GoI Launched SWATI, 1st-of its kind Portal for Women in STEMM
On 11th February 2024, Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India (GoI)launched ‘Science for Women: A Technology and Innovation (SWATI) Portal(https://swati.nipgr.ac.in/),India’s 1st-of-its-kind interactive online portal on Indian women in STEMM (Science, Technology,Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine).
The portal was launched on theoccasion of International Day ofWomen and Girls in Science 2024 atthe Indian National ScienceAcademy (INSA), New Delhi,Delhi.
About SWATI portal:
- SWATI portal was developed,hosted and maintained by theNational Institute of Plant GenomeResearch (NIPGR).
- SWATI portal is an initiative bythe Inter Academy Panel of India(IAP) on Women in STEMM.
- The portal was funded by Department of Biotechnology(DBT), Ministry of Science andTechnology(MoST).
Note: IAP is constituted jointly by 3 science academies Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc)(Bengaluru,Karnataka); National Academy of Sciences India (NASI) (Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh) and INSA (New Delhi,Delhi).
Objective of SWATI:
- To include every Indian Women in Science (WiS), career stages, subjects, spanning both Academia and theIndustry.
- To enable a reliable and long term research on the issues of equality, diversity and inclusivity in India
- To develop an active search engine and searchable database (Name, Affiliation, Area of Interest).
Key Points:
- The portal will provide a platform to view the expertise and contributions of Indian Women in STEMM.
- The database of SWATI Portal will serve in policy making to address the challenges of Gender-gap.
Features:
- The portal includes sections like Icons – Awardees (Padma / Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar / Stree ShaktiScience Samman) & Directors, Secretaries Academy Presidents etc.,.
- At present, 3000 ‘WiS Data Cards’ are incorporated in the portal.
About the Event:
- The event was organised with a focus on the importance of “Science for Women & Women in Science”.
- This offers a platform to discuss and evolve a roadmap for ‘Women in Science’ & ‘Science for Women’.
DEA & ADB Signed USD 200 Million Loan for FRERM Project in Assam
Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Asian Development Bank(ADB) has signed a USD 200 million loan agreement (Ordinary Operations) for the ‘Climate ResilientBrahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management(FRERM) Project inAssam’.
About FRERM project:
- The project aims to strengthen flood and riverbank erosion risk management along the 650-kilometer (km)long main stem of the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
- The Project activities will be led, managed, and coordinated by the Flood and River Erosion ManagementAgency of the Assam (FREMAA).
- The Water Resources Department of theGovernment of Assam will implement theworks and the Assam AgroforestryDevelopment Board will use nature-basedsolutions.
- This project will benefit around 1 millionpeople and increase crop production inmore than 50000 hectares.
About the Loan:
- The Loan has a principal repaymentperiod of 15 years.
- The interest of the loan will be the sum ofSecured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) and 0.6% of Proceeds of the loan withdrawn & 0.10% ofexpenditure to be financed out of proceeds of the loan.
These interest will be paid semi-annually on 15th March and 15th September annually. - The closing date of the loan shall be 31st March 2030 or such other date agreed by ADB and GoI.
- The loan will be provided from ADB’s ordinary capital resource.
- The loan was approved by ADB in October 2023.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
Headquarters– Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Established in– 1966
Members – 68 members (49 from the region)
India Extends UPI Service in Sri Lanka and Mauritius
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India, along withMauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Sri LankanPresident Ranil Wickremesinghe, virtually launched India’sUnified Payments Interface (UPI) in Mauritius and SriLanka.
In addition to the UPI, the RuPay card service was alsolaunched in Mauritius.
The UPI and RuPay card projects were developed andexecuted by NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL)along with partner banks / non-banks from Mauritius and SriLanka, under the guidance and support of the Reserve Bank of India.
The list of countries that accept UPI payments are Bhutan, France, Mauritius, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and theUnited Arab Emirates(UAE).
About National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI):
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Dilip Asbe
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Incorporated in 2008
Mahindra Defence & Embraer Defense Collaboratedfor IAF’s MTA Project
Mahindra Defence Systems Limited and Brazil-based EmbraerDefense & Security have signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) for the Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA)procurement project of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in New Delhi,Delhi.
As per the MoU, both firms will be jointly developing C-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft which willbe procured by IAF.
The C-390 Millennium is the most advanced military airlifter in the market which can carry a payload ofabout 26 tonnesIt flies at a speed of about 870 km/h (470 knots).
C-390 Millennium finds its application in areas such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medicalevacuation, search and rescue, aerial firefighting, and humanitarian missions.
In August 2023, Embraer held a C-390 Millennium Day in New Delhi, India to deepen engagement withthe local aerospace industry.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024- February 11
The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS) is annuallyobserved across the globe on 11 February to promote full and equal access to and participation of womenand girls in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
11 February 2024 marks the observanceof the 9th International Day of Womenand Girls in Science.
The theme of IDWGIS 2024 is “Womenand Girls in Science Leadership: A NewEra for Sustainability”
The subtheme of IDWGIS 2024 is“Think Science … Think Peace”.
Background:
- On 22 December 2015, the UnitedNations General Assembly (UNGA)adopted the resolution A/RES/70/212 andproclaimed the 11 February of each yearas the International Day of Women andGirls in Science.
- The 1st ever IDWGIS was observed on 11 February 2016.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
Establishment– 1945 (came into force in 1946)
World Unani Day 2024- February 11
World Unani Day is annually observed across the globe on 11 February to commemorate the birthanniversary of social reformer and renowned Unani scholar Mohammad Ajmal Khan better known asHakim Ajmal Khan, widely regarded as thepioneer of Unani medicine in India.
The Day focuses on promoting the Unani system ofmedicine into the mainstream and focuses on thestrengths of Unani and its unique treatmentprinciples.
The theme of Unani Day 2024 is, “UnaniMedicine for One Earth, One Health.”
Background:
- To recognise the contributions of Hakim AjmalKhan, the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga andNaturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy(AYUSH), the Government of India declared his birth anniversary (11 February of every year) as WorldUnani Day.
- The 1st ever World Unani Day was observed on 11 February 2017 at the Central Research Institute ofUnani Medicine (CRIUM) in Hyderabad, Telangana.CRIUM, Hyderabad has been upgraded to the National Research Institute of Unani Medicine in SkinDisorders (NRIUMSD).
About Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH):
Union Minister– Sarbananda Sonowal (Rajya Sabha Assam)
Minister of State– Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai (Constituency: Surendranagar, Gujarat)