Israel-Hamas war: India launched ‘Operation Ajay’ to evacuate Indian nationals from
Israel
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India (GoI) launched ‘Operation Ajay’, a repatriation
operation, to bring back Indian citizens from Israel
amid the ongoing 2023 Israel–Hamas War.
This operation aims to assist Indian citizens in
Israel who wish to return to India.
Operation Ajay:
- To facilitate the operation, special charter flights
have been organized to transport Indian citizens
from Israel to India.
- The Indian Embassy has emailed the first batch
of registered Indian citizens, marking the beginning
of the repatriation process. Messages for these
subsequent flights will be sent out in due course
About Israel:
Capital– Jerusalem
Prime Minister– Benjamin Netanyahu
Currency– the new Israeli Shekel (NIS or ILS)
Capital– Jerusalem
Prime Minister– Benjamin Netanyahu
Currency– the new Israeli Shekel (NIS or ILS)
- From October 9 to 11, 2023, the 2nd edition of annual Indian Space Conclave (ISC 2023) was held at
Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.
The conclave was organized by Indian
Space Association (ISpA).
- It was co-hosted by Indian National
Space Promotion and Authorization
Centre (IN-SPACe), an autonomous
agency in the Department of Space
(DOS).
- The theme of ISC 2023 is ‘Bhumandal
se Brahaman Tak’ (From Earth to the
Entire Universe)’
- On the first day of ISC 2023, ISpA and
GIFAS (Groupement des Industries
Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the
understanding of space industry capabilities and increase awareness of business opportunities in France
and India
About Indian Space Association (ISpA):
Director General– Lt Gen Anil Kumar Bhatt (Retd)
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment– 2021
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Inaugurates New Facilities at NIMHANS &
unveils New Logo of Tele-MANAS
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya,Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW)
inaugurated new facilities at the National
Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences
(NIMHANS) in Bengaluru, Karnataka and
launched the new logo of Tele Mental Health
Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele
MANAS)
These events happened on the occasion of 31st
World Mental Health Day which was
observed on 10th October 2023.
Key Points:
- NIMHANS is a premier medical institute in
India for mental health care, education, and research.
- NIMHANS came into existence in 1974 by amalgamating Mysore Government Mental Hospital and All
India Institute of Mental Health.
- Through the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore Act, 2012,
NIMHANS attained the status of Institutes of National Importance(INI).
Global Hunger Index 2023: India slips Four places,
Ranked 111 out of 125 countries
- India ranks 111th out of the 125 countries with a score of
28.7 in Global Hunger Index(GHI) 2023. India slipped 4
positions as compared to previous GHI ranking
- GHI is a peer-reviewed annual report designed to
comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global,
regional, and country levels.
- As per the GHI Severity of Hunger Scale, the country’s score
in the range of 20.0–34.9 indicates that has a serious level of
hunger. So with a score of 28.7, India has a level of hunger
that is serious.
- India has the highest child wasting rate of 18.7 percent in the world, which reflects acute undernutrition
- The ranks of India’s neighbouring countries are Pakistan (102th), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th), and Sri
Lanka (60th).
- Europe and Central Asia region have the lowest 2023 GHI score of 6.0 with an indication that the hunger
level is ‘low’
SIDBI & IPPB inked MoU for Financial Support to MSMEs in Remote Areas
- India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has signed an agreement
with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
to extend financial and other support services to MSMEs
(Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) in rural and remote
areas.
- SIDBI provides credit to small businesses, while IPPB
provides banking transaction services
- It should be noted that Payments banks are not allowed to
provide credit but can partner with other institutions for
distribution.
Key Points:
- This partnership will utilize IPPB’s rural reach and SIDBI’s lending and credit risk assessment models to
reach MSMEs
- IPPB will also support SIDBI’s customers in digitizing the payment mechanisms through its merchant
onboarding system and collection solutions like Unified Payments Interface (UPI), QR-based solutions, etc.
- They will also undertake joint programs to upgrade the skills of Dak Sevaks.
- Both entities also announced a hackathon for innovation in financial services in rural areas and also a
Swavalamban Challenge Fund to promote rural livelihood enterprises.
About India Post Payments Bank (IPPB):
MD & CEO– Jayanthy Venkatramu
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment– 2018
Motto – ‘Every customer is important, every transaction is significant and every deposit is valuable, no
matter the value
IAF & Army successfully test fired BrahMos Missile
- Indian Air Force(IAF) successfuly test fired its Surface to Surface version of the BrahMos missile in the
vicinity of the Eastern Seaboard Archipelago. The test mission accomplished all the predefined objectives.
Previously, BrahMos Missile Regiment
of Indian Army tested a land-attack
variant of the extended-range BrahMos
supersonic cruise missile (BrahMos ER)
from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- The missile is not yet in service with the
Indian Army, and its induction will
depend on the results of further testing.
- The BrahMos ER is developed by
BrahMos Aerospace
- It is a joint venture between Russia’s
NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPO Mash)
and India’s Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO)
- BrahMos ER is an improved variant of the basic BrahMos missile, with a range of around 450 to 500
kilometers, compared to 290 kilometers for the baseline version.
Nari Shakti Award Winner & Kerala Adult Literacy Topper Karthyayani Amma
Passed Away
- Nari Shakti Award winner Karthyayani Amma, who topped Akshara Laksham project of Kerala’s adult
literacy programme, passed away at the age of
101 in Alappuzha, Kerala. She was born in
1922
- In 2018, at the age of 96, Karthyayani Amma
topped the Aksharalaksham (Million Letter)
literacy examination of the Kerala State
Literacy Mission securing the highest mark
(98/100). She was the oldest learner under the
Kerala State Literacy Mission.
- In 2019, she was also appointed as the
Goodwill Ambassador of the
Commonwealth of Learning for the
promotion of distance education among 53 member countries
- In 2020, she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian award for women, by the
Ministry of Women and Child Development(MoWCD).
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2023 – October 13
- The United Nations (UN) International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) is annually observed
across the globe on 13 October to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction
- The day serves as a platform to recognise and celebrate the efforts of individuals and communities
worldwide in mitigating disaster risks.
- The 2023 theme of International Day
for Disaster Risk Reduction is,
“Fighting inequality for a resilient
future.”
Background:
In 2009, the UNGA adopted the a
resolution A/RES/64/200 and
officially designated 13 October as
the International Day for Disaster
Risk Reduction.
- Since 2010, IDDRR has been
annually observed on 13 October.
About United Nations Office for
Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Head of UNDRR– Mami Mizutori
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Established in– 1999
World Egg Day 2023 – October 13
World Egg Day is annually observed across the globe on the 2nd Friday of October to raise awareness of
the importance of eggs in human nutrition, food security, and overall well-being.
The 27th World Egg Day (World Egg Day 2023) was observed on 13th October 2023.
The World Egg Day 2022 was observed on 14th October 2022. The World Egg Day 2024 will fall on 11th
October 2024.
Theme:
The theme for World Egg Day 2023 is
“Eggs for a healthy future.”
The theme highlights the potential of
eggs to help people around the world
achieve their nutritional needs.
Key Points:
- World Egg Day was isolated by the
International Egg Commission(IEC), the
only organisation that represents the
global egg industry
- The decision to annually observe the
second Friday of October as “World Egg Day” was made during the IEC Confence held in Vienna, Austria
in 1996
- The first ever World Egg Day was observed on 11th October 1996.