National
Anubhav Awards – 2023
⇒ Union Minister of State (I/C) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh addressed the “Anubhav” Awards – 2023 presentation ceremony, All India Pension Adalat & Pre-Retirement Counselling (PRC) Workshop.
Organized by:
The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare held the Anubhav Awards 2023 Ceremony on 23 October 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi to felicitate the awardees for their write-ups for the year 2023.
» Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh gave away the Anubhav Awards 2023 to felicitate 13 awardees for their write-ups.
Key Points:
- This time, an Anubhav outreach programme was undertaken with the aim of maximizing submission of the soon to be retiring/retired employees as Anubhav write ups.
- The campaign has resulted in publication of 1901 Anubhav write-ups which is highest in number since its inception in 2015.
- Maximum numbers of published write ups are from CISF.
- After careful screening, it has been decided to confer 4 Anubhav awards and 9 Jury Certificates.
- The awardees are from 8 different Ministries/Departments/ Organisations.
- It is worthwhile to mention that for the first time, 9 Jury Certificates are also being conferred upon to encourage wider participation in the process.
- The Anubhav Awardees were felicitated with a Medal, a Certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10,000.
- Jury Certificate winners were conferred with a Medal and a Certificate.
Anubhav Awards 2023 Winners:
- Shri Mohammad Jamshed
- Shri Yogender Chaudhry
- Shri P Damodara Bhat
- Shri Bhola Ram Thakur
Complete list of Winners of Anubhav Awards 2023 & Jury Certificates 2023
About Anubhav Portal:
- DoPPW had launched Anubhav Portal at the behest of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, March 2015.
- The portal provides an online system for the retiring/retired employees to submit and showcase their commendable work done; to share their experiences of working in the Government and to give suggestions for improvement in governance.
- 96 Ministries/ Departments/ Organizations have registered on Anubhav Portal of this Department and more than 10000 write-ups have been published so far.
» On the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh also launched the National DLC Portal for Nation-wide DLC Campaign 2.0, Integrated Pensioners’ Portals with Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bank of Baroda and unveiled a Compendium of clarifications/ case studies.
Bharat National Cyber Security Exercise 2023 Concludes
⇒ Bharat National Cyber Security Exercise 2023, an event of monumental significance was held from October 9th to 20th October 2023 at SCOPE Convention Centre, New Delhi.
- This momentous occasion was a remarkable milestone in India’s unwavering quest for cybersecurity excellence.
- This flagship event served as a unifying platform for over 300 participants, representing a diverse spectrum of government agencies, public organizations, and the private sector, all resolutely committed to the safeguarding of critical information infrastructure.
Organized by:
Bharat NCX 2023 was organized by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Government of India (GoI), in strategic partnership with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU).
» During the closing session, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, Chief of the Air Staff, delivered the motivational address to the participants.
- Bharat National Cyber Security Exercise 2023 concluded with a focus on elevating India’s cybersecurity preparedness to new heights.
Key Points:
» Bharat NCX 2023 represents a defining moment in India’s unwavering commitment to cybersecurity excellence, underscoring the paramount importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders from government, public, and private sectors.
» Bharat NCX 2023, organised intense training for the participants over six days and a red on blue Live Fire cyber exercise over five days, wherein participants challenged their cyber skills against a determined adversary.
- The exercise also had a Strategic Track for leadership level discussions on cyber threat landscape, incident response, crisis management to handle real world cyber challenges.
» In addition to the core exercise, Bharat NCX 2023 hosted the prestigious Bharat NCX CISOs Conclave, with a gathering of over 200 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from government, public organizations, and the private sector.
- This exclusive gathering of industry leaders provided a unique platform for in-depth discussions and deliberations on the evolving cyber threat landscape.
» Bharat NCX 2023 also showcased an exclusive exhibition spotlighting the innovation and resilience of Indian Cyber Security start-ups and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs).
