Infrastructure Development/GSIII/Governance/GSII
LogiXtics - Unified Logistics Interface Platform's (ULIP) Hackathon launched

What's the NEWS

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched the Unified Logistics Interface Platform's (ULIP) Hackathon - ‘LogiXtics' in order to crowdsource more ideas which will benefit the logistics industry.

• ULIP is designed to enhance efficiency and reduce logistics cost in India by creating a transparent platform that can provide real time information to all stakeholders and remove all asymmetry information.
• The ULIP Hackathon - LogiXtics is organised by NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission and supported by National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) and
• The cost of logistics in the India is about 14% which is higher than other countries in the world.
• ULIP's objective has been to work with top Indian technology organizations from the private sector and identify solutions to reduce logistics cost
• LogiXtics under the umbrella of ULIP, invites everyone to showcase their strategic, coding and domain skills on a national-level platform to solve the existing logistics industry issues.
• NICDC was mandated by NITI Aayog in January 2021 to develop ULIP by leveraging the Logistics Data Bank Project.
• The hackathon aims to promote the Startup community, individuals or anyone with the strategic skills and domain knowledge of the sector.
• The hackathon is open for all and is divided into two stages - ideation stage & prototype stage

• ULIP is being developed as technology platform in the logistics sector which will provide real time information to all stakeholders and will converge visibility of multi-modal transport across the existing systems of various Ministries/Departments working in silos.
• Once completed, one can see huge efficiencies in the logistics sector, and which will transform it by bringing down the logistics cost and enhancing India's competitiveness in the global trade.
• ULIP is also in line with the overall objective of PM GatiShakti which aims at breaking of individual silos, promote integration among various Ministries/Departments and promote real single window.
• The real usability of ULIP will further get enhanced through this Hackathon as it aims to crowdsource more ideas which will benefit the logistics industry.

• The King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, conferred its highest civilian award, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo, on Prime Minister, of India on the occasion of the country's National Day.

• It is the highest decoration of the Kingdom of Bhutan, awarded in recognition of a lifetime of service to the people and Kingdom of Bhutan.
• Existing in two categories, it is the pinnacle of the honor system in Bhutan and takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals.
• Consisting of two Classes manufactured in sterling silver, the First Class comprises a Breast Star and Sash Badge while the Second Class has only a Sash and Badge.

• Competition Commission of India has released a report titled "Market Study on the Pharmaceutical Sector in India: Key Findings and Observations", wherein it has been recommended to create a National Digital Drugs Databank consolidating real-time data on active pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the country
• Drug and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, implemented by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, have already been amended in the year 2019 making it mandatory for manufacturing licensees to register with portal SUGAM operated by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and upload information pertaining to the licences granted for manufacture for sale or distribution of drugs.
• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the Department of Pharmaceutics, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), has set up a Pharma Data Bank (PDB)through an Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System (IPDMS).
• This comprehensive online system provides a platform to the pharmaceutical manufacturer/ marketing/ importer/ distributor companies to file mandatory returns prescribed under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO, 2013).
• The application for price approval of ‘new drug' in Form-I of DPCO, 2013 can also be filed through this portal.
• The portal provides industry with a user-friendly mechanism to comply with the mandatory requirement of filing returns and also help NPPA to monitor price compliance.

• The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, informed that the Government in the year 2018 has allowed the sugar mills to produce ethanol directly from sugarcane juice.

• The Government has fixed 10% blending target for Ethanol Supply Year 2021-22 & 20% blending by 2025.
• In order to augment ethanol production capacity in the country, the Government has notified Ethanol Interest Subvention Scheme(s) inter-alia extending financial assistance in the form of interest subvention
• Under the National Policy on Biofuels-2018, the Government has allowed the production of ethanol from a variety of feed-stocks like agricultural residues(rice straw, cotton stalk, corn cobs, saw dust, bagasse etc.); starch containing materials such as maize, cassava, rotten potatoes etc.; damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice etc; and food grains like rice apart from sugarcane and other sugar containing materials (like sugar beet, sweet sorghum etc).
• Amended the Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951 to ensure free movement of ethanol in the country;
• Reduced Goods & Service Tax (GST) on ethanol meant for Ethanol Blended with Petrol (EBP) Programme from 18% to 5%;
• E12 and E15 standards have been notified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Mass emission standards for E12(12% Ethanol with Gasoline) and E15 (15% Ethanol with Gasoline) has been notified by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

• India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) is the only Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that India has entered into in the last 5 years.
• It was signed on 22.02.2021 and implemented w.e.f. 01.04.2021. Mauritius is located in the continent of Africa.

