National
Indian Army launches a single window facility- “Veerangana Sewa Kendra”
⇒ Taking yet another step in leveraging technology, the Indian Army with a motto of “Taking Care of Our Own, No Matter What” launched a single window facility named the “Veerangana Sewa Kendra” (VSK) for welfare and grievances redressal of veer naris.
- The project was inaugurated by President Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) on 10 November 2022 at the premises of the Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) premises located at Delhi Cantt.
Key Points:
- Veerangana Sewa Kendra (VSK) will be available as a service to the Indian Army Veterans Portal. The system caters for registering grievances with tracking, monitoring and regular feedback to the applicant.
- Veernaris / Next of Kin will have multiple means for approaching the VSK through telephone, SMS, WhatsApp, Post, e-mail and walk-ins to seek assistance. Stakeholders can monitor the status of grievances through a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and the applicant will receive regular status updates through SMS and email.
- The project leverages digital technology in the seamless coupling of various stakeholders i.e. Record Offices, Officers Record Office, ECHS, AWWA, Canteen Services Directorate, Colonels Veteran, Liaison Officers at PCDA (O) and PCDA (P) on a common digital platform. Non-military stakeholders like Rashtriya Sainik Board (RSB), Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) & Zilla Sainik Board (ZSB) are being linked through e-mail.
- The project has been driven by DIAV, AG’s Branch and the technology solution has been developed by BISAG-N, while Hero MotoCorp has supported the project through their CSR initiative.
Country's 1st Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP)
⇒ In line to the vision of Prime Minister and under the “PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP)” launched in Oct 2021 that brings 16 Union Ministries together, including Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
- It aims to improve multi-modal connectivity and last mile connectivity across the country. MoRTH is developing 35 Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLPs), out of which 15 MMLPs are prioritized in the next three years.
» Pioneering the pace of building a countrywide state-of-the-art multi-modal infrastructure, MoRTH has made significant progress under this National Master Plan.
Embarking on the same, MMLP Chennai at Mappedu being developed in 184.27 acres is 1st MMLP awarded to M/s Reliance Industries Limited. The Prime Minister had laid its foundation stone on 26 May 2022.
Key Points:
- With this new MMLP being formed by MoRTH, the foundation stone was also laid for the development of state-of-the-art infrastructure projects on a large scale in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in the country.
- In this work, the Central Government and the State Government together formed a Government SPV in which National Highways Logistics Management Limited, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, Chennai Port Authority and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation have been included.
- The estimated project cost is Rs 1424 Crore. Total concession period is 45 years.
- The SPV will provide 4 lane NH connectivity of 5.4 Km with estimated cost of Rs 104 Crore and new rail siding to the MMLP site of length ~10.5 Km with estimated cost of Rs 217 Crore.
- The MMLP will be developed in three phases with estimated developer investment of Rs 783 Crore Phase-1 development is targeted within 2 years i.e., by 2025 leading to commercial operations.
- MMLP at Chennai which is strategically located at ~52 Km from Chennai Port, 80 Km from Ennore Port, 87 Km from Katupalli Airport will be a focal point of logistics in the southern region.
- It is estimated to a cater to 7.17 Million Metric Tonne (MMT) cargo in horizon period of 45 years.
International
11th Session of the India-Belarus Inter-Governmental Commission
⇒ The 11th Session of the India-Belarus Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation was held on November 10, 2022 in New Delhi.
Shri Som Prakash, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, led the Indian delegation and Mr Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, led the Belarusian delegation.
Key Points:
- The Intergovernmental Commission reviewed the results of bilateral cooperation that took place after the tenth session of the Commission in 2020.
- On the economic front, there has been substantial progress with expanding cooperation across all sectors of focus.
- India and Belarus reiterated their strong desire to further broaden their cooperation with emphasis on key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, financial services, science and technology, heavy industries, culture, tourism, and education.
- The two ministers directed their respective business communities to engage with each other in these sectors to further mutually beneficial cooperation.
- The two sides agreed to promote cooperation among various states in India and regions in Belarus, especially in focus areas.
» India and Belarus are strategic partners since 1991. The two countries cooperate on several areas. This visit was an opportunity to review the existing relationship and find out ways and means to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
Sports
Fit India School Week 2022
⇒ The 4th edition of Fit India School Week was organized from 15th November to 31st January 2023.
Mascots:
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu launched the 4th edition of Fit India School Week of mascots Toofan and Toofani for the year 2022 on 10 November 2022.
- This edition has added two mascots called “Toofan and Toofani” to its flagship, with the duo representing India’s fittest superhero & superwoman.
- To make the mascots more connected to sports, they have been given superpowers like running fast as wind (Athletics), lifting cars (weightlifting), and Superb focus skills (Chess).
- They also engage with people by telling them various stories about sports and fitness and inspire, educate and encourage them in the process.
Key Points:
- Schools selected any week within this window for School Week Celebrations. Additionally, all schools were encouraged to celebrate their annual sports day during Fit India School Week from this edition.
- Schools across India celebrated fitness and sports in various forms for 4 to 6 days and reaffirm its importance amongst the school fraternity.
- Various activities that schools were encouraged to celebrate during the Fit India School Week include – Annual Sports Day, where they are required to identify exceptional sporting talent among their students and provide their details on Fit India portal under talent identification; Essay writing, Debate, Quiz, Poster making competition on the topic – Importance of Fitness; various activities involving Indigenous Games; Khelo India Physical Fitness Assessment of students; Yoga and Meditation among other activities.
Previous Edition:
The 1st edition of Fit India School Week was celebrated in the 3rd week of November 2019 as Fitness Week in partnership with the Ministry of Education. In the 2nd edition, Fit India school week was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021. The 3rd edition of Fit India School week was organized from November 2021 to January 2022.