Current Affairs 20 May 2022

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal launches India-UAE Startup Bridge in Mumbai; 1st such Bridge by UAE with any Country

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoCI), and Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched ‘India-UAE Start-Up Bridge’ at India-UAE Economic Partnership Summit 2022 in Mumbai, Maharashtra which was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on the theme ‘India UAE CEPA – Unleashing the Golden Era’.

• This is the first such bridge/platform by the UAE with any country.
• India-UAE Partnership is best defined by its tagline ‘Openness, Opportunity and Growth’

About India–UAE Start Up Bridge:
i.It is a part of India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to strengthen collaboration to promote startups through exchange of best practices, and through strengthened relations between accelerators, incubators, and other such ecosystem stakeholders.  
ii.It will act as a one-stop platform where information regarding the Indian and UAE startup ecosystem will be easily accessible to entrepreneurs and stakeholders from both countries.
iii.Through this, there will be expansion and exchange of  ideas, increased investment in startups of both sides, and facilitate capacity building of incubators, Investment funds, Masterclass, etc.

• Notably Indian startup ecosystem with over 750 incubators spread across the country has one of the strongest startup support infrastructures globally. 

iv.The bridge will focus on bringing the investment from UAE to work closely with Indian Venture Capital and Private Equity houses. 
Points to be noted:
i.Under the India-UAE CEPA, bilateral trade can go up to $250 billion by 2030. 
ii.Through CEPA, Indian Pharma products get fast-track approval in the UAE. It is the first time any nation in the world has given India such a benefit.
iii.CEPA will add 1.7% growth in UAE’s economy and also create 140,000 jobs.
iv.UAE has committed investments of $100 billion in India in manufacturing, infrastructure and services.

Cabinet approves Amendments to the National Policy on Biofuels 2018; PSEs to take call on Disinvestment or Closure of their Subsidiariesi.On May 18, 2022, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved amendments to the National Policy on Biofuels 2018.  Under this the target of 20% ethanol-petrol blending advanced by 5 years to 2025-26 from 2030.
ii.This approval will foster developments of indigenous technologies on the lines of Make in India drive and generate more employment.
iii.The Union Cabinet also approved the proposal for empowering the Board of Directors (BoDs) of the holding / parent Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) to recommend and undertake the disinvestment (both strategic disinvestment and minority stake sale) or closure of any of their subsidiaries/units/stake in joint ventures (JVs).
iv.This decision is in lines with the new PSE policy, 2021 to minimize presence of government PSEs.
About Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas(MoPNG):
Union Minister– Hardeep Singh Puri(Rajya Sabha- Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State– Rameswar Teli(Constituency- Dibrugarh, Assam)
>> Read Full News

SSR & SRIMAN Guidelines Launched by Dr. Jitendra Singh

Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T), has launched the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) and Scientific Research Infrastructure Sharing Maintenance and Networks (SRIMAN) Guidelines on the occasion of National Technology Day function in New Delhi, Delhi.

• The National Technology Day 2022 was observed on May 11, 2022, to commemorate India’s transition to full nuclear power following the nuclear explosion at Pokhran in Rajasthan on May 11, 1998.

Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) Guidelines
i.The SSR is an institutional mechanism with a broad goal to harness the latent potential of the scientific community on a voluntary basis, for promoting science-society linkages and hence make the S&T ecosystem responsive to societal requirements.
ii.According to the SSR guidelines, each institution, including Anchor Scientific Institution, should have an SSR assessment cell that evaluates institutional projects and individual activities on a regular basis.

• As part of the Indian government’s SSR initiative to share knowledge with society, scientists are required to devote at least 10 person days per year to popularise science among the general public.

Scientific Research Infrastructure Sharing Maintenance and Networks (SRIMAN) Guidelines
i.The SRIMAN guidelines were drafted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of the MoS&T.

• The SRIMAN Guidelines aim to create a network of key stakeholders to promote effective use and wider access of research infrastructure (RI) to scientists, researchers, and industry professionals across India.

