National
'Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav' and 'Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit'- 2023
⇒ Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav and inaugurated the two-day Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit on 30th September 2023 at New Delhi.
Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav:
The 75-days Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav was held from 28th September 2023 to 11th December 2023.
Theme:
Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav was conducted on the theme “भाषाएँ अनेक, भाव एक” to promote language learning through the use of regional languages and technology.
During this programme, the activities were conducted at all levels ie., the schools, BRCs/CRCs/Panchayats, districts (including at the DIETs), state and national level to build up the momentum for the grand finale Bharativa Bhasha Utsav on 11 December.
Bharatiya Bhasha Divas:
The Government of India has proposed to celebrate the birthday of renowned Tamil poet and freedom fighter Mahakavi Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati as Bharatiya Bhasha Divas i.e. on 11 December.
- The great nationalist Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, who was popularly known as “Mahakavi Bharati”, a freedom fighter and a social reformer in Tamil Nadu.
Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit:
The two-day Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha Summit was held on September 30 and October 1, 2023.
Organized by:
The summit was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), and their constituent institutions, such as the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), University Grants Commission (UGC), National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), National Centre for Vocational & Technical Education (NCVTE), National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE), Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (BBS), and others.
Objective:
The aim of the summit was to facilitate a seamless transition from the current education ecosystem to one rooted in Bharatiya languages, in line with the NEP-2020 vision and to set the course for a technologically enriched future for Bharatiya languages in education.
The summit was organized as part of the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav, encompassing three pivotal thematic sessions:
- Technology FOR Bharatiya Languages
- Technology IN Bharatiya Languages
- Technology THROUGH Bharatiya Languages
These themes emphasized the integration of technology in promoting Bharatiya Bhasha, including its role in teaching, training, examination, and translating educational materials.
» Two technical sessions were held under the theme of Technology FOR Bharatiya Languages on 30 September.
- In these sessions, speakers and experts discussed ways and means to leverage technology for Bharatiya languages. The role of technology in the teaching-learning process of Bharatiya languages, the use of Machine Learning, Language modelling for speech recognition, Unicode standardization for Bharatiya language scripts, and other important aspects were also discussed in detail during these sessions.
Discussion:
During the summit, key discussions were held on agendas like “Leverage Technology for Bharatiya Languages”, “Operating Systems and Software Localization”, “Search Engine Localization” and more.
- A comprehensive roadmap for realizing the vision of education in Bharatiya Languages were charted, with active participation from stakeholders across various sectors, including academia, students, research scholars, edutech and infotech industry professionals, technical experts, media representatives, and freelancers.
Participation:
Technical experts and Institutions working in technology FOR, IN and THROUGH Bharatiya Languages, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) researchers, edu-tech companies, start-ups, users and policy makers of such technology participated in the summit.
- It facilitated the exchange of ideas and collaboration among the attendees, and promote the advancement of language technology, research and innovation in Bharat and the world.
Exhibition:
An exhibition was also set up to showcase Bharatiya Bhasha technology products, and their applications by the industries, government organizations and start-ups.
PM lays foundation stone and dedicates to nation multiple developmental projects in Mahbubnagar
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation, multiple developmental projects worth more than Rs 13,500 crore in Mahbubnagar, Telangana on 01 October 2023.
- The development projects include important sectors like road, rail, petroleum and natural gas and higher education.
- During the programme, the Prime Minister also flagged off a train service through video conferencing.
Multiple development projects:
» The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of key road projects that are part of Nagpur – Vijayawada Economic Corridor.
- The projects include – 108 km long ‘four-lane access-controlled Greenfield highway from Warangal to Khammam section of NH-163G’ and 90 km long ‘four-lane access controlled greenfield highway from Khammam to Vijayawada section of NH-163G.
- These road projects will be developed at a total cost of about Rs 6400 crores.
- The projects will reduce travel distance between Warangal and Khammam by about 14 km; and between Khammam and Vijayawada by about 27 km.
