31ST JULY
Contents
RAJASTHAN GOVT. LAUNCHED ‘MISSION NIRYATAK BANO’
NEW INITIATIVES LAUNCHED IN EDUCATIONAL SECTOR
36TH CORPAT BETWEEN INDIA & INDONESIA
14 TIGER RESERVES GETS (CA|TS) RECOGNITION
ICICI, AXIS & HDFC BANK STAKES IN BLOCKCHAIN START-UP
ASHA BHOSLE TO GET MAHARASHTRA BHUSHAN
INTEL LAUNCHED ‘AI FOR ALL’ WITH CBSE
RAJASTHAN GOVT. LAUNCHED ‘MISSION NIRYATAK BANO’
- The Rajasthan government’s industries department and the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) have launched the ‘Mission Niryatak Bano’ campaign to promote aspiring exporters in the state.
- The campaign is aimed at registering and handholding the local traders willing to expand their business to foreign countries, in six steps.
- This shall cover assistance from training, securing necessary documentation, registration in Rajasthan Export Promotion Council and even support in exports and trade operations.
- The state government in consideration of the challenges of small businesses had waived off the need for several state-level clearances for the initial three years of upcoming businesses.
- The exporter assistance campaign shall be another step in helping the local business develop understanding towards the procedures and increase their business.
(SOURCE: THE STATESMAN)
NEW INITIATIVES LAUNCHED IN EDUCATIONAL SECTOR
- PM Modi has launched multiple educational initiatives including the Academic Bank of Credit that will provide multiple entries and exit options for students in Higher education.
- Academic Bank of Credit is envisaged as a digital bank that holds the credit earned by a student in any course.
- Academic Bank of Credit is a major instrument for facilitating multidisciplinary and holistic education and multiple entry and exit in higher education.
- Academic Bank of Credit and the Artificial Intelligence programme to make the youth future-oriented and open the way for an AI-driven economy.
(SOURCE: HINDUSTAN TIMES)
36TH CORPAT BETWEEN INDIA & INDONESIA
- The 36th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia is being held on 30 and 31 July 2021, in the Indian Ocean region.
- The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel and Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Bung Tomo is undertaking coordinated patrol (CORPAT).
- Besides this, Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both nations are also participating. The exercise is being conducted as a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ exercise in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- India and Indonesia have been conducting the Coordinated Patrols along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) since 2002 twice a year.
- About the CORPAT: The basic aim of CORPAT is to keep the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping, international trade and conduct of legitimate maritime activities.
- CORPATs help build understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitate the institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.
(SOURCE: LIVE MINT)
14 TIGER RESERVES GETS (CA|TS) RECOGNITION
- From India, 14 tiger reserves have received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS), on the occasion of International Tiger Day on July 29, 2021.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recognized the ‘BaghRakshaks’ for their efforts in protecting Tigers and forests. The NTCA’s quarterly newsletter STRIPES was also released during the event.
- The 14 tiger reserves of India that have received prestigious global accreditation from CA|TS are:
- Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserves, Tamil Nadu
- Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka
- Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Kerala
- Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, West Bengal
- Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh
- Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar
- Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra
- Satpura, Kanha and Panna Tiger Reserves, Madhya Pradesh
- Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS): CA|TS has been agreed upon as an accreditation tool by the global coalition of Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) and has been developed by tiger and protected area experts.
- Officially launched in 2013, it sets minimum standards for effective management of target species and encourages the assessment of these standards in relevant conservation areas.
- CA|TS is a set of criteria that allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation.
- The Global Tiger Forum (GTF), an international NGO working on tiger conservation, and World Wildlife Fund India are the two implementing partners of the National Tiger Conservation Authority for CATS assessment in India.
(SOURCE: TIMES OF INDIA)
ICICI, AXIS & HDFC BANK STAKES IN BLOCKCHAIN START-UP
- Three of India’s biggest private lenders – ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank have taken stakes in the blockchain financial technology firm IBBIC Pvt Ltd.
- HDFC Bank and Axis Bank invested ₹5 lakh each for the shares. ICICI Bank also said it has subscribed to 49,000 fully paid-up equity shares of face value ₹10 each of IBBIC constituting 5.44 per cent of the issued and paid-up share capital. It paid ₹4.9 lakh for the shares.
- About the IBBIC: IBBIC was incorporated on May 25 this year as a financial technology company with the objective of providing a platform for exploring, building, and implementing distributed ledger technology (DLT) solutions for the Indian financial services sector.
- About 15 banks have come together to set up IBBIC, with an aim to expand the use of blockchain applications in financial sector transactions.
(SOURCE: THE ECONOMIC TIMES)
ASHA BHOSLE TO GET MAHARASHTRA BHUSHAN
- The Maharashtra Bhushan Selection Committee chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has unanimously selected legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle for the prestigious award.
- Asha Bhosle is best known for her playback singing in Hindi cinema, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle’s career started in 1943 and has spanned over seven decades.
- She has done playback singing for over a thousand movies.
- Asha Bhosle was officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in music history.
- The Government of India honoured her with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. Bhosle is the sister of playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and belongs to the prominent Mangeshkar family.
(SOURCE: THE HINDU)
INTEL LAUNCHED ‘AI FOR ALL’ WITH CBSE
- Intel in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Ministry of Education, announced the launch of the AI For All initiative with the purpose of creating a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) for everyone in India.
- Based on Intel’s AI For Citizens program, AI For All is a 4-hour, self-paced learning program that demystifies AI in an inclusive manner.
- It is as applicable to a student, a stay at home parent as it is to a professional in any field or even a senior citizen. The program aims to introduce AI to 1 million citizens in its first year. Partnerships and Initiatives at Intel.
- Intel Chief Executive Officer: Pat Gelsinger.
- Intel Founded: 18 July 1968.
- Intel Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States.
- Intel Founders: Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce.
(SOURCE: FINANCIAL EXPRESS)
WORLD RANGER DAY: 31ST JULY
- World Ranger Day is observed every year on 31 July to commemorate the Rangers killed or injured while on duty and to celebrate the work that Rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage.
- World Ranger Day offers a chance to support their vital work, which ranges from environmental campaigning to education. The day is also an opportunity to pay tribute to rangers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
- A Ranger is a person tasked with preserving and protecting parklands and natural protected areas. A Ranger typically refers to a forest ranger or a park ranger.
- It was on this day in 1992 that International Ranger Federation (IRF) was founded. World Ranger Day was created by the International Ranger Federation and was first held in 2007.
(SOURCE: FIRSTPOST)