National
'TiHAN (Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation) Testbed' for "Autonomous Navigation"
⇒ Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated ‘TiHAN Testbed’ for Autonomous Navigation at IIT Hyderabad campus, a unique, first of its kind, state of the art, futuristic “Autonomous Navigation” facility to develop unmanned ground and aerial vehicles on 04 July 2022.
During the event, Dr Jitendra Singh said:
» Funded by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology at a budget of Rs 130 crore, the “Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation” is a multidisciplinary initiative, which will make India a global player in the futuristic and next generation “Smart Mobility” technology”.
» He also appreciated that IIT Hyderabad has established a new Post-Graduation course of M.Tech in “Smart Mobility”, which is the first-of-its-kind in India.
» He also said ‘TiHAN Testbed’ for Autonomous Navigation at IIT Hyderabad to promote collaborative research between academia, industry and R&D labs for next-generation mobility solutions both at national and global level.
» In India, there is presently no such testbed facility for assessing autonomous vehicle performance, and hence the need for this TiHAN Testbed.
» The Minister said, specifically, TiHAN is developing and deploying a real-time CPS system utilising autonomous UAVs and ground/surface vehicles for many application sectors of the national importance of this decade. He said, this testbed includes simulation platforms that allow for non-destructive testing of algorithms and prototypes.
- Also, several real-world scenarios can be emulated on the testbed. In terrestrial systems, a few examples of these scenarios are Smart Cities, Signalised Intersections, Autonomous Vehicle Interactions with Cyclists and Pedestrians, Wireless Networking among vehicles and Road-Side Units, etc.
- The autonomous vehicle testbed also provides dummy signboards, pedestrians, overpasses, and bikers to test all real-world conditions.
Other Points:
- IIT Hyderabad has been awarded the Technology Innovation Hub in the technological vertical of ‘Autonomous Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems (UAVs, ROVs. etc.)’.
- NMICPS Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation Foundation (TiHAN) is a multi-disciplinary initiative, including researchers from Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, Design, Liberal Arts and Entrepreneurship at IIT Hyderabad.
- TiHAN is recognized as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Award in public administration in the field of academic excellence
⇒ Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, chaired the meeting of Executive Council of IIPA in New Delhi.
» The Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also Chairman of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), announced the setting up of Dr Rajendra Prasad Memorial Award in public administration in the field of academic excellence on 05 July 202.
- The Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Award in public administration in the field of academic excellence will be set up in memory of the first President of India who had also laid the foundation stone of the IIPA building complex in the national capital.
India’s first ever Animal Health Summit 2022
⇒ Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying inaugurated the First India Animal Health Summit 2022 on 05 July 2022.
» Shri Parshottam Rupala said that there is need to strengthen the cooperative movement in the livestock sector. He called for greater use of Ayurveda for ensuring better animal health.
Organized by:
‘India Animal Health Summit 2022’ was organized by Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) and the Agriculture Today Group.
Key Points:
- First India Animal Health Summit 2022 was held at NASC Complex, New Delhi understanding the significance of animal health towards the broader objective of the country’s food and nutrition security, rural incomes and prosperity and overall economic development.
- The two-day event hosted a plethora of panel discussions ranging from topics such as Animal Health policy initiatives to Business environment & investment opportunities in the Animal Health sector.
Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam on implementation of the National Education Policy
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam on implementation of the National Education Policy in Varanasi 07 July 2022.
Organized by:
The Ministry of Education in association with University Grants Commission and Banaras Hindu University organized Shiksha Samagam from 7th to 9th July 2022.
» Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam witnessed 11 sessions including 9 thematic session and two exclusive sessions on sharing success stories and Best Practices of NEP 2020 Implementation.
Theme:
During the three-day Shiksha Samagam, panel discussions were conducted on nine themes identified for Higher Education under NEP 2020.
These were 9 themes:
- Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education
- Skill Development and Employability
- Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Capacity Building of Teachers for Quality Education
- Quality, Ranking and Accreditation
- Digital Empowerment and Online Education
- Equitable and Inclusive Education
- Indian Knowledge System
- Internationalisation of Higher Education
Key Points:
- The event was organized as part of capacity building of more than 300 Academic, Administrative & Institutional Leaders from Universities, and Institutes of National Importance from all over the country.
- It provided a platform for eminent academicians, policymakers and academic leaders to deliberate and share their experiences and discuss the roadmap for effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- Various stakeholders presented the progress of implementation of NEP in their respective institutions and also shared noteworthy implementation strategies, best practices and success stories.
- Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam was organized with the objectives to identify various approaches and methodologies to implement NEP 2020, effectively articulate the roadmap and implementation strategies, foster knowledge exchange through interdisciplinary discussions; discuss challenges being faced by educational institutions etc.
- In this Samagam, Vice Chancellors of Central/State/Deemed/Private Universities, Directors / Heads of Higher Educational Institutions, Principals / Faculties of Colleges, Educationists, Policy-makers etc participated.
- The key highlight of the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam was the adoption of the Varanasi Declaration on Higher Education which will showcase India’s extended vision and a renewed commitment to help achieve the goals of higher education system.
Death
Noted Gandhian and freedom fighter P. Gopinathan Nair
⇒ Noted Gandhian and freedom fighter P. Gopinathan Nair passed away at Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram on 05 July 2022. He was 100.
P Gopinathan Nair was known for following Gandhian ideology in his life. Gopinathan Nair played a major role in popularising Gandhism across the country. He was jailed for participating in Quit India Movement in 1942.
The Government of India honoured Gopinathan Nair with Padma Shri in 2016.