National
President of India appointed the Governors of Several States
⇒ The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu has appointed the Governor of several states on 12 February 2023.
Lt. General Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik, PVSM, UYSM, YSM (Retired) as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh
- Lieutenant General (Retd) Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik took oath as the 20th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh on 16 February 2023.
Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya as Governor of Sikkim
- Shri Acharya was sworn in as the 15th Governor of Sikkim on 16th February, 2023 at Raj Bhawan, Gangtok.
Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan as Governor of Jharkhand
- Shri CP Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the 11th Governor of Jharkhand on 18 February 2023.
Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla as Governor of Himachal Pradesh
- Shiv Pratap Shukla was sworn in as the 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh on 18 February 2023 at a ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan.
Shri Gulab Chand Kataria as Governor of Assam
- Gulab Chand Kataria was sworn in as the 31st Governor of Assam on February 22, 2023.
Shri Justice (Retd.) S. Abdul Nazeer as Governor of Andhra Pradesh
- Justice S. Abdul Nazeer was sworn in as 24th Governor of Andhra Pradesh on 24 February 2023.
Shri Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh appointed as Governor of Chhattisgarh
- Shri Biswa Bhusan Harichandan took oath as the 9th Governor of Chhattisgarh at a function in the Raj Bhawan in Raipur on 23 February 2023.
Sushri Anusuiya Uikye, Governor of Chhattisgarh appointed as Governor of Manipur
- Senior BJP leader Sushri Anusuiya Uikey was sworn-in as the 18th Governor of Manipur on 22 February 2023.
Shri La. Ganesan, Governor of Manipur appointed as Governor of Nagaland
- La Ganesan was sworn in as the 21st Governor of Nagaland on 20 February 2023.
Shri Phagu Chauhan, Governor of Bihar appointed as Governor of Meghalaya
- Phagu Chauhan was sworn in as the 20th Governor of Meghalaya on 18 February 2023.
Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Governor of Himachal Pradesh appointed as Governor of Bihar
- Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was sworn in as the 41st Governor of Bihar on 17 February 2023.
Shri Ramesh Bais, Governor of Jharkhand appointed as Governor of Maharashtra
- Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais took oath as the 20th Governor of Maharashtra at Raj Bhavan Mumbai on 18th February 2023.
Brig. (Dr.) Shri B.D. Mishra (Retd.), Governor of Arunachal Pradesh appointed as Lt. Governor of Ladakh
- Brigadier (Retd) B D Mishra was sworn-in as the 2nd Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh on 19 February 2023, replacing former IAS officer Radha Krishna Mathur, who held the gubernatorial post for over 27 months after the region officially became a Union Territory in 2019.
DHARA 2023 – 1st Annual Meeting of Members of The River Cities Alliance
⇒ DHARA 2023, a two days annual meeting of the members of the River Cities Alliance (RCA), was held in Pune from 13th to 14th February, 2023.
- DHARA 2023 was aimed to inspire members of the RCA to engage in progressive actions for urban river management in their cities.
Organised by:
DHARA 2023 (Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers) was organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in association with National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) under the MoHUA.
DHARA provides a platform for senior officials including Commissioners, Addl Commissioners, Chief Engineers and Senior Planners of over 100 member-cities in India to co-learn and discuss solutions for managing local water resources.
Opening Session:
» The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat presided over the opening session of DHARA 2023.
- The Union Minister for Jal Shakti inaugurated DHARA 2023 by unifying the water collected from 52 participating cities in a Jal Kalash.
» The opening session also witnessed the launch of Urban River Management Plan for Ayodhya and Aurangabad and ‘75 River Initiatives’ – a Compendium.
» Day 1 of DHARA 2023 saw sessions on ‘Innovative Examples of River Management within India’, ‘Innovative International Case Studies for River Management’, ‘Strengthening the Agenda for Urban River management’, ‘Youth for Rivers’, ‘Experiences from International River Cities’.
Day 2:
» Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Kaushal Kishore presided over the valedictory session of DHARA 2023.
» In the early hours of Day 2 of DHARA, ‘Ghat Par Yoga’ session was organised on Sant Gyaneshwar Ghat on Mulla Mutha River in Pune.
- ‘Ghat Par Yoga’ is a novel initiative under Namami Gange Programme aimed at mobilizing people to use ghats along Ganga and its tributaries for beneficial and recreational activities such as Yoga.
Day 2 of DHARA 2023 witnessed diverse sessions on various aspects of river rejuvenation.
» The inaugural session of Day 2 on ‘Stories from RCA Cities’ was chaired by Shri G. Asok Kumar, DG, NMCG.
- The experiences from the member-cities of Aurangabad, Ayodhya, Gwalior, Moradabad and Pune were shared during the interactive session.
- The main factors that stood out during the discussion include ‘Water Centric Approach, STP/FSTP Development with Sewerage Network, Wastewater Management, Revival of Water Bodies, Nature-based Solutions and Groundwater Recharge’ to be done in sync with the city’s requirements.
