Daily Current Capsules
14th November 2022

Creditworthiness Academy Workshop

 

What's the NEWS

• The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance (MoF); Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA); and the World Bank Group are jointly organising a 5-day focused workshop titled "Cities Creditworthiness Academy" with the view to create an enabling ecosystem for financing future cities of India.
• The 5-day workshop scheduled from 14th to 18th November 2022, which focused on the theme "Vision of Future Cities and Role of Municipal Financing".
• Municipal Commissioners along with subject matter officers from many Urban Local Bodies from across the country are participating in this 5-day workshop.

 

Highlights

• The workshop emphasised on the 3 binding constraints of urban infrastructure financing in the country, namely Energy, Up-skilling, and Urbanization.
• Projects must be financed through a mix of ratepayer-taxpayer model for most efficient utilisation of funds.
• Efficient performance of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) is dependent on 3 broad pillars - Capacity, Municipal Financing and Urban Planning.

 

Janjatiya Gaurav Divas - 15 November

 

What's the NEWS

• The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, will visit Ulihatu village in Jharkhand - the birth place of Bhagwan Birsa Munda (November 15, 2022) to pay her respects before the statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

Know! about Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas

• November 15 is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas or Tribal Pride Day to honour tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda.
• Born in 1875, Birsa Munda led a rebellious movement against British colonial rule and conversion activities in the areas of the Bengal Presidency, which today are part of Jharkhand.
• His rebellion in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada, and Bandgaon helped in the revival of traditional tribal culture.
• Birsa Munda gave the slogan of ‘Abua Raj Ete Jana, Maharani Raj Tundu Jana,' which translates as "Let the queen's kingdom end and our kingdom be established."
• Birsa Munda died at the young age of 25 in British custody at the Ranchi jail.
• However, in his limited years, Birsa Munda's contribution to tribal causes earned him the title of ‘Bhagwan' or Lord.
• On November 10, 2021, the Union Cabinet declared November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas'
• Marking the occasion last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a museum in Ranchi in memory of Birsa Munda also known as Dharti Aaba.
• Along with Birsa Munda, the museum also highlights other tribal freedom fighters including Budhu Bhagat, Sidhu-Kanhu, Gaya Munda, Jatra Bhagat, Poto H, Nilambar-Pitambar, Bhagirath Manjhi, Diwa-Kisun, Telanga Khadiya and Ganga Narayan Singh.

 

NMDC Sweeps PRCI Excellence Awards 2022

What's the NEWS

• NMDC bagged the Champion of Champions Award, sweeping the 16th PRCI Global Communication Conclave 2022, to bring home fourteen Corporate Communication Excellence Awards.
• The awards were presented at the Global Communication Conclave organised by Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) in Kolkata on 12th November ,2022
• NMDC won Gold awards for Most Resilient Company of the Year; Internal Communication Campaign, Corporate Brochure; Best PSE Implementing CSR.

 

Public Relations Council of India ( PRCI )

  

 

• It is part of the World Communicators Council ( WCC ), London ( UK ).
• Public Relations Council Of India (PRCI) is a pan-India Communication Exchange forum with its presence in 38 Indian cities and towns.
• This premier network connects PR, Media, Commercial and Public Service Advertising, Marcom, Academia in Communication and students.
• Motto - Communicating for a better World
• They organises Global Communication Conclave, Daughters Day, World Communications Day and several other programs like workshops, events, conferences, training programs etc. at the chapter level.

 

National Mineral Development Corporation

• NMDC Limited, formerly National Mineral Development Corporation, is a central public sector undertaking. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Steel, Government of India.
• It is involved in the exploration of iron ore, copper, rock phosphate, limestone, dolomite, gypsum, bentonite, magnesite, diamond, tin, tungsten, graphite, coal etc.
• It is India's largest iron ore producer and exporter, producing more than 35 million tonnes of iron ore from three mechanized mines in Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.
• It also operates the only mechanized diamond mine in the country at Panna in Madhya Pradesh.

 

Grid Controller of India

What's the NEWS

• India's National Grid Operator "Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO)" today announced that POSOCO has changed its name to "Grid Controller of India Limited".
• The change in name has been made to reflect the critical role of Grid Operators in ensuring integrity, reliability, economy, resilience and sustainable operation of the Indian Electricity Grid.

Grid Controller of India Limited

• The new name explains the functions performed by the Grid Managers in the country at National and Regional Levels
• It is responsible to monitor and ensure round the clock integrated operation of Indian Power System in a reliable, efficient and secure manner thus serving a mission critical activity.
• Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India)" operates the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) and five (5) Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDCs).
• Grid-India is also designated as the nodal agency for major reforms in the power sector such as implementation and operation of Green Energy Open Access Portal, Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Mechanism, transmission pricing, short term open access in transmission, Deviation Settlement Mechanism, Power System Development Fund (PSDF), etc.

 

ATL Schools across India celebrate Childrens' Day with Mega Tinkering Activity

 

What's the NEWS

• In a first of its kind occurrence, around 1.5 lakh students from more than 5000 schools from India in the Atal Tinkering Labs programme of the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog took part in a unique mega tinkering activity on the occasion of Children's day, on Nov 14.

 

Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs)

 

• With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators', Atal Innovation Mission, an initiative of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Government Of India, is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India.
• The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds and inculcate skills such as design mind - set, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, rapid calculations, measurements etc.
• Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand what, how and why aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
• ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills.
• Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
• ATL would contain educational and learning ‘do it yourself' kits and equipment on - science, electronics, robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers and computers.
• AIM will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.
• Schools (minimum Grade VI - X) managed by Government, local body or private trusts/society to set up ATL.

 

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

 

• It is Government of India's flagship initiative to create and promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of our country.
• AIM's objective is to develop new programmes and policies for fostering innovation in different sectors of the economy, provide platforms and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders, and create an umbrella structure to oversee the innovation & entrepreneurship ecosystem of the country.

 

 

‘Secure Himalaya' project

 

What's the NEWS

 

• The Union Environment ministry in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been implementing ‘Secure Himalaya' project to conserve the habitats of snow leopards.

 

Secure Himalaya' project

 

• The ‘Secure Himalaya' project is funded by the Global Environment Facility.
• It supports the government's efforts for conservation of snow leopard and its habitat by developing and implementing a landscape-based approach for Himalayan ecosystems, and addresses key issues of habitat degradation, threatened livelihoods and illegal trade in wildlife.
• It was launched in 2017.

 

Project Landscapes

 

• Changthang, Ladakh Landscape, Jammu & Kashmir
• Lahaul-Pangi and Kinnaur Landscapes,
• Gangotri-Govind and Darma-Byans Landscapes
• Khangchendzonga-upper Teesta Valley.

 

Know! about Snow leopard

 

• Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
• Top Predator: Snow leopards act as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.
• In India, their geographical range encompasses:
• Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh.
• Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Snow Leopard capital of the world: Hemis, Ladakh.
• Hemis National Park is the biggest national park in India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard
• The snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union's Red List of the Threatened Species.
• It is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
• It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
• It is also listed in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), affording the highest conservation status to the species, both globally and in India.

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

• It is a mulitlateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, and sustainable cities in developing countries.
• It is the largest source of multilateral funding for biodiversity globally, and distributes more than $1 billion a year on average to address inter-related environmental challenges.
• The GEF was established ahead of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and includes 184 countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector

 

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