team. A hackathon is an event, usually organized by a technology company or organization, where programmers work together for a short period of time to collaborate on a project. It aims to identify young innovators in the field of information technology. UIDAI is reaching out to the youth of all engineering colleges to address the hackathon challenges through innovative technological solutions. Theme: Aadhaar Hackathon 2021 is based on two themes-
Enrollment and Update: It essentially covers some of the real challenges of daily life faced by residents while updating or updating the address.
Identity and Authentication:UIDAI calls for innovative solutions to prove identity without sharing Aadhaar number or any demographic information.
In addition it is exploring innovative applications in the form of Face Authentication Application Programming Interface (API), the newly launched authentication tool of UIDAI. It aims to popularize some existing and new APIs to meet the needs of residents.
13.ER Sheikh takes over as the first Director General of ‘Directorate of Ordnance’
Recently E.R. Sheikh ‘ Directorate of Ordnance‘ (Coordination and Services), the newly created entity after the abolition of ‘Ordnance Factory Board’ (OFB). ER Sheikh is an Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS) officer of 1984 batch. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Directorate of Ordnance is the successor organization of the Ordnance Factory Board. The Government of India had dissolved the ‘Ordnance Factory Board’ on October 1, 2021 and its entire assets, management, employees were transferred to the seven newly-established ‘Defence Public Sector Undertakings’. As per the decision of the Central Government, 41 factories across the country are to be converted into seven new Defense Public Sector Undertakings. The newly created entities will be 100% owned by the government. These entities will be responsible for various verticals of products such as ammunition and explosives group will produce ammunition,
14.Delhi government floats tender to develop “Rojgar Bazaar 2.0” portal
The Delhi government on October 14, 2021 issued tenders for developing a portal named “ Employment Market 2.0 ”. This portal will provide employment related services to the youth of Delhi. It will provide complete employment related information and Artificial Intelligence based job matching to the youth looking for jobs in the national capital. The portal will act as a “gateway to access career guidance, skill training and skill certification”. For this, the government will also launch a mobile app. The Delhi government had launched ‘Rozgar Bazar 1.0’ in August 2020. It proved to be “a lifeline for small businesses and unemployed youth of Delhi”. 10 lakh jobs and 14 lakh job seekers have already been advertised on this portal.
15.PMFBY: Working group set up
The Central Government has constituted a working group with the objective of launching a modified Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) from Kharif season 2022 .has done. The working group has been constituted comprising officials of the Centre, top officials of public sector insurance companies and major crop producing states. This working group will suggest “sustainable, financial and operational models”. This working group is expected to address the demand for alternative models to achieve sustainable ability of insurers to reduce the subsidy burden on the government as well as achieve rational premium prices. It will submit its report in the next six months. Under this scheme, farmers are required to fix a premium of 1.5% of the sum insured for Rabi crops while 2% for Kharif crops. It is 5% for cash crops under PMFBY. The remaining premium is split between the Center and the states.
16.Italy Unveils G20 Innovation League
Italy has unveiled the ” G20 Innovation League ” to build a sustainable future . This is a new and unique initiative designed to take forward innovative projects, which in turn will help in creating a sustainable future. This investment will bring together the most promising start-ups from G20 countries, along with funds and institutions, to collaborate and develop “innovative sustainable business projects”. The G20 innovation event was held in Sorrento, Italy. It was supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the Italian Ministry of Technological Innovation and Digital Transition. The event was inaugurated by the Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. Italy will host the G20 summit in Rome on October 30-31, 2021.
17.Kerala to sell Kudumbashree products on online platform
Kerala government has Kudumbsri ‘including micro, small and medium production units, one manufactured by the products’ marketing and distribution online platform is planned to launch. According to state Industries Minister P. Rajeev, the Kerala government has already started preliminary level talks on this. The scheme was announced on October 18, 2021 while inaugurating the “State Level Seed Capital Financial Assistance Scheme”. Under this scheme, assistance will be provided to self-help groups. This scheme “ Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME)was launched as part of the project. The Center had launched the PMFME scheme in collaboration with the state governments to encourage food processing industries. The scheme seeks to provide technical, financial and business support to small food processing enterprises.
