National
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visits Una, Himachal Pradesh
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park and dedicated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una to the nation, on 13 October 2022.
- Earlier, the Prime Minister flagged off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express from Amb Andaura, Una to New Delhi.
Details:
Bulk Drug Park:
» Prime Minister’s clarion call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat has led to the country moving swiftly towards the attainment of self-reliance across multiple sectors, through the support of various new initiatives of the government.
- One such key sector is pharmaceuticals, and in order to bring in Aatmanirbharta in this sector, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park at Haroli in Una district, which will be built at a cost of over Rs 1900 crore.
- The Bulk Drug Park will help reduce dependence on API imports. It is expected to attract investment of around Rs 10,000 crores and provide employment to more than 20,000 people. It will also give a fillip to economic activities in the region.
» Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una:
» The Prime Minister also dedicated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una to the nation.
- Its foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister in 2017. Currently, more than 530 students are pursuing studies at this institute.
New Vande Bharat Express:
» Running from Amb Andaura to New Delhi, it will be the fourth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the country and is an advanced version compared to the earlier ones, being much lighter and capable of reaching higher speeds in a shorter duration.
- It accelerates to 100 Km/h in just 52 seconds.
President of India virtually inaugurates/lays the foundation stones for the various projects in Assam
⇒ The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, virtually inaugurated /laid the foundation stones for the various projects of Government of Assam and Union Ministries of Road Transport & Highways, Petroleum & Natural Gas and Railways October 14, 2022 from Srimant Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati.
Details of Projects:
- These include inauguration of Railhead Depot of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. at Moinarbond, Silchar and two highway projects; laying of foundation stones for – 100 model Secondary Schools in the tea garden areas of Assam; 3000 model Anganwadi centers; two highway projects; and modern Cargo-cum-Coaching Terminal at Aghtori, Guwahati.
- The President also flagged off a train from Guwahati to Lumding Pass upto Shokhuvi (Nagaland) and Mandipathar (Meghalaya).
Cyber Security Exercise “PowerEX-2022”
⇒ Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in collaboration with Power-CSIRTs (Computer Security Incident Response Teams in Power sector), successfully designed & conducted the Cyber Security Exercise “PowerEX” for 193 invited Power Sector Utilities, on 12 October 2022.
Objective:
The Objective of the exercise was to “Recognize, Analyse & Respond to Cyber Incident in IT & OT Systems”.
Theme:
The theme of the exercise was “Defending Cyber induced disruption in IT & OT infrastructure”.
Key Points:
- The Exercise Planner Team of Power-CSIRTs’ officials worked along with CERT-In team on the exercise day as Exercise Coordinators.
- Exercise “PowerEX-2022” was hosted by CERT-In on its exercise simulation platform.
- Around 350+ official from various Power Sector Utilities participated in the event.
International
EXERCISE PRASTHAN
⇒ An offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ was conducted in the Krishna Godavari Basin Offshore Development Area (ODA) on 11-12 Oct 2022, under the aegis of Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command.
Aim:
Conducted every six months, this exercise is an important element of ensuring offshore security and aims to integrate the efforts of all maritime stakeholders involved in offshore defence.
Participation:
Led by the Navy, the exercise saw participation from the various oil operators, like ONGC, RIL, Vedanta, and other stakeholders in the domain of maritime security including AP Marine Police, AP fisheries department and the Coast Guard.
Key Points:
- The two-day exercise resulted in refining standard operating procedures (SOPs) and response actions to several contingencies in the Offshore Defence Area off Kakinada
- The exercise was conducted onboard Drill rigs Platinum Explorer and DDKG- of ONGC and RIL located about 40 nm south of Kakinada.
- Contingencies such as terrorist intrusion, bomb explosion, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, man overboard, major fire, oil spill and mass evacuation were exercised.
» The exercise provided all stakeholders with a realistic opportunity to assess their readiness to respond and combat contingencies in the Eastern ODA, as also to operate together in a coordinated and synergised manner.
A youth delegation from Bangladesh called on the President of India
⇒ A youth delegation from Bangladesh called on the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 14, 2022.
» Addressing the delegation members, the President said that they all are future leaders of Bangladesh.
- They are the custodians of the future of not only Bangladesh but also of the unique relationship of India and Bangladesh. She expressed confidence that they will play a major role in the years to come in strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
Background:
» The Bangladesh Youth Delegation programme was started in 2012 as a joint initiative by the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
- The main objective of this youth programme is to foster goodwill and understanding of each other’s countries, promote exchange of ideas and understanding of values and culture among the youth.