Amit Dasgupta Appointed as a Member in the Order of Australia
Amit Dasgupta was appointed as an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship.
Dasgupta is a tireless promoter of Australia-India relations, challenging the nations' governments and people to realise the underlying potential of a stronger bilateral relationship.
As Consul-General of India to Australia from 2009 to 2012, Dasgupta was a staunch advocate for the principles of multiculturalism, which underpins contemporary Australia.
Dasgupta was instrumental in establishing the Australia-India Youth Dialogue. Now in its second decade, the Dialogue is a permanent fixture of the bilateral relationship and fosters connections between Australian and Indian young people.
There are a number of different Australian Honours Awards which are awarded for different reasons. The main Australian honour is the Order of Australia which confers the highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service.
World's Longest Passenger Train
The world's longest passenger train was operationalised in Switzerland during the 175th anniversary of Swiss Railways.
The passenger train is 1.9 km-long, having 100 coaches. It travelled 15.5 miles from the Albula Tunnel in Preda to the Landwasser Viaduct, at the outskirts of Filisur. The journey ended at Bergün. It travelled via the famous Albula-Bernina route – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the journey, the trained travelled via 22 tunnels and 48 bridges.
The train was operated by 7 train drivers and 21 technicians. It took nearly 8 months to prepare for this historic journey.
The previous record of the longest passenger train journey was set by National Belgian Railway Company in 1991.
Adani New Industries Installs India's Largest Wind Turbine, Taller than Statue of Unity
Adani New Industries Ltd. constructed a wind turbine in Mundra in Gujarat as part of its growth plans for renewable energy that is taller than the Statue of Unity and has blades that are broader than the wingspan of a jumbo jet. Adani New Industries Limited (ANIL) announced the installation of the largest wind turbine generator (WTG) in the nation in Mundra, Gujarat.
Mundra Windtech Ltd (MWL), an Adani Enterprises Ltd. wholly-owned company, installed the turbine (AEL). This prototype is also Adani New Industries Ltd.'s (ANIL) first addition to its portfolio and has paved the way for the installation of even larger wind turbine generators, according to the company.
The wind turbine, which is 200 metres tall, can power over 4,000 households with 5.2 MW of electricity.
Haryana Forest Department and USAID Launch Initiative to Increase tree Coverage
Haryana State Government's Forest Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the launch of the "Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI)" program in the state. The new program would enhance carbon sequestration, support local communities and strengthen the climate resilience of agriculture.
Supporting global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals, this initiative will bring together farmers, companies and other private institutions to rapidly expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests in the state.
The Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI) program will take forward Haryana's State Action Plan on Climate Change and will build on the state's progress and harness agro forestry to bolster the resilience of farming systems, while also increasing the income of farmers in the state.
Reliance Strategic Investments Appoints K. V. Kamath as Independent Director
Reliance Strategic Investments (RSIL) appointed K. V. Kamath as non-executive Chairman. RSIL will be renamed as Jio Financial Services (JFSL) & will be listed soon. K. V. Kamath will continue as Independent Director & non-executive Chairman of JFSL.
Kamath is an banker who started his career in 1971 at ICICI. In 1988, he moved to the Asian Development Bank and spent several years in South East Asia before returning to the ICICI as its Managing Director and CEO in 1996 and post its merger into ICICI Bank, was Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank.
Kamath was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours in 2008.
Centre Appoints Non-executive Chairman in Four Public Sector Banks
Non-Executive Chairman was appointed on the Boards of four public sector banks, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India and Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) respectively following approval given by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
Vijay Srirangam was appointed as part-time Non Official Director as well as Non-Executive Chairman of Canara Bank for three years, K. G. Ananthakrishnan was appointed as part-time Non Official Director as well as Non Executive Chairman of PNB for a term of three years, Srinivasan Varadarajan was appointed as part-time Non-Official Director as well as Non-Executive Chairman of Union Bank of India for a term of three years and Charan Singh was appointed as part-time Non-Official Director as well as Non- Executive Chairman of Punjab & Sind Bank for a term of two years.
