National
Unity in Creativity Contest
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated the winners as well as the participants of Unity in Creativity contest organised under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in year 2021.
- The Grand Finale of the contest was organised at Nehru Park in Delhi.
Ministry of Culture presented awards for the winners of Unity in Creativity Competition in a celebration filled with art, culture, and music.
- The event was organised under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on 5th February 2023 at Nehru Park, New Delhi.
Background:
- Beginning on 31st October 2021, Unity in Creativity competitions garnered over 5.6 Lakh entries from over 600 districts.
- Entries for Deshbhakti Geet Writing were received in 21 languages, and in 20 different languages for Lori writing. Thousands of Rangoli entries depicted scenes and heroes from India’s freedom struggle, along with symbols of national importance.
» A grand total of 4760 winners were selected for the three competitions on national, state and district levels.
- Out of which, 4472 winners for the ‘District’ level were declared on 8th July 2022, followed by the announcement of 272 ‘State/UT’ level winners on 19th September 2022.
- 16 National Level winners were awarded in the grand finale event on 5 February 2023.
IEEE C-DOT Certified Telecom Expert Program (ICCTEP)
⇒ The Secretary (Telecom), Government of India & the Chairman, Digital Communications Commission, Shri K. Rajaraman launched the ‘IEEE C-DOT Certified Telecom Expert Program (ICCTEP)’.
- This program was launched during the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) Workshop centred on “Next Generation Connectivity” on 07 February 2023.
About ICCTEP:
» ICCTEP is a concrete step in furtherance of wide-ranging collaboration between C-DOT and IEEE.
- ICCTEP was collaborated by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and C-DOT (Centre for Development of Telematics) to bring learning in the areas of Telecom including 5G, Cyber Security and Quantum Communication to bridge the skill gap.
- This platform will offer specially-tailored certification program that aims at providing quality learning in diverse areas of Telecom.
- The key focus is on building skills that would accelerate the participation of students, academia, technologists, industry, start-ups and other relevant stakeholders in developing globally-competitive Telecom technologies and solutions.
- The first program launched on the platform is on 5G and beyond.
About IEEE & C-DOT:
- IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.
- Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) is the premier R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India. C-DOT has indigenously designed various cutting-edge Telecom technologies including 4G/5G, Disaster Management, Cyber Security and Quantum Communications.
NTPC bags ‘ATD Best Awards 2023’
⇒ NTPC Limited, the country’s largest power generating company has been honoured with ‘ATD Best Awards 2023’ by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), USA.
Key Points:
- This is the sixth time that NTPC Limited has won this award for demonstrating enterprise success in the field of talent development.
- The foundation of NTPC’s culture has always been to engage employees through creative techniques. The award is testimony to NTPC’s contemporary HR practices.
- NTPC has been successful in creating an ecosystem, which empowers employees to enhance their skill sets.
About ATD Award:
- The Association for Talent Development, USA is the world’s largest association in the field of talent development and ATD’s BEST AWARD is most coveted recognition in Learning and Development.
- The award includes small and large private, public, and not-for-profit organizations from across the globe.
- The ATD Best Awards recognises organisations that demonstrate enterprise through talent development.
International
2nd G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group (IFA WG) meeting
⇒ The 2nd G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group (IFA WG) meeting under the chairmanship of India was held on March 30 and 31, 2023 in Paris, France.
- The meeting brought together representatives from G20 members, invited countries, and international organisations to discuss the progress of the IFA WG work plan for 2023.
Discussion:
The discussions focused on various topics, including the sustainability of sovereign debt and ways to limit its increase, proposals and directions to support vulnerable countries, and ongoing work by Multinational Development Banks on the implementation of recommendations by the Independent Review on Multinational Development Banks’ Capital Adequacy Frameworks.
- Additionally, the members shared their views on the impact of climate change-related policies on capital flows.
The UAE delegation attended the 2nd meeting of the IFA WG within the G20 Finance Track for 2023.
The UAE delegation, represented by Ahmad bin Sulaiman and Khalifa Al Faheem, emphasized the importance of collaborating with regional organizations to leverage their expertise in formulating initiatives that promote global debt sustainability.
3rd G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group (IFAWG) meeting
⇒ The Third G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group (IFAWG) meeting under the Indian G20 Presidency was held on 6-7 June 2023 in the vibrant state of Goa.
- The aim of the meeting was to strengthen financial resilience and give a voice to the Global South.
Steered by:
Discussions during the two-day meeting were jointly steered by the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India along with France and the Republic of Korea, who are the Co-chairs of the IFA WG.
Participation:
The two-day meeting saw the participation of approximately 100 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries, and various international organizations, including multilateral development banks (MDBs).
The meeting was organized into various thematic sessions covering key priority areas of the IFA WG under Indian G20 Presidency.
These includes:
- Strengthening the Global Financial Safety Net (GFSN)
- Managing global debt vulnerabilities
- Strengthening the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to address shared global challenges of the 21st century
- Strengthening financial resilience through sustainable capital flows
- Assessing the macro-financial implications of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
- Following up on the IMF’s general SDR allocation
On the first day of the meeting, 6 June 2023:
- Members recognized the need for MDBs to strengthen and evolve to address transboundary challenges. There was a shared understanding among members on the urgency to address debt vulnerabilities and find pragmatic solutions to strengthen coordinated policy action to address the worsening debt situation.
- Members also discussed how climate change-related policies can impact capital flows and the macro-financial impact of the widespread adoption of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) on the international monetary system.
On the sidelines of the meeting, a High-level seminar on “Towards Orderly Green Transition – Investment Requirements and Managing Risks to Capital Flows” was held to facilitate an in-depth discussion on Green Capital Flows and Emerging Markets (EMs).
- The seminar facilitated enriching panel discussions on the current issues linked to risks associated with capital flows from climate transition policies.
In the run-up to this meeting, a number of ‘Jan-Bhagidari’ events were held across Goa.
- These included Financial Literacy Camps and awareness campaigns, Coin Mela, Walkathon, Swacchta Abhiyaan, and a Quiz Competition.
- These events were aimed at creating awareness about the G20 Indian Presidency and its theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth – One Family – One Future”.