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Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

 The question of whether India needs a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a complex and debated topic. Here are some reasons that I wish to share in favor of implementing a UCC in India:

  1. Equality: UCC will ensure equality and non-discrimination among citizens, irrespective of their religion. India is a diverse country with multiple personal laws governing matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption based on religious affiliation. Implementing a UCC would provide a common set of laws applicable to all citizens, regardless of their religion, promoting equality before the law.

  2. Women’s Rights: UCC will help address gender inequality prevalent in personal laws. Some religious laws in India, such as those governing marriage, divorce, and inheritance, have been criticized for being discriminatory against women. A UCC could potentially ensure equal rights and protections for women across all communities, safeguarding their fundamental rights and promoting gender justice.

  3. Social Cohesion: India is a secular and diverse nation with a multitude of religions and faiths. The existence of different personal laws based on religious affiliations may create divisions and hinder social cohesion. Implementing a UCC could foster a sense of national unity by providing a common legal framework that applies to all citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

  4. Simplification and Efficiency: Currently, the existence of different personal laws can lead to complexity and confusion in legal matters, particularly in cases involving interfaith marriages or inheritance across different religious communities. A UCC could simplify the legal process, reducing administrative burden, and making it easier for citizens to navigate legal matters.

It’s important to note that the implementation of a UCC in India is a highly sensitive and debated issue. The diverse religious and cultural fabric of India should be respected, but laws should be uniform for all citizen of the country. 

India's Creative Economy showcased at the Annecy International Animation Festival in France

 Annecy, June 14, 2023: India is participating at the The Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF) for the first time this year. An Indian delegation led by the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Shri. Apurva Chandra with eminent personalities of the animation industry have been showcasing India’s prowess in creating animation and VFX content for global audiences at the AIAF. 

India has lately emerged as a preferred destination of VFX and animation content for global production houses. The animation and VFX market in India was pegged to be valued at Rs 109 billion in 2021, with the VFX business alone amounting to Rs 50 billion. This figure is expected to grow to Rs 180 billion by 2024 according to a E&Y report. India’s participation at Annecy therefore assumes greater importance as the country showcases its abilities in the sector to international buyers. 

Speaking about India’s participation, Shri. Chandra said, “The Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects and Comics (AVGC) Sector in India is making progress with the adoption of world-class techniques and innovative technologies, coupled with a pool of immensely talented professionals. India is one of the few countries providing cash incentive to foreign companies for making AVGC content in India. The incentives are the same as for shooting films in India. This is a huge opportunity for companies to benefit from this. As a country, we are committed to providing incentives to the industry, as well as supporting pre and post-production activities in India.” 

At the festival, Shri. Chandra met Michael Marin, director of AIAF and discussed the possibilities of strengthening India’s engagement at Annecy and the potential of collaboration between India and France to host an animation film festival in India. Shri. Chandra inaugurated the India Pavilion, which has been designed on the theme of the Saraswati Yantra and also interacted with the Indian creative community who have won entries in the prestigious Annecy festival competition in 2023. Young creators Arvind Jeena, Nikita Prabhudesai Jeena, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, Kalp Sanghvi along with industry seniors such as Saraswati Vani Balgum, Kireet Khurana, Biren Ghosh, Anil Wanvari and Anne Doshi, among others, were present at the festival. 

Besides, Shri. Chandra interacted with delegates from other countries and the discussions centred around the various initiatives of the Ministry with regards to the AVGC sector, the incentives given by the Indian Government for ease of business in the sector. 

World Blood Donor Day

 “Blood donation is a noble cause and deeply ingrained in our rich culture and tradition of Seva and Sahyog. I implore and call on all citizens to come forward and donate blood as part of the countrywide Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav. Donating blood is a significant service to society and mankind in addition to fulfilling the requirement for the country.” This was stated by Union Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare, Prof. S P Baghel while inaugurating blood donation camp at RML Hospital, New Delhi today.

The slogan for this year’s World Blood Donor Day campaign is ‘Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often’. It focuses on patients requiring lifelong blood transfusion support and underlines the role every single person can play by giving the valuable gift of blood or plasma.

