National
20th National Maritime Search and Rescue (NMSAR) Board meeting
⇒ In the series of Annual Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR) meetings, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the 20th National Maritime Search and Rescue (NMSAR) Board meeting at Kevadia, Gujarat on November 18, 2022.
Chaired by:
The apex level meeting was chaired by Director General, ICG Shri VS Pathania who is also the Chairman of NMSAR Board.
Key Points:
- During the meeting, Shri VS Pathania launched the National Maritime Search and Rescue Plan-2022. It serves as a policy document for all the participating agencies & stakeholders for directing an integrated and coordinated approach towards the functioning of the M-SAR system.
- During the meeting, deliberations were held on various maritime safety issues and identifying areas of improvement of SAR services through policy framework and awareness programmes.
- Apart from deliberations, technical presentations were also delivered by the subject experts from ICG, ISRO, Maharashtra State Fisheries and Karnataka State Fisheries followed by brainstorming sessions and discussions on Agenda Points from the stakeholders.
About NMSAR Board:
- NMSAR Board, comprising 31 members from various central ministries/agencies, members of the Armed Forces, all Coastal States & Union Territories.
- They meet annually to discuss policy issues, formulate guidelines & procedures, assess the efficacy of National Maritime Search and Rescue Plan and services for mariners and fishermen in the vast 4.6 million sq km of Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR).
Annual performance of Institution’s Innovation Councils (IICs) for the academic year 2021-22
⇒ Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar e-released the annual performance of Institution’s Innovation Councils (IICs) for the academic year 2021-22 and unveiled the annual report of IIC 2021-22 on 18 November 2022.
During the program, YUKTI Innovation Challenge 2023 was also announced for IIC institutions to nominate best innovations through YUKTI Innovation Repository portal to MoE’s Innovation Cell for further mentoring and funding assistance to innovators.
» More than 6400 Institution’s Innovation Councils (IICs) have been established in higher educational institutions which gives a systematic and structured approach to conduct innovation and entrepreneurship activities round the and building a vibrant innovation and startup ecosystem development in campuses.
Highlights:
- During the academic year 2021-22, a total of 63288 numbers of I&E activities were conducted by these IICs which is double the number of activities conducted in the previous year.
- It’s evident from the annual performance that the average exposure of an individual to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship activities per year has increased substantially from less than 4 numbers in 2018-19 to 8 numbers in 2020-21 and 10 numbers in 2021-22 in IIC institutions.
- Moreover, the IICs in HEIs are conducting a large number of innovation and entrepreneurship activities, because of this there is a positive and exponential increase in awareness levels among students and faculty members towards Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
International
India wins the prestigious EXCELL award - Leadership in Family Planning
⇒ In a significant development and recognition to the country’s efforts in improving access to modern family planning methods, India won the Excellence in Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 at International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP-2022).
Key Points:
- India is the only country to have received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the ‘country category’ at the International Conference on Family Planning held in Pattaya city, Thailand.
- The award recognizes and applauds India’s achievements in ensuring increased access and adoption of modern contraceptive methods and significantly reducing unmet needs for family planning.
Achievements:
- India has made outstanding progress not only in improving access but also adoption of modern contraceptive methods enabling couples to make informed choices about family planning.
- These are reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) – 5 data. As per NFHS-5 data, overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54 percent to 67 percent in the country, from NFHS-4.
- Similarly, unmet needs of family planning have witnessed a significant decline from 13 per cent to 9 per cent. The unmet need for spacing has also come down to less than 10 per cent.
- The total ‘demand satisfied’ for family planning among currently married women aged 15-49 in India increased from 66 percent in 2015-16 to 76 percent in 2019-21 which has already crossed the SDG target of 75 set globally for 2030.
- The government’s focus on improving easy and affordable access to modern contraceptives are reflected in the fact that 68% modern method contraceptive users obtain their method from the public health sector, as per NFHS-5 data.
- Mission Parivar Vikas, one of the government’s flagship programmes, to reduce unmet needs in family planning, has also been a critical factor in the overall improvement.
About ICFP:
» The International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) has served as a strategic inflection point for the global reproductive health community, providing a global stage for more than 120 countries worldwide, organizations, and individuals.
- To make important commitments and celebrate achievements as the world’s largest scientific conclave on family planning and reproductive health.
Important Day
World Toilet Day 2022
⇒ World Toilet Day is held annually on 19 November all over the world. World Toilet Day is organized to celebrate toilets and raises awareness for the people living without access to sanitation.
Theme:
The theme of World Toilet Day 2022 was ‘Making the Invisible Visible’.
- The theme of World Toilet Day 2022 explores how inadequate sanitation systems spread human waste into rivers, lakes and soil, polluting underground water resources.
- World Toilet Day 2022 focused on the impact of the sanitation crisis on groundwater.
Key Points:
- This global observance, held annually since 2013, celebrates toilets and raises awareness for the people living without access to sanitation.
- This problem seems to be invisible, as the water contamination happens underground.
- The special day is about highlighting actions to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2: sanitation and water for all by 2030.
Achievements of India:
- Even though India has already achieved the SDG Target 6.2 pertaining to access to safe sanitation, when the entire county achieved ODF status in Oct 2019; it is persistent in its efforts to now achieve ODF plus status.
- The Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) has been recognized as the world’s largest behavior change program.
The Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) organized ‘Swachhta Run’ across rural India, to mark the World Toilet Day.
Background:
- World Toilet Day was first established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001.
- In 2013, at the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, a resolution was adopted by 122 countries to declare “World Toilet Day” as an official United Nations Day. Thereafter, on July 24, 2013, World Toilet Day was recognized as the official UN Day.