Relevance IN - Prelims ( about ek bharat shreshth bharat parv) + Mains ( GS I Indian heritage and culture)
What's the NEWS

• The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' will inaugurate EK Bharat Shreshth Bharat Parv being organized by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan under Ministry of Human Resource Development

Objective

• To Celebrate the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is going to organize a mega cultural and literary youth extravaganza KVS "Ek Bharat ShreshthBharatParv"

Know! more about it

• This event is primarily to showcase the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat' and also to promote the communication & artistic skills of students through various competitions.
• All the 25 regions of KVS are paired with a State different from their own State and also a Country.
• This gives them an opportunity to understand the Art & Culture of the paired States and the Countries, thus imbibing a mutual respect towards different cultures.
• This cultural MahaParv is expected to gather more than 2300 participants from 25 regions of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.
• The main objective of the event is to showcase the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat' and also to promote the Cultural &literary skills of students through various competitions.
• Further, it also provides a platform for teachers to express their talent in performing and visual arts.
• This year four contemporary theme-based exhibits have been incorporated in the KVS "EK Bharat-Shrestha Bharat Parv", Fit India, SamagraShiksha& Jal Suraksha, Ban on single-use Plastic, Swacch Bharat.

Health Sector
The National Digital Health Blueprint(NDHB)

Relevance IN - Prelims (about National Digital Health Blueprint(NDHB) + Mains (GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What's the NEWS

• Urging the stakeholders to work towards implementing the National Digital Health Blueprint(NDHB) in a time bound manner, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that "Government of India is committed to ensuring high quality healthcare, accessible to all upto the last mile.
• The digital health interventions are accelerating this transformation and have a huge potential for supporting Universal Health care

What's the need of digital intervention in Health Care

• The need of the hour is to create an ecosystem which can integrate the existing disparate health information systems and show clear path for upcoming programmes.
• There is a need to ensure convergence across these IT systems to monitor and provide health services in a robust and efficient manner.
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has initiated efforts in the direction of a comprehensive, nationwide integrated e-Health system under National Digital Health Blueprint.
• NDHB will help in providing a common platform for integration of existing applications in health domain and data which has existed in silos, either in public health facility, or, in private healthcare facility, in India.

Know! more about NDHB

• National Digital Health Blueprint aims to create a National Digital Health Eco-system that will support Universal Health Coverage in an inclusive, easily accessible, affordable, efficient, timely and safe manner.
• The digital blueprint will aim to ensure a wider reach of healthcare services through the provision of a wide range of data, information and infrastructure services. At the same time, it will ensure security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.
• The National Digital Health Blueprint is in line with the government's vision to provide doorstep services to each individual in the country under Digital India Programme.
• While releasing the blueprint report, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the government is committed to ensuring high-quality healthcare for all. He appealed to all the concerned stakeholders to provide valuable inputs to the blueprint to make it more inclusive.

Bilateral Relations
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the important takeaways + about Strategic Partnership Council ) + Mains ( GS II Bilateral relations)
What's the NEWS

• PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia. He is visiting the country to attend the third Future Investment Initiative and to hold bilateral discussion with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. PM will sign minimum of 12 agreements during his visits in areas such as defence, civil aviation, infrastructure, non renewable energy sector

Know! more about the bilateral discussion

• PM will sign minimum of 12 agreements during his visits in areas such as defence, civil aviation, infrastructure, non renewable energy sector, etc.

Strategic Partnership Council

• PM Modi will sign a bilateral "Strategic Partnership Council" pact. India is the fourth country with which Saudi Arabia is signing the pact with. The three other countries are UK, France and China.
• Strategic Partnership Council will include multiple sections from NITI Aayog, External Affairs Ministry and counterpart organizations from Saudi Arabia
• The council is to be led by Mr Modi and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
• The Council will have two parallel tracks Political, Security, Culture and society headed by both countries foreign ministers Economy and Investment headed by India's Commerce and Industry minister and Saudi Arabia's energy minister.
• The Council being formed will open era of cooperation across various sectors like security, Trade, investment, defence and cooperation. There are over 8 million Indian diaspora in the region.
• The visit gains its importance as the visit comes three months after India ended the special status of Kashmir.
• The Council being formed will open era of cooperation across various sectors like security, Trade, investment, defence and cooperation. There are over 8 million Indian diaspora in the region

Bilateral Relations
Philippine Army Plans To Buy India's BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile To Strengthen Its Coastal Security

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Brahmos missile ) + Mains (GS II Bilateral relations)

What's the NEWS

• BrahMos missile is regarded as one of the world's fastest supersonic missiles and the Philippine Army is interested in acquiring the Indian-manufactured weapons system, in order to strengthen its coastal defences

Know! more about it (India - Philippine relations)

• Philippines is very much interested in the possible acquisition of the BrahMos missile, which can be launched from all four platforms (ship, a plane, submarine, or on land).
• Philippine Army wants BrahMos missile as its First Land-Based Missile System Battery (1LBMS).
• Last year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Philippines, New Delhi and Manila signed four agreements, including one to step up bilateral cooperation in the defence and logistics sector.
• India's "Act East Policy" was created to develop bilateral relationship with South East Asian countries and with Philippines India has diversified to include security and defence.
• Last year, much To China's displeasure, India held its first-ever naval exercise with Vietnam and India will soon activate a satellite tracking and imaging station in Vietnam that will give Hanoi access to pictures from earth observation satellites launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Know! about BrahMos

• The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world.
• It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace.
• The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
• It is the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation
  
  

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