 

Accentuating the importance of blood donation and Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav, the Union Minister of State, Prof. S P Baghel said, “In India, the demand for blood transfusion arises for every 2 seconds. On an average, 14.6 million blood is needed every year and there is always a shortage of 1 million. Besides lack of understanding and awareness, several myths and facts are associated with a blood donation that could be discouraging healthy people from turning into blood donors. Patients like Cancer patients, Sickle cell anemia and Thalassemia patients, require blood frequently. In every two seconds, someone in India needs blood and one out of every three of us will need blood in our lifetime, he stated. “Despite the technological advancements, there remains no alternative to blood and 1 unit of blood can save as many as three lives’, Prof. S P Baghel noted. Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav aims to increase awareness regarding regular non-remunerated voluntary blood donations and ensure that blood or its components (whole blood/ packed red blood cells/plasma/platelets) are available, accessible, affordable and safe.”

Debunking myths surrounding blood donation, S P Baghel stated that “Blood donation doesn’t cause weakness, this is a misconception. A person has 5 – 6 litres of blood in their body and can donate blood every 90 days (3 months).” Body can recover blood very quickly; blood plasma volume within 24 – 48 hours, red blood cells in about 3 weeks and platelets & white blood cells within minutes. No weakness comes from this, on the contrary, people have to understand that before donating blood, a blood checkup is done before that, and you cannot donate blood before 3 months, blood donation is very important.

Emphasizing on the fact that we need to create awareness about blood donation, he said, “We should understand and teach our future generation about the importance of blood donation and organ donation. He also appealed to the people of the world to donate blood. He also mentioned that we need to spread awareness about debunking the blood donation myths in rural areas, as people in rural areas are still more surrounded by these myths.”

Prof. S P Baghel met the donors at the blood donation camp and appreciated their selfless act of donating blood. He also felicitated the blood donors who donated blood more than 100 times.

He also highlighted the nationwide drive that is supported by the centralised blood bank management information system called, E-Rakt Kosh portal, which acts as a national repository of blood donors. This also ensures a robust record of blood donors and will expedite blood availability when in need.

Link for E-Rakt Kosh Portal:

 https://www.eraktkosh.in/BLDAHIMS/bloodbank/transactions/bbpublicindex.html

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PPPININDIA and online portals for India Infrastructure Project Development Funding Scheme (IIPDF) and the Best Practices in Infrastructure

 The Infrastructure Finance Secretariat (IFS) in its endeavour to usher in private investment in infrastructure is constantly introducing interventions to setup an enabling ecosystem for infrastructure development and delivery.

As part of this endeavour, the IFS has revamped its website www.pppinindia.gov.in for its enhanced value to the stakeholders involved in PPP projects. PPPININDIA is a website dedicated to promoting and facilitating Public Private Partnerships in India and helps in bridging the gap between the public and private sectors. The website serves as a digital platform that brings together government entities, private companies, investors and entrepreneurs fostering collaboration and innovation for sustainable growth. Through this revamped website, the IFS aims to create a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures partnership, encourages investment, and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and resources.

The revamped website will act as a readily accessible repository of Policies, Guidelines, and Model Bidding Documents including Model Concession Agreements for various sectors, Guidance Materials, Reference Documents, etc., including the newly launched Reference Guide for Setting up of State PPP units helping States to create dedicated units for promoting PPP policy, program and projects and Reference Guide for PPP Project Appraisal helping Project Appraisal Authorities (PSAs) in quality appraisal of PPP projects. The website has over 200+ executed Concession Agreements of PPP projects in various sectors. The website also hosts PPP Toolkits which are web-based resources designed to improve decision-making for infrastructure PPPs.

To promote Digital India initiative of the Government of India, the IFS has launched the IIPDF Portal for submitting applications for consideration under IIPDF Scheme. The online portal will allow Sponsoring Authority to apply online under IIPDF scheme that will significantly reduce the processing time, involve less paperwork and help the PSAs to obtain speedy and time bound approvals for the submitted projects. The IFS is also in process of launching similar online portals on this website for submitting online applications for Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee and VGF Scheme.

Additionally, the revamped website hosts Best Practices Portal that contains the best practices in successful implementation of infrastructure projects by the states and central ministries. The best practices are identified inter-alia in terms project implementation, key challenges, success factors, outcomes, and impacts. It has started with a number of identified best practices and the states and central ministries can further upload and showcase their best practices for mutual knowledge exchange and wider implementation. The best practices portal can be accessed on https://www.pppinindia.gov.in/bestpractices.

The revamped website, with its enhanced ease of use and information content will serve as a one stop solution comprehensive website for PPP projects database, PPP knowledge hub, details of upcoming PPP events, workshops and forums where key stakeholders can come together, exchange ideas and forge partnerships.

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G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG)

 The third meeting of ‘G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG)’ concluded today at Pune. The three days’ agenda of the meeting included the Global DPI Summit and Global DPI Exhibition as the side events and closed-door meetings among the G20 delegates, invited countries and IOs on the priority areas. 

