National
28th Director General (DG) of Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
⇒ Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan took over as the 28th Director General Border Roads (DGBR) on September 30, 2023.
- He assumed the charge following the superannuation of Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry.
About Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan:
- Prior to his appointment as the DGBR, the General Officer was holding the appointment of Commandant, College of Military Engineering, Pune.
- Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in 1987.
- He has participated in Operation Vijay, Operation Rakshak and Operation Parakram during his illustrious service.
- He has a rich experience in serving along the border areas, especially Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
About BRO:
- The BRO was raised on May 07, 1960 with an aim to secure India’s borders by developing infrastructure in remote areas of the North and North-Eastern states.
- Since its raising, the BRO has constructed and dedicated to the Nation over 63,000 kms of roads, 976 bridges, six tunnels and 21 Airfields.
‘Sankalp Saptaah’, a week-long programme for Aspirational Blocks
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched a unique week-long programme for Aspirational Blocks in the country called ‘Sankalp Saptaah’ at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 30 September 2023.
- He also launched the Aspirational Blocks Programme Portal and inaugurated the exhibition showcased on the occasion.
The inaugural programme witnessed the participation of about 3,000 panchayat and block-level people’s representatives and functionaries from across the country in Bharat Mandapam. In addition, nearly two lakh people including block and panchayat level functionaries, farmers, and persons from other walks of life, joined the programme virtually.
Sankalp Saptaah:
‘Sankalp Saptaah’ was observed from 3rd October to 9th October 2023. ‘Sankalp Saptaah’ was observed in all of the 500 Aspirational Blocks.
Theme:
Each day in ‘Sankalp Saptaah’, was dedicated to a specific development theme on which all Aspirational Blocks will work.
Themes for the first six days include:
- Sampoorna Swasthya
- Suposhit Pariwaar
- Swachhta
- Krishi
- Shiksha
- Samridhi Diwas
» The last day of the week i.e. October 9, 2023, was a celebration of the work conducted during the entire week, as ‘Sankalp Saptaah – Samavesh Samaroh’.
Background:
‘Sankalp Saptaah’ was linked to the effective implementation of the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP). The Prime Minister launched the nationwide programme on January 7, 2023.
- It aims to improve governance at the block level in order to enhance the quality of life of citizens.
- It is being implemented in 500 Aspirational Blocks across 329 districts in the country.
- Chintan shivirs were organized at village and block levels across the country to implement the Aspirational Blocks Programme and to prepare an effective block development strategy.
- The ‘Sankalp Saptaah’ was a culmination of these chintan shivirs.
International
16th Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023
⇒ NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, virtually hosted the Launch of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023 in India on 29 September 2023.
- The GII 2023 reveals who is leading in global innovation, ranking the innovation performance of 132 economies and highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, it identifies the world’s top 100 science and technology clusters. It was the 16th edition of Global Innovation Index.
The GII is a reliable tool for governments across the world to assess the innovation-led social and economic changes in their respective countries. Over the years, the GII has established itself as a policy tool for various governments and helped them to reflect upon the existing status quo.
In the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), since 2019, the GII has been recognized by the United Nations General Assembly to be a benchmark for measuring innovation, including more recently in a post-pandemic environment.
Performance of India:
» India retains 40th rank out of 132 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2023 rankings published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. India’s Global Innovation Index 2023 score was 38.1.
- India has been on a rising trajectory, over the past several years in the Global Innovation Index (GII), from a rank of 81 in 2015 to 40 in 2023.
Key Highlights from GII 2023:
- Leadership Among Peers: India emerges as the numero uno among 37 lower-middle-income group economies and stands tall as the number one innovation performer among the 10 economies in Central and Southern Asia.
- Consistent Innovation Excellence: India continues to impress by surpassing expectations in relation to its level of development, maintaining its position as an “innovation achiever” for the 13th consecutive year.
- Strengths and Focus Areas: India ranks highest in the Market Sophistication (input pillar) and Knowledge and Technology Outputs (output pillar) categories. It ranks amongst the top 10 in the Infrastructure and Institutions pillars (input pillars).
- Top-Ranked Indicator: India secures the top spot in the “Domestic market scale, bn PPP$” indicator. Furthermore, India is ranked in the top 10 in six additional indicators: “ICT Services exports, % total trade,” “Venture capital received, value, % GDP,” “Finance for startups and scaleups,” “Domestic industry diversification,” “Unicorn valuation, % GDP,” and “Intangible asset intensity, top 15, %.”
- Innovation Outputs: India proudly ranks 35th in innovation outputs, marking an improvement from the previous year.
- Higher Graduates in Science and Engineering: India records 34% of total tertiary graduates in science and engineering in 2021, ranking 11th in this indicator.
- Startup Finance Recognition: India’s finance for startups and scaleups earns it the 9th position in this category, while the Venture Capital Performance, though slightly lower than the previous year, secures the 6th position.
- Diverse Domestic Industries: India demonstrates growth in domestic industry diversification, reflecting a 0.46% increase from the prior year, and ranks 10th in this indicator.
- Patents and Citable Documents: India shows a substantial growth in patents by origin, ranking 28th globally. Additionally, it achieved the 20th rank in the citable documents H-index in 2022.
- Unicorn Valuation: India’s unicorn valuation stands at 5.04% of GDP in 2023, securing the 9th position in this indicator.
- High-Tech Manufacturing: High-tech manufacturing contributed to 34.23% of the total manufacturing output in 2019, with India ranking 35th in this category.
- Intangible Asset Intensity: India achieved an impressive 8th position in intangible asset intensity, and maintains a Global Brand Value of 210.907 billion USD in 2023, ranking 31st globally.
- Cultural and Creative Exports: India’s cultural and creative services exports soared in 2021, up by a substantial 21.4% from the prior year, securing the 18th position in this thriving sector.
Ranking of top five countries:
- Switzerland – for a 13th year – ranks first in the GII 2023.
- Sweden is now 2nd and the United States 3rd, followed by the United Kingdom (4th) and Singapore (5th).
Ranking of bottom five countries:
Guinea (128th); Mali (129th); Burundi (130th); Niger (131th); Angola (132th)
Ranking of India’s neighbouring countries:
China (12th); Pakistan (88th); Sri Lanka (90th); Bangladesh (105th); Nepal (108th)
Important Day
World Heart Day 2023
⇒ World Heart Day is observed on September 29th every year to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases and promote heart-healthy lifestyles globally.
World Heart Day aims to educate people about the risk factors associated with heart disease and the preventive measures they can take. The day also encourages collaboration among governments, healthcare professionals, organizations, and individuals to fight against heart diseases.
Theme:
The theme of World Heart Day 2023 was ‘Use Heart, Know Heart’.
History:
- World Heart Day was established by the World Heart Federation in 1999. World Heart Federation (WHF) is a global non-governmental organization dedicated to the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases.
- WHD established in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a day that would raise awareness and mobilize international action against cardiovascular disease.
- The date of September 29th was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the foundation of the World Heart Federation, which was established in 1978.
- The first World Heart Day was celebrated in 1999.