National
Six Technology Innovation Platforms
⇒ Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Prakash Javadekar on 02 July 2021 inaugurated six Technology Innovation Platforms.
Focus:
These platforms will focus on development of technologies for the globally competitive manufacturing in India.
Six Technology Platforms & developed by:
- ‘Knowledge integration for technology enrichment (KITE)’- IIT Madras
- ‘Drishti’ by Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI)
- ‘ASPIRE’ ( Automotive Solutions Portal for Industry, Research & Education) by International Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT)
- ‘TechNovuus’ by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)
- ‘SanRachna’ by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
- ‘HMT TECHPORT’ by HMT in association with IISc Banglore
Facility:
- These platforms will facilitate industry, start-ups, domain experts/professionals, R&D institutions and academia (colleges & universities), to provide technology solutions, suggestions, expert opinions etc. on issues involving manufacturing technologies.
Further, it will facilitate exchange of knowledge with respect to research & development and other technological aspects.
Second Gender Samvaad
⇒ The Second Gender Samvaad was organised by the Ministry of Rural Development’s Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and the Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE) at LEAD.
Focus:
The 2nd edition of the Gender Samvaad focused on the best practices of various states and from women’s collectives under DAY-NRLM in responding to the COVID-19 crisis, particularly the second wave that has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many people.
On this occasion, Gender Samvaad released two compendiums highlighting DAY-NRLM’s efforts towards strengthening food, nutrition & health and stories of resilience from rural India during the COVID pandemic in 2021.
About Gender Samvaad:
Gender Samvaad is an attempt to create a common platform for generating greater awareness on NRLM’s interventions, and the impact of its gender operational strategy, across the country. The Samvaad focuses on highlighting best practices and the lessons learnt in implementing gender responsive interventions, with a focus on hearing voices from the states and the field.
International
19th meeting of the Governing Council of the ICWA
⇒ The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, also the ex-officio President of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), addressed the 19th meeting of the Governing Council of the ICWA in virtual mode from Hyderabad, on 03 July 2021. Earlier in the day, he had chaired the 20th Meeting of the Governing Body of the ICWA.
Addressing the meetings, the Vice President expressed appreciation for ICWA decision to set up a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Study Centre and a Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) Coordination Centre within the Council. These initiatives are aimed to give an impetus to ICWA’s work related to these multilateral fora.
The Vice President also welcomed efforts envisaged in the direction of professional management of ICWA’s book publication programme, which is an important area of its activity aimed at supporting academics, practitioners and upcoming scholars in the field of international relations.
Book:
The Vice President also launched the book titled “Sapru House: A Story of Institutions Building in World Affairs” on the occasion. The book has been authored by Dr. TCA Raghavan, DG, ICWA and Dr. Vivek Mishra, Research Fellow at ICWA.
Director General of the ICWA:
At the meeting, former Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Ms Vijay Thakur Singh was appointed as the next Director General of the ICWA. The term of Dr. TCA Raghavan was ending on 23 July 2021.
Sports
WAKO India Kickboxing Federation
⇒ The Ministry of Youth affairs & Sports has decided to grant recognition to WAKO India Kickboxing Federation as National Sports Federation (NSF) for promotion and development of the Kickboxing sport in India.
WAKO India Kickboxing Federation is affiliated to World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO), which is the International Federation for the sport of Kickboxing. Recently, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has approved the recommendation for WAKO to become fully recognized member of the Olympic family of sport.
2021 Austrian Grand Prix Formula 1 Race
⇒ The 2021 Austrian Grand Prix Formula 1 race took place in Spielberg on 04 July 2021 over 71 laps of the 4.318 km Red Bull Ring. Red Bull Racing Honda driver Max Verstappen won the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.