The Global DPI Summit (12-13 June 2023)

The Summit was attended by over 250 delegates in-person, out of which, there are around 150 foreign delegates from 50 countries. More than 2000 persons attended virtually. India signed MoU with four countries namely Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname and Antigua and Barbuda on sharing INDIA STACK i.e. successful digital solutions implemented at population scale.

The summit provided the global platform to discuss sector agnostic (foundational) and sectoral DPIs that inter-alia involved leadership, policy & practitioner level insightful, thought provoking and future shaping discussions among overall 60 Global Experts on DPIs, who participated in 10 important sessions viz. ‘Overview of Digital Public Infrastructure’, ‘Digital Identities for empowering people’, ‘Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion’, ‘DPI for Judicial Systems and Regulations’, ‘Digital Document Exchange for efficient service delivery’, ‘Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for DPI’, ‘Digital Education and Skilling’, ‘DPI for Digital Health and Climate Action’, ‘Digital Agriculture Ecosystem’, and ‘Building the Global DPI Ecosystem’. By providing the global platform on DPI to digital decision makers from 50 Countries and multiple International Organisations, India took the lead and further strengthened its role of acting as a strong bridge between Global North (G20 members) and Global South (Developing and LMIC countries). The recording of the sessions, organised during the Global DPI summit, can be seen at  https://www.indiastack.global/global-dpi-summit/

The Global DPI Exhibition (12-14 June 2023)

The Exhibition showcased 14 experience zones comprising successfully implemented DPIs related to Digital Identity, Fast Payment, DigiLocker, Soil Health Card, E-National Agriculture Market, Unified Mobile App for New-Age Governance, Open Network for Digital Commerce, seamless travel experience at airport, language translation, learning solution, tele-medical consultation, and Digital India Journey. It was visited by the delegates attending the summit and G20 DEWG meeting. The people from the city of Pune comprising professionals, youth and senior citizens also visited the exhibition.

The Closed-Door Meeting of G20 DEWG (13-14 June 2023)

The closed-door meeting of G20 DEWG meeting began on 13 June 2023 with participation of 77 foreign delegates from G20 Members, 9 Guest Countries, 5 International Organizations and two Regional Organisations. The discussion under Indian Presidency was led by Shri Sushil Pal, Co-Chair G20 DEWG.  In the meeting, discussions were held on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the concept of “One Future Alliance & One Future Fund’ for DPI, enabling principles for good DPI, and recognition of the need for financing opportunities for DPI in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC). Thereafter, Digital skilling, upskilling and reskilling,  capacity building & awareness , building a mutual recognition framework for digital skills and information sharing  were discussed.

On the last day of the meeting i.e. 14 June 2023, the security for a safe, resilient and trusted digital economy and various aspects such as capacity building for children & youth, and countering potential security threats were deliberated.

Over the last three days, several cultural programmes were organised, and the delegated were treated with the experience of Indian culture, Indian cuisine, Indian arts, Yoga, and folk forms of India. Government of India acknowledges and thanks the state Government of Maharashtra for providing full support and coordination in organizing  this event.

As a next step, the fourth in-person meeting of Digital Economy Working Group and Digital Economy Minister’s Meeting is planned to be organised in the month of August, 2023 at Bengaluru, Karnataka.

 

LT GEN PS BHAGAT MEMORIAL LECTURE” ORGANISED BY THE INDIAN ARMY AT MANEKSHAW CENTRE

 The Indian Army has organised the first “Lieutenant General P S Bhagat Memorial Lecture” on “Legacy of Lt Gen Prem Bhagat- A Visionary and Strategic Leader”, under the aegis of United Service Institution of India (USI) at Manekshaw Centre on 14 June 2023. The lecture was conducted as part of “Lt Gen PS Bhagat Memorial Chair of Excellence instituted at USI, by General Manoj Pande, COAS on 14 October 2022.

General VP Malik (Retd), Former Army Chief delivered a keynote address during the lecture, in which he gave many anecdotes from the legacy of Lt Gen Bhagat from his early days as a Second Lieutenant to till his demise while working as Chairman of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).

General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff, Former Chiefs General VN Sharma (Retd) and General M M Naravane (Retd) attended the event along with senior veterans and serving officers and civilians to draw inspiration from the legacy of Lt Gen Bhagat, whose charisma has left an indelible mark on the history of the Indian Army.

