National
5th Edition of ICC Sustainability Conclave 2023
⇒ Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Indian Chemical Council (ICC) organized the 5th edition of ICC Sustainability Conclave at The Imperial hotel, New Delhi on November 2-3, 2023.
Theme:
The theme of the 5th Edition of ICC Sustainability Conclave 2023 was “Integrating Sustainability & Business Strategy for the Chemical Industry- Addressing Challenges and Opportunities”.
Knowledge Partner:
This is a major initiative of the Indian Chemical Industry for encouraging sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of chemicals. Environment Resource Management (ERM), a globally renowned entity in the sector, is the Knowledge Partner for the Conclave.
Discussion:
- ICC Sustainability Conclave holds immense significance in light of India’s international commitments to address climate change, decrease carbon footprints, increase renewable energy utilization, and encourage sustainable corporate practices.
- The two-day event brought together senior representatives from Indian and Global companies, government officers, multilateral organizations, chemical industry bodies, and academic experts to discuss trending issues and opportunities, including ESG strategies, de-carbonization, net-zero transition, digital transformation, green growth, cleaner energy, safety promotion, and product stewardship beyond regulations.
» The knowledge report themed “Sustainability in Business Strategy Addressing Challenges and Opportunities” was released during the Conclave on 2 November.
- The knowledge paper reveals an insightful spotlight on the imperative need for continual innovation within the chemical sector. This paper underscores the paramount importance of developing cleaner processes, materials, and technologies to mitigate carbon emissions.
- It delves into the industry’s significant challenges in its pursuit of decarbonization, with a particular focus on the regulatory framework designed to incentivize reductions in carbon footprints.
» Indian Chemical Council (ICC) and the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) signed an MOU at the ICC’s 5th edition of Sustainability Conclave.
- This partnership aims to strengthen the Indian chemical industry and enhance global semiconductor manufacturing.
» The ICC Sustainability Conclave 2023 showcased a comprehensive exploration of sustainability challenges and opportunities in the chemical industry, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, innovation, and regulatory support for a sustainable future.
ECI signs MoU with the Ministry of Education to bring Electoral Literacy
⇒ A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on electoral literacy was signed between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Ministry of Education on 02 November 2023.
School and College students will soon learn about their future role and duties as voters in the election process, as part of the curricular and extra-curricular interventions in educational institutions. The MoU underscores the development of an institutional framework that seeks to incorporate electoral literacy formally into the school and college education system.
Salient features of the MoU:
- Systematically integrating voter education and electoral literacy into the curriculum, starting from classes 6 to 12 in all schools.
- This integration will also extend to the curricular framework for all colleges and universities, tailored to suit different disciplines and credited accordingly.
- NCERT will introduce and update textbooks to include content on electoral literacy and will advise State Education Boards and other Boards to follow suit.
- Emphasises the orientation and training of teachers in effectively imparting electoral literacy in classrooms.
- Fosters a sense of responsibility within State Education Departments for establishing Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs) in schools and colleges.
- Encourages various activities to promote voter awareness among students, ensuring they are well-versed with the country’s electoral system and encouraging them to register as voters and participate enthusiastically, with a well-informed and ethical approach, in every election.
- Seeks to evolve a robust mechanism to fulfil the aspirational goal of ECI to handover the voter ID card to every student immediately after their attaining the age of 18 years: an institutional framework to be created for online registration of eligible and prospective students who have attained 17+ years of age (after every qualifying date (1st January, 1st April, 1st July and 1st October of every calendar year) and during the annual summary revision of electoral rolls.
- Include electoral literacy in the curriculum for adult literacy and basic education, creating educational content focused on electoral processes for lifelong learning.
- Designate one of the rooms in every senior secondary school as the ‘Democracy Room’ for the regular display of voter education materials and the conduct of Continuous Electoral and Democracy Education (CEDE) activities throughout the year. A dedicated ‘Democracy Room’ will offer a platform for students to learn, discuss, and participate in various aspects of our democratic processes throughout the year.
- Developing critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills amongst university students to actively participate in university-level politics, including engaging in informed debates and discussions.
