Home » Current Affairs Date: 16 November 2021

Current Affairs Date: 16 November 2021

National

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

⇒ The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission on 27 September 2021.

Based on the foundations laid down in the form of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile trinity and other digital initiatives of the government:

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will create a seamless online platform through the provision of a wide range of data, information and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems while ensuring the security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.

Key components of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission:

Health ID for every citizen:

It will also work as their health account, to which personal health records can be linked and viewed with the help of a mobile application.

Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Healthcare Facilities Registries (HFR):

It will act as a repository of all healthcare providers across both modern and traditional systems of medicine.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Sandbox:

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Sandbox, created as a part of the Mission, will act as a framework for technology and product testing.

It will help organizations, including private players, intending to be a part of National Digital Health Ecosystem become a Health Information Provider or Health Information User or efficiently link with building blocks of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

» The pilot project of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission had been announced by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort on 15th August, 2020. Currently, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is being implemented in pilot phase in six Union Territories.

Highest altitude transmitters of Prasar Bharati in Ladakh

⇒ Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting dedicated to the nation High Power Transmitters of Doordarshan and All India Radio at Hamboting La near Kargil in Ladakh on 25 September 2021.

About Transmitters:

The 10 KW transmitters are the highest altitude TV and Radio transmitters in the country, located at the height of 4054 metres (about 13,300 ft) above the mean sea level.

The range of the transmitters is over 50 Kms in radius. The transmitters will cover a population of about 50,000 in the remote border area of Kargil.

    • The transmitters at Leh are at the altitude of 3501 metres (about 11,450 ft).

35 Crop Varieties with Special Traits Developed by 'ICAR'

⇒ In an endeavour to create mass awareness for adoption of climate resilient technologies:

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated 35 crop varieties with special traits to the Nation on 28 September 2021 in a programme organised at all ICAR Institutes, State & Central Agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

Developed by:

The crop varieties with special traits have been developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to address the twin challenges of climate change and malnutrition.

Crop varieties includes:

These include a drought tolerant variety of chickpea, wilt and sterility mosaic resistant pigeonpea, early maturing variety of soybean, disease resistant varieties of rice and biofortified varieties of wheat, pearl millet, maize and chickpea, quinoa, buckwheat, winged bean and faba bean.

During the programme, the Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the newly constructed campus of National Institute of Biotic Stress Management Raipur.

The National Institute of Biotic Stress Management at Raipur has been established to take up the basic and strategic research in biotic stresses, develop human resources and provide policy support.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister also distributed the Green Campus Award to Agricultural Universities.

The Green Campus Awards has been initiated to motivate the State and Central Agricultural Universities to develop or adopt such practices that will render their campuses more green and clean.

The award motivates students to get involved in ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, ‘Waste to Wealth Mission’ and community connect as per the National Education Policy-2020.

International

Summit for Information and Democracy

⇒ Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur addressed the Summit for Information and Democracy on the sidelines of the UNGA organised at the Consulate General of France, New York on 24 September 2021.

    • Joining from Leh, Ladakh, the Minister participated in a round table discussion.
Objectives:

The Summit was an opportunity to focus on the following priorities:

    • Defending and promoting access to free, pluralistic and reliable information, an essential aspect of freedom of opinion and expression.
    • Debating the Forum’s recommendations, fostering their implementation and supporting upcoming work.
    • Considering the creation of an International Observatory on Information and Democracy responsible for analysing global information trends and publishing a regular report for the Partnership’s signatory States and civil society.
    • Launching a civil society coalition (around 50 NGOs) linked to the Forum, to promote the Partnership’s principles with States and the public through awareness-raising and advocacy.
    • Fostering ties between the International Partnership for Information and Democracy and international organizations involved in issues around access to free, pluralistic and reliable information.
Addressing the summit, the Union Minister Shri Thakur said:

» The General Assembly has proclaimed this year, by consensus, October 24-31 as ‘Global Media and information Literacy week’ to address concerns about the exponential spread and proliferation of disinformation and misinformation through imparting media literacy skills. India was among the core group of countries which piloted this resolution. India is also among the co-sponsors of a similar resolution in UNESCO.

» India was also among the co-authors of a first of its kind Cross-Regional Statement on “Infodemic” in the Context of COVID-19. India has also actively supported the UN Department of Global Communication’s “Verified” and “Pledge To Pause” initiatives.

About:

The International Partnership for Information and Democracy was launched in New York on 26 September 2019, in the framework of the Alliance for Multilateralism.

It has been signed to date by 43 States, and aims to promote freedom of opinion and expression and access to free, pluralistic and reliable information.

Sports

Sports and Adventure Awards 2021

⇒ The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented the Sports and Adventure Awards 2021 (also known as National Sports Awards 2021) at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 13 November 2021.

  • Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2021 were given to 12 Sportspersons.
  • 35 Sports persons received the Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2021.
  • National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.
Sports and Adventure Awards 2021: National Sports Awards 2021 Winners

Source: PIB & Other News Reports

Also Read: