National
6th CII Ayush Conclave 2022
⇒ Union Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal addressed the gathering at 6th CII Ayush Conclave 2022 in New Delhi on 23 November 2022.
Organized by:
The 6th CII Ayush Conclave 2022 was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the support of Ministry of Ayush.
In his inaugural address Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Ayush market has reached $18 billion from meager $3 billion under guidance and visionary leadership of our Prime Minister.”
He laid emphasis on how Ayush can play an important role in realizing the dream of ‘New India’ by providing holistic healthcare and medical care for its citizens.
Discussion:
Key stakeholders of Ayush system discussed topics like regulatory roadmap, Research and development in Ayush sector, Branding, promotion and marketing of Ayush products.
Startup India launches Startup applications for MAARG Portal
⇒ The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has launched a call for startup applications for registration on the MAARG portal, the National Mentorship Platform by Startup India.
Key Points:
» To further boost the Indian startup ecosystem, currently ranked 3rd largest globally, Startup India is focused on catalysing the startup culture and building a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
- In this context, MAARG portal – Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience and Growth, is a one stop platform to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, functions, stages, geographies, and backgrounds.
The objectives of the MAARG portal are –
- To provide sector focused guidance, handholding, and support to startups throughout their lifecycle
- To establish a formalized and structured platform that facilitates intelligent matchmaking between the mentors and their respective mentees
- To facilitate efficient and expert mentorship for startups and build an outcome-oriented mechanism that allows timely tracking of the mentor-mentee engagements
» The key features of the portal include customizable mentorship programs for ecosystem enablers, mobile-friendly user interface, recognition for contributing mentors, video and audio call options, etc.
The MAARG Portal is being operationalized in three phases-
- Phase I: Mentor Onboarding
- Phase II: Startup Onboarding
- Phase III: MAARG Portal Launch and Mentor Matchmaking
Entrepreneurship Cell and Centre of Innovation (COI) at the Delhi campus of C-DOT
⇒ The Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw has inaugurated the Entrepreneurship Cell and Centre of Innovation (COI) at the Delhi campus of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) on 23 November 2022.
- The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) is the Telecom R&D Centre of the Government of India.
COI has been established to spur indigenous innovation and entrepreneurship in various domains of Telecom like IoT/M2M, AI/ML, 5G, etc. by encouraging local startups to play a significant role in strengthening the overall technological framework fueled by synergistic collaboration amongst R&D, academia, industry and startups that would accelerate the design, development and deployment of cost-effective and globally-competitive Telecom solutions in the country.
» The Minister also reviewed C-DOT’s ongoing technology programs including 5G, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and advanced Security projects.
International
19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP 19) to CITES
⇒ The 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP 19) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was held at Panama City from 14th November to 25th November 2022.
India’s proposal for transferring Leith’s Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia leithi) from Appendix II to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) has been adopted by the Conference of Parties to CITES in its 19th Meeting.
Leith’s Softshell Turtle:
- Leith’s Softshell Turtle is a large fresh water soft-shelled turtle which is endemic to peninsular India and it inhabits rivers and reservoirs.
- The species has been subject to intensive exploitation over the past 30 years. The population of this turtle species is estimated to have declined by 90% over the past 30 years such that the species is now difficult to find.
- It is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN.
- The species is listed on Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which gives it protection from hunting as well as trade.
Background:
- The CITES Appendix I listing of this Turtle species would ensure that legal international trade in the species does not take place for commercial purposes.
- It would also ensure that international trade in captive-bred specimens only takes place from registered facilities and further that higher and more proportionate penalties are provided for illegal trade of the species.
- The listing of the Leith’s soft-shell turtle, thereby, strengthens its CITES protection status so as to ensure better survival of the species.
Other Proposal:
India’s proposal for inclusion of Jeypore Hill Gecko (Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis) in Appendix II and the transfer of Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga) from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES have also been adopted by the CoP in this meeting.
Academic Chair in Ayurvedic Science at Western Sydney University
⇒ The Ministry of Ayush has formally announced setting up of Ayurveda Academic Chair based at Western Sydney University’s NICM Health Research Institute, with tenure for a period of three years.
Dr. Rajagopala S., Associate Professor & Head (Department of Kaumarabhritya) All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi has been selected for the post of Academic Chair in Ayurvedic Science at Western Sydney University, Australia.
On this occasion, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush said, this is a great step and I am sure that this chair will strengthen our collaborations in promoting academic and collaborative research activities in Australia.
Prof. Barney Glover, Vice Chancellor & President, Western Sydney University acknowledged that this collaboration will help in bringing together Western medicine and Ayurvedic Science.
Key Points:
- The Academic Chair will undertake academic and collaborative research activities in Ayurveda, including herbal medicine and yoga, as well as design academic standards and short-term/medium-term courses and educational guidelines.
- It will provide academic leadership in demonstrating and fostering excellence in teaching, research and policy development related to Ayurveda, within the robust Australian regulatory frame work, and develop strategies to promote the translation and integration of evidence-based Ayurveda medicines into conventional healthcare.
Background:
- The Ministry of Ayush has taken concerted efforts for promoting and positioning Ayurveda and Yoga as the soft power of India. To facilitate the same, Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) has been signed for Ayush Chair with 16 foreign countries.
- MoA has also developed a Central Sector Scheme for the promotion of International Cooperation (IC Scheme) with the mandate to promote and strengthen awareness about Ayush Systems of Medicine; to facilitate international promotion, development and recognition of Ayush Systems in foreign countries and to support international exchange of experts.