The Green Strategic Partnership between the Governments of India and Denmark has fostered significant collaboration leading to the establishment of the Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR) in Varanasi. The alliance is a unique tripartite initiative between Government of India (Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation),
the Indian Institute of Technology - Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU), and the Government of Denmark, to bring excellence in small river rejuvenation and management.
The SLCR aims to leverage the expertise of both nations to rejuvenate the Varuna River using sustainable approaches. Its objectives include creating a collaborative platform for government bodies,
knowledge institutions and local communities to share insights and develop solutions for clean river water. The initiative features a hybrid lab model at the IIT-BHU and an on-field living lab at the Varuna River to test and scale solutions in real-world settings. The SLCR has a robust institutional and appraisal mechanism built into it to ensure the necessary due diligence
rigor in its functioning and for ensuring excellence in river management. The Indo-Danish Joint Steering Committee (JSC) is the highest forum for SLCR which provides strategic guidance and reviews progress. The Project Review Committee (PRC), with members from the National Mission on Clean Ganga (NMCG), Central Water Commission (CWC), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB),
IIT-BHU and Denmark's Urban Sector Counsellor will oversee quality control at a project level.
The SLCR Secretariat will receive initial funding of Rs. 16.80 crore from the Ministry of Jal Shakti and an additional 5 crore INR grant from Denmark to support long-term sustainability and project development.
The Joint Steering Committee (JSC) chaired jointly by Director General (NMCG), and, First Secretary and Team Lead for Strategic Cooperation has cleared four projects to be taken up under the collaboration.
The commitment includes developing a Decision Support System (DSS) for water management to analyse basin water dynamics through hydrological models, scenario generation, forecasting and data analytics.The second project focuses on the characterization of emerging pollutants and fingerprint analysis.
Over the next 18 months, this initiative will use advanced analytical techniques like chromatography, mass spectrometry to identify and quantify contaminants. Led by a professor from the University of Copenhagen with international partners, the project aims to create detailed fingerprint library, enhance water quality monitoring, and propose effective remediation strategies
The final project in the series, the Hydrogeological Model of the Varuna Basin for Recharge Sites, aims to enhance base flow through Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). Over the next 24 months, the project will use advanced geophysical techniques and mathematical modelling to identify optimal recharge sites and rates.
Diana Pundole, a mother of two and a teacher from Pune, has shattered the glass ceiling by claiming the national championship title in the saloon category at the MRF Indian National Car Racing Championship 2024, held in Chennai.
Diana's accomplishments are not limited to the national stage. She holds the distinction of being the first and only woman participant in the
prestigious Indian Touring Cars mixed category, a fiercely competitive racing championship where most participants boast a minimum of 10 to 20 years of experience.
Her impressive racing resume includes competing at world-renowned venues such as the Dubai Autodrome, the Hockenheimring, and the F1 Circuit de Spa in Belgium.
She has also participated in high-profile races, including the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Ferrari 488 Challenge, BMW M2 Competition, and Renault Clio Cup.
The Ministry of Education launched the second cycle of its Capacity Building Program on Specific Learning Disability (SLD) under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP). Building on the success of the first cycle, this programme is designed to empower Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) with the skills and knowledge necessary,
to support students with specific learning disabilities. Shri K. Sanjay Murthy emphasized that National Education Policy 2020 inter-alia recognizes learning disabilities among a set of students, with a vision of equitable and inclusive education for all.
The first round of the 'Capacity Building Program on Specific Learning Disabilities' was conducted from January to July 2024 partnered with Changeinkk Foundation. In the first round, a cohort of 27 HEIs participated in the programme including Central Universities, IITs, IIITs, IIMs, IISERs, SPAs, and NITs.
As part of the programme, different sessions were conducted, viz., Orientation Session, Sensitization Session, Masterclasses, In-Person Zone-wise Workshop, and Monitoring of Implementation. More than 400 faculty members from different departments of these institutions benefited.
The second cycle of the programme that started today will run till December 2024,
with sessions to be held both online and in-person with a new set of identified HEIs. It will focus on strategies and tools for identifying and assessing the students with SLD and addressing their needs. The focus of this programme will be on sensitizing the heads of the Institutions; the Heads of five departments along with the two nominees each from respective department.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, GoI, under the chairmanship of Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary,Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, convened a national conference in New Delhi The event brought together senior officials from all states to discuss and deliberate on the latest initiatives aimed at improving agriculture statistics across the county.
These initiatives aim to enhance the accuracy, reliability, and transparency of agricultural statistics, which are crucial for policy formulation, trade decisions, and agricultural planning. The primary focus of the conference was on the enhancement of agricultural production estimates and the integration of technology to strengthen data accuracy.
The Digital Crop Survey announced in the present year Budget Speech paves the way for accurate Crop Area Estimation. It will provide plot-level data with geotagged areas of crops and act as a single source of truth. Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES) has been initiated to calculate yield based on scientifically designed Crop Cutting Experiments,
for all major crops across the country. These initiatives are expected to provide near real-time and reliable data directly from the field, which enabling more precise estimations of crop production. Various initiatives taken by the Department of Agriculture &Farmers’ Welfare regarding infusion of technology in generating Crop Production Statistics through revamped FASAL,
(Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agro-meteorology, and Land-based observations) was discussed in detail. This updated version leverages remote sensing technology to generate accurate crop maps & area estimation for 10 major crops.
