National
National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) Portal
⇒ Ministry of Mines, Government of India, launched the National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR) Portal on 20 December 2023 in a ceremony in New Delhi.
- The launch ceremony was graced by Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi.
» NGDR is a comprehensive online platform for accessing, sharing, and analyzing geospatial information across the nation.
Spearheaded by:
- The National Geoscience Data Repository has been created, as a part of the National Mineral Exploration Policy, 2016, hosting all baseline and exploration-related geoscientific data in a single GIS platform, to expedite, enhance and facilitate the exploration coverage of the country.
- The NGDR initiative, spearheaded by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Bhaskarachaya Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N) represents a significant leap forward in democratizing critical geoscience data, empowering stakeholders across industries and academia with unprecedented access to invaluable resources.
NGDR Portal:
» The creation of NGDR was conceptualized by the Ministry of Mines (MoM) as part of the National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP) 2016. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was given the responsibility to establish NGDR.
» Currently, 35 map services like geological, geochemical and geophysical, data layers have been incorporated with the NGDR portal. These data sets can be viewed accessed and downloaded.
- This interplay of different geo-layers and further interpretation helps in targeting potential mineral zones.
Key Features of NGDR Portal:
- Centralized Access: Provides a centralized repository of diverse geoscience datasets, including geological maps, mineral resources, seismic data, and environmental information.
- User-Friendly Interface: An intuitive interface designed to cater to a wide range of users, enabling seamless navigation and exploration of data.
- MERT template: The Mineral Exploration Reporting Template facilitates all the geoscientific stakeholders to submit their data in the NGDR portal in a standard reporting template.
- Analytical Tools: Equipped with state-of-the-art analytical tools to interpret and extract valuable insights from complex geospatial data.
- Open Access: Encourages transparency and knowledge sharing by offering open access to a wealth of geoscience information.
About BISAG-N:
- Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics [BISAG (N)] is an Autonomous Scientific Society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the MeitY, Government of India.
- BISAG (N) undertakes technology development & management, research & development, facilitate National & International cooperation, capacity building and support technology transfer & entrepreneurship development in area of geo-spatial technology.
About Geological Survey of India:
- The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways.
- Over the years, GSI has not only grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute.
- Its main functions relate to creating and updating of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment.
- GSI, headquartered in Kolkata, has six regional offices located in Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata and state unit offices in almost all states of the country. GSI is an attached office of the Ministry of Mines.
Extended Version of Mission Karmayogi
⇒ On the occasion of Good Governance Day, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Extended Version of Mission Karmayogi, at a function in New Delhi on 25 December 2023.
» Three new features launched on the iGOT Karmayogi platform are My iGOT, Blended Programs and Curated Programs.
» Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh also launched 12 domain specific capacity building e-learning courses. Besides, he also launched a new blended learning programme named VIKAS (Variable & Immersive Karmayogi Advanced Support).
About New Features launched on Mission Karmayogi platform:
» My iGOT delivers targeted training courses on home page of individual officer that directly address the unique capacity building needs of the officer as identified in the Capacity-Building Plan for their Ministries/Departments thereby facilitating a highly personalized, focused and targeted capacity-building experience thereby ensuring a perfect fit between the individual and organizational learning needs.
- More than 28 lakh users have onboarded the platform till now with about 830 high quality e-learning courses being made available on the platform.
» Blended Programs on iGOT-Karmayogi platform will facilitate equitable access to training methodologies across all levels to meet dynamic training needs of the officials.
- Blended Programs integrate traditional offline (in person) classroom courses with online learning components.
- It enables officers and faculty to leverage the flexibility and convenience of online courses while retaining the invaluable benefits of face-to-face classroom interactions.
» Curated Programs on iGOT Karmayogi are designed to cater to diverse learning needs of the Ministries/Departments and Training Institutions.
- The Course Providers will be able to curate relevant content, resources, and assessments from the repository of iGOT with a Programmatic approach to provide a tailored learning journey.
Other Learning Programme:
» 12 domain specific capacity building e-learning courses have been developed in a span of two months as part of Annual Capacity Building Plan (ACBP) of the DOPT by Karmayogi Digital Learning Lab (KDLL) of DoPT.
- KDLL was inaugurated by Dr Jitendra Singh in August 2021 to develop e-learning courses to build the capacity of the civil servants. Annual Capacity Building Plan for DoPT was launched on 27th September 2023 by Dr Jitendra Singh.
- These 12 courses will not only directly address the domain competency requirements of the Civil Servants working in DoPT, but also help the other Government organisations in handling the functional matters on a day-to-day basis in an effective manner.
» VIKAS (Variable & Immersive Karmayogi Advanced Support) is a new blended learning programme meant for capacity building of Middle management civil servants in Central Secretariat.
- VIKAS is a blended programme with iGOT consisting of 33 hours complemented by 30 hours of offline training at ISTM with focuses on development of functional, behavioural and technological competencies required in Central Government.
International
Report on 'A Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy'
⇒ Shri Bhupender Yadav, Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Ministry of Labour & Employment launched a G20 report, ‘A Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy’ on 20 December 2023 in New Delhi.
Published by:
The report, ‘A Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy’ has been prepared by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, and the Global Development Network (GDN), New Delhi.
- The publication is a collective contribution to the body of knowledge on this subject, providing valuable inputs for Brazil and the upcoming G20 presidencies.
Key Points:
- The report is based on the proceedings of the G20 international conference held in New Delhi on 28-29 July 2023, featuring 40 leading experts from 14 countries across the world.
- It is a comprehensive report addressing the prospects and challenges of green and sustainable growth for the global economy.
- The report embodies the collaborative spirit of G20, tackling crises and challenges. It provides a realistic view of international development, acknowledging uneven progress and offering insights as benchmarks for researchers and stakeholders.
Important Day
Good Governance Week 2023
⇒ Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Good Governance Week (Sushasan Saptah) celebrations on 19 December 2023.
» During the Inaugural Session of the Good Governance Week, Dr Jitendra Singh launched CPGRAMS Mobile app and e-office Advanced Analytics Dashboard.
- The e-Office Advanced Analytics dashboard facilitates in-depth data analysis & strengthens decision making in the Central secretariat.
- CPGRAMS Mobile App aims to enable citizens to file their grievances from their mobile phones, including through voice-based filing.
» He also released DARPG publications, – Journey of 25 Regional Conferences from 2014-2023, Annual Report of CPGRAMS 2023 and a Coffee Table Book on Special Campaign 3.0.
About Good Governance Week:
Good Governance Week (Sushasan Saptah) celebrations were held from 19th December 2023 to 25th December 2023, the Good Governance Day.
Good Governance Day is celebrated every year in India on 25 December, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- The Good Governance Week 2023 was the third consecutive year of week-long celebrations organized by Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India.
Background:
- The Union Government has been celebrating nationwide ‘Good Governance Week/Day’ since 2014 in honour of our beloved former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee to promote citizen-centric, efficient and transparent governance and improve service delivery.
- The Good Governance Week events yield very positive outcomes and generate a great sense of commitment and togetherness in the Government’s steadfast objective of fostering administrative reforms.