National
Chief Justices of High Courts
⇒ Vide Notifications of even number dated 24 July 2023, in exercise of power conferred by the Constitution of India, the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu after consultation with Chief Justice of India, appoints the following High Court Judges as Chief Justices of High Courts:
Shri Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Judge of the Allahabad High Court has been appointed as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
- Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court at Raj Bhavan Mumbai on 29 July 2023. Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais administered the oath of office to Justice Upadhyaya at a brief swearing-in ceremony.
Shri Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, Judge of the Bombay High Court (PHC: J&K and Ladakh) has been appointed as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
- Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court by Governor S Abdul Nazeer on 28 July 2023.
PM inaugurates International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on 26 July 2023. He also unveiled the G-20 coin and G-20 stamp.
The complex has been named, ‘Bharat Mandapam’.
The Prime Minister also witnessed the naming ceremony of the Convention Centre as ‘Bharat Mandapam’ carried out via drone and a cultural program that was showcased on the occasion. The Prime Minister elaborated that behind the name ‘Bharat Mandapam’ there is the inspiration of ‘Anubhav Mandapam’ of Bhagwan Basaveshwara. He said that Anubhav Mandapam represented the tradition of debate and expression.
About IECC:
- The Prime Minister’s vision of having a world-class infrastructure for hosting meetings, conferences and exhibitions in the country has led to the conceptualization of the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) at Pragati Maidan.
- The project revamps the old and outdated facilities at Pragati Maidan and developed as a National project at a cost of about Rs 2700 crores.
- With a campus area of approximately 123 acres, the IECC complex has been developed as India’s largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination.
- In terms of the covered space available for events, the IECC Complex finds its place among the top exhibition and convention complexes in the world. The newly developed IECC complex at Pragati Maidan comprises multiple state-of-the-art facilities including Convention Centre, Exhibition halls and amphitheatre etc.
- The Convention Centre is developed as the centrepiece of the Pragati Maidan complex. It is a grand architectural marvel, designed to host large-scale international exhibitions, trade fairs, conventions, conferences, and other prestigious events. Its magnificent Amphitheater is equipped with a seating capacity of 3,000 individuals.
- The architectural design of the Convention Centre building is inspired by Indian traditions and showcases India’s confidence and conviction in its past while also embracing modern facilities and way of life. The shape of the building is derived from the Shankha (conch shell), and different walls and facades of the Convention Centre depict several elements of India’s traditional art and culture including ‘Surya Shakti’ highlighting India’s efforts in harnessing solar energy, ‘Zero to ISRO’, celebrating our achievements in space, Pancha Mahabhuta signifying the building blocks of universal foundation – Aakash (Sky), Vayu (Air), Agni (Fire), Jal (Water), Prithvi (Earth), among others.
- Further, the IECC complex features seven exhibition halls and each one serves as a versatile space for hosting exhibitions, trade fairs, and business events.
- The development of the new IECC complex at Pragati Maidan will help in the promotion of India as a global business destination. It will also play a vital role in boosting trade and commerce, leading to economic growth and job creation.
Three Flight Training Organizations (FTO) in Khajuraho
⇒ Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel inaugurated three Flight Training Organizations (FTO) in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh on 25 July 2023.
- Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia announced to soon begin wide body aircraft between Khajuraho and Varanasi.
With the opening of three FTOs in Khajuraho, the total number of FTOs in Madhya Pradesh will be six, three at Khajuraho, one at Indore, one at Sagar, and one at Guna. These six FTOs will enhance the potential of the state to be a major contributor to pilots in the aviation industry.
Indian Flying Academy: Indian Flying Academy is a unit of Shaurya Flight Sim Pvt Ltd that has been established at Khajuraho Airport under the ‘Aatam Nirbhar Bharat’ initiative taken by the honorable Prime Minister.
- It has acquired 05 aircraft of which 04 have already arrived. Of these 04 aircraft, 03 aircraft are Single-Engine Aircraft consisting of two Diamond DA 40, one Evektor, and one Multi Engine aircraft-Diamond DA 42. Indian Flying Academy will have a capacity of 40 students for Flying Training per batch and the FTO will have 2 batches per year.
Flyola Aviation Academy (Jet Serve Aviation Pvt. Ltd.)- Helicopter FTO: Flyola Aviation Academy Helicopter FTO is Asia’s first Commercial Helicopter Pilot License (CHPL) Training Institute.
- FlyOla Aviation Academy currently has two Robinson R44 helicopters in its fleet and is having a capacity of 20 students for Flying Training at a time.
Flyola Aviation Academy (Jet Serve Aviation Pvt. Ltd.)-Fixed Wing FTO: The Fixed Wing FTO of Flyola Aviation Academy is giving training on multi-engine training aircraft which is considered a high-performance aircraft. The Trainer fleet of Flyola Aviation Academy consists of: –
- Single Engine Aircraft:
- 02 Cessna 172 Aircraft
- 04 Multi-Engine Aircraft:
- 03 King Air C 90A Aircraft
- 01 Super King Air B200 Aircraft.
- Single Engine Aircraft:
Flyola Aviation Academy can train 20 cadets in one batch. For this, FTO has 04 flying instructors.
International
European Commissioner for Environment, Ocean & Fisheries, holds talks with Earth Sciences Minister of India
⇒ A bilateral meeting between the Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Shri Kiren Rijiju and Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Ocean & Fisheries, European Union (EU) was held in New Delhi today, 26 July 2023.
The meeting was organised to discuss the common issues for both, viz., Blue economy, Marine litter, Marine Bio-diversity, Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) and Ocean and Fisheries dialogue.
- India highlighted the G-20 activities related to Blue Economy held in the Diu summit and the ‘Ocean 20 Dialogue’.
- Blue Economy is an important agenda for both the parties and jointly wants to develop sustainable practices and conservation of ecosystems as priority.
- India requires the European Union (EU) to provide technical support for Ocean Accounting Framework.
- India has supported the EU proposal for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Antarctic oceans which when approved by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) will result in the conservation of 1% of Marine Areas.
- Marine pollution was highlighted as an important area of concern by Shri Rijiju. The EU Commissioner also mentioned that not only cleaning the oceans but preventing the plastics from their source was important and hoped that the legally binding agreement is achieved at the earliest.
- Marine Bio-diversity of areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ): Ministry of Earth Sciences is engaged in inventorisation and documentation of marine biodiversity. It seeks collaboration with EU in using innovative and non-invasive approaches such as machine learning, artificial intelligence towards this endeavour.