Other Related Events:
i.Dr. Jitendra Singh awarded seven of the most successful start-ups for their innovative work in fields like Quantum data security, COVID-19 testing kits, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered robots for electronic assembly, Cryogenic technologies, and Cyber security systems.

• In addition to National Awards for successful commercialization of indigenous technology and awards under the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) category, the Minister presented awards to Women Scientists in Translational Research and Women Entrepreneurs.

GeM, CSC & Postal Department Sign MoU to Jointly Enable Last Mile Public Procurement Transactions 

Government e Marketplace (GeM), Common Services Centers (CSC) e-Governance Services India Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), and the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications (MoC), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the advocacy, outreach, mobilization and capacity-building of last-mile government buyers, sellers, and service providers in public procurement. The MoU was conceived following the successful integration of GeM and India Post on May 5, 2022.

• All last-mile government buyers, sellers, and service providers can now utilize the online and physical infrastructure of common service centres and post offices, ensuring their inclusion and participation in GeM.
• Last-mile stakeholders include local governments, Panchayati Raj institutions, and underserved seller groups in rural areas, among others.

The MoU was signed by PK Singh, CEO, GeM; Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, CEO, CSC-SPV and Ajay Kumar Roy, Chief General Manager, Parcel Directorate, Department of Posts in New Delhi, Delhi.  
Key Points:
i.The MoU will resolve the twin challenges of “access to markets” & “access to finance” experienced by under-served seller groups, bringing together the untapped entrepreneurial potential of last-mile producers and service providers in rural India with local government buyers.
ii.Over 4.5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) and 1.5 lakh India Post offices would be trained to help buyers, sellers, and service providers via the GeM portal with product catalogue upload, order acceptance, fulfilment, and invoice generation.
iii. The Department of Posts will provide “Train-the-Trainer” programmes for a variety of postal products and services, including Speed Post and Business Parcel.
iv.In addition, GeM will establish a rewards and incentives programme for the best-performing CSCs and post offices.
Note: 

• GeM is a Section 8 company set up under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is established to acquire products and services for Central Ministries, State Departments, Public Sector Enterprises, and Autonomous Bodies.
• CSC-SPV is a company established under the Companies Act 1956 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is established to operationalize, roll out, and monitor the implementation of the CSC scheme.

About Department of Posts:
The Department of Posts comes under the Ministry of Communications and is governed by the Indian Post Office Act, 1898.
Its core activities include processing, transmission and delivery of mail and parcels, money remittances across India and financial inclusion by providing various financial services and Direct Benefit Transfer at doorsteps of the beneficiaries even in remote rural areas.
Director General (Postal Services) – Alok Sharma
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi.

C-DOT And Vodafone Idea Limited Sign MoU For Cooperation In Area Of IoT/M2MOn May 17,2022 ,during the occasion of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD),the Centre for Development of Telematics(C-DOT), the premier R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications under Ministry of Communications of India and Vodafone Idea Limited, one of the major telecom operators of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and deploy IoT/M2M(Internet to things/Machine to Machine) solutions in India.
Details leading to the MoU
i.In the current deployments, certain operational challenges such as device network compatibility, over the air firmware upgrade, remote device configuration, security vulnerabilities and implementation in siloes with proprietary protocols exist which prevent businesses from reaping the scale benefits of IoT.
ii.Therefore to address the above mentioned challenges in IoT implementation, both C-DOT and Vodafone Idea Limited have agreed to collaborate and work jointly on non-exclusive basis, to evaluate applications and devices from various solution providers against oneM2M specifications.

• Utility of MoU: Collaboration fostered by this MoU would develop an opportunity to see the oneM2M specifications in action in a diverse set of sectors and applications, from smart energy to the connected cars.

About IoT Technologies
Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet.
About oneM2M Technologies
C-DOT’s indigenously developed one M2M based C-DOT Common Services Platform (CCSP) could benefit the IoT industry.
About C-DOT
i.C-DOT is a premier telecom R&D organisation under the Ministry of Communications, Government of India, carrying out advanced research and developmental activities in optical communication, Wireless technologies, switching and routing, IoT/M2M, Artificial Intelligence, advanced security solutions and other advanced applications.
ii.Hailed as the progenitor of the indigenous telecom revolution in the nation.

