1) Piyush Goyal e-launches “National GIS-enabled Land Bank system”
•Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal has virtually launched the “National GIS-enabled Land Bank system“. The system was launched during virtual meeting with the industry, ministers of states, UT administrators and senior officers of the central and State Governments. This initiative is being supported by National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics, Invest India, and National Center of Geo-Informatics.
•National GIS-enabled Land Bank system has been developed by integration of Industrial Information System (IIS) with State GIS Systems. Initially, the system has been launched in the six states. The system will be improved further to make it an effective, transparent mechanism of land identification as well as procurement.
•About Industrial Information System (IIS) portal: It is a GIS-enabled database of industrial areas/clusters across the states and about 3,300 industrial parks across 31 States/UTs have been mapped on the System. It contains information about forest, drainage, raw material heat maps; multiple layers of connectivity.
2) Uttar Pradesh government launches NRI unified portal
•Uttar Pradesh government has launched the NRI unified portal. Overseas Indians and NRIs will be able to get their issues resolved with the help of this portal in cooperation with local administration or the State Government, as there are many instances when they could not find a platform to help their families resolve the problems related to their house as well as issues with local administration.
•The state government will also create a database of the state’s migrant workers employed in different countries of the world and will help offer assistance during any emergency.The portal will also offer an opportunity to those who want to go abroad.
3) Delhi Govt launched ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’ fitness campaign
•Delhi Government has launched the Fitness Campaign “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” fitness campaign, for the students who are confined in their homes because of the lockdown imposed on Schools and colleges due to COVID-19 pandemic.
4) BPR&D celebrates its Golden Jubilee Anniversary on 28th August, 2020
•The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) celebrated its Golden Jubilee Anniversary on 28th August, 2020. BPR&D was raised on 28th August, 1970, through a resolution of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Bureau was mandated to encourage excellence in policing, promote speedy and systematic study of police problems, apply science and technology in the method and techniques by the Police. The bureau has played a vital role in shaping the Indian Police.
•Initially, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) was comprising two Divisions namely: Research, Publication & Statistics Division, and Development Division. The other two divisions namely the Training Division and the Correctional Division were added in 1973 and 1995 respectively. The National Police Mission was added while the Development Division was restructured as Modernization Division in year 2008.
5) IIT Alumni Council signs MOU with Russia for building Quantum Computers
•Indian Institute of Technology’s (IIT) Alumni Council has signed an agreement with Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and Russoft to build the world’s largest and fastest hybrid quantum computer in India. The most promising areas for Indo-Russian joint projects are Information and Communications Technology, space exploration, climate change, quantum technology and data security.
•The objective of the agreement is to use technology in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, transport and logistics, pollution and weather forecast to achieve the mission of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. As a part of the agreement, the Russian state-owned companies, which are key Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) owners, will transfer critical modules in cryogenics, cryptography and modularised cloud management technology to IIT Alumni Council.
6) Army Chief releases book on National Security
•Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane has released a book titled “National Security Challenges: Young Scholars’ Perspective” penned by university students, ranging from the undergraduate level to doctoral candidates. The book published by the Army think-tank Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).
7) NCPUL organises “World Urdu Conference” in New Delhi
•National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) has organised the “World Urdu Conference” in New Delhi. The inaugural session of the two days long conference was virtually addressed by Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. During the conference, the minister added that Government of India will honor Urdu writers and literators with awards and honours in the name of important personalities of Urdu in order to encourage Urdu writers for literary and creative services.
•NCPUL has organised the conference to celebrate the quintessential spirit of Urdu, its inclusive ethos and creative character.
8) Ms. Sudha Painuli selected for National Award to Teachers 2020
•Ms. Sudha Painuli has been selected for National Award to Teachers 2020. She is among the 47 outstanding teachers selected for the National Award to Teachers 2020. The teachers have been selected by the Independent Jury at National Level, constituted by the Union Ministry of Education, Department of School Education & Literacy.
•Ms. Sudha Painuli is the first NAT Awardee from the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) established under Ministry of Tribal Affairs. She is serving as the Vice Principal of EMRS-Kalsi, Dehradun, Uttarakhand since its establishment. She has been selected for her innovative experiments namely Eklavya Birthday Garden, Theatre in Education, Eklavya Tribal Museum, Skill Development Workshops etc.
9) Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld wins International Booker Prize 2020
•Dutch Author, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld won the International Booker Prize 2020 for her debut novel ‘The Discomfort of Evening’. Rijneveld became the youngest author to win the prize at the age of 29. The book tells the fictional story of Jas, a girl in a devout Christian farming family, whose brother dies in an accident after she wishes he would die instead of her rabbit.
•The book was first published in Dutch in 2018 and eventually translated into English by Michele Hutchison. The £50,000 prize ($66,000) will be split equally between the author and translator to give equal recognition to both.
10) India plans to host BRICS Games in 2021
•India is planning to host BRICS Games 2021, which will be aligned with the Khelo India Games scheduled for next year. This announcement came after Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju attended a meeting of Sports Ministers of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). India will get the chairmanship of the five-nation independent international group in 2021.
•BRICS Games 2021 will be held during the same time and at the same venues as of Khelo India Games 2021 so that our players from various parts of the country who will gather for Khelo India Games will have the benefit of witnessing BRICS Games from close quarters.
