National
Novel comic book titled "Let’s Move Forward"
⇒ Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, launched a novel comic book titled “Let’s Move Forward.”
- The launch event was held on August 29, 2023, at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi.
Key Points:
» This comic book is a collaborative effort between the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and UNESCO New Delhi. It signifies a significant stride towards augmenting the goals of the School Health and Wellness Programme (SHWP).
The SHWP, initiated under the Ayushman Bharat campaign in April, 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is an initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Its primary objective is to impart health education, prevent diseases, and enhance access to health services through wellness centres within educational institutions.
About Book:
» The “Let’s Move Forward” comic book is designed to cater to the diverse requirements of adolescents and encapsulates crucial information pertaining to the 11 thematic components of the School Health and Wellness Programme.
- These encompass a comprehensive range of subjects, including emotional well-being, interpersonal relationships, gender equality, nutrition and health, substance abuse prevention, healthy lifestyles, reproductive health, internet safety, and more.
- It is accessible in multiple languages, including Hindi, English, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Tamil, and Telugu, to ensure inclusivity across linguistic diversity.
Significance:
» The comic book imparts life skills essential for fostering responsible and health-conscious behaviour among adolescents. This innovative approach serves to not only disseminate health-related knowledge but also facilitate the acquisition of life skills necessary for comprehensive personal development.
Distribution:
- The “Let’s Move Forward” comic book will be distributed across various educational and health institutions nationwide. Its distribution will encompass State School Education Departments, SCERTs, Colleges of Teacher Education, Institutes of Advanced Study in Education (IASEs), District Institutes of Education and Training, Block Institutes of Teacher Education, and state health departments.
- Additionally, the comic books will be disseminated to the 29,000 schools affiliated with the CBSE, thereby expanding its outreach. An electronic version of the comic book will also be accessible on the Ministry of Education (MoE), NCERT, UNESCO, and DIKSHA websites.
World's first prototype of the BS 6 Stage II ‘Electrified Flex Fuel Vehicle’
⇒ Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari launched the world’s first prototype of the BS 6 Stage II ‘Electrified Flex Fuel Vehicle’, developed by Toyota Kirloskar Motor in New Delhi on 29 August 2023.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Gadkari said this innovative vehicle is based on the Innova Hycross and is engineered to adhere to India’s stricter emission standards, marking it as the first-ever BS 6 (Stage II) Electrified Flex Fuel Vehicle prototype globally. He said the forthcoming stages for this prototype encompass meticulous refinement, homologation, and certification processes.
Key Points:
- An Electrified Flex Fuel Vehicle has both a Flexi Fuel engine and an electric powertrain.
- This gives it ability to provide dual benefit of higher ethanol use and much higher fuel efficiency as is in case of a Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle (SHEV), which can provide 30-50% higher Fuel Efficiency as it can run 40-60% in EV mode with engine shut off.
International
B20 Summit India 2023
⇒ The B20 Summit India 2023 under the presidency of India was held from August 25-28, 2023 in New Delhi.
Business 20 (B20) is among the most prominent Engagement Groups in G20, with companies and business organizations as participants. It is the official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community, established in 2010.
- Various B20 Conferences were held before the B20 Summit India 2023.
B20 Theme: R.A.I.S.E. (Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable and Equitable Businesses)
With over 1500 participants including 800+ from G20 members, invitee countries and other countries, the B20 Summit saw deliberations over 25 + sessions, on industry priorities. To deliberate and confer on these priorities, seven Task Forces and two Action Councils were constituted by B20 forum.
The Task Forces worked on the following seven priorities:
- Inclusive GVCs for Resilient Global Trade and Investment
- Future of Work, Skilling, and Mobility
- Energy, Climate Change and Resource Efficiency
- Digital Transformation
- Financing for Global Economic Recovery
- Tech, Innovation & R&D
- Financial Inclusion for Economic Empowerment
Two Action Councils were constituted to work on the following themes:
- ESG in Business
- African Economic Integration: An Agenda for Global Business
» Several Side Events were also organised from August 22-24, 2023 in a run-up to the B20 Summit.
DAY 1:
On the first day of the Summit, seven sessions were organized as well as a meeting of the Trade Ministers.
Plenary Sessions:
- B20 India Priorities and Recommendations: From India for the World
- How Businesses can Collectively Contribute to Achieving Global Public Goods
- AI-Opportunities for Business and Societies
- Inclusive GVCs for Resilient Global Trade and Investment
- African Economic Integration: An Agenda for Global Business
- Bridging the Digital Divide for Underserved Population
DAY 2:
On the second day of the B20 Summit, six sessions were organised revolving around the key themes of the forum.
Plenary Session:
- Financing for Global Economic Recovery
- Technology, Innovation and R&D
- Evolving Global Geoeconomic Scenario
- Financial Inclusion for Economic Empowerment
- ESG for Business Resilience: A Revolutionary Approach
- Sustainability & Development Imperatives and the Role of ISSB Standards
DAY 3:
On the third day, three plenary sessions were organised along with the address of the Indian Union Minister for External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar and the address of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Plenary Session:
- Leveraging India’s Digital Platforms
- Strengthening Social Protection for Future of Work, Skilling and Mobility
- Global Imperatives for Accelerating Energy Transitions
- Special Closing Plenary of B20 Summit India 2023
Key Points:
- Embracing the B20 India theme “R.A.I.S.E”, the Summit saw culmination of the year-long outcomes of all the B20 India Taskforces and Action Councils. The B20 India Communique was adopted at the B20 Summit which includes 54 recommendations and 172 policy actions.
- The policy recommendations of all Task Forces and Action Councils and the B20 India Communique will be presented to the G20 for their consideration and integration into the leader’s declaration.
- Concluding the three-day B20 India Summit, the B20 India Secretariat handed over the Presidency to Brazil to host G20 in 2024.
Sports
Neeraj Chopra wins Gold Medal in World Athletics Championships 2023
⇒ India’s Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest, Hungary, on 27 August 2023.
- With a best throw of 88.17m, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the senior world championships.
Besides his Olympic and world championship golds and the Diamond League title, Neeraj Chopra is also an Asian Athletics Championships (2017), Asian Games (2018) and Commonwealth Games (2018) champion.
About 2023 World Athletics Championships:
» The 2023 World Athletics Championships were held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary from 19 to 27 August 2023.
- This was the first World Athletics Championships in Hungary.
- It was the 19th edition of the World Athletics Championships.
- The official mascot of the World Athletics Championships 2023 was a Racka, called Youhuu.