Ministry Of Heavy Industries Signs MoU With NRDC For Enhancement of Capital Goods Scheme

The Ministry of Heavy Industries has signed an MoU with National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for undertaking various activities for smooth implementation of the Scheme for enhancement of competitiveness in the Indian capital goods sector.
Key facts about the MoU
i.Union Heavy Industries Minister Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey postulates that the vision of this MoU is to make India a global hub for the manufacturing of capital goods.
ii.By this MoU,  the NRDC will conduct the activities like evaluation and review of the scheme, management of intellectual property rights, and commercialization support for the products developed under Capital Goods Scheme. 

• Capital Goods Scheme: providing assistance for common technology development and services infrastructure. This scheme envisages encouraging investment in technology up gradation, skill development and augmentation of modern manufacturing capacities for holistic growth of the industry. Also, this scheme promotes greater impetus through creation of a strong and globally competitive capital goods sector.

About NRDC
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) is presently working under the administrative control of the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt of India.

• Established in -1953
• Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) – Commodore Amit Rastogi (Retd)

Dr. Bibek Debroy Released The State of Inequality in India ReportDr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), has released the State of Inequality in India Report.

• The report was written by the Institute for Competitiveness and it provides a comprehensive analysis of the depth and nature of inequality in India.

Two Parts of The State of Inequality in India Report 
i.The two components of The State of Inequality in India Report – Economic Facets and Socio-Economic Manifestations – look at five key areas that influence the nature and experience of inequality.

• The key areas are income distribution, labour market dynamics, health, education, and household characteristics.

Key Statistics of The State of Inequality in India Report:
i.The report emphasises that wealth concentration as a measure of inequality does not indicate changes in purchasing power of households, and it focuses for the first time on income distribution to understand capital flow.
ii.There has been a significant improvement in boosting infrastructure capacity in the health infrastructure, with a focus on rural areas.
About Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM):
Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) is an independent body constituted to give advice on economic and related issues to the Government of India, specifically to the Prime Minister. 
Chairman – Dr. Bibek Debroy
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi.
>> Read Full News

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Highlights of MoH&FW Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya Visit to Jordan On May 13-15, 2022, a high level delegation led by Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) visited Jordan amid ongoing global fertilizer crisis. This visit was a first of its kind initiative with the objective of securing fertilizers and raw materials, for short and long term. 
MoU signed with Jordan for supply of 30 LMT Rock Phosphate, 2.50 LMT DAP, 1 LMT phosphoric acid 
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between with Jordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC), and Indian public, cooperative and private sector companies for the supplies of 30 LMT (Lakh Metric Tonnes) Rock Phosphate, 2.50 LMT DAP (Diammonium phosphate), 1 LMT phosphoric acid for the current year (2022).

• India also signed a long term MoU for 5 years with Jordan for annual supplies of 2.75 LMT of MoP (Muriate of potash) which will uniformly increase every year up to 3.25 LMT.

Key Points:
i.Jordan is India’s preferred partner for the fertilizer sector.

• India is the largest buyer of phosphatic and potassic fertilizers from Jordan.

ii.Both sides agreed to work together in areas of Fertilizers, Agriculture and Health.
iii.Jordan was requested to announce India specific terms for supply of fertilizers and to consider additional production capacities in Jordan with India as a target prime market.
iv.Indian delegation visited the JPMC mines and Phosphoric Acid production facilities set up by JIFCO (Jordan India Fertiliser Company), an Indo-Jordan Joint Venture (JV) Company.
v.Jordan will provide preferential treatment to India with respect to fertilizers supply. In this regard, both sides agreed to constitute a Joint Committee to look into secured short / long term fertilizer supplies, fresh investments, new JVs etc.
vi.The delegation also visited Arab Potash headquarters in Amman, Jordan. A presentation on current status and future plans up to the year 2058 regarding extraction of MOP from the Dead Sea was made by the Arab Potash officials. 