» A session on ‘Financing River Related Projects & Interventions’, which was chaired by Ms. Richa Misra, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, Do WR, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- The session outlined the different national and international funding available for river-related projects.
- International organisations such as the World Bank, Agence Française de development (AFD), Embassy of Denmark, Department for International Development (DFID), KfW Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Private Enterprises (through CSR activities) participated in the session.
» Other session included ‘Inclusive Riverfront Development’, Solid Waste Management’, ‘Nature-based Solutions’, Inclusive city-wide Sanitation’, ‘The Role of Groundwater for Healthy Rivers’ and ‘State-of-the-art Research for River Management’.
» DHARA 2023 had strong synergies with the Urban20 (U20) initiative under the ambit of India’s G20 Presidency. One of the thrust areas of U20 is to promulgate urban water security.
» The two-day international meeting drew 300 people from river cities in India, including commissioners, additional commissioners, chief engineers, senior planners, academicians, water security experts, financial specialists, and others, to co-learn and discuss solutions for managing river stretches in their cities.
» Gwalior has been chosen as the location for the RCA international meeting, DHARA 2024.
About RCA:
- River Cities Alliance (RCA) started with 30 cities in 2021 and currently has 95 cities as members across India.
- RCA was launched by the Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on November 2021 as a dedicated platform for river cities in India to ideate, discuss and exchange information for sustainable management of urban rivers.
- River Cities Alliance, first-of-its-kind Alliance in the world, symbolizes the successful partnership of the two Ministries i.e., Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- The Alliance focuses on three broad themes- Networking, Capacity Building and Technical Support.
International
President of Cyprus
⇒ Nikos Christodoulides was sworn in as the 8th president of the republic of Cyprus on 28 February 2023. Christodoulides took an investiture oath in parliament.
Key Points:
- Cyprus has an executive system of government, with power invested in the presidency and its council of ministers.
- Presidential elections were held in Cyprus on 5 February 2023 (first round) and 12 February 2023 (second round).
- Christodoulides won the second round with 51.92% of the votes, against Mavroyiannis who received 48.08% of the votes, to become president of Cyprus.
2nd Education Working Group Meeting
⇒ The G20 2nd Education Working Group meeting under India’s presidency was held in Amritsar from March 15-17, 2023.
- The meeting focused on the role of Edutech, innovative teaching methods & other crucial factors that can help formulate better practices and policies in education globally.
The two-day meeting on the 16th -17th March provided a platform to deliberate on the four priority areas. They are:
- Ensuring Foundational Literacy and Numeracy especially in context of blended learning
- Making Tech-enabled learning more inclusive, qualitative and collaborative at every level
- Building Capacities, promoting Life-long Learning in the context of Future of Work
- Strengthening Research, promoting Innovation through richer collaboration and partnerships
Day 1:
On the first day of the EdWG Meeting, several sessions were held to shed light on the identification of relevant policies and best practices for research & innovations.
Session 1: Exploring new frontiers by strengthening research prowess
This session focused on Research in Emerging & Disruptive Technologies, Industry – 4.0, and SDGs.
Session 2: Scaling up research & Edu-Tech led solutions in an inclusive & sustainable way
In this session, the discussions were centered on Research in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with richer collaborations.
Furthermore, three Side Events were also organized on the first day of the EdWG meeting which is mentioned below:
- Research in Emerging and Disruptive Technologies, Industry – 4.0
- SDG 17 and the Importance of Global Cooperation in Achieving the Goals
- Research in Sustainable Development Goals.
» A Panel Discussion was also organised which focused on harnessing the power of research in emerging and disruptive technologies. The panel deliberated on innovative teaching methods that can help formulate better practices and policies in education globally.
Day 2:
On the second day of the EdWG Meeting, several sessions were held, where delegates explored effective strategies to strengthen the foundation of collaborative efforts in the education sector between the G20 member countries & organizations.
Session 1: Emphasizing research and innovation-led development
In this session, the discussions were focused on bolstering international cooperation in research and innovation and exploring innovative ways to revolutionize the global education system.
Session 2: Strengthening capacities & life-long learning culture
In this session, the discussions happened around the ongoing expansion of knowledge & skill sets with continuous learning; enabling capacity development in line with changing demands of workplaces.
Session 3: A multi-faceted learning ensures a strong foundation for life
In this session delegates explored strategies for augmenting student learning outcomes through universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in the foundational stage.
Day 3:
Day three of the 2nd EdWG meeting commenced with discussions focused on providing valuable insights into creating a tech-enabled learning environment that promotes equal opportunities, maintains quality standards, and encourages global collaboration across all levels of education.
Discussed agendas on day three of the 2nd EdWG meeting were:
- Making Tech-enabled Learning more Inclusive, Qualitative, and Collaborative at every level.
- Discussion on the G20 Education Working Group Report
Session 1: A tech-driven change toward empowering students globally
This session highlighted the role of emerging technology in education and explored innovative ways to unlock opportunities and further diversify the learning landscape.