Another critical aspect of the conference was the triangulation and validation of agricultural data using the UPAg Portal.
This platform will allow for cross-verification of data from multiple sources, ensuring the robustness of agricultural statistics. The conference also pointed out the association of Department of Agriculture &Farmers’ Welfare with MoSPI to increase the supervision of crop cutting experiments with a phased plan by the National Sample Survey Office to ensure quality of CCEs.
Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Lausanne Diamond League as he recovered in time to produce a season's best effort of 89.49m in his last attempt.The 26-year-old Chopra was at fourth spot till the fourth round before sending his spear to 85.58m in his fifth attempt. He saved the best for the last as his sixth and final attempt measured 89.49m,
which was better than his performance in the Paris Olympics. Two-time world champion and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Anderson Peters of Grenada won the event with his second-round monster throw of 90.61m while Julian Weber of Germany took the third spot with 87.08m.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched 25 Challenges as part of the ‘Create in India Challenge - Season 1’ for the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES). Speaking at the launch, Sh. Vaishnaw said that the launch is a reflection of our growing and evolving economy.
A totally new creators economy has been created and the same is also recognised by the Prime Minister of India as reflected in the first-ever National Creators Award presented by him in March 2024. To further develop this creators' economy, the government is focused on creating world-class talent development programs and infrastructure.
There are plans to establish world-class universities and facilities that will enhance the capabilities of creators in media and entertainment, he added.
Harnessing New Technologies in Filmmaking: Job Creation
Social Responsibility
Design in India, Design for the World’
'Create in India Challenge - Season 1’
These challenges, hosted by leading industry associations and organizations, cover a wide range of disciplines including animation, filmmaking, gaming, music, and visual arts. These challenges are being done in the run up to the main event.
Deepti Gaur Mukherjee, a 1993 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has assumed charge as Secretary to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
She has succeeded Manoj Govil, who had on Monday assumed charge as the Expenditure Secretary. Before this appointment, Mukherjee was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Authority.
She takes over as the top official of MCA at a time when the Ministry is working on a slew of legislations and reforms that may be introduced in the next few months.
The MCA will also have to bring into effect several provisions of the Competition Act 2023, which was the biggest overhaul of competition law since its enactment in 2002.
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the GST Bhawan, an Official complex of CGST, Udaipur Commissionerate under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), at Udaipur, Rajasthan.
The Union Finance Minister also launched ICETAB 2.0, a handheld device for customs operations, and expressed hope that it will help in uploading real-time examination reports and in quicker clearance of cargoes.
The complex is located at one of the most preferred locations in Udaipur.
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda inaugurated the National Medical Register (NMR) Portal of the National Medical Commission (NMC) for registration of all the MBBS doctors who are eligible for registration in India.
The National Medical Register (NMR) is mandated under Section 31 of the NMC Act, 2019 which states that the Ethics & Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of NMC shall maintain a National Register in electronic form containing the name, address, and all recognized qualifications possessed by a licensed medical practitioner.
The NMR is important as authentic data on doctors across the country is crucial. The data on doctors to date has been in a scattered form that needs revision, and updation, and the NMR portal will ensure that. The easy registration process will ensure the maintenance of authentic data.
To reach out to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) habitations and PVTG families in 194 districts across the country, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs is running a nationwide Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaign and Beneficiary Saturation Camps for the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN),
from 23rd August, 2024 till 10th September, 2024.
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Jual Oram, and Minister of State, Shri Durgadas Uikey reviewed the progress of schemes under PM-JANMAN and took note of the preparedness for the IEC campaign on PM-JANMAN, in a meeting convened.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the PM-JANMAN mission on Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (15th November 2023), from the Khunti District of Jharkhand.The PM-JANMAN mission focuses on 11 critical interventions related to 9 key aligned Ministries/Departments, with budgetary outlay of Rs. 24,104 crores (Central Share: Rs.15,336 crore and State Share: Rs.8,768 crore)
from FY 2023-24 to 2025-26, under the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST). The goal is to cover around 16,500 villages, 15,000 Gram Panchayats, and 1000 Talukas in the said 194 districts.
The goal is to cover around 16,500 villages, 15,000 Gram Panchayats, and 1000 Talukas in the said 194 districts.
India marks its first National Space Day on August 23, 2024, celebrating the first anniversary of ISRO's historic Chandrayaan-3 moon landing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared this day to honor India's accomplishments in space. The event highlights India's progress and the societal benefits of space exploration.
The theme of this year's National Space Day is "Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga." This theme reflects India's extraordinary journey in space exploration and its impact on society.
The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated on 23 August each year. It was first celebrated in several countries, in particular in Haiti (23 August 1998) and Gorée Island in Senegal (23 August 1999).
This International Day is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples.
In accordance with the goals of the intercultural project "The Routes of Enslaved Peoples", it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy, and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.