• Jordan is allocating almost 25% of their production of MOP to India. 

Pop-up Airport Air One – World’s First Airport for Drones & Flying Cars Opened in UK

The Coventry City Council and Urban-Air Port Limited, United Kingdom (UK) based Start-up parterened to set up the world’s first Urban airport Pop-up Air-One, for electric drones and flying cars in the city of Coventry, England. The aim of the project is to reduce Urban congestion and Pollution.It’s designed for zero-emission electric drones and air taxis and the airport itself is powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

• A first-of-its-kind hub, Air-One will serve as a blueprint for over 200 ‘vertiports’ being planned around the world, including the West Midlands, London, Los Angeles, Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia, and Southeast Asia
  

Key Points:
i.The Pop up Air-One airport is designed to be fully autonomous and to integrate with electric vehicles to create a completely sustainable public transport network. The airport is equipped with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft to make them feasible for rapid urban transport.
ii.The whole project in Coventry took a minimal time of around 15 months from planning to completion.
iii.The Pop-up Air-one is one of the first hundreds of airports planned. The airport is itself powered by the Hydrogen Fuel Cells.
Note:
i.Hyundai’s air mobility arm has showcased a full size model of its S-A1 air taxi at the airport.
About United Kingdom:
Capital – London
Prime minister – Boris Johnson
Currency – Pound sterling
About Urban-Air Port Limited:
Headquarters – United Kingdom (UK)
Founder & Executive Chairman – Ricky Sandhu

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

WPI inflation hits 30-year high, clocks 15.08% in April 2022The Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade released the index numbers of wholesale price in India (Base Year: 2011-12) for the month of April, 2022 (Provisional) and for the month of February, 2022 (Final).

• The annual rate of inflation was 15.08% (Provisional) for the month of April, 2022 (Y-o-Y) as compared to 10.74% in April, 2021. It is the highest since September 1991, 30-year high.

• The rate of inflation based on WPI (Wholesale Price Index) Food Index increased marginally from 8.71% in March, 2022 to 8.88% in April, 2022.

Key Points:
i.Vegetable inflation picked up in April to 23.24%, leading to a food inflation of 8.35 per cent,
ii.Edible oil inflation remained in double digits for the twenty-ninth consecutive month at 15.05%.
iii.Core inflation, which excludes food and fuel inflation, rose marginally to a four-month high of 11.1%.
iv.Fuel inflation climbed to 38.66%, while inflation for manufactured products increased to 10.85%.
Retail inflation in India surges to 8-year high of 7.79% in April 2022
Retail inflation in India surged to 7.79% on an annual basis in the month of April 2022 owing to higher edible oil & fuel prices. It is now at the highest level since the 8.33% hit in May 2014.

• Rural inflation rose to 8.38% in April as compared to 7.66% in March and 3.75%% in April 2021 while urban inflation stood at 7.09% in April as compared to 6.12% in March and 4.71% in April 2021.
• The overall food inflation in April was 8.38%, against 7.68% in the previous month and 1.96% in April 2021.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS      

Aruna Singh Takes Additional Charge as CMD of RCIL

Aruna Singh presently working as Additional Member (Telecom) in the Railway Board took over additional charge of the post of Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of RailTel Corporation of India Limited (RCIL). Singh was an officer of 1985 batch of Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE). Had also started her career from Northern Railway zone, she has held many important assignments in different zones & wings of Indian Railways.

• RCIL is an Indian public sector enterprise focusing on providing broadband and VPN services.
• It also modernizes Train operations and administration network systems.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS    

CCI Approved Acquisitions of Equity in Magma HDI by Sanoti Properties & by Serum Institute Life Sciences in Biocon Biologics

The Competition Commission of India, Government of India has approved the acquisition/merger of two proposed deals –

• Acquiring Majority Stake in Magma HDI General Insurance by Sanoti Properties LLP.
• Merger of Cloudshield Technologies Private Limited with Biocon Biologics by Serum Institute of Life Sciences.