- The exhibition presented cutting-edge solutions and technologies developed by these dynamic entities, underscoring their pivotal role in fortifying India’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
» Bharat NCX 2023 while making endeavours to fortify our cyber defences also highlighted the need for a National Cyber Security Strategy resulting in governance structures supported by legal frameworks, efficient processes for threat intel sharing and enhancing Public Private Partnership.
» In an era characterized by burgeoning digitalization, Bharat NCX 2023 serves as a compelling reminder of the paramount importance of collective vigilance and preparedness in safeguarding our nation’s invaluable digital assets.
International
7th ‘Future Investment Initiative’ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⇒ Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal attended the 7th Edition of Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh from 24th to 25th October 2023.
- He met several dignitaries from the host country of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia including the Energy Minister His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Salman Al-Saud, Commerce Minister His Excellency Majid bin Abdullah AlKassabi, and Investment Minister His Excellency Khalid A Al Falih.
Sessions:
- Shri Piyush Goyal addressed the 7th Edition of FII in one of the plenary sessions titled “The Coming Investment Mandate”.
- He also co-chaired a conclave session on the theme “From Risk to Opportunity: Strategies for Emerging Economies in the New Industrial Policy Era” along with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Investment Minister.
Meetings:
» This was followed by a bilateral meeting where the two respective ministers deliberated expansion of investment across diverse sectors to foster economic growth and further enhance strategic partnership between the two countries.
» The Minister participated in the Business Round Table organized at the Federation of Saudi Chambers, and highlighted the multiple opportunities offered by India.
- The growing trade between the two countries reached an all-time high of USD 52.75 billion in FY 2022-23. The conference aimed at further strengthening the economic partnership between the two countries.
- The Confederation of Indian Industry and the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of the Minister to further enhance commercial partnership.
About 7th ‘Future Investment Initiative’:
» Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute is a global nonprofit foundation, launched by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Aim & Focus:
- It aims to gather Government and business leaders from around the world to discuss new pathways for investment with the goal to create a global “Impact On Humanity”.
- Its four areas of focus are Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Robotics, Education, Healthcare, and Sustainability.
» The 7th Future Investment Initiative: ‘The New Compass’ was held on 24–26, October 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 7th ‘Future Investment Initiative’ was powered by the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute.
FII7 was an interactive platform designed to help investors recalibrate the pathways for their companies and for the global economy, while developing new strategies for understanding the greatest challenges and opportunities of this new era.
Theme:
Theme for the 7th Edition of Future Investment Initiative (FII) was “The New Compass” that focuses on the New Global Order.
Key Points:
- The event saw participation from world’s leading investors, business leaders, policymakers, inventors, and explorers.
- In subsequent meetings, the attendees came together to deliberate and discover the new markets and navigate new frontiers of economic growth and prosperity.
Other Points:
- KSA is one of India’s most important strategic partners. Cooperation between the two countries can also be witnessed with the establishment of India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC).
- Established in 2019, it aims to enhance the relationship between the two countries and has two main pillars: the ‘Committee on Political, Security, Social, and Cultural Cooperation’ and the ‘Committee on Economy and Investments’.
- India is the fourth country with which Riyadh has formed such a partnership, after the UK, France, and China.
» In this context, the presence of Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal at the 7th FII further enhanced the strategic partnership and joint cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
Death
Noted Cricketer Shri Bishan Singh Bedi
⇒ Noted cricketer Shri Bishan Singh Bedi passed away in New Delhi on 23 October 2023. He was 77.
About Shri Bishan Singh Bedi:
- Born on September 25, 1946, Bedi played 67 Tests and 10 ODIs for India between 1967 and 1979. He was known as one of the best left-arm spin bowlers in the history of cricket.
- Over the course of 14 Tests, Bedi took 266 wickets, which is an average of 28.71. In ODIs, he also took 7 wickets.
- He was also a part of famous Indian spin troika along with Erapalli Prasanna, Chandrashekhar.
- He was also honoured with the Padma Shri Award in 1970.