Speaking on the occasion, the Army Chief mentioned that “Late Lt Gen PS Bhagat who served as the first General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the re-raised Northern Command was an outstanding professional and a prolific writer”. The Army Chief recounted that “as a young second lieutenant, Lt Gen Bhagat was the first Indian soldier to have been awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross in World War II, while clearing minefields, under enemy fire, with his vehicle encountering a mine explosion thrice, sustaining an ear drum puncture, yet going about his task relentlessly for 96 hours, without break.” He also fondly mentioned the tale in which Lt Gen Bhagat as Army Commander at Lucknow in September 1971, saved the Lucknow city by pushing the trucks loaded with stones and boulders to plug the flow

through the breach on the Gomti River, for which local newspapers captioned him as “the saviour of Lucknow”, in next day’s headlines.

The next edition of memorial lecture is scheduled to be conducted in April 2024, in which Lt Gen KT Parnaik (Retd), Hon’ble Governor of Arunachal Pradesh has kindly consented to deliver the keynote address.

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Maharaja’s Treasure: Select Works of Art from the Famed Air India Collection’ at NGMA Mumbai

 An art exhibition titled ‘Maharaja’s Treasure: Select Works of Art from the Famed Air India Collection’ hosted by the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, under the Union Ministry of Culture was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday (June 13, 2023) evening.  The inimitable exhibition has been curated to focus on the works that Air India used to redefine the air travel experience and showcasing paintings and sculptures by eminent artists like VS Gaitonde, GR Santosh, KH Ara, B Prabha, Pilloo Pochkhanwala, MF Husain and Raghav Kaneria et al. The in-house curated exhibition of NGMA consists of thematic display of around 200 artworks.  It will continue till the 13th of August, 2023 at the prestigious Nation Gallery of Modern Art in Fort, Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, MoS Meenakshi Lekhi said, “It’s truly a Maharaja’s collection as 80 years of the Air India story gets to be depicted through paintings and art-pieces. The Minister said, we are grateful to Air India for providing patronage to artists when they were looking for it. Artists always require patronage to look after themselves. Artists have an element of God in themselves because they are always competing with themselves to do better and better and upskill themselves, added the Minister. She said, we need to be proud of and understand our traditions, especially at a time when the country is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. “Only when we take pride in who we are, can we promote art and craft”, the Minister stated. Speaking about the exhibition, MoS (Culture) also said that a 80 years story of India which is truly Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav needs to be told multiple times at multiple places.

The MoS for Culture and External Affairs said that India always was a rich nation in arts, crafts and culture and continues to be so. She said that we see a ‘Vikas Ki Virasaat’ today because of infrastructural works going on in the country, but simultaneously the Government is putting equal emphasis on cultural heritage of the country. The Minister said that PM has been very focussed on his deliveries and plan of action related to promotion of all forms of art and culture, setting up a few museum, preservation and conservation of cultural heritage and also setting up of new heritage universities. 

The Director, NGMA Mumbai, Nazneen Banu said, consequent to the Government’s decision to disinvest its stake in the Air India, it was decided to handover the Air India collection of arts and artefacts to the Ministry of Culture which is to be housed at the National Gallery of Modern Art for posterity. The impressive diversity and broad spectrum of Air India collection today makes it unique which holds unparallel position in the history of any commercial airline.

MoS (Culture) Smt. Lekhi also ceremonially released the exhibition catalogue of ‘Maharaja’s Treasure – Select Works of Art from the Famed Air India Collection’ on the occasion. The evening was dotted with the presence of artists and art connoisseurs from the world-over. Seen at the do were artists Dr. Saryu Doshi, Pheroza Godrej, Brinda Miller, Nayanaa Kanodia, Vipta Kapadia, Nandita Desai, Paramesh Paul, Vishwa Sahni, Sonu Gupta, theatre personality Raell Padamsee among others. The evening also saw stunning Kathak and Lavani performances, specially curated for the exhibition.

Concept Note for the Art-Exhibition:

From its very inception Air India always collected and promoted art from various artistic traditions of India. After independence, traditional patronage for the arts was dwindling, and, in this scenario, Air India played a very important role in commissioning and collecting art. This zeal for art and crafts of India led to the creation of a very image for the airline which tried to capture the opulence and grandeur of the erstwhile era under the maharajas. To give a glimpse to the country’s rich artistic heritage, the company started displaying and decorating its booking houses, pavilions and lounges with its impressive art collection that has always captivated the minds of travellers throughout the globe.