CCI Approves Deal for Acquiring Stake in Magma HDI 
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of a 55.39 percent stake in the Magma HDI General Insurance Company Limited by Sanoti Properties LLP under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. 

• The deal would involve buying shares of Magma HDI held by certain shareholders such as Poonawalla Fincorp Limited and Serum Institute of India Private Limited.

Reason for acquisition:
i.The proposed deal is being undertaken in order to ensure the compliance with mandatory regulations of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
CCI Clears Serum Institute Life Sciences Acquisition in Biocon Biologics Deal
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed deal of merging 
Covidshield Technologies Private Limited (CTPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Serum Institute of Life Sciences into Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary of Biocon Limited.
Covidshield Technologies Private Limited (CTPL)-(Acquirer) & Biocon Biologics Limited (Target)
About the Deal:
i.The proposed merger would acquire 15 percent equity shareholding in Biocon Biologics Limited.
ii.The Covidshield Technologies Private Limited was incorporated to undertake the business of marketing, selling and distributing vaccines drugs and other pharmaceutical products.
About Biocon Biologics Limited:
i.The Biocon Biologics Limited, offers treatment for chronic and acute diseases such as diabetes, oncology, nephrology, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
Managing Director – Arun Chandavarkar

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Navy & DRDO Successfully Test-Fires First Naval Anti-Ship Missile

The Indian Navy in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired the first indigenously developed air launched Naval Anti-ship missile from a Seaking 42B Helicopter at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore, Odisha.
Key Points:
i.The missile is fitted with many new technologies such as an indigenously developed launcher for the helicopter, Missile Guidance System, a State-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.
ii.The firing adds the silver line, in steps towards achieving Self-reliance in niche missile technology and reaffirms the Indian Navy’s commitment to indigenisation.
Note:
i.The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 17 2022, launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy. INS Surat and INS Udaygiri from the Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
ii.The INS Surat is the fourth guided-missile destroyer of the P15B class, while INS Udaygiri is the second stealth frigate of the P17A class.

HANSA-NG – India’s First Indigenous Trainer Aircraft Successfully Completed Engine Relight Test by CSIR-NAL

On May 17 2022, The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) designed and developed, ‘HANSA-NG’, India’s First Indigenous Trainer Aircraft (new generation two seater flying trainer aircraft) was successfully completed in-flight engine relight test at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) facility of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) at Challakere, Chitradurga district of Karnataka. 
x`Key Points:
i.The flight test was carried out at an altitude of 7,000-8,000 feet with a speed range of 60 to 70 knots by Wing Commanders K V Prakash and NDS Reddy, test Pilots from the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Indian Air force (IAF). 
ii.The new generation HANSA-NG aircraft is designed to meet the Indian flying club needs and is an ideal aircraft for commercial pilot licensing due to its low cost and fuel consumption.
iii.The flight tests were monitored by Abbani Rinku, project director of HANSA along with the design team of CSIR-NAL and flight test crew from ASTE – wing commander Senthil Kumar, flight test director, Squadron leader Sahil Sarin, safety pilot and Group Captain M Rangachari, chief test pilot
Note:
i.The new generation aircraft had completed the sea level trials in Puducherry from February 19 to March 5.

Dr. Jitendra Singh Chairs the 4th Joint Meeting of All Science Ministries And Departments In New Delhi
During the 4th joint meeting of all the Science Ministries and departments,75 Students’ satellites, a space mission called UNITYsat is scheduled to launch in 2022 to coincide with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, celebrating 75th year of India’s Independence. ISRO has also planned to launch Azadisat along with the 75 students’ satellite.

• A constellation of 75 students’ satellites Developed by students from the Chandigarh University, Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, IIT-Bombay, and 11 other institutions, these satellites have been designed to promote the Internet of Things (IoT) in space.

