National
1st edition of the IEEE MAPCON event
⇒ The Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar addressed the first edition of the IEEE MAPCON event (Microwave, Antennas, and Propagation Conference) 2022 held in Bengaluru on 15 December 2022.
The Minister said that the Government under PM Shri Narendra Modi has been giving capital support for research and development efforts for India to take the leap from being a tech consumer and back-office support to becoming a leading tech producer of the world.
MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar inaugurated IEEE-Ansys Centre for Skill Development in RF & Microwave at Reva University, Bengaluru.
- The Minister also inaugurated the IEEE-Ansys Centre for Skill Development in RF and Microwave and Ansys Innovation Space (AIS) Portal at Reva University in Bengaluru.
- The Centre will help skilling of workforce in electronics, semiconductors, and A&D sectors to accelerate Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
- Through this centre and AIS portal, Ansys, a global leader and innovator of engineering simulation software aims to help skilling and expertise building of the workforce in electronics, semiconductors, and Aerospace and Defence space in line with Prime Minister’s Skill India and Atmanirbhar Bharat missions.
- The Centre for Skill Development in RF & Microwave is designed for developing and accelerating innovation and development capabilities for both professionals and students.
- It is focused on the adaption of the most advanced trends in Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave engineering into the existing system. This facility will be able to provide training and knowledge to more than 1500+ students and professionals every year.
1st edition of MAPCON:
The first edition of MAPCON was organized in Bangalore, India during December 12-15, 2022.
IEEE MTT-S and IEEE AP-S have come together and signed a MoU for combining two flagship conferences of the respective societies in India (IMaRC and InCAP) to a single conference: Microwave, Antennas, and Propagation Conference (MAPCON).
About MAPCON 2022:
- MAPCON 2022 created an international platform for Microwave, Antenna and Propagation experts and technologist from Industry, Academia and Startup ecosystem to collaborate and share their vision, expertise and knowledge.
- MAPCON 2022 included technical sessions, poster sessions, special sessions, invited talks, workshops, tutorials, focused track on Young Professionals, Women in Engineering and SIGHT.
- Eminent professionals from International Space Agencies, Defense Establishments, National Research Organizations, Academia, and Industries delivered expert talks and tutorials and organized special sessions related to recent developments.
5th edition of Youth Co:Lab India for Young Entrepreneurs
⇒ The 5th edition of Youth Co: Lab India, Asia Pacific’s largest youth innovation movement was jointly launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, UNDP India, and Citi Foundation on December 15th, 2022.
Through Youth Co: Lab, 30 early-stage start-ups would be supported by the springboard programme, and the best would be provided a seed grant for scaling up their start-up.
The 6 focus thematic areas for Youth Co:Lab 2022-23 are:
- Digital and Financial Literacy for Youth
- Gender Equality and Women Economic Empowerment
- Developing FinTech Solutions focused on Biodiversity Conservation
- Promoting Biodiversity-friendly Lifestyles through Technological Solutions in Finance
- Accelerating Circular Economy through Upcycling Innovations
- Behavioural Nudges for LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment)
About Youth Co: Lab India:
- Youth Co: Lab India is an initiative launched in 2019 by UNDP India and Citi Foundation in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog.
- It aims to regionally establish a common agenda for Asia-Pacific countries to invest in and empower youth to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.
About Youth Co:Lab:
- Co-created in 2017 by UNDP and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co: Lab is a multi-dimensional and multi-level response to tackle the challenges young people face by positioning youth at the forefront in finding solutions to global challenges tackling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Youth Co: Lab aims to establish a common agenda for Asia-Pacific countries to invest in and empower youth to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.
- The Youth Co: Lab initiative, to date, has been implemented in 28 countries and territories, reaching over 200,000 participants, benefitting more than 11,000 young social entrepreneurs, and supporting over 1,240 social enterprises.
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
- AIM is the Government of India’s endeavor to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Its objective is to serve as a platform for the promotion of world-class innovation hubs, grand challenges, start-up businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology-driven areas.
International
Indo-Nepal Joint Training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI”
⇒ The 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI” between India and Nepal was conducted at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi (Nepal), from 16 – 29 December 2022.
Exercise “SURYA KIRAN” is conducted annually between India and Nepal with the aim to enhance interoperability in jungle warfare & counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain and HADR under UN mandate.
Participation:
Nepal Army soldiers of Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion and Indian Army soldiers from the 5 GR participated in the exercise.
- The two armies, through these contingents, shared the experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations over the years in their respective countries.
Focus:
The joint exercise focused on evolution of combined drills for planning and conduct of tactical operations at unit level in counter terrorism operations and disaster response mechanism in general and role of armed forces in management of disaster.
» During the exercise, participants trained together to develop inter-operability and shared their experience including Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist operations and also on Humanitarian Relief operations.
The joint military exercise enhanced the level of defence cooperation which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.
RATS SCO Practical Seminar on “SECURING THE CYBER SPACE FRONTIERS”
⇒ RATS SCO Practical Seminar on “SECURING THE CYBER SPACE FRONTIERS” was organized by the National Security Council Secretariat of India on 14-15 December 2022 in New Delhi.
Knowledge Partner:
National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), in association with Data Security Council of India (DSCI) as a Knowledge Partner organized a Two-Day Practical Seminar for delegates from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States and representatives of EC RATS SCO.
Focus:
This Practical Seminar was the 3rd Edition which was designed with a special focus on examining and deliberating on issues related to Misuse of Internet by Terrorists, Separatists and Extremists (TS&E).
Key Points:
- The Seminar had various presentations which gave multi-dimensional perspective on countering the misuse of internet by the terrorists and offered a unique look at a range of challenges faced by the SCO Member countries.
- During the Seminar, the focus of the discussion was on how the social media is turning into “Toolkit” of terrorists along with its threats and challenges.
- The participants shared their experience of identifying anonymous users of various Messenger Platforms and Social Media Networks, Dark Web and Regulatory challenges, Cryptocurrency etc.
- There was an extensive discussion regarding protecting Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) especially from the cyber-attacks like Ransomware which is now becoming a preferred tool for the TSEs.
Background:
- This Practical Seminar is one of the India’s initiatives started on 2019 under the framework of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorists Structure (RATS).
- SCO RATS Member States are the Republic of Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Uzbekistan and Republic of India.