National
Government comes out with a new set of National Awards in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation
⇒ The Government of India has come out with a new set of National Awards in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation known as “Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar’’.
Objective:
The objective of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) is to recognize the notable and inspiring contribution made by the scientists, technologists, and innovators individually or in teams in various fields of science, technology and technology led innovation.
- The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar shall be one of the highest recognitions in the field of science, technology, and innovation in India.
Eligibility:
- Scientists/ technologists/innovators working in government, private sector organizations or any individual working outside any organization, who have made distinguished contributions in terms of path-breaking research or innovation or discovery in any field of science, technology, or technology- led innovation shall be eligible for the awards.
- People of Indian Origin staying abroad with exceptional contributions benefiting the Indian communities or society shall also be eligible for the awards.
The awards shall be given in following four categories:
- Vigyan Ratna (VR) award will recognize lifetime achievements & contributions made in any field of science and technology.
- Vigyan Shri (VS) award will recognize distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology.
- Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (VY-SSB) award will recognize & encourage young scientists up to the age of 45 years who made an exceptional contribution in any field of science and technology.
- Vigyan Team (VT) award to be given to a team comprising of three or more scientists/researchers/ innovators who have made an exceptional contribution working in a team in any field of science and technology.
Domains:
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar shall be given in the 13 domains, namely Physics, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Mathematics & Computer Science, Earth Science, Medicine, Engineering Sciences, Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, Technology & Innovation, Atomic Energy, Space Science and Technology, and Others.
- The representation from each domain/field, including gender parity will be ensured.
Committee:
- All nominations received for the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar awards shall be placed before the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee (RVPC) to be headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to Government of India.
- The Committee comprises Secretaries of Science Departments, members of Science and Engineering Academies and some distinguished scientists and technologists from different fields of science and technology.
Important Date:
- The nominations for this bouquet of awards will be invited every year on 14th January which would remain open till 28th February (National Science Day) every year.
- These awards shall be announced on 11th May (National Technology Day) every year.
- The Award Ceremony for all categories of awards will be held on 23rd August (National Space Day).
- All Awards will have a Sanad & a medal.
» These new National Awards is a transformative step in recognizing achievements of Scientific community at the highest level by the Government of India.
4th 'Nadi Utsav' 2023
⇒ The fourth ‘Nadi Utsav’ was organized by the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM) of IGNCA and the Janapada Sampada Division, from September 22nd to September 24th, 2023.
- ‘Nadi Utsav’ 2023 was hosted in Delhi situated on the banks of River Yamuna.
» The three-day event included a variety of events, including scholarly discussions with environmentalists and scholars on various subjects, screening of films, presentations by eminent artists, puppet shows, and discussions on various books.
Background:
- ‘Nadi Utsav’ is an attempt to document riverine culture, its tradition, rituals and water wisdom.
- The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), an institution dedicated to art and culture, under the Ministry of Culture has been organizing the ‘Nadi Utsav’ on a grand scale for the last few years.
- The ‘Nadi Utsav’ commenced in 2018, with its inaugural event held in Nashik (Maharashtra) city situated on the banks of River Godavri.
- The second ‘Nadi Utsav’ took place in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) city situated on the banks of river Krishna, and the third in Munger (Bihar) city situated on the banks of river Ganga.
Important Day
International Week of the Deaf (IWDeaf) and International Day of Sign Languages 2023
⇒ International Week of the Deaf 2023 was celebrated from 18th September, 2023 to 24th September 2023.
Daily Themes:
- 18 September: Declaration on the Rights of Deaf Children
- 19 September: Building Capacity Across the Globe
- 20 September: Realising “Nothing Without Us”
- 21 September: Putting Deaf People on the Agenda
- 22 September: Achieving Sign Language Rights for All
- 23 September: International Day of Sign Languages: A World Where Deaf People Everywhere Can Sign Anywhere
- 24 September: Building Inclusive Deaf Communities
Background:
- International Week of the Deaf is an initiative of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and was first launched in September 1958 in Rome, Italy.
- It is celebrated annually by the global Deaf Community on the last week of September each year to commemorate the same month the first World Congress of the WFD was held.
- International Week of the Deaf is celebrated through various activities by the respective Deaf Communities worldwide.
» In India, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in coordination with organizations working under it, celebrated International Week of the Deaf (IWDeaf) from 18-24 September, 2023.
- During this period the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) an Autonomous organization under the DEPwD and the nodal institute for research, development, training and spreading awareness about Indian Sign Language across the country conducted various theme-based activities.
International Day of Sign Languages 2023
» International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated across the world every year on 23 September. The International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated as part of the International Week of the Deaf.
- The UN General Assembly has proclaimed the International Day of Sign Languages in order to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf.
- The International Day of Sign Languages is a unique opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users.
Theme:
The theme of International Day of Sign Languages 2023 was “A World Where Deaf People Everywhere Can Sign Anywhere!”.
- A world where deaf people are seen as a part of the natural range of human diversity, and national sign languages are celebrated and used everywhere as part of national societies.
History:
- The proposal for the Day came from the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), a federation of 135 national associations of deaf people, representing approximately 70 million deaf people’s human rights worldwide.
- The resolution A/RES/72/161 was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, co-sponsored by 97 United Nations Member States and adopted by consensus on 19 December 2017.
- The choice of 23 September commemorates the date that the WFD was established in 1951.
- This day marks the birth of an advocacy organization, which has as one of its main goals, the preservation of sign languages and Deaf culture as pre-requisites to the realization of the human rights of deaf people.
- The International Day of Sign Languages was first celebrated in 2018.