National
Rewa Airport in Madhya Pradesh
⇒ The Minister for Civil Aviation & Steel Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, along with Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, on 15 February 2023 laid the foundation stone of Rewa Airport in Madhya Pradesh.
Addressing the gathering at the event, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the airport with an expenditure of Rs 300 crores will be developed and operationalised soon.
Minister further said that in the 67 years after independence, there were only 74 operational airports in the country. Under the leadership of PM Modi, 74 additional airports have been operationalised in only 9 years and the number of operational airports in the country has doubled.
Key Points:
- Rewa Airfield has a runway of 1400 meters with a small building of 150 sq meters and 61.95 acres of land.
- It was owned by the State Government of Madhya Pradesh.
- The State Government has handed over the existing airport to the Airport Authority of India for the revival and construction of facilities to operate 19-seater aircraft.
- AAI has been awarded the work on 22 December 2022.
- It includes strengthening the existing runway along with the grading of runway strip area on either side of the runway, construction of RESA and construction of the terminal building of 750 sq meters with peak hour capacity of 50 passengers.
- It has been mutually decided between the State Government and AAI that State Government would acquire additional land of 290 acres for making this airport suitable for ATR-72 operations.
- Out of 290 acres of land, 137 acres are required for VFR operations and 153 acres are required for IFR operations.
- The State Cabinet has already approved the proposal to acquire 246 acres of private land and approved the compensation of Rs 206 cores towards payment to the landowners.
Aadi Mahotsav 2023
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Aadi Mahotsav, the mega National Tribal Festival at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on 16th February, 2023.
Aadi Mahotsav 2023 was organised from 16 to 27 February, 2023 at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi.
Theme:
The theme of the festival was “A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Entrepreneurship, Crafts, Culture, Cuisine and Commerce”, which represents the basic ethos of tribal life.
About Aadi Mahotsav:
- Aadi Mahotsav is an attempt to showcase tribal culture on the national stage and it celebrates the spirit of tribal culture, crafts, cuisine, commerce and traditional art.
- It is an annual initiative of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation Limited (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- TRIFED, an organisation of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India organizes Aadi Mahotsav to provide direct market access to the tribal master-craftsmen and women in large metros and State capitals.
Closing Ceremony:
Aadi Mahotsav – National Tribal Festival successfully concluded on 27 February with sales of more than Rs 3.0 crores. At the closing ceremony prizes were distributed to the best performing artisans during Aadi Mahotsav.
Highlights:
- About 1011 numbers of tribal artisans, artists, healers, chefs and cultural troupes from 28 States/UTs participated in the Aadi Mahotsav. This includes tribal cooks from 19 States/UTs for which 20 food stalls were set up.
- The programme showcased the rich and diverse heritage of tribes from across the country. The festival featured exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, handloom, paintings, jewellery, cane & bamboo, pottery, food & natural products, gifts & assortment, tribal cuisine and much more through 234 stalls.
- An exclusive pavilion was also set up for the sale and display of Van Dhan products. Around 39 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras from 17 States/UTs participated in the Mahotsav. The biggest achievement was the “First Timers” of VDVKs (Van Dhan Vikas Kendra) who were given a platform to showcase their art. TRIFED strives to encourage the beginners to bring to fore their talent.
- Since 2023 is being celebrated as the International Year of Millets, along with usual attractions like handicrafts, handloom, pottery, jewellery etc. A special focus in the Mahotsav was on showcasing Shree Anna grown by tribals. To commemorate International Year of Millets and create awareness and increase production & consumption of millets, 38 stalls put up by tribal artisans/ cooks from 13 States/ UTs displayed & sold millet products and cuisines.
- In Aadi Mahotsav on the invitation of MoTA National Health Authority (NHA) installed Canopy from 22nd of February 2023 in Dhyan Chand stadium.
- During these six days more than 4 thousand visitors visited NHA stall and inquired about both the schemes of NHA. During this period more than 600 Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) cards for artisans and visitors, and 16 Ayushman Bharat card for the Artisans from different states were created.
- The Aadi Mahotsav has proved to be a boon for tribal artisans by providing direct access to large markets with approx footfall of 50,000.
International
3rd Education Working Group Meeting (EdWG)
⇒ The 3rd Education Working Group Meeting (EdWG) under India’s G20 Presidency was held in Bhubaneswar from April 26 – 28, 2023.
- Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Higher Education; Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, School Education and Literacy; and Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Skill, Development and Entrepreneurship; and senior officials of the Ministries attended the meeting.
- Over 60 delegates from 27 countries including G20 members, invitee members and International Organisations including United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) were present.
Day 1:
» On the first day of the 3rd EdWG meeting, Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education, was the Guest of Honour.
