16th Edition of Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference & Exhibition 2023 held in New
Delhi, Delhi
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs organized 16th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference &
Exhibition 2023 in collaboration with the Institute of Urban Transport (India) and with the support of
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. The event
took place from October 27th to 29th, 2023, at
the Manekshaw Centre, Parade Road, Delhi
Cantt, New Delhi, Delhi.
Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference &
Exhibition 2023:
The event saw the participation of around 22
exhibitors from Metro Rail Companies, public
and private sectors.
- Inaugurated by: Shri Hardeep Singh Puri.
(Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and
Petroleum and Natural Gas)
- Theme: Integrated and Resilient Urban Transport
- Awards were presented to state/city authorities for their outstanding urban transport projects in various
categories
About Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs:
Union Minister – Hardeep Singh Puri, (Rajya Sabha Constituency – Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS) – Kaushal Kishore (Mohanlalganj, Uttar Pradesh)
USISPF honoured Nita Ambani with 2023 Global Leadership Award for
Philanthropy & CSR
Nita Ambani was honoured with the ‘2023 Global Leadership Award for Philanthropy and Corporate Social
Responsibility’ by The US-India Strategic
Partnership Forum (USISPF) in an event held in
New Delhi, Delhi.
The award was presented by John Chambers who
is the Chairman of USISPF.
Nita Ambani received the award for her
contribution towards women empowerment,
supporting education, promoting Indian arts &
culture (on a global platform) and developing
sports in India.
Key Points:
- Nita Ambani is the founder and Chairperson of
Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).
- She is the spouse of Mukesh Ambani.
- She is a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment and children’s rights.
About USISPF:
- The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) is a non-profit organization, which aims to strengthen
the India-US bilateral and strategic partnership.
- It provides policy advocacy in the fields of economic growth, entrepreneurship, employment-creation, and
innovation.
Professor Sarang Deo of ISB Appointed to WHO’s Advisory Group for TB
Professor Sarang Deo, Professor of Operations Management at the Indian School of Business (ISB) has
been appointed as a member of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) for Tuberculosis (TB)
by the World Health Organization (WHO).
He will be a part of a 15-member expert group
responsible for independently evaluating the
WHO’s efforts in eradicating TB.
Key Points:
- STAG-TB aims to play a crucial role in ending the
tuberculosis epidemic and achieving the long-term
goal of eradicating the disease globally
- STAG-TB provides cutting-edge scientific and
technical guidance to WHO in its efforts to combat
TB. It conducts independent evaluations of WHO’s
strategic, scientific, and technical aspects related to
TB.
- It also reviews the progress and challenges of WHO’s TB-related core functions and advises on priority
activities for prevention and care.
WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Programme serves as the Secretariat for STAG-TB
China approves world’s first passenger-carrying flying taxi “Ehang’s EH216-S”
- Chinese drone startup EHang received the type certificate for Ehang 216-S (EH216-S), its electric vertical
take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the
Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry
of Transport
- With this, EH216-S becomes the 1st eVTOL
vehicle in the world to be cleared for commercial
use.
- The EH216-S air taxis are electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft capable of
carrying two people or 600 pounds of cargo.
- They are propelled by 16 electric rotors and can
fly at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour (mph)
and a distance of up to 18 miles.
National Unity Day
(Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) 2023- October 31
- National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is annually observed across India on 31 October to
commemorate the birth anniversary of the “Iron Man of India,” Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (31 October
1875), who was dubbed “Sardar” (chief) for his leadership
skills.
- He was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister
of Independent India from 1947 to 1950.
- 31 October 2023 marks the 148th birth anniversary of
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
- In 2014, the Government of India (GoI) led by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi decided to observe
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary on October 31
as National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
- The day aimed to pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for his great efforts to unite India.
- The first National Unity Day was observed on 31 October 2014.
WB Governor Ananda Bose awarded the inaugural Durga Bharat Samman
- West Bengal (WB) Governor CV Ananda Bose presented
the inaugural Durga Bharat Samman (2023) during the
event organised at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, WB.
- During the event, he formally launched the “Mission Kala
Kranti”, an initiative aimed at “promoting the art and
culture of West Bengal and India”.
- The government of WB has organised the Durga Puja
Carnival, showcasing the iconic idols of Goddess Durga, on
27th October 2023 in the Red Road, Kolkata, WB.
About West Bengal:
Chief Minister– Mamata Banerjee
Governor– C. V. Ananda Bose
Zoological Parks– Alipore Zoological Garden and
Bardhaman Zoological Park
Manipur Celebrates Annual ‘Mera Hou Chongba’ Festival
- People of Manipur celebrated Mera Hou Chongba, the annual cultural festival of solidarity in Manipur at
the Kangla Palace Compound in Imphal in Manipur. The event was organised by the Mera Hou Chongba
Thoushil Lup.
Manipur Chief Minister(CM) Nongthombam Biren
Singh along with the titular king of Manipur
Leishemba Sanajaoba attended the event.
- The festival marks the oneness of the growth of
nationalism in Manipur and celebrates the bond of
brotherhood, love, and unity.
- The celebration is intended to build and strengthen
ties between Manipur’s hill tribes and valley people.
The exchanges of gifts between hill tribes and valley
people took place during the festival.
- The festival is being celebrated in Manipur since the
period of Nongda Lairen Pakhangba, the god king of Manipur(1st century AD).