Anant Goenka Appointed as Interim MD of Zensar Tech
Technology services company Zensar Technologies Ltd appointed Anant Goenka, son of RPG Group chairman Harsh Goenka, as interim Managing Director saying chief executive officer Ajay Bhutoria is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed health condition.
Anant Goenka, Managing Director at Ceat Ltd, was tasked with the additional responsibility of steering Zensar, prompting a few analysts and proxy advisory firms to question the succession planning at the country's tenth largest IT services company.
Kerala to Host Track Asia Cup 2022 Cycling Tournament
Kerala is set to host the Track Asia Cup 2022 Cycling Tournament. Track Asia Cup is one of the biggest cycling events and will be held at LNCPE Outdoor Velodrome from 25th November 2022 to 28th November 2022. In the Track Asia Cup 2022, around 200 cyclists will participate from over 25 countries in Asia. The event is being conducted outside Delhi for the first time.
Track Asia Cup is sanctioned by the Asian Cycling Confederation and Cycling Federation of India.
The Cycling Association of Kerala informed that due to extreme heat, efforts are being made to hold the matches under flood lights.
Cycling Giants including China, Korea, Japan, and Kazakhstan are going to participate in the event.
Indian Men's Squash Team Wins Gold at 2022 Asian Team Championships
The Indian men's team, led by the seasoned Saurav Ghosal, clinched its first-ever gold at the Asian Squash Team Championships with a 2-0 win over Kuwait in the final at Cheongju International Squash Stadium in Cheongju, South Korea.
Star player Ghosal sealed the victory after Ramit Tandon gave India the lead with a fluent straight games win over Ali Aramezi (11-5, 11-7, 11-4). Ghosal then made short work of Ammar Altamimi 11-9, 11-2, 11-3 to give the team an unassailable lead. The third match between Abhay Singh and Falah Mohammad was not played as the tie had been decided following wins for Tandon and Ghosal.
The women's team settled for the bronze medal after losing 1-2 to Malaysia in the semi-final.
Asian Hockey Federation CEO, Tayyab Ikram Elected as FIH President
Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) CEO Mohammad Tayyab Ikram of Macau was elected as the new president of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), succeeding India's Narinder Batra as its full-time chief.
Ikram defeated Marc Coudron of Belgium 79-47 in the 48th FIH Congress held virtually.
Out of 129 national associations, 126 casted valid votes.
The duration of Ikram's term would be for two years, in order to complete the mandate of the previous chief, Batra, who resigned in July 2022.
Seif Ahmed was the acting president of the FIH following Batra's resignation from the top post after the Delhi High Court asked him to stop functioning as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief.
NITI Aayog Launches the Fourth Edition of 'Innovations for You' Coffee Table Book
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) NITI Aayog launched the fourth edition of 'Innovations for You' coffee table book featuring 75 successful women entrepreneurs of India.
The 75 women entrepreneurs are supported by Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) of AIM, NITI Aayog. As the country celebrates the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav – 75th Year of Independence, Innovations for You series captures how start-ups in various sectors are innovating to create a sustainable future for the communities.
'Innovations For You' is a Coffee Table Book series with 3 editions being released previously. The book captures success stories of start-ups supported through Atal Incubation Centres, Atal Community Innovation Centres and Atal New India Challenges, three flagship programs under the Atal Innovation Mission. Each edition showcases the journey of entrepreneurs working in different sectors and is dedicated to creating new, disruptive, innovative products, services, and solutions that can pave the path for a sustainable future.
Guyana President to be Chief Guest at 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore
Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali is set to be the Chief Guest at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, scheduled to be held in Indore in January next year (2023).
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs and provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians.
Australian Member of Parliament (MP) Zaneta Mascarenhas will be the guest of honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
Prof. Kishor Basa Appointed as Chairman of National Monuments Authority (NMA)
Prof. Kishor Basa was appointed as the chairman of National Monuments Authority (NMA), informed the Ministry of Culture India.
