Daily Current Capsules

25,26,27 September 2023

India Ageing Report 2023

• UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), unveiled the highly anticipated “India Ageing Report 2023.”
• This report sheds light on the challenges, opportunities and institutional responses surrounding elderly care in India, as India navigates a demographic shift towards an ageing population.
• The India Ageing Report 2023 represents a thorough review of the living conditions and welfare of older individuals in India.
• It leverages the latest data available from the Longitudinal Ageing Survey in India (LASI), 2017–18, Census of India, Population Projections by the Government of India (2011–2036) and World Population Prospects 2022 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to provide an up-to-date perspective.

The report’s key findings encompass a range of analyses related to elderly well-being, including:

• The enhancement of geriatric care to cater to the unique healthcare needs of seniors.
• A multitude of government schemes and policies addressing the health, financial empowerment, and capacity-building needs of the elderly population.
• Community-based organizations actively engaged in digital empowerment through computer and internet usage sessions.
• Ministerial committees dedicated to shaping policies for elderly welfare.
• Corporate efforts for joyful aging, social assistance, old age homes, and elder abuse awareness campaigns.

Source

https://india.unfpa.org/e

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1961189

World Tourism Day

AIR

Pics

• World Tourism Day is being celebrated every year on September 27 to promote tourism all over the globe.
• The celebrations are also aimed at fostering awareness among the international community on the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value.
• The theme for this year’s World Tourism Day is ‘Tourism and Green Investments’.
• Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day as international observances on September 27.
• This date was chosen as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted.
• The adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism

Know! about Global Launch of ‘Travel for LiFE’

• On the occasion of World Tourism Day 2023, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India organised the Global Launch of ‘Travel for LiFE’, a sectoral program under Mission LiFE, targeted towards the tourism sector, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
• The Tourism Minister urges travellers to travel responsibly, to respect our environment, and to understand and appreciate the diverse cultures that make our world so beautifully complex.
• The Travel for LiFE program, which is a part of Mission LiFE, sets out the path to a sustainable planet Earth
• The event saw the launch of the Travel for LiFE program for two different verticals viz.  Travel for LiFE for Cleanliness – a national TFL campaign for cleaning tourist sites and monuments in convergence with the Swachhata campaign and Travel for LiFE for Rural Tourism encouraging tourists to explore the rural and lesser-known hinterland promoting sustainable rural tourism thereby empowering rural communities.

Source – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1961189

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

• International Finance Corporation (IFC) has lauded the efforts of India in tackling the impact of climate change by taking proactive policy measures to support green financing initiatives.
• IFC released a report, Blended Finance for Climate Investments in India
• India has significantly developed its climate actions, resulting in a path to achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution well before 2030.
• The report states that the Reserve Bank of India included the small Renewable Energy energy sector under its priority sector lending scheme in 2015.
• Since the issuance of Green Bonds, India has developed the second-largest green bonds market among emerging economies.
• More than 10 billion US dollars worth of green bonds have been issued by private companies and public sector entities.
• The report mentions that renewable energy sources contributed to 41 percent of India’s total installed capacity and the country stands fourth globally in terms of total renewable energy installed capacity.
• India is committed to meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.

Know! about International Finance Corporation (IFC)

• It is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries.
• IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries
• The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States.
• It was established in 1956, as the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, to advance economic development by investing in for-profit and commercial projects for poverty reduction and promoting development.
• The IFC is owned and governed by its member countries but has its own executive leadership and staff that conduct its normal business operations.

SHAKTI-2023

• A mega national event named SHAKTI-2023 (Sthree in HVACR& Architecture and Key in Transforming the Industry) was organized by Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air conditioning Engineers(ISHRAE), Kalpakkam Chapter and Indian Women Scientists’s Association (IWSA), Kalpakkam Branch in association with Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research(IGCAR), Kalpakkam
• Theme – Women in Technological Advances and Social Upliftment.
• SHAKTI-2023 has been a great event with the participation of 300 delegates.

Know! about ISHARE

• The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE), was founded in 1981 at New Delhi by a group of eminent HVAC&R professionals.
• ISHRAE today has over 28,780 HVAC&R professionals and Student-members.
• ISHRAE operates from over 44 Chapters and sub-chapters spread all over India, with HQ in Delhi.
• It is led by a team of elected officers, who are members of the Society, working on a voluntary basis, and collectively called the Board of Governors.

ISHRAE Objectives

• Advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Engineering and Related Services.
• Continuing education of Members and other interested persons in the said sciences through Lectures, Workshops, Product Presentations, Publications, and Expositions.
• Rendition of career guidance and financial assistance to students of the said sciences.
• Encouragement of scientific research.

Indian Women Scientist’s Association (IWSA)

• In 1972, twelve founder members representing a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines and associated with different scientific institutions came together and registered Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA) on 13th June, 1973 under the Society Registration Act and the Public Trust Act on 19th July, 1973.
• IWSA is an All India social welfare, voluntary, non-profit, secular, non-political charitable organization.
• It has eleven branches
• IWSA has about 2000 life members; its headquarters is located in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• IWSA’s Membership is open to all women with a background in S&T and Associate Membership is open for those interested in science and with a scientific temper.

