National
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)
⇒ Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM ADC took over as The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) at a ceremony at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan) on 30 September 2021.
Air Marshal V R Chaudhari, PVSM, AVSM, VM, was commissioned into the Fighter stream of Indian Air Force on 29 December 1982.
TRIFED signed MoU with 'Big Basket', and Purty Agrotech
⇒ TRIFED signed MoU with ‘Big Basket’, and PurtyAgrotech of Jharkhand on 20 September 2021 in New Delhi to boost tribal livelihoods.
MoU:
The MoU between TRIFED and Big Basket is for promotion and sale of Organics, natural Van Dhan products and TRIFOOD products through the Big Basket platform.
The MoU between TRIFED and Purty Agrotech will promote the art of growing pearls among other tribal entrepreneurs across India and tap the potential of this market.
Addressing on the occasion, the Union Minister of Tribal affairs Shri Arjun Munda has said, “The government is taking up ambitious transformational programmes which will prove to be game changer for the tribal livelihoods in times to come”.
Capacity Building and Personality Development Program of NCW
⇒ The National Commission for Women has launched a country-wide capacity building and personality development program for women Undergraduate and Post graduate students.
The Commission is collaborating with Central and State universities for organizing sessions on Personal Capacity Building, Professional Career Skills and Digital Literacy and Effective Use of Social Media to prep women students for entering the job market.
First program:
NCW launched its first program in collaboration with the Central University of Haryana on 20 September 2021.
NCW Chairperson, Smt Rekha Sharma inaugurated the program. She said, this course will help students at every step of employment and prepare them to face challenges with confidence.
Course:
The course will focus on learning and applying the use of intuitive, logical and critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills to enhance employability.
The course has been divided into three categories; Personal Capacity Building, Professional Career Skills and Digital Literacy and Effective Use of Social Media.
International
3rd edition of Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’
⇒ Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt arrived at Jakarta, Indonesia on 18 September 2021 to participate in the 3rd edition of Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ with the Indonesian Navy.
The third edition of Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ was held between Indian Navy and Indonesian Navy from 20 September to 22 September 2021 in the area of the Sunda Strait.
Aim:
The aim of the exercise was to strengthen the bilateral relationship, enhance mutual understanding and interoperability in maritime operations between the two navies.
The exercise also provided an appropriate platform to share best practices and develop a common understanding of Maritime Security Operations.
Participating Ships:
The participating Indian Navy ships Shivalik and Kadmatt are amongst the latest indigenously designed and built multi-role Guided Missile Stealth Frigate and Anti-Submarine Corvette respectively.
The Indian Navy’s Anti-Submarine Warfare capable Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft P8I also participated in the exercise.
KRI Bung Tomo, KRI Malahayati and Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft CN-235 were representing Indonesian Navy.
History:
In pursuance of India’s Act East Policy, Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ was conceived in 2018 as a bilateral IN-IDN exercise.
UN Secretary General’s meeting
⇒ UN Secretary General’s meeting was convened by Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary General and Mr. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of United Kingdom.
Indian Representative:
The Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav represented India virtually at the UN Secretary General’s meeting with select leaders on Climate Change on 20 September, 2021.
Discussion:
In the Meeting, crucial climate actions on finance, mitigation and adaptation required for tackling the climate crisis were discussed.
Highlights:
The Environment Minister, Shri Bhupender Yadav underlined the need for upholding the principles of UNFCCC process, for any successful outcome in any climate change negotiations including the upcoming COP 26.
He also underlined that ambitious climate action in developing countries is dependent on ambitious support from developed countries under the Paris Agreement, and called upon the developed countries to fulfil their promise of the USD 100 billion per year goal made in 2009.
COP26 should focus on climate finance in scope, scale and speed and transfer of green technologies at low cost.
Death
Renowned physicist and professor, Thanu Padmanabhan
⇒ Renowned physicist and professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Thanu Padmanabhan passed away on 17 September 2021 in Pune. He was 64.
A Padma Shri recipient in 2007, Padmanabhan has authored over 300 research papers and several books on gravitation, quantum gravity, and structure and formation of the universe.
He was ranked 24th amongst top scientists in the world by the Stanford University for his research in Theoretical Physics.