Over 55 Start-ups have registered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, in just about two years since the Indian Space Department and the ISRO were opened to the private sector.
 Key Takeaways
 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology,  Earth Sciences, and Space Dr. Jitendra Singh chaired the 4th joint meeting of all the Science Ministries and departments which held in New Delhi.Following are some announcements made during the meeting
i.Through the private players’ engagement in India’s Space Programme, the Department of Space and the ISRO were working without being accessible to others now.
ii. About 55 startups have registered with ISRO and Department of Space, of which 29 are Satellite related, 10 for Space Applications and Products, 8 related to Launch Vehicle and 8 about Ground Systems and Research. Anticipatingly 9 Startups are expected to be completed by 2022-23.
iii..A proposal about the Science Media Centre which would function as an inter-ministerial integrated media Cell for all S&T departments with the merger of Vigyan Prasar.
iv.This constellation of 75 satellites would be launched later in 2022 to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

• Low Earth Orbit (LEO): an orbit that is relatively close to Earth’s surface. It is normally at an altitude of less than 1000 km.

About ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the national space agency of India. 
Operates under the Department of Space under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister of India.

• Headquarters –  Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Founder – Vikram Sarabhai
• Current Chairman – S Somnath

NASA Reported An Asteroid of 1,600-Feet Heading Towards Earth

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported that an asteroid of 1,600-feet  would make a close approach to our planet at 2.48am on May 16. The giant space rock asteroid is termed as 388945 (2008 TZ3), which passed us at a  distance of about 2.5 million miles away. As the space rock routinely passes the Earth – every two years, this is not the first time that Asteroid 388945 has passed. It passed very close to Earth in May 2020 – at a distance of 1.7 million miles. 

• To protect us from the potentially hazardous asteroids, NASA launched its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which aims to deflect an asteroid heading towards Earth from its path “through kinetic impact”. 
• This means that the DART craft will collide with the asteroid with an aim to move it off course.

STATE NEWS

Assam Rifles, Axis Bank And NIEDO Join Hands to Establish Centre Of Excellence in Nagaland

Assam Rifles, Axis Bank and National Integrity and Educational Development Organisation (NIEDO) have signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Centre of Excellence and Wellness, to secure a better future for the youth of Nagaland.

• Centre would be named as the ‘Late Capt N Kenguruse, MVC Centre of Excellence and Wellness’ which would be located at Chieswema in the outskirts of Kohima, Nagaland.
• The centre was named after an Indian Army officer Late Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse from Nagaland.
• Assam’s Minister for Tribal Affairs and Education Temjen Imna Along termed the occasion as a Red Letter Day.

Key Takeaways
The programme emanating following the establishment of Centre of Excellence and Wellness in Nagaland, has following significance:
i.The MoU conceptualised Centre of Excellence and Wellness would provide a year-long fully residential coaching and mentoring facility for students from economically weaker and underprivileged sections of Nagaland to prepare them for competitive examinations.
ii. It is expected to be fully functional for the first batch of 30 students by the first week of July 2022.
MoU Inked in the presence of?

• The MoU was signed by the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North) under the aegis of Director General of Assam Rifles with corporate partner Axis Bank and training partner NIEDO at the Headquarters Inspector General Assam Rifles (North), Kohima.

About Assam Rifles
i.The Assam Rifles is the oldest branch of the Indian Army, dating back to 1835 under the British Raj, raised under the name Cachar Levy.The Assam Rifles is the specialised force that carries out anti-insurgency operations in difficult terrain of the region in the Northeastern States.
ii.Assam Rifles is one of the six central armed police forces (CAPFs) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Headquarters: Shillong, Meghalaya
Current Director General: Lt Gen Pradeep Chandran Nair.
About National Integrity and Educational Development Organisation(NIEDO)
i.NIEDO is the only premier NGO in India working in conflict zones towards composite development of the youth.
ii.NIEDO is a Public Charitable Trust, primarily into the provision of value-based education for the disadvantaged children of society.

J&K Is Organizing Its First Ever Bird Festival

A first of its kind Bird Festival is going to be organized in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to promote sustainable ecotourism and give impetus to nature-based alternative sources of livelihood for the local people. The festival is planned to be held in Pahalgam and Dachigam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Tourism Department, Forests and Wildlife Departments with the support of Sanctuary Nature Foundation will conduct the pre-festival bird watching trails for more than a month all across J&K.

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