GoI Approves 1st Urban Flood Mitigation Project Worth Rs 561.29 Crore
The government of India(GoI) has approved the first urban flood mitigation project of Rs. 561.29 crore forthe ‘Integrated Urban Flood ManagementActivities for Chennai Basin Project’ under theNational Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), whichalso includes central assistance of Rs. 500 crore.
Key Points:
- This is the first of its kind of urban floodmitigation efforts to develop a broader frameworkfor urban flood management.
- The mitigation project will help make Chennaiflood-resilient disasters by implementingcomprehensive flood management strategies.
- The project aims to re-establish the surpluscanals for erstwhile minor irrigation tanks inChennai, Restore waterbodies and Install software for remote operation of surplus regulators during floods.
Relief Assistance for Cyclone Michaung:
Government of India has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to release in advance the the centralshare of the 2nd installment of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) of Rs 493.60 crore to AndhraPradesh and Rs 450 crore to Tamil Nadu to help state governments with the management of reliefnecessitated by the Cyclone Michaung.
PM Inaugurates the 1st Indian Art, Architecture & Design Biennale 2023
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated the 1st Indian Art, Architecture, and Design Biennale2023 (IAADB’23), which is being organized by theMinistry of Culture from 9th to 15th December2023 at Red Fort in New Delhi, Delhi.The event brings together artists, designers, andarchitects from India to showcase innovations inart, design, and architecture.During the program, the PM inaugurated the‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design’ and thestudent Biennale- Samunnati. He also launched aCommemorative Stamp.
About Ministry of Culture:
Union Minister– G. Kishan Reddy (Constituency-Secunderabad, Telangana)
Ministers of State– Meenakashi Lekhi (Constituency- New Delhi, NCT of Delhi); Arjun Ram Meghwal(Constituency- Bikaner, Rajasthan)
24th Hornbill Festival Concluded in Nagaland
- Hornbill Festival, referred as ‘Festival of Festivals’ is annually from 1st to 10th December in Nagaland toencourage inter-tribal interaction and to preserve, protect and revive the uniqueness and richness of theNaga heritage.
- The 24th edition of the Hornbill Festival was held from 1st to 10th December 2023 in Naga HeritageVillage of Kisama located at a distance of 12 km from Kohima, in Nagaland.
- The festival is annually organised by theGovernment of Nagaland. The United States ofAmerica(USA), Germany and Columbia were theCountry Partners and Assam was the Partner statefor this 24th edition of Hornbill festival.
- The festival was inaugurated with the TraditionalGong by Governor of Nagaland La Ganesan andChief Minister (CM) Neiphiu Rio, the hosts ofthe festival.
- Ambassador of USA to India Eric Garcetti,Ambassador to British High Commissioner toIndia Alex Ellis, Ambassador of Colombia toIndia Dr. Victor Echeverri Jaramillo and German Consul General Kolkata Barbara Voss graced theinaugural function as Honoured Guests.
- The 10 day festival featured Hornbill Music Festival, exhibitions, cultural event, and indigenous games.
- The closing ceremony witnessed the performances of 18 Cultural Troupes from various tribes andcommunities.
DPIIT Collaborates with World Bank to elevate India’s logistics efficiency
Department for Promotion of Industry andInternal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry ofCommerce and Industry(MoCI), collaborateswith the World Bank (WB) to improve India’slogistics efficiency.This information was shared during the DPIITmeeting with World Bank Team in New Delhi,Delhi which was chaired by Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT, Sumita Dawra.The aim behind the collaborative efforts is to elevate India’s ranking in the WB Logistics PerformanceIndex (LPI).
Key Points:
- Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI)- Implementation of the Land Port Management System (LPMS) todigitise operations at Integrated Check Posts (ICPs)
- Ministry of Railways- Unveiling plans for 100% electrification of railway tracks, a marked acceleration intrack construction speed, and increased capacity for locomotives and wagons.Capital expenditure (CAPEX) of USD 31.2 billion in 2024 is slated for the improvement of freight transportspeed and volume.
- Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)- Launch of NLP Marine, a National maritimesingle-window platform offering end-to-end logistics solutions for seamless document exchange amongexporters, importers, and service providers, read the press release.
- Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)- Integration of Indian Customs Electronic DataInterchange Gateway (ICEGATE) (Customs Automated Portal) for various APIs and digitization efforts inapplication filing, processing, and digitally signed delivery of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO)certification.
- Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)- Blueprint for 35 multi-modal logistics parks(MMLPs), 108 port connectivity projects, and 608 way-side amenities sites., introduction of FASTag forelectronic toll collection.
- Ministry of Civial Aviation (MoCA)- Implementation of the e-Air Way Bill (e-AWB) and e-CargoSecurity Declaration as digital measures. The upcoming launch of e-Gatepass is in September 2024.
About World Bank (WB):
President (WB Group)– Ajay Banga
Establishment – 1944
Headquarters – Washington D.C, United
States of America (USA)
Members – 189 member states
China’s CNSA & Egypt’s EGSA Signed an MoU for Space Cooperation & aCooperation Agreement on ILRS
China and Egypt have signed two cooperationdocuments in space exploration to boost deep spaceexploration, spacecraft development andconstruction of space infrastructure. The 2documents were,A memorandum of understanding (MoU) betweenthe government of China and Egypt on spacecooperation and peaceful use of outer space.A cooperation agreement between the ChinaNational Space Administration (CNSA) and theEgyptian Space Agency (EGSA) on theInternational Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
Key Points:
- ILRS operates autonomously on the lunar surfaceand lunar orbit for a long time, with short-term manned participation, which is expected to begin operationsaround 2030
- China has established the ILRS Coordination Organization (ILRSCO) to oversee the initiative from thecity of Hefei in Anhui province.
SAARC Charter Day 2023 – December 8
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter Day is annually observed onDecember 8 to mark the adoption of the SAARC Charter on 8th December 1985 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.8th December 2023 marks the observance of the 39th SAARC Charter Day.
Key Points:
- SAARC is an economic and politicalorganization of 8 countries in South Asia:Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- It was established by the adoption of theSAARC Charter during the first summitheld in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 7–8December 1985.
- The SAARC Charter Day has beenobserved on 8th December since 1985.
About the South Asian Association forRegional Cooperation (SAARC):
Secretary-General– Golam Sarwar(Bangladesh)
SAARC Chairmanship– Nepal
Secretariat– Kathmandu, Nepal
Established in 1985
Human Rights Day 2023- December 10
The United Nations (UN)’s Human Rights Day also known as International or World Human RightsDay is annually observed across the globe on 10 December to create awareness and mobilise political willto promote respect for rights and freedoms
The day marks the anniversay of the adoption of the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)in 1948.2023 marks the 75th anniversary of UDHR,which coincides with the 30th anniversary ofthe Office of the UN High Commissioner forHuman Rights (OHCHR).The theme of Human Rights Day 2023 is,“Freedom, Equality and Justice for All.”
Key Points:
- On 4 December 1950, the United NationsGeneral Assembly (UNGA) adopted theresolution A/RES/423(V) and proclaimed the10 December of every year as Human RightsDay.
- The 1st UN Human Rights Day wasobserved on 10 December 1950.
About United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC):
UNHRC is an intergovernmental body within the UN system whose mission is to promote and protecthuman rights around the world and has 47 members.
President– Václav Bálek
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Founded in– 2006