National
Conference on Classification Regulation and Advanced Technologies for Naval Ships and Auxiliaries
⇒ A two-day Conference on Classification Regulation and Advanced Technologies for Naval Ships and Auxiliaries was organized with the aim of promoting indigenous warship building.
Organized by:
The conference was organized by Directorate of Naval Architecture, Integrated Headquarters- Ministry of Defence (Navy) at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi on 04-05 August 2022.
Theme:
The theme of the conference was Future Naval Ships- Technologically Transformative, Economically Viable and Environmentally Sustainable.
Aim:
The conference was aimed to provide a platform by Indian Navy to achieve synergy between Classification Societies, various branches of Indian Navy and Coast Guard, Indian Shipyards, DRDO Labs, academia etc, in the field of research and development as well as quality assurance and survey/certification of Naval Ships and Auxiliaries.
Participation:
Senior delegates/ subject experts from seven major International Classification Societies, i.e., ABS, BV, Class-NK, DNV-GL, IRS, LR and RINA participated in the Conference.
Discussion:
Wherein 16 papers were presented by the Class Societies, ranging from Classification Process for Naval Ships, Military Class Notations, Maritime Cyber Security, Advanced Digital Technologies, Naval Ship Signatures, Rules for Autonomous Vessels, Bio-safety on Naval Ships, Technology Qualification, Hybrid Powering and Decarbonization of Naval Ships.
In addition, various other technical aspects relevant to design, construction and maintenance of Naval and other Government Ships were discussed by the delegates during QA sessions and on the sidelines of the conference.
e-launch of onboarding of cooperatives on GeM portal
⇒ The Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah e-launched the onboarding of cooperatives on the GeM portal in New Delhi on 09 August 2022.
- The program was organized by the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) and GeM.
» With this e-launch, all eligible cooperatives will be able to start placing orders on the GeM portal.
Nodal agency:
The Ministry of Cooperation in its advisory had made the NCUI the nodal agency to facilitate onboarding of cooperatives, coordinating with GeM authorities and handholding the cooperatives in the process of on-boarding.
New Assistant Director General of ICRISAT
⇒ Mr Sanjay Agarwal from the Indian Administrative Service, who is currently the Chair of the Government of India’s Committee on Minimum Support Price, joins ICRISAT as its new Assistant Director General.
- Mr Agarwal is a 1984-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
International
President of Colombia
⇒ Ex-rebel Gustavo Petro sworn in as Colombia’s president on 7 August 2022.
Sen. Gustavo Petro, a former member of Colombia’s M-19 guerrilla group, won the presidential election in June by beating conservative parties.
Baidu bags first permits for fully driverless 'robotaxis'
⇒ Chinese Internet giant Baidu on 08 August 2022 said it will soon ply fully driverless taxis in Chongqing and Wuhan cities via its autonomous ride-hailing unit called Apollo Go, becoming the first company in the country to herald autonomous driving.
Key Points:
- The search engine group recently showcased a new generation of self-driving vehicles.
- Baidu has now secured permits to offer a fully driverless commercial robotaxi service, with no human driver present.
- Baidu has also secured a permit to run driverless cars on open roads in Beijing but here, the permit still requires a human operator in the front passenger seat.
- However, it will be the first time an autonomous vehicle company is able to offer a fully driverless ride-hailing service in China in Wuhan and Chongqing cities.
Important Day
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on 9 August globally to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups, including their health needs.
Theme:
The theme of the 2022 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge”.
- Indigenous women are the backbone of indigenous peoples’ communities and play a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of traditional ancestral knowledge around the environment, traditional medicines, food systems, preservation of language and cultural heritage.
» Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI organized ‘Samvaad’ a virtual interaction of students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools with Union Minister Shri Arjun Mundaand Minister of state for Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti Shri Bisweshwar Tuduon the occasion of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
History:
- On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year.
- The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.
International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People:
- The UN General Assembly had proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the World’s Indigenous People, and the same year, the Assembly proclaimed the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, starting on 10 December 1994 (resolution 48/163).
- The goal of the First International Decade was to strengthen international cooperation for solving problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education and health.
- The Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People was from 2005 to 2015.