National
PM inaugurates ITU Area Office & Innovation Center
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area office & Innovation Centre in India at a programme in Vigyan Bhawan on 22 March 2023.
- The Prime Minister also unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision Document and launched the 6G R&D Test Bed. He also launched the ‘Call before u Dig’ App.
About ITU Area office & Innovation Centre:
» ITU is the United Nations’ specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs). Headquartered in Geneva, it has a network of field offices, regional Offices and area offices.
- India signed a Host Country Agreement in March 2022 with ITU for the establishment of Area Office. The Area Office in India is also envisaged to have an Innovation Centre embedded in it making it unique among other area offices of ITU.
- The Area Office, which is fully funded by India, is located on the second floor of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) building at Mehrauli New Delhi.
- It will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran, enhancing coordination among nations and fostering mutually beneficial economic cooperation in the region.
About Bharat 6G vision document and 6G R&D Test Bed:
- Bharat 6G vision document is prepared by the Technology Innovation Group on 6G (TIG-6G) to develop a roadmap and action plans for 6G in India. Technology Innovation Group was constituted in November 2021 with members from various Ministries/Departments, research and development institutions, academia, standardization bodies, Telecom Service Providers and industry.
- 6G Test Bed will provide academic institutions, industries, start-ups, MSMEs etc. a platform to test and validate the evolving ICT technologies.
- The Bharat 6G Vision Document and 6G Test Bed will provide an enabling environment for innovation, capacity building and faster technology adoption in the country.
About ‘Call Before You Dig’ (CBuD) app:
Exemplifying the Prime Minister’s vision of integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects under PM Gati Shakti, the Call Before You Dig app is a tool envisaged for preventing damage to underlying assets like optical fiber cables, that occurs because of uncoordinated digging and excavation; leading to loss of about Rs 3000 crore every year to the country.
- The mobile app CBuD will connect excavators and asset owners through SMS/Email notifications & click to call so that there are planned excavations in the country while ensuring the safety of underground assets.
- CBuD, which illustrates the adoption of a ‘Whole-of-Government Approach’ in the country’s governance will benefit all stakeholders by improving the ease of doing business. It will save potential business loss and minimize discomfort to the citizens due to reduced disruption in essential services like road, telecom, water, gas and electricity.
CAPA India’s Aviation Summit 2023
⇒ Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia highlighted the various aspects of the development of the Indian aviation industry while addressing the CAPA India’s Aviation Summit 2023 on 20 March 2023.
Aviation Summit 2023 was organised by CAPA India on 20-22 March 2023. Indian aviation industry leaders gathered in Delhi for the CAPA India Aviation Summit. This is the first time after 2019 that CAPA has organised this summit.
Addressing the event, Shri Scindia said that there was a time when the airports were devoid of a single passenger when we have already crossed figures of 4.56 lakh domestic passengers in a day.
The Minister also said:
- India will have more than 140 million passengers in FY 2024 alone. In the six years from FY 2014 to FY 2020 the number of domestic passengers has more than doubled from 120 million to about 275million at a CAGR of 14.5% and had there been no COVID outbreak we would have reached a CAGR of about 18-20%.
- Scope of exponential growth: India is the third largest domestic market in the world in terms of seat capacity, but in terms of international seat capacity we are still ranked at the 18th position.
- Development of the Drone Industry in the country: The size of the Drone market is projected to increase from Rs 2900 Crore in 2020 to about Rs 77300 Crore in 2025 at a CAGR of 80% and is further expected to reach up to Rs295000 Crore by 2030. In terms of employment potential, it is close to 3 Lakh people both in manufacturing and Drone Flying.
International
3rd G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting
⇒ The 3rd G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency was held in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu from June 19 – 21, 2023.
- The meeting brought together around 100 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries, and international organisations.
- The first two meetings of the SFWG were held in Guwahati and Udaipur.
During the 3rd meeting, discussions were focussed on enabling finance for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring adequate resources for climate finance & more.
The SFWG has been working on three priority areas to advance the actions as envisaged in the G20 Sustainable Finance Roadmap, namely:
- Mechanisms for mobilisation of timely and adequate resources for climate finance;
- Enabling finance for the Sustainable Development Goals; and
- Capacity building of the ecosystem for financing toward sustainable development.
Under the Indian G20 Presidency:
The SFWG is developing a set of voluntary recommendations as part of its deliverables for 2023 to address the challenges of knowledge gaps, limited technical assistance, a lack of consistent funds, and a lack of coordination and collaboration among capacity-building program providers. This will benefit the entire sustainable finance ecosystem.
Day 1:
On the first day of the 3rd Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting, the G20 delegates kickstarted with insightful presentations, deliberating on key takeaways from the last meeting & further discussions on Enabling finance for SDGs.
Further, on the sidelines of the meeting, delegates took part in a workshop that shed light on policy measures and financial instruments for catalysing the rapid development & deployment of green and low carbon technologies.
Two side events were also organized on the following themes:
- Scaling up capital for early-stage climate-smart technologies
- Building on enabling environment for financing early-stage climate technologies.
Day 2:
The opening session on the second day saw the G20 India delegates initiate discussions on the Mechanisms for the Mobilisation of Timely and Adequate Resources for Climate Finance.
On the sidelines of the second day’s sessions, delegates participated in a side event workshop that delved into Transition finance, Data, and Metrics for Climate-Aligned Investments & Sustainability Issues.
In the second side event, a roundtable discussion was organised on Understanding the climate alignment of the companies using forward-looking metrics.
Another roundtable was organised on Portfolio alignment for transition-enabling investments.
Day 3: 21 June
The third day of the meeting commenced with the embracing of values of peace, health & unity on International Day of Yoga 2023.
- The G20 delegates from around the world took part in a rejuvenating Yoga session on the sidelines of the 3rd SFWG Meeting, at the iconic Shore Temple complex in Mahabalipuram.
» After a soothing yoga session, proceedings of the third day saw G20 delegates deliberating on the capacity building of the ecosystem for financing sustainable development.
» The draft voluntary recommendations were discussed and negotiated in this meeting. This was further discussed at the 3rd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting.
Important Day
International Day of Forests 2023
⇒ International Day of Forests is celebrated every year on 21 March. The day highlights the importance of forests and raise awareness about forest restoration.
Theme:
The theme for each International Day of Forests is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
» The theme for International Day of Forests 2023 was ‘Forests and health.’
- The theme for this year’s International Forest Day, “Forests and Health”, highlights the ecosystem services provided by forests like purification of water and air, carbon capture to fight climate change, and supply of life-saving medicines.
» The theme for International Day of Forests 2024 will be ‘Forests and innovation.’
Background:
- The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012. The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests.
- On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.
- The organizers are the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with Governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations in the field.