According to reports, Basa is currently serving as Vice Chancellor of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University in Baripada. Besides, he has also served as Vice Chancellor of Fakir Mohan University in Balasore.
Basa held various administrative posts in various prestigious educational institutions and educational committees of Odisha.
It is to be noted that, he is the first social scientist of Odisha to assume such a prestigious position in the NMA. Besides, the people of the state have expressed their happiness over the appointment of Odia people in such a prestigious authority of the government of India.
Annual Joint Military Training between IAF, Royal Singapore Air Force Resumes
The annual Joint Military Training (JMT) between the Indian Air Force (lAF) and the Royal Singapore Air Force (RSAF) commenced at Air Force Station, Kalaikunda in West Bengal, after a gap of two year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The JMT began on November 3.
This edition of JMT would be conducted over a period of six weeks. The bilateral phase of the exercise will be conducted from November 9-18 and will see the two Air Forces engage in advanced air combat simulations.
The RSAF is participating in JMT-2022 with F-16 aircraft, while the IAF would field the Su-30 MKI, Jaguar, MiG-29 and LCA Tejas aircraft. The exercise underscores the strong and longstanding relationship between India and Singapore in the domain of defence cooperation.
Indian Army Approves 5 Make II Projects Including Drone Kill System
As per the Defence Ministry, the Army approved project sanction orders of five Make II projects, including drone kill system and infantry training weapon simulator, giving an impetus to India's vision for self-reliance.
Make II projects are essentially industry-funded projects involving design, development and innovative solutions by Indian vendors for development of prototypes.
Indian Army is spearheading actions to provide impetus to 'Make Projects' as the prime drivers of infusion of niche technologies through indigenous development.
These projects whose PSOs have been approved, included high frequency man packed software defined radio, drone kill system, infantry training weapon simulator (IWTS), 155 mm terminally guided munition (TGM) and medium range precision kill system (MRPKS).
Byju's Ropes in Messi as Global Brand Ambassador for Social Initiative EFA
Edtech major BYJU's has roped in football star Lionel "Leo" Messi as the first global brand ambassador of its social impact arm Education For All.
Messi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentinian football team, signed an agreement with BYJU'S to promote the cause of equitable education.
The engagement of BYJU's with Messi will enhance visibility of the edtech firm overseas as football has roughly 3.5 billion fans worldwide, and Lionel Messi has a social media following of nearly 450 million.
Independent India's First Voter Shyam Saran Negi Dies
The first citizen of independent India to ever cast a vote, Shyam Saran Negi, died at the age of 106 at his residence in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur.
He cast his postal vote for the assembly elections on November 2, 2022 for the 34th time.
Born on July 1, 1917, Negi worked as a schoolteacher in Kalpa. When India held its first general elections in 1951 after the end of British rule in 1947, Negi was the first one to cast his vote on October 25.
National Cancer Awareness Day is observed to create awareness about treatment of the disease in the county, which is one of the leading causes of deaths. National Cancer Awareness Day was first announced in September 2014 by then Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. The date, November 7, was chosen as it is the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Marie Curie, whose work led to the development of radiotherapy, which is used in cancer treatment.
Infant Protection Day
The Infant Protection Day is observed annually on November 7. This day is celebrated to spread awareness about the measures to be taken to save the lives of infants and provide sufficient protection and care.
In 1990 nearly 5 million infants died due to a lack of awareness of protecting Infants.
So, in the early 1900s, many countries decided to take the necessary steps for better child health care and to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). Europe was the first to start a campaign to improve child health care. European countries established Infant Protection Day in order to create awareness among the people about Child Care Services and to reduce Infant Mortality Rate. The Infant Mortality Rate has decreased from 100 to 10 deaths per 1000 births because of the awareness created by this day. Later America joined in this and started to celebrate Infant Protection Day to create awareness among the People. So Infant Protection Day was celebrated every year on 7th November.
