National:
National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) & Several Digital Initiatives:
- Shri Hardeep S Puri, MoS, I/C, Housing and Urban Affairs has launched National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) & several digital initiatives, on 23 February 2021, & it is launched for transforming urban Governance.
Speaking at the launch, he stated that National Urban Digital Mission will create the ideal space to harness immense synergies from the domain of urban and technology towards creating a citizen-centric governance that reflects Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘minimum government and maximum governance’.
National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM):
The National Urban Digital Mission will create a shared digital infrastructure for urban India, working across the three pillars of People, Process, and Platform to provide holistic support to cities and towns.
NUDM is a citizen-centered, ecosystem-driven and principles-based mission in terms of design and implementation.
NUDM will institutionalise a citizen-centric and ecosystem-driven approach to urban governance and service delivery in 2022 cities by the year 2022. It will across all cities and towns in India by 2024.
Several other digital initiatives of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs are India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), Smart Code, Smart Cities 2.0 website, and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) were also launched.
'Jan-Andolan' against Tuberculosis:
- Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare on 24 February 2021 chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Union Health Ministry and other Development Partners to launch a Jan-Andolan against Tuberculosis involving Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization.
The Union Minister said, “We wish to make 2021 the year of Tuberculosis.”
In this regard, he noted the extensive progress made in ensuring high quality care during the last few years for free treatment of all patients for TB where he wants to be treated, and expressed confidence that this would significantly increase the demand for services. The sense of shame towards the disease will end and will help achieve the goal of TB-free India by 2025.
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals:
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals over a period of Financial Year 2020-21 to 2028-29.
The Scheme will benefit domestic manufacturers, help in creating employment and is expected to contribute to the availability of wider range of affordable medicines for consumers.
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for IT Hardware:
- The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for IT Hardware.
The scheme proposes production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the value chain of IT Hardware. The Target Segments under the proposed Scheme include Laptops, Tablets, All-in-One PCs andServers.
The total cost of the proposed scheme is approximately Rs.7,350 crore over 4 years, which includes an incentive outlay of Rs.7,325 crore and administrative charges of Rs.25 crore.
International:
ICOLD Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins:
- The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins was inaugurated by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti on 24 February 2021.
The four Days Symposium was organised at New Delhi, from 24th to 27th February, 2021.
The ‘International Commission on Large Dams’ organised the symposium in collaboration with Central Water Commission, Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project and National Hydrology Project on “Sustainable Development of Dams and River Basins”.
Meeting of BRICS Finance and Central Bank 'Deputies':
India hosted a Meeting of BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies virtually on 24 February 2021. The meeting was co-Chaired by Shri Tarun Bajaj, Secretary Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Dr. Michael Patra, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India.
In the meeting, BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa were participated.
This year, BRICS is celebrating its 15th anniversary & India assumed the BRICS Chairship in 2021.
This was the first meeting on the BRICS Financial Cooperation under India Chairship in 2021. Under the theme BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation, India’s approach is focused on strengthening collaboration through Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.
This will be the third time India will host the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016.
Death:
- Ahmed Zaki Yamani, a long-serving oil minister in Saudi Arabia died in London on 23 February 2021. He was 90. He was the first Saudi representative on OPEC’s board of governors in 1961.