First meeting of the Development Working Group (DWG) under India's G20 Presidency

What's the NEWS

• The first meeting of the Development Working Group (DWG) under India's G20 Presidency is currently underway in Mumbai.
• The three-day Development Working Group meeting will focus on G20 collective actions for accelerating progress on the SDGs, and support to developing countries in dealing with immediate concerns relating to food, fuel and fertiliser security.
• The first day of the meeting witnessed two side events on "Data for Development (D4D): Role of G20 in advancing the 2030 Agenda" and "Infusing new LiFE into Green Development".
• The D4D side event was organised in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology (OSET), and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
• The event was designed as a curtain-raiser for further deliberations on D4D that would take place in the Development Working Group under the Sherpa Track during India's G20 Presidency.

• Sherpa is the personal representative of a head of state or head of government who prepares an international summit, such as the annual G7 and G20 summits.
• The name is derived from the Sherpa people, a Nepalese ethnic group, who serve as guides and porters in the Himalayas, a reference to the fact that the sherpa clears the way for a head of state at a major summit.

Memorandum of Understanding signed on developing Krishi-Decision Support System using RISAT and VEDAS

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare formally released the data products and services of RISAT-1A satellite for the user community.

• An MoU was signed between the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Department of Space to develop the Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS) using geospatial technologies and related databases for enhancing evidence based decision making capability of all the stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is developing Krishi-DSS, a decision support system, on the lines of Gati Shakti, using RISAT-1A and VEDAS of Department of Space.
• This will enhance the evidence-based decision-making capability of all the stakeholders in the agriculture sector by way of integration with MOSDAC and BHUVAN (Geo-platform) of ISRO and systems of ICAR.
• RISAT-1A data would be extremely useful in developing decision support systems for Agriculture, Bioresources, Environment, Water Resources and Disaster Management.

• It is India's first Radar Imaging Satellite, which was launched on 14th February 2022. RISAT-1A is an all-weather satellite and can penetrate deep into vegetation.
• It can take high resolution geospatial images regardless of lighting conditions.

UIDAI tops Grievance Redressal Index

What's the NEWS

• Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has once again awarded first rank amongst all Group A Ministries, Departments and Autonomous Bodies for resolution of public grievances in the rankings report published by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for November 2022.
• This is the fourth month in a row when UIDAI has topped the said rankings.
• UIDAI's new Open-Source CRM (customer relationship management) system is enhancing user experience and improving service delivery to the residents.
• This system has the capability to support multiple channels like phone call, e-mail, chatbot, web portal, social media, letter, and walk-in through which the grievances can be registered, tracked and resolved effectively.
• Through this new CRM system, UIDAI has moved towards centralized grievance handling mechanism.
• UIDAI's newly launched Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI-ML) based Chatbot, ‘Aadhaar Mitra' is also becoming popular among residents

Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav

What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the inaugural function of Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
• The year-long worldwide celebrations will culminate in the ‘Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav that will be hosted by BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Shahibaug in Ahmedabad.
• It will be a month-long celebration beginning from the 15th of December this year to the 15th of January, 2023 in Ahmedabad.

• He was a guide and guru who touched countless lives across India and the world.
• He was widely respected and admired as a great spiritual leader.
• His life was dedicated to the service of spirituality and humanity
• He was the guru and Pramukh, or president, of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a major branch of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Hindu denomination.
• BAPS regards him as the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan, following Gunatitanand Swami, Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, and Yogiji Maharaj.
• He was believed by his followers to be in constant communion with Swaminarayan, and ontologically, the manifestation of Akshar, the eternal abode of Swaminarayan.
• He received initiation as a Hindu Swami in 1940 from Shastriji Maharaj, the founder of BAPS, who later appointed him as President of BAPS in 1950.
• Yogiji Maharaj declared Pramukh Swami Maharaj to be his spiritual successor and guru of BAPS, a role he commenced in 1971.
• As president of BAPS, he had overseen the growth of BAPS from an organization centered in Gujarat, India, to one spread around the world, maintaining many Hindu mandirs and centers outside of India.
• He built more than 1,100 Hindu temples, including the Swaminarayan Akshardham temples in New Delhi and Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

• It was established in 1907 by Shastriji Maharaj.
• BAPS aims to preserve values of faith, unity, and selfless service, and provides for the spiritual, cultural, physical, and emotional needs of people from all walks of life.
• It performs humanitarian activities through global outreach efforts.

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