Grama Vandi, from KSRTC, Receives Accolades on National Level
The city circular service of the Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) won the national 'Commentation Award in Urban Transport' in the category of 'City with the best Public Transport System'.
The 'Grama Vandi' launched by the KSRTC, in association with local self-government institutions in the State, also won the Award of Excellence in Urban Transport.
Projects designed to strengthen public transport in all urban areas of India were considered for the awards instituted by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. The awards presented by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in the presence of Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore at the Urban Mobility India (UMI) conference in Kochi.
Education Ministry forms Panel to Strengthen Assessment, Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions
The Ministry of Education set up a high-level panel to strengthen the assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutions.
The panel is headed by K. Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur. He is also the chairperson of the Standing Committee of IIT Council.
The mandate of the committee includes strengthening the assessment and accreditation processes and preparing a road map for the National Accreditation Council envisioned in the National Education Policy, 2020.
Other members of the committee include Mridul Hazarika, Vice-Chancellor, Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya, Assam; Bharat Bhasker, Professor, IIM, Lucknow and Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
IIT Madras, Purdue University Join Hands to Offer Dual-degree Programme in Semiconductors
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras, in collaboration with Purdue University (US), will develop a dual-degree programme in semiconductors. The two institutions, as per the institute, will also be undertaking international cooperation in education and research in the areas of semiconductors and microelectronics.
The two institutions signed a letter of intent. In order to meet the growing needs of the industry, the proposed dual-degree programme will focus on an innovative and cooperatively-developed curriculum.
Undergraduate students with strong academic credentials with a deep interest in working on topics related to semiconductor devices, chip fabrication, and circuit and system will be selected for the proposed master's programme to enable a quick ramp-up of skilled talent, preparing the next generation of the semiconductor workforce.
The programme aims to prepare a workforce to tackle global challenges arising from the increased needs for microelectronics and shifting manufacturing trends.
UGC Issues Revised Guidelines for 'Deemed to be Universities'
The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced modified regulations for deemed to be universities to make them in tune with the broader policies of higher education as contained in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
According to the revised regulations, multi-disciplinary institutions with minimum five departments (either UG/ PG/ integrated/ research or a combination of these) or a cluster of institutions offering a minimum of five departments located in the same city/town will be eligible to apply for Deemed University status.
Additionally, the eligibility criteria will be NAAC 'A' grade with at least a 3.01 CGPA for three consecutive cycles or NBA accreditation for two-third of eligible programmes for three consecutive cycles or in top 50 of any specific category of NIRF for the last three years continuously or in top 100 of overall NIRF ranking for last three years continuously.
According to the new guidelines, now UGC will be providing approval for off-campus centre(s), and not Ministry of Education (MoE).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Mangarh Dham as a National Monument in the Banswara district of Rajasthan and said that India's past, present and future are not complete without the tribal community.
The Mangarh Dham is a symbol of the tenacity and sacrifice of tribals.
Tourism Ministry to Participate in World Travel Market
India is participating in the three-day World Travel Mart November 7 to 9, 2022, which is one of the largest international travel exhibitions, in London to showcase itself as a preferred destination for tourism.
With the reopening of the country to foreign tourists after a gap of almost two years, this year's (2022) participation of India is particularly significant.
The objective is to showcase the diverse tourism products and services, including medical value travel, luxury trains and the gamut of tourism products to the international business community.
This year, the Indian delegation is being led by Arvind Singh, Union Tourism Secretary and also includes Rakesh Verma, additional secretary and other senior officials from the ministry, besides representatives from the Indian travel and tourism stakeholders.
Supreme Court Upholds Constitutional Validity of 10 per cent Quota for EWS with 3:2 Majority
The Supreme Court Constitution bench with 3:2 majority upheld the Constitutional validity of 103rd Amendment which gives 10 per cent reservation to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) among the forward castes.
A bench comprising of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit along with Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice J.B. Pardiwala .delivered the order.
In September the Apex Court had concluded hearing the on the 103rd Constitutional Amendment that grants 10 per cent reservation to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) among the forward castes.
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