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DoT organises webinar to bust myth of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) radiation through mobile towers

 Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Delhi LSA organised an Electromagnetic Field (EMF) awareness programme through Webinar today to commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

In this webinar, various aspects of EMF radiation was presented by DoT Delhi LSA and  health related queries and myth about harmful effect of EMF radiations from mobile towers was also clarified by a medical expert, Dr Vivek Tandon, Professor (Neurosurgery), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

The EMF radiation is a RF/Electromagnetic energy emitted from mobile tower antenna and mobile handset are non-ionizing having very low energy. Based on scientific evidence, studies and reports available, it is found that there is no conclusive evidence of the stated danger of EMF radiation from mobile tower. Further, the EMF emissions from a mobile tower, which are below the safe limits prescribed by International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO), have no convincing scientific evidence of causing adverse health effects.

Department of Telecommunication (DoT), through its field units has already taken necessary steps and adopted stricter norms for safety from EMF radiation that are emitted from mobile towers. DoT has adopted the radiation norms which are 10 times stricter than the norms prescribed by ICNIRP as recommended by WHO. All the information on Mobile tower radiation is available to the public on DoT’s website: https://dot.gov.in/journey-emf

DoT and Telecom. Service Providers (TSPs) take various measures to ensure the EMF  compliance of mobile towers/Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) to safe limits.

i. All telecom service providers ensure that radiation from mobile towers (BTSs) are within safe-limits prescribed by DoT and self-certification to this effect is submitted to respective DoT, field units on launch, whenever a change occurs and also on a biennial/triennial basis. All mobile towers start functioning commercially only after the submission of self-certification.

ii.  Testing of radiation of working mobile towers is regularly carried out by field unit of DoT Delhi on sample basis which is up to 5% of the total working mobile towers (BTS) annually.

iii.  Department of Telecom (DoT), Ministry of Communications has a web portal for Information sharing on Mobile Towers and EMF Emission Compliances. The portal can be accessed at www.tarangsanchar.gov.in. The EMF Portal provides a public interface where an easy map-based search feature has been provided for viewing the mobile towers in vicinity of any locality. By click of a button, information on EMF compliance status of mobile towers can be accessed. Additionally, any person can request for EMF emission measurement at his/her premises by paying a nominal fee of ₹ 4000/- online.

The Webinar was focussed to clear doubt among various stakeholders including Public Representatives, Government Departments/agencies, RWAs, CSOs, Urban Local Bodies/Municipalities and general public regarding misconception about EMF radiations and its effect on health and so that no hindrance is created for development of mobile towers and telecommunication infrastructure to ensure best quality of services and network coverage to one and all.

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Impact of 'Har Ghar Jal' Program on Public Health and Economic Savings

 “We are witnessing the role of safe drinking water in saving lives, empowering women and girls, and contributing to ease of living”. This was stated by Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog at the launch of the groundbreaking report of WHO highlighting the substantial benefits of the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ program in India, here today. “No programme has this kind of direct impact on improving the lives of individuals and families physically, mentally, and financially”, he stressed. Dr. Paul commended the speed and scale of the programme and said, “A new connection is being added every second and transforming public health in India today.”

The report estimates that ensuring safely managed drinking water for all households in the country could avert nearly 400,000 deaths caused by diarrheal diseases and prevent approximately 14 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) related to these diseases. This achievement alone would result in estimated cost savings of up to $101 billion. The analysis focuses on diarrhoeal diseases as it accounts for majority of WASH-attributable disease burden.

Smt Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, and Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India were also present.

Dr Bahl, DG, ICMR commended the achievement of Har Ghar Jal in providing citizens with access to clean drinking water. “Government of India’s investment in Jal Jeevan Mission has a significant multiplier effect on health as has been brought out by this study”, he stated.

The ‘Har Ghar Jal’ report focuses on diarrheal diseases as they contribute significantly to the overall disease burden related to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues. The analysis underscores the urgent need to address these diseases and the potential for substantial gains in public health and economic well-being.

Prior to 2019, the situation of water supply in rural areas was challenging. The report reveals that in 2018, 36% of India’s total population, including 44% of the rural population, lacked access to improved drinking-water sources on their premises. The direct consumption of unsafe drinking water had severe health and societal consequences. The analysis indicates that in 2019, unsafe drinking water, along with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, contributed to 1.4 million deaths and 74 million DALYs globally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) monitors various Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators, including the proportion of the population using safely managed drinking water services (Indicator 6.1.1) and mortality related to unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene (Indicator 3.9.2). WHO has developed methods and tools to estimate the health gains associated with improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly in reducing diarrheal diseases and other related health outcomes.

