National
Inauguration of 5 NIELIT
⇒ Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt of India Shri Rajeev Chandrashekhar inaugurated 5 National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT) Centres at a function in Churachandpur, Manipur on 16 September 2021.
Centres:
The centres are at 5 locations in 3 states Imphal, Churachandpur in Manipur, Aizawl in Mizoram, Kokrajhar and Tezpur in Assam.
63rd Workers Education Day
⇒ The Ministry of Labour and Employment observed the Workers Education Day on 16 September 2021.
The Workers Education Day event was organized by the Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education and Development, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
On this occasion, Union Minister for Labour and Employment Shri Bhupendra Yadav said:
- The focus of training workers should be based on 2Qs i.e Quality and Quantity of Training Programmes.
- There must be a Calendar of training programmes across the country, indicating places,processes, target group, topics and time.
First ever Euro denominated Green bond issuance from India
⇒ Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC), the leading NBFC in power sector, has successfully issued its maiden Euro 300 million 7-year Euro Bond issuance on 13 September 2021.
The pricing of 1.841% achieved is the lowest yield locked in by an Indian Issuer in the Euro markets.
It is the first ever Euro denominated Green bond issuance from India. Moreover, it is the first ever Euro issuance by an Indian NBFC and the first Euro bond issuance from India since 2017.
International
15th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting
⇒ 15th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting was held on 16 September 2021.
Indian Representative:
Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Union Minister of State for Power, attended the meeting along with other senior officials of the Ministry.
Theme:
The theme of meeting was “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”.
The theme was aimed at coordinating efforts of ASEAN countries in pursuing the goal of energy security and energy transition that will benefit the people of our region.
Highlights:
» India confirmed that ASEAN is a region of great importance for us. Engagement with ASEAN has been, and will remain, a critical element of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and strategy; Acting East is now a central element in India’s Indo-Pacific vision.
» The Minister provided a brief status of the Indian energy transition plans, policies, challenges and efforts towards decarbonisation.
Exercise ZAPAD 2021
⇒ Exercise ZAPAD 2021, a Multi-Nation exercise was held at Nizhniy, Russia from 03 to 16 September 2021.
Participation:
Over a dozen countries from Eurasian and South Asian Region participated in the exercise.
17 countries were invited by Russia for the exercise:
As Participating Countries:
Mongolia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Russia, India and Belarus
Other eight countries as Observers:
Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka
Indian Contingent:
A 200 personnel contingent of Indian Army participated in Exercise ZAPAD 2021. India’s NAGA Battalion Group participated in the exercise.
- ZAPAD 2021 is one of the theatre level exercises of Russian Armed Forces. It was focused primarily on operations against terrorists.
The Exercise ZAPAD 2021 commenced on 04th September 2021, with an aim to train troops to undertake joint operations in conventional battlefield scenario.
Opening ceremony:
The opening ceremony was conducted in Mulino Training Ground near Nizhniy in Novgograd region, Russia on 09 September 2021.
As part of the Exercise:
» Important lectures, drills and demonstrations related to both Counter Terrorism and Conventional operations was conducted.
» Strategic planning, tactical actions and manoeuvres were rehearsed and executed jointly in conventional operational scenarios.
» The Joint Strategic Exercise included defensive & offensive manoeuvres by the Coalition Forces to restore territorial integrity under simulated combat conditions.
» New generation weapon systems and equipment were also demonstrated by Russian Armed Forces during the exercise.
- The Armies of all participating nations also shared their valuable experiences in varied theatres as also refined their drills and procedures for joint operations.
Closing Ceremony:
Exercise ZAPAD-2021, a seven-day long Multilateral ‘Joint Strategic Exercise’ which saw participation from seven countries culminated on 15 September 2021 at Mulino in the Novgorod Region of Russia.
Important Day
World Ozone Day
⇒ World Ozone Day is celebrated on 16th September each year to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental treaty for phasing out of production and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances, that came into force on this day in 1987.
Theme:
The theme World Ozone Day 2021 is “Montreal Protocol – Keeping us, our food and vaccines cool”.
History:
In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
The Ozone Cell, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India has been celebrating the World Ozone Day since 1995 at the National and State levels.
Significance:
The Day is celebrated every year to spread awareness among people about the depletion of Ozone Layer and the measures taken/ to be taken to preserve it.
India observed the 27th Global Ozone Day:
The Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey chaired an event organized to observe the 27th Global Ozone Day in New Delhi.
MoS Shri Choubey released the Action Plan for implementing recommendations of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) for the thematic Area Space Cooling in Buildings. The Action Plan has been developed after mapping of the recommendations given in the ICAP and after detailed discussions with various stakeholders including line departments and Ministries.
The India cooling action plan, the first of its kind in the world to be developed by the MoEF&CC, addresses cooling requirement across sectors and lists out actions which can help reduce the cooling demand through synergies in actions for securing both environmental and socio-economic benefits.
The ICAP aims to reduce both direct and indirect emissions.