- Devise a system of credits for students taking part in CEDE to pursue higher studies.
- Providing standard ramps, accessible toilets, proper lighting and electricity on a permanent basis.
Background:
- The MoU is aimed at extending the ECI’s flagship Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) in schools and colleges. The objective is to encourage universal and enlightened participation of future voters in elections.
- The MoU also aims to address the issues like apathy among urban and young voters, as a crucial aspect of Continuous Electoral and Democracy Education. This integration seeks to motivate future voters to participate more actively in elections, fostering responsible citizenship, and reinforcing our democratic system with informed and dutiful citizens.
- Despite successfully managing and conducting of elections by the Election Commission over the years in a fair and peaceful way along with a high jump in participation of the electors, there is also a concern that there were almost 297 million electors (out of 910 million) who did not cast their votes in General Election to Lok Sabha – 2019. The voting percentage was 67.4%. The Commission has taken this as a challenge to improve upon.
- This significant collaboration aims to empower young people by bridging the knowledge gap among the youth and first-time voters.
International
Kozhikode as ‘City of Literature’ and Gwalior as the ‘City of Music’ included in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network
⇒ Kozhikode in Kerala and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh have made it to the prestigious creative cities list of UNESCO for contributions in the fields of literature and music respectively.
- The announcement was made by UNESCO on October 31, 2023, which is designated as World Cities Day.
About Kozhikode and Gwalior:
- Kozhikode is the first City of Literature in India. Kozhikode is a permanent venue for the annual Kerala Literature Festival and hosts several other book festivals.
- Gwalior has a rich and diverse musical heritage encompassing classical Hindustani music, folk music, and devotional music. The city also has some prestigious music institutes and hosts popular festivals.
» On World Cities Day, 55 cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
- New cities were acknowledged for their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity as part of their development strategies, and displaying innovative practices in human-centred urban planning.
- With the latest additions, the UCCN now counts 350 cities in more than a hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.
- Some of the other cities added to the list are Bukhara for Crafts and Folk Art, Casablanca for Media Arts, Kathmandu for Films, and Rio de Janeiro for Literature.
2024 UCCN Annual Conference:
The newly designated Creative Cities are invited to participate in the 2024 UCCN Annual Conference from July 1-5, 2024 in Braga, Portugal, under the theme “Bringing Youth to the table for the next decade”.
15th India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue
⇒ The 15th India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue was held in New Delhi on November 01, 2023.
- The dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and Permanent Secretary (Defence), Singapore Mr Chan Heng Kee.
Key Points:
- During the meeting, both sides reviewed the existing defence cooperation between the two countries and agreed to enhance collaboration in Service-to-Service interactions and bilateral exercises.
- They also articulated steps to take forward cooperation in emerging areas like cyber security.
- Both sides identified means to enhance existing areas of collaboration, especially in the field of maritime security and multilateral cooperation.
- Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement the ‘Strategic Partnership’ based on mutual trust and understanding, common interests and shared values of democracy and rule of law.
» Earlier, the Permanent Secretary (Defence) called on the Chief of Defence Staff and discussed issues of mutual interest. The Singapore delegation also visited various cultural places, including Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in New Delhi.
Important Day
68th Foundation Day of Madhya Pradesh and 24th Foundation Day of Chhattisgarh
⇒ Madhya Pradesh celebrated its 68th Foundation Day on 01 November 2023.
History:
- Madhya Pradesh state was formed on November 1, 1956 following the reorganisation of states. Central Provinces and Berar, Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal together formed Madhya Pradesh.
- On 1 November 2000, a new state, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh state.
⇒ Chhattisgarh celebrated its 24th State Foundation Day on November 1, 2023.
History:
- On November 1, 2000, Chhattisgarh was officially declared the 26th state of India. This day, known as Chhattisgarh Formation Day or Rajyotsava, commemorates the state’s emergence as an independent entity. The mythological name of Chhattisgarh is Kaushal Rajya (the mother of Lord Shri Ram).
- Chhattisgarh is the 10th largest state in India. The state is often referred to as “Dhan Ka Katora” (Bowl of Rice) due to its massive rice production.