The meeting is a continuation of the previous two working group meetings held in Chennai and Amritsar earlier, aimed at discussing and implementing innovative ideas and policies to globally transform the education sector.
» The 3rd Education Working Group meeting under G20 kicked off with a seminar on ‘Building Capacities for Lifelong Learning” in the context of Future of Work’ at CSIR-IMMT.
The seminar included three panel discussions, with panellist participation from Brazil, Spain, UAE, Singapore, Russia, South Africa, Mauritius, OECD, UNICEF, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The panel discussion themes were:
- Panel Discussion 1: Building an agile response to the needs of labour markets and institutional capacity building in the context future of work: enabling high quality technical and vocational education. Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, chaired the panel discussion.
- Panel Discussion 2: Creating pathways between higher and vocational education. Shri Sabysachi Das, Chief Executive Officer of Larsen & Toubro EduTech, chaired the discussion.
- Panel Discussion 3: Equipping children with a range of future skills to set them on the course of lifelong learning. It was chaired by Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.
» Delegates also attended the G20 Future of Work Exhibition where they saw cutting-edge technology and innovative ideas that are changing the way we work and learn.
- The exhibition features active representation from industry, academia, government agencies, multilateral agencies, startups, and other organisations, as well as an Experience Zone on the Future of Work and huge technology exhibits.
Day 2:
» On the second day, the delegates gathered to share their views on the development of the education sector across different countries. MoS, Dr. Subhas Sarkar underlined the need for transforming global learning ecosystems in a rapidly evolving world.
- Leading up to the meeting, a series of precursor events which included seminars, panel discussions and workshops on the theme of life-long learning and future of work were organised.
- The seminar saw participation from academia, industry, the government and Singapore High Commission.
- The discussions were on the topics ‘Deep Tech with a focus on advanced technology in future of work’, ‘Transforming Logistics – focus on coastal areas economies’ and ‘Skill Architecture & Governance Models – Learnings from Singapore Model’.
Delegates and global educators concluded the second day with discussions revolving around preparing the outcome document leveraging education to make the world more equitable, inclusive, & sustainable.
Day 3:
- The concluding day of the Meeting started with delegates carrying forward with the discussions on outcome document. They emphasised the role learning plays as a key driver of development and enabler for empowerment.
- G20 India’s 3rd Education Working Group meeting concluded with a commitment to ensure the betterment of learner’s with respect to skilling, upskilling and reskilling.
1st G-20 Education Working Group (EdWG) Meeting
2nd G-20 Education Working Group (EdWG) Meeting
Important Day
12th edition of World Radio Day
⇒ World Radio Day is celebrated globally on 13 February every year.
World Radio Day is dedicated to spread awareness about the power of the audio medium. It is honoured with special activities like broadcasts, community events, awards, debates conducted by radio stations and other organisations.
Theme:
The theme for the 12th World Radio Day 2023 was ‘Radio and Peace’, which highlights the role of radio in encouraging peace and avoiding conflict.
- The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) highlights independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
The sub-themes for this year’s radio day were – ‘Radio in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding’, and ‘Support to Independent Radio’.
History:
- The Spanish Radio Academy in September 2010 requested the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to mark a day to honour radio’s significance across the world.
- During the 36th general assembly session, the UNESCO Executive Board requested UNESCO to declare a World Radio Day.
- Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/67/124) in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).
- The date was chosen because the United Nations Radio was born on February 13, 1946.
Radio:
- Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse.
- Radio is a low-cost medium specifically suited to reaching remote communities and vulnerable people, offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. It also plays a crucial role in emergency communication and disaster relief.
- The radio, said to be invented by Italian electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi in the 1890s, is an important means of communication to educate, entertain and inform.
Facts:
- The first-ever radio transmission was made on May 13, 1897 by Guglielmo Marconi.
- The first ever radio broadcast in India happened in June 1923 by Radio Club of Bombay.
- India has around 479 radio stations making All India Radio one of the biggest broadcasters in the world. It covers around 99.19% of the Indian population.
Sports
Gorakhpur Saanasad Khel Mahakumbh
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the closing ceremony of Gorakhpur Saanasad Khel Mahakumbh via video conferencing on 16 February 2023.
- The Prime Minister noted that 20,000 athletes had taken part in the first edition of Gorakhpur Khel Mahakumbh and that number has gone up to 24,000 where 9,000 athletes are women.
- Underlining that thousands of youth participating in the Khel Mahakumbh hail from small towns or villages, the Prime Minister said that Saansad Khel Mahakumbh has become a new platform that provides opportunities to young players.
» Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan Shukla inaugurated the Saanasad Khel Mahakumbh competition on 27 January 2023. The closing ceremony of the Gorakhpur Saanasad Khel Mahakumbh was also hosted by MP Ravi kishan Shukla at the Regional Sports Stadium.