National
Testing & evaluation facility for Sonar Systems of Indian Navy
⇒ The Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) launched Hull Module of Submersible Platform for Acoustic Characterization & Evaluation (SPACE) facility at Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) Kochi in November 2022.
- It is a state-of-the-art testing and evaluation facility for sonar systems developed for use by the Indian navy onboard various platforms, including ships, submarines and helicopters.
Constructed by:
The SPACE facility is based on the concept design and requirements projected by NPOL and has been constructed by M/s L&T Shipbuilding, Chennai.
Use:
This will be mainly utilized for evaluating Sonar systems, allowing for quick deployment and easy recovery of scientific packages such as sensors and transducers.
Key Points:
- The SPACE is one-of-a-kind facility in the world.
- The uniqueness of this facility lies in the specially designed submersible platform, which can be lowered up to depths of 100 meters using a series of synchronously operated winches.
- The design and construction of the platform meet all the statutory needs of Indian Register of Shipping and the vessel classifying authority and strictly adhere to the inspection and registration criteria as per Kerala Inland Vessel Rules.
Broadcast Air-Time Scheduler (BATS) for all Commercial Operations of All India Radio
⇒ Shri Mayank Agarwal, CEO, PB and Shri D.P.S. Negi, Member (Finance), PB inaugurated a fully integrated Traffic & Billing application software “Broadcast Air-Time Scheduler” for all Commercial Operations of All India Radio” on 7 November, 2022.
- It has been inaugurated at Prasar Bharati Secretariat to streamline and automate the commercial operations of Prasar Bharati.
- Broadcast Air-Time Scheduler (BATS) has been provided by M/s Media Nucleus.
BATS has the following important features:
- To manage the scheduling and billing of advertising orders across multiple stations via one central database.
- Contracts are handled seamlessly from Release Order entry to single or multi-invoice billing.
- Increases operational efficiency and reduces cost.
- Media Sales Traffic increases the efficiency of the organization by providing traffic team a flexible solution for planning, scheduling and billing of spots.
- Ensures accurate billing by effectively managing account hierarchy, different Package and Products, Pricing plans, Content Rights Management, Automated Ad Booking along with Discounts offered on bulk deals, Charges, and Billing cycle Invoicing.
- Payment processing and collections through integrated Payment Gateway of SBI.
International
Logo, Theme and Website of India’s G20 Presidency
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the logo, theme and website of India’s G-20 Presidency via video conferencing on 08 November 2022.
The logo and theme, unveiled by the Prime Minister in virtual mode, are as below:
Logo Explanation:
- The G20 Logo draws inspiration from the vibrant colours of India’s national flag – saffron, white and green, and blue.
- It juxtaposes planet Earth with the lotus, India’s national flower that reflects growth amid challenges.
- The Earth reflects India’s pro-planet approach to life, one in perfect harmony with nature.
- Below the G20 logo is “Bharat”, written in the Devanagari script.
Theme Explanation:
The theme of India’s G20 Presidency – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth One Family One Future” – is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad.
- Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.
- The theme also spotlights LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), with its associated, environmentally sustainable and responsible choices, both at the level of individual lifestyles as well as national development, leading to globally transformative actions resulting in a cleaner, greener and bluer future.
» The logo and the theme together convey a powerful message of India’s G20 Presidency, which is of striving for just and equitable growth for all in the world, as we navigate through these turbulent times, in a sustainable, holistic, responsible, and inclusive manner.
- They represent a uniquely Indian approach to our G20 Presidency, of living in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem.
G20 Website:
The website of India’s G20 Presidency www.g20.in was also launched by the Prime Minister.
G20 App:
In addition to the website, a mobile app “G20 India” has been released.
Background:
- Guided by the vision of the Prime Minister, the foreign policy of India has been evolving to undertake leadership roles on the global stage.
- In a significant step in this direction, India assumed G20 Presidency from 1st December, 2022.
- The G20 Presidency offers a unique opportunity to India to contribute to the global agenda on pressing issues of international importance.
- G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
- During the course of its G20 Presidency, India will be holding about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across India.
Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022
⇒ The Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022 was inaugurated on 07 November 2022.
- The Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022 brought young researchers from the two countries together to share their research interests and build long-term research partnerships.
Organized by:
Indo-German Week of the Young Researchers 2022 was jointly organized by the SERB, India, and German Research Foundation (DFG).
Key Points:
- During the programme, 30 promising young researchers from India and Germany discussed and interacted closely on various contemporary matters in chemical sciences.
- The main goal of the conclave was to foster collaboration among early and mid-career researchers and scientists, setting the agenda of scientific cooperation in the near future.
- The conclave was led by Prof Vinod K Singh from IIT Kanpur and Prof Burkhard König from University of Regensburg, Germany.