The report emphasizes the tremendous time and effort saved for women and girls through the provision of tap water. In 2018, women in India spent an average of 45.5 minutes daily collecting water to meet household needs. Overall, households without on-premises water spent a staggering 66.6 million hours each day collecting water, with the majority (55.8 million hours) occurring in rural areas. Universal coverage through tap water provision will result in substantial savings by eliminating the need for daily water collection efforts.

During the announcement, Smt.Vini Mahajan, Secretary DDWS, highlighted the remarkable progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission. She noted that rural tap water connections increased from 16.64% in 2019 to 62.84% within a span of 41 months, representing an average annual increase of 13.5% compared to a mere 0.23% per annum

About ‘Har Ghar Jal’ programme:

The Har Ghar Jal Programme, implemented by the Jal Jeevan Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, was announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019. The program aims to provide every rural household with affordable and regular access to an adequate supply of safe drinking water through taps. The program’s components align with the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (JMP) to monitor progress on SDG 6.1 for safely managed drinking water services

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MV/JJ

INDIA, FRANCE AND UAE COMPLETE MAIDEN MARITIME PARTNERSHIP EXERCISE

 India, France and UAE trilateral cooperation achieved another milestone in history with successful completion of first ever trilateral Maritime Partnership Exercise between three navies from 07 -08 Jun 23.

During the maiden edition of the exercise, a wide spectrum of operations at sea such as surface Warfare involving tactical firing and drills for Missile engagements, close quarter manoeuvres, Advanced Air Defence Exercise with French Rafale and UAE Dash 8 MPA, Helicopter Cross Landing Operations, Drills for Replenishment at sea were undertaken by the participating units.

The exercise also saw cross embarkation of personnel that facilitated exchange of best practices.

The exercise has further strengthened the maritime ties between the navies and enhanced interoperability to address traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime environment thus ensuring safety of mercantile trade and freedom of navigation at high seas in the region.

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‘TACTICAL LAN RADIO’

 Continuing with the commitment towards ‘Make in India’ initiative the Indian Army has signed the second procurement contract through Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) on 09 June 2023. The contract with M/s Astrome Tech Pvt Ltd, Bangalore for procurement of indigenously developed ‘Tactical LAN Radio’ was signed in presence of Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar, the Vice Chief of Army Staff at New Delhi. With this initiative, the Indian Army has taken a lead by signing two contracts under iDEX till date.

Tactical LAN solution is being developed indigenously for creating secure tactical LAN in remote and difficult terrain. ‘Tactical LAN Radio’ is a state of the art high bandwidth backhaul wireless radio equipment for provisioning of reliable and failsafe communication. The solution offers an enhanced range of communication and embedded frequency hopping mechanism to preclude chances of interception and long-range point-to-multipoint high-bandwidth communication. The system also incorporates the enhanced safety features and can operate continuously for 48 hours on a single set basis without any breakdown.

iDEX was launched by Hon’ble PM on 12 April 2018 during Defence Expo India 2018. The aim of iDEX is to create an eco-system to foster innovations and encourage technological development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging R&D institutes, academia, industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators and provide them grants/ funding and other support to carry out R&D which has good potential for future adoption by Indian Defence and Aerospace Organisation. Over the past four years, iDEX under ‘Defence Innovation Organisation’ has emerged as a front runner in establishing right kind of contact with the start-ups and innovators and has gained substantial traction in the defence start-up community.

At present a total of 42 projects of the Indian Army are part of Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC), Open Challenges and iDEX PRIME scheme which involves handholding of 41 start-ups for development of latest state of the art solutions for challenges posed by the Indian Army. For each challenge a dedicated nodal officer and a category ‘A’ establishment as ‘Centre of Excellence’ from the Indian Army has been nominated for handholding and continuous support for progress of the projects. Balance ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ accorded iDEX projects of the Indian Army are also under finalisation and are likely to fructify into contracts shortly.

"Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat" on the occasion of 75th International Archives Day

 Minister of State for Culture, Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi inaugurated an exhibition under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) titled “Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat” today to celebrate 75th International Archives Day at National Archives of India, New Delhi.

This exhibition is an endeavour to commemorate the treasured heritage of India’s linguistic diversity as a Nation: “राष्ट्र एक भाषा अनेक” India is blessed with extraordinary language diversity. According to an estimate out of 7,111 languages spoken globally, about 788 languages are spoken in India alone. India is thus one of the four most linguistically diversified countries in the world, along with Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Nigeria.