Cyber Awareness/GSIII
MeitY organises 25th CISO Deep Dive Training program under Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative

What's the NEWS

• With an aim to strengthen the cyber security ecosystem in Government organizations in the country, the National e-Governance Division under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is conducting a six-day deep dive training program for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials from various Ministries & Departments, Government & Semi-Government organisations from Central and State Governments, PSUs, banks, among others.
• The training program is a part of a series of workshops organised by the National e-Governance Division at MeitY under the Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative.
• It will help the CISOs and other participants to equip themselves with better understanding of the emerging cyber threat landscape, understand best practices in cyber security so that they are able to translate the benefits of a secure cyber space to individual organisations and citizens at large.

• To empower the CISOs with the emerging challenges of cyber security and train them to meet the challenges, MeitY had initiated the Cyber Surakshit Programme in January 2018 with active support of industry consortium.
• The objective of the programme is to train 1200 CISOs and frontline IT officials from Central and State Government, PSUs, Banks and government organizations.

• India is ranked among top 10 countries in cyber security posture for the year 2020 out of 182 countries.
• India has jumped from 47^th position in the year 2018 to 10th position in the year 2020.

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Shri Giriraj Singh launched MIS (Management Information System) portal for rankings of States/UTs in Land Acquisition Projects under RFCTLARR Act, 2013. (Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013).
• On the occasion, Union Minister also announced that as per the ranking and performance, the top 3 States and top 3 districts will be awarded.

• This MIS portal will not show only data and figures but it will show the speed of the development in the country.
• The Department of Land Resources developed this MIS portal to capture information on various parameters of land acquisition, required for ranking of the State/UTs, which is a software-driven program to submit information by respective State/UTs on land acquisition for developmental projects.
• The portal is developed in house by the NIC team of the department with zero cost. The link to the portal is larr.dolr.gov.in
• In the first phase, land acquisition under RFCTLARR Act, 2013 undertaken from 01.01.2014 onwards will be covered for ranking purposes and this will be a continuous process.
• Each State/UT will get marks out of a total of 140 marks. There is also the provision of the negative marking for delaying implementation.

• The third Annual Defence Dialogue between India and France took place between Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and French Minister for Armed Forces Ms Florence Parly in New Delhi

• A wide range of bilateral, regional, defence and defence industrial cooperation issues were discussed in the annual meeting.
• India and France have recently concluded their annual bilateral Army Exercise, Shakti, with focus on counter-terrorist operations, in France in November 2021.
• Defence industrial cooperation was discussed with focus on future collaborations and co-production between the two countries.
• They expressed commitment to work together to enhance cooperation in bilateral, regional and multilateral forums.
• France is the current chair of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and shall take over the Presidency of European Union from January 01, 2022.

• President of India Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates a famous Hindu shrine that was destroyed by the Pakistani forces during the war of 1971.

• He will inaugurate the renovated Sri Ramna Kali Mandir, which was completely destroyed by Pakistani forces during heinous Operation Searchlight in 1971.
• The Ramna Kali Bari used to be a famous landmark of Dhaka where a Kali temple stood for centuries.
• The temple and the temple complex housing many residents were targeted on March 27, 1971, a day after the beginning of the Operation Searchlight of the Pakistan army that targeted the political Opposition and the religious minorities of East Pakistan.
• India supported the renovation and conservation of the historic temple with the help of the Government of Bangladesh. The inauguration comes 50 years after Pakistan was defeated in 1971.

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