Objectives

• Take science to the masses.
• Develop scientific temper in society.
• Promote scientific accomplishments among women scientists.
• Understand the problems of women in sciences and provide solutions for women empowerment.
• Be a representative body of women in S&T.

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR)

• It is one of India’s premier nuclear research centers.
• It is the second largest establishment of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), next to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), located at Kalpakkam
• It was established in 1971 as an exclusive centre dedicated to the pursuit of fast reactor science and technology, due to the vision of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.
• Originally, it was called as Reactor Research Centre (RRC).
• It was renamed as Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) by the then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi in December 1985
• The centre is engaged in a broad-based multidisciplinary programme of scientific research and advanced engineering directed towards the development of Fast Breeder Reactor technology, in India.

National Policy on Research and Development and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector in India and Scheme for promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP)

• Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India launched the National Policy on Research and Development and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector in India and Scheme for promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP)
• The scheme will focus on transforming India into a high-volume, high-value player in the global market of pharmaceuticals, meeting the quality, accessibility, and affordability goals.
• The policy will help to create an ecosystem of skills and capacities including the academia and the private sectors, and give impetus to new talent among the youth through start-ups.

Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP)

• The Scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) support which was notified till 30th September 2023 is now being extended till 30th June 2024 at the same rates to the existing export items.
• This will help our exporting community to negotiate export contracts in the present international environment on better terms.
• The Scheme is WTO-compatible and is being implemented in an end-to-end IT environment.

Know! about RoDTEP

• The RoDTEP Scheme was introduced by the Government as a duty remission scheme on exports and is being implemented from 1st January 2021.
• The Scheme provides a mechanism for reimbursement of taxes, duties, and levies, which are currently not being refunded under any other mechanism, at the central, state, and local level, but which are incurred by the export entities in the process of manufacture and distribution of exported products.

South-South Knowledge Sharing Series

• Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship participated in a virtual conference organized by the World Bank known as the “South-South Knowledge Sharing Series.
• This event centered around India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and its potential to serve as an inspiring model for African nations, especially in light of the African Union’s recent inclusion in the G20 during India’s presidency of the summit this year.
• The conference’s theme was “Digital Public Infrastructure: The India Story” and representatives from the African Union highlighted the significant opportunities DPIs could offer to countries whose citizens are not yet connected to the internet.
• Today we are at a stage where digitization has transformed the lives of Indians drastically whether or not they are digitally literate.
• DPIs have changed the perception of Governance altogether.
• So far, India has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with nearly eight countries to share its India stack.

UrbanShift Forum (Asia)

• The first UrbanShift Forum (Asia) was inaugurated by Union Minister Mr Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
• The UrbanShift Asia Forum took place in New Delhi from September 25-28, 2023
• It was co-organized by ICLEI South Asia and NIUA.
• About 150 representatives of national governments and cities in India, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Jordan and Sri Lanka, as well as international organisations, financial institutions, businesses and NGOs attended the event to exchange knowledge and experiences on regional urban challenges and replicable solutions.
• The key objective of this forum is to provide training and capacity-building to regional cities on various facets of integrated and sustainable urban development.
• Participants also explored innovative ways of financing their climate projects and presented ideas to a curated audience of investors.
• Cities got the opportunity to present their current plans and initiatives to their peers and engage in in-depth discussions with sector experts.

India-US 2 plus 2 Intersessional Dialogue held in Washington

• India-US 2 plus 2 Intersessional Dialogue was held in Washington
• Underscoring the transformative momentum in the India-US relationship, the two countries held discussions on opportunities to further strengthen interoperability and logistics cooperation.
• The sides also discussed combined maritime engagements in the Indian Ocean Region, as well as expanded cooperation in the space and cyber domains
• The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary in External Affairs Ministry Vani Rao and the Joint Secretary in the Defence Ministry Vishwesh Negi.
• The 2 plus 2 Intersessional Dialogue advanced a wide range of ambitious initiatives across the breadth of the US-India partnership, including defence and security, emerging technologies, people-to-people ties, clean energy, and supply chain resilience
• The two sides reaffirmed that a strong partnership between the two countries is essential to upholding security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region

Know! about 2+2 dialogue

• The 2+2 dialogue is a format of meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of India and its allies on strategic and security issues.
• A 2+2 ministerial dialogue enables the partners to better understand and appreciate each other’s strategic concerns and sensitivities taking into account political factors on both sides, in order to build a stronger, more integrated strategic relationship in a rapidly changing global environment.
• India has 2+2 dialogues with four key strategic partners: the US, Australia, Japan, and Russia.

Source

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=India-US-2-plus-2-Intersessional-Dialogue-held-in-Washington&id=468452