On the occasion Minister of State for Culture, Mrs. Meenakashi Lekhi said , “On the occasion of International Archives Day, National Archives of India has made available the Gilgit Manuscripts written between the 5″ -6″ centuries CE, which is the oldest surviving manuscript collection in India. She also said that the birch bark folios documents written on pieces of inner layer of the bark of birch trees were found in Kashmir region and contain both canonical and non-canonical Jain and Buddhist works that throw light on the evolution of many religious-philosophical literature. She also added that Younger generation must get introduced to Gilgit Manuscripts.

She also said, “ I also congratulate  the National Archives of India for making approximately more than 72,000 manuscripts available at the premises and through the process of digitization it will reach all over the world, which will particularly help  our younger generation to get introduced to these manuscripts.”

The Exhibition presents a selection of original manuscripts drawn from the annals of the archival repository (such as the birch-bark Gilgit manuscripts, Tattvartha Sutra, Ramayana, and Srimad Bhagwad Gita, among others), official files of the government, proscribed literature under the clonial regime, private manuscripts of eminent personalities, as well as from the rich collection of rare books held in the NAI Library.

  

The Exhibition includes among the most ancient in the world —The Gilgit Manuscripts were discovered in three stages in the Naupur village (Gilgit region), and first announced by archaeologist Sir “Aurel Stein in the year 1931. Not only this, the exhibition further sheds light on the vast corpus of archival records pertaining to variegated languages spoken across the length and breadth of the nation.

As we are celebrating 75 years of our independence, through this exhibition the National Archives of India pay tribute to the linguistic diversity of our nation. The languages of India have from the earliest times been a subject of interest to not only those who spoke them, but to foreigners as well, who conducted a serious study of Indian languages (for instance, the Linguistic Survey of India). The exhibition will remain open for public viewing till 08 July 2023 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on each day including Saturday, Sunday and National Holidays.

The National Archives of India was established on 11 March 1891 at Kolkata (Calcutta) as the Imperial Record Department. Following the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, the present building of the National Archives of India was constructed in 1926 which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The transfer of all records from Calcutta to New Delhi was completed in 1937.The National Archives of India is also the nodal agency for the implementation of the Public Records Act, 1993 and Public Record Rules, 1997.

National Archives of India has at present in its repositories a vast collection of records, which include files. volumes, maps, bills assented to by the President of India, treaties, rare manuscripts, oriental records, private papers, cartographic records, important collection of Gazettes and Gazetteers, Census records, assembly and parliament debates, proscribed literature, travel accounts, etc. A major chunk of Oriental records are in Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, etc.

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IICA and RRU sign MoU for academic and research collaboration

 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) here today.

The MoU intends to synergise the professional capabilities of IICA and RRU towards capacity building, education, research and consulting in the domain of Internal Security, Financial Crimes, Law Enforcement, Corporate Frauds and other subject matters common to their mandate and objectives. The MoU also provides for exchange of knowledge and resources between IICA and RRU for conducting research, training and consultancy.

Shri Praveen Kumar, Director General and CEO of IICA in his virtual address stated, “Corporate frauds constitute one of the most serious economic offences as enormous public money is involved thereunder which abysmally impacts the economic health of the nation. IICA in collaboration with RRU look forward to safeguarding economic security of the country through training and upskilling the officers of relevant stakeholders from banks, financial institutions, investigating agencies and other professionals in the financial landscape.”

Prof (Dr) Bimal Patel, Vice-Chancellor of RRU in his address said, “Economic and Financial Security is a crucial facet of National Security and Economic Security of a country forms the very backbone for its good governance. It becomes imperative that the stakeholders in the financial and corporate system as well as personnel from law enforcement agencies must be adequately equipped for early detection and prevention of financial crimes. This collaboration between the two institutions would be a significant step towards strengthening of the existing financial system of the nation.”

The MoU was signed by Prof (Dr) Naveen Sirohi from IICA who also shared the purpose statement of the collaboration. Dr Dimpal T Raval, Director School of National Security and Law from RRU proposed vote of thanks along with articulating action plan.  

ABOUT IICA

IICA is an institution established by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India as an autonomous body to act as a think-tank and a centre of excellence to support the growth of the corporate sector in India through an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach. RRU is an Institution of National Importance under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is a pioneering national security and police University of India.

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African region for strengthening Trade and Investment ties with India

 Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal hosted fifteen Ambassadors from various countries of the Africa region yesterday in New Delhi. During the interaction with the Ambassadors, the Minister said that India and Africa share remarkable friendship across decades and have the potential of becoming the powerhouse of the future. The event aimed at fostering closer economic cooperation, enhancing trade relations and exploring areas of collaboration between India and Africa.

