NITI Aayog
India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon(I-ACE)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about I-ACE + about circular economy) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations + GS III Economic development)
What's the NEWS

• AIM (Atal Innovation Mission), in association with CSIRO, is organizing a two-day hackathon on circular economy, ‘India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE)', on 7 and 8 December.

India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon (I-ACE)

• The idea of I-ACE was conceived during a virtual summit on 4 June, between the Indian and Australian prime ministers, exploring innovative ways to boost circular economy in India and Australia.

• I-ACE will focus on identification and development of innovative technology solutions by bright-minded students, startups and MSMEs of both nations.

The four key themes for the hackathon are as follows:
1. Innovation in packaging reducing packaging waste
2. Innovation in food supply chains avoiding waste
3. Creating opportunities for plastic waste reduction
4. Recycling critical energy metals and e-waste

• Shortlisted students and startups/MSMEs will be called for the hackathon, where two winners (one student and one startup/MSME) per theme from each country will be announced at an award ceremony on 11 December.
• The winning Indian student and startup/MSME teams will be awarded a prize of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively, coupled with post-hackathon product development opportunities.
• The winning Australian student will be awarded a prize of AUD$3500 and the winning Australian SMEs/startup team a prize of AUD$9500.

Know! about Circular economy

• It is an economic system of closed loops in which raw materials, components and products lose their value as little as possible, renewable energy sources are used and systems thinking is at the core.
• It is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Circular systems employ reuse, sharing, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling to create a closed-loop system, minimising the use of resource inputs and the creation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions
• The circular economy aims to keep products, equipment and infrastructure in use for longer, thus improving the productivity of these resources.

Additional info

Atal Tinkering Lab

• In ATLs, students of class 6th to 12th acquire a problem-solving attitude, develop innovative solutions leveraging technologies like 3D printers, robotics, miniaturised electronics, IOT and programming and DIY kits, with support from teachers and mentors.

Atal Innovative Mission

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

Six major initiatives of AIM:

• Atal Tinkering Labs-Creating problem-solving mindset across schools in India.
• Atal Incubation Centers-Fostering world class start-ups and adding a new dimension to the incubator model.
• Atal New India Challenges-Fostering product innovations and aligning them to the needs of various sectors/ministries.
• Mentor India Campaign- A national Mentor network in collaboration with public sector, corporates and institutions, to support all the initiatives of the mission.
• Atal Community Innovation Centre- To stimulate community centric innovation and ideas in the unserved /underserved regions of the country including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
• ARISE-To stimulate innovation and research in the MSME industry.

Infrastructure Development - Energy

India Energy Forum

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about India Energy Forum and CERAWeek) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development - energy + Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• PM delivered inaugural address at 4^th India Energy Forum CERAWeek
• The theme of this edition is "India's Energy Future in a world of Change".

• Delegates from Indian, regional, and international energy companies, institutions, and governments will gather virtually for the 4^th India Energy Forum by CERAWeek under the patronage of the Indian Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and NITI Aayog
• The objective behind the meeting is to deliver a global platform to understand best-practices, discuss reforms, and inform strategies for accelerating investments into the Indian Oil and Gas value chain.

Know! about India Energy Forum:

• Established in October 2001, the Forum has acquired a unique status as a spokesman of total energy sector. It is an Indian Organization which represents the energy sector as a whole.
• Most major public and private organizations in Power, Oil and Gas, Coal and Renewable Energy have become its members.
• It serves as a catalyst for the development of a sustainable and competitive energy sector in India.
• India Energy Forum - CERAWeek is serving as an important platform between industry, government and society
• It serves as an independent advocate of the industry promoting practical solutions to problems affecting project development and finance in India.
• The Forum works with companies and Government (Centre and States) to achieve consensus on such issues as regulatory structures and policies and the role of public organizations.
• It works closely with multilateral and domestic companies and agencies to ensure that their products and services are responsive to the needs of the project development in India.

Know! about CERAWeek

• CERAWeek by IHS Markit has become the world's premier energy event.
• It stands for Cambridge Energy Research Associates and was founded in 1983 at Cambridge.
• The CERAWeek program provides comprehensive insight into the global and regional energy future by addressing key issues and has become the world's premier energy event.
• The conference is distinctive in the extraordinary depth and breadth of its content, attracting global thought leaders and shaping the global energy agenda.
• IHS Markit is a dynamic team that includes more than 5,000 analysts, data scientists, financial experts and industry specialists.
• Its global information expertise spans numerous industries, including leading positions in finance, energy and transportation.
  

Prelims Factoids
National Museum and Google to bring ‘Life in Miniature' project

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Life in Miniature Project)

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism virtually launched ‘Life in Miniature' project in collaboration between National Museum, New Delhi and Google Arts and Culture

Know! more about the project

• Hundreds of miniature paintings on the theme of nature, love , celebration, faith and power from the museum can now be seen through the Google Arts & Culture application in a new way.
• The Google Arts and Culture application lets the users to magnify the image by manifolds to see the intricate details of the paintings. People would now be able to see the extraordinary details of miniature collections such as that from the Ramayana, Royal Saga, Pahari Style in just a few clicks.
• Several hundred miniature paintings from the National Museum, New Delhi can be viewed online on Google Arts & Culture by people around the world in a new project titled "Life in Miniature."
• The project uses technologies like machine learning, augmented reality and digitization with high-definition robotic cameras, to showcase these special works of art in a magical new way.

Government Schemes
UP govt secures first rank in disbursing loans under PM Swanidhi Scheme
Relevance IN - Prelims (the PM Atmanirbhar Nidhi Scheme (SVANidhi Scheme)

What's the NEWS

• Uttar Pradesh government has secured the first rank in central government's one of the most ambitious schemes - the PM Atmanirbhar Nidhi Scheme (SVANidhi Scheme) by approving the highest number of loans under the scheme in the country.

Know! more about the scheme

• State has ranked first in all the categories - Applications, Sanctions and Disbursements of the loans under the scheme.
• As many as 6,22,167 applications were received under the scheme in the state which is highest in the country, out of which sanctions were given to 3,46,150 applicants while the loans were disbursed to 2,26,728 beneficiaries.

Seven cities of the state also find place in the list of top 10 cities of the country.

• The scheme was launched on June 1, 2020, by the Central Government to help the street vendors resume their livelihood activities that were impacted by COVID-19.
• It aims at facilitating working capital loan up to Rs. 10,000 at a subsidised rate of interest.
• The scheme aims at providing benefits to street vendors or hawkers in urban, pre-urban and rural areas.

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