National
MoU between AJNIFM and Microsoft
⇒ Recently, Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a strategic partnership to build an AI and emerging technologies Centre of Excellence at AJNIFM.
The collaboration seeks to explore the role of cloud, AI and emerging technologies for transforming and shaping the future of public finance management in India.
As part of the strategic partnership, Microsoft and AJNIFM will focus on:
- Building an innovation centre
- Industry thought leadership
- Reskilling and capacity building
- Creating a strong ecosystem of partners
About AJNIFM:
The Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) is a Centre of Excellence specialising in capacity building of professionals in the fields of Public Policy, Financial Management and other governance issues for promoting highest standards of professional competence and practice. AJNIFM was established in 1993.
Short Span Bridging System (SSBS)-10 m
⇒ The first production lot of 12 Short Span Bridging System (SSBS)-10 m has been inducted into Indian Army by Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane during a ceremony held in Delhi Cantt on July 02, 2021.
Designed and Developed by:
SSBS-10 m has been designed and developed by Research & Development Establishment (Engrs) Pune, a premier engineering laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in association with M/s L&T Ltd.
Significance:
The SSBS-10 m plays a crucial role of bridging the gaps up to 9.5 m as a single span providing a 4 m wide, fully decked roadway, ensuring faster movement of the troops. The 12 bridges are part of 102 SSBS-10 m from M/s L&T Ltd, which is the production agency.
International
6th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting
⇒ The Minister of State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel hosted 6th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting on 02 July 2021 through video conference.
Participants:
The delegates from Culture Ministries of the Brazil, India, China, South Africa and the Russian Federation participated in the meeting.
Discussion:
During the meeting, discussion was held for advancement and expansion of cultural activities amongst BRICS countries under the theme Bonding and Harmonizing Cultural Synergy.
Indian Representative:
Minister of State for Culture, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel addressed the participants of the meeting and presented India’s perspective to strengthen the cultural cooperation within BRICS.
Key Points of Minister’s Address:
- Minister emphasized on collaborations in the field of online exchange of cultural experiences on knowledge of tangible and intangible heritage amongst BRICS countries.
- He further highlighted the need to protect our tangible and intangible cultural heritage through mutual help and support within the BRICS framework in addition to the compliance of prevailing UNESCO Conventions.
- He also mentioned the aptness of India’s theme for BRICS Chairship ‘BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consciousness in context of promotion of BRICS cultural cooperation.’
2021 Venice Film Festival, Lifetime Achievement Award Announced
⇒ The Venice Film Festival has announced its Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2021, which will be awarded to American actor, Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis will pick up the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement on September 8.
The world’s oldest film festival will be held from 01 September to 11 September, 2021.
Sports
Indian Flag bearer at Tokyo Paralympics 2020
⇒ Mariyappan Thangavelu, the 2016 Rio Gold medalist in the men’s high jump category, has been named as the captain of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
Indian Flag-bearer:
As a mark of his achievement, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) has decided to make him India’s flag-bearer at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Tokyo Paralympics 2020 is to be held from August 25 to September 5, 2021.
Important Day
National Doctors Day
⇒ On the occasion of National Doctors Day, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addressed 4th Fit India Conclave on 01 July 2021. The event was organised by Medscape India.