Shri Piyush Goyal welcomed the Ambassadors and highlighted the significant value of India-Africa relationship. The Minister emphasized the commitment of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi towards making Africa a top priority and deepening India’s engagement with Africa on a sustained and regular way. He encouraged the heads of missions to work in solidarity and extended a hand of friendship for the growth of the African and Indian sub-continent.

The Minister reiterated that this is the beginning of a new engagement and reaffirmed that India would act as a trusted partner to expand trade, commerce, business, investment and opportunities between the two nations. He said India is open to FTA negotiations bilaterally or individually with African countries or Africa as a whole.

The event witnessed the participation of 15 ambassadors from key African nations namely Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Republic of Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe. It provided a unique platform for diplomatic representatives to engage in fruitful discussions, strengthen bilateral ties, and forge new partnerships for mutual growth and development.

India and Africa share a long-standing history and a strong cultural bond. The African continent presents vast opportunities for Indian businesses, with its rapidly growing population, emerging middle class, and abundant natural resources. Through increased trade and investment, both India and Africa can benefit from each other’s strengths and expertise, fostering inclusive growth and job creation.

In addition to economic aspects, the gathering emphasized on the significance of cultural exchanges, people-to-people connections, and strategic collaborations between India and Africa. The event served as a platform to celebrate the rich diversity and heritage of both regions and strengthen the bonds of friendship.

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Seminar on “Blue Hydrogen-Energy Security & Hydrogen Economy”

 

“Considering abundance of coal availability in the country, it’s time to act on the diversified use of coal to ensure energy security of the country to support Government’s decarbonising mission”,  stated  Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary,  Ministry of Coal  while delivering the key note address  on “Blue Hydrogen-Energy Security and Hydrogen Economy” organised by the Ministry  here today. The Secretary said that the session must deliberate on the technologies available for coal to hydrogen, cost competitiveness, global experience and the way forward strategy. He further mentioned that the recommendations of the committee constituted by the Ministry of Coal to identify actionable points for coal sector to support Green Hydrogen Mission should be deliberated and action plan finalised.  Shri Meena also advised to constitute an Advisory Committee in the Ministry with all experts to deliberate on the subject in a regular manner to promote gasification.

In his welcome address, Shri M. Nagaraju, Additional secretary, Ministry of Coal outlined the policy initiatives taken by the Ministry to promote coal gasification to meet the energy demands of the country in a sustainable way.

Shri Debasish Nanda, Director BD CIL and Chairman of the committee presented the committee report on the Green Hydrogen Mission offering comprehensive analysis of the current status, challenges and future prospects of green hydrogen production in the country.

Presentations were also made by Prof R R Sonde, IIT Delhi, Dr. Ranjit Rath CMD, Oil India Limited; Prof Arnab Dutta, IIT Bombay; Naveen Ahlawat, Head (CCUS) JSPL; Sh. Varun Jindal, MD Dev Energy and Shri Prasad Chaphekar Dy. Sec MNRE. Shri Rajnath Ram Adviser, NITI Aayog also expressed his views on development of clean coal technologies.

Panel discussion was also chaired by Shri Debasish Nanda and coordinated by Shri Peeyush Kumar, OSD, Ministry of Coal. During the presentations and discussions, many new ideas came up for way ahead strategy. The session was dedicated to discussing the potential of hydrogen in decarbonizing steel making processes and shared views on innovative approaches and technologies to reduce carbon emissions in the steel industry contributing to a greener and more sustainable future. The discussion was also on exploring the potential applications of hydrogen in scaling Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) projects.

The program was attended by officials of NITI Aayog, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Fertiliser, Ministry of Steel, Ministry of Heavy Industries, IICT Hyderabad, CSIR besides officials from CIL, CMPDI, WCL, SECL, MCL, EIL, PDIL, BHEL, SCCL, NLCIL, SAIL, RIL, TATA STEEL, JSPL, Dev Energy, CGAI, CAPSEC and PSU watch. Discussion pertaining to development of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technology, which plays a crucial role in mitigating carbon emissions also held and emphasized the importance of sustainable practices.

The half-day session witnessed fruitful exchanges of ideas and knowledge on future uses of Hydrogen. The Ministry of Coal remains committed to promoting clean and sustainable energy solutions and will continue to facilitate such discussions to drive the nation’s progress toward a hydrogen-based economy.

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RKP