» The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation a road project – ‘four laning of 59 km long Suryapet to Khammam section of NH-365BB’.
- Built at a cost of about Rs 2,460 crore, the project is a part of Hyderabad – Visakhapatnam Corridor and is developed under Bharatmala Pariyojana.
- It will also provide better connectivity to Khammam district and coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh.
» During the project, the Prime Minister dedicated ‘37 Kms of Jaklair – Krishna New Railway Line’.
- Built at a cost of more than Rs 500 crore, the new rail line section brings areas of the backward district of Narayanpet for the first time onto the Railway Map.
» The Prime Minister also flagged off the inaugural Hyderabad (Kacheguda) – Raichur – Hyderabad (Kacheguda) train service from Krishna station via video conferencing.
- The train service will connect Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Mahabubnagar, and Narayanpet districts in Telangana with Raichur district in Karnataka.
» In line with the Prime Minister’s vision of improving logistics efficiency in the country, the foundation stone and dedication to the nation of important oil and gas pipeline projects were done during the programme. The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation ‘Hassan-Cherlapalli LPG Pipeline Project’.
- Built at a cost of about Rs 2170 crore, the LPG pipeline, from Hassan in Karnataka to Cherlapalli (suburb of Hyderabad), provides a safe, cost-efficient, and eco-friendly mode of LPG transportation and distribution in the region.
» He also laid the foundation stone of the ‘Multiproduct Petroleum Pipeline of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) from Krishnapatnam to Hyderabad (Malkapur)’.
- The 425-kilometer pipeline will be built at a cost of Rs 1940 crore.
» The Prime Minister also inaugurated ‘five new buildings of University of Hyderabad’ i.e. School of Economics; School of Mathematics & Statistics; School of Management Studies; Lecture Hall Complex – III; and Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication (Annexe).
International
46th Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2023
⇒ Ministry of Tourism organised inaugural ceremony for the PATA Travel Mart 2023 in New Delhi on 04 October 2023.
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India hosted the 46th edition of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2023 at the magnificent International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC), Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi.
- The Mart was organised from October 4th to 6th 2023, bringing together tourism professionals and business stakeholders from across the world. The physical version of the Travel Mart was held after a hiatus of three years due to the pandemic.
Participation:
- The Mart brought together exhibitors and attendees from diverse sectors, offering a unique platform for networking, learning and collaboration.
- PATA Mart saw the participation of around 1000 delegates, is one of the major international trade exhibitions catering to the tourism sector.
- The event featured different activities, including the prestigious PATA Gold Award, the PATA Youth Symposium, PATA Forum on Sustainability besides the B2B Mart.
» Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), has committed to work with India to expand Travel for LiFE initiative across Asia Pacific region.
» Ministry of Tourism set up a PATA desk to strengthen engagement with PATA on Travel for LiFE and other areas of cooperation in tourism sector.
- This was the first major international partnership for Travel for Life program after its global launch on September 27, 2023, world tourism day. Ministry of Tourism is already working with UNEP and UNWTO on strengthening the TFL program.
The Travel for LiFE program, a sectoral program under Mission LiFE, has identified an illustrative list of actions that are designed in line with the eight themes of Travel for LiFE–
- Save Energy
- Save Water
- Say No to Single Use Plastic
- Reduce Waste
- Empower Local Businesses and Communities
- Respect Local Culture and Heritage
- Consume Local Foods, and
- Conserve Nature
About Mission LiFE:
Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) was formally launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 19th October 2022, in the presence of the UN Secretary General António Guterres, at the Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.
- It is a global mass movement led by India urging individuals and communities to act for protection of the environment against the effects of the climate change.
About PATA:
- The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) founded in 1951, with its Head Quarters in Bangkok, is a renowned not-for-profit association recognized internationally for its role as a catalyst in the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.
- PATA Travel Mart is one of the important international trade exhibitions catering to the tourism sector.
- It serves as a platform for trade interactions between global buyers and sellers mostly from the Asia Pacific region.