National
Several Development Projects in Gujarat
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated several development projects in Gujarat on 16 July 2021.
These projects include the newly redeveloped Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station and the Aquatic Gallery, Robotic Gallery and Nature Park at Science City Ahmedabad.
Attractions at Ahmedabad Science City:
Aquatic gallery:
» Aquatic gallery has been developed in collaboration with Marine Scape Eo-aquarium, New Zealand.
» The Aquatic gallery spread over an area of 15,000 square meter will be the largest aquarium in India.
» It has 68 tanks showcasing 188 marine species including Penguins.
» A key attraction of the aquatic gallery is a 28 metre long unique walk way tunnel.
Robotic Gallery:
» Robotic gallery takes visitors through the history of evaluation of robots from early version of present they humanized and space robots.
» Robotics Gallery is an interactive gallery that showcases the pioneers of robotics technology and will provide a platform for visitors to explore the ever-evolving field of robotics.
» At the entrance is a huge replica of the Transformer robot.
Nature Park:
» Nature Park has many beautiful features like Fog garden, Chess garden, Selfie points, Sculpture Park and Open labyrinth (maze).
» It includes an interesting labyrinth designed for children.
Digital Platform 'KisanSarathi'
⇒ A digital platform namely ‘KisanSarathi’ was launched jointly by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare with Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Electronics and Information Technology.
It was launched on 16 July 2021 on the occasion of 93rd Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Foundation Day, to facilitate farmers to get ‘right information at right time’ in their desired language.
During the event, IT Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said, farmers can avail personalised advisories on agriculture and allied areas directly from scientists through the digital platform.
Map services in “UMANG App''
⇒ Recently, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) to further enhance the initiatives of Digital India Programme, and keeping in view the theme of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, MeitY has enabled map services in “UMANG App ” through an MOU with MapmyIndia.
As a result of integration of UMANG with MapmyIndia Maps:
» Citizens will be able to find government facilities nearest to their location, such as mandis, blood banks and much more, at the click of a button. They will also be able to see these on the most detailed and interactive street and village level maps of India, built by MapmyIndia.
» Citizens will also be able to view the driving distance, get directions and turn by turn voice and visual guidance to locations, including traffic and road safety alerts during navigation, through the linkage between UMANG App and MapmyIndia”.
Various initiatives launched by Govt of India towards energy efficiency in the building sector
⇒ Shri R. K. Singh, Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy announced various initiatives being taken by Government of India towards energy efficiency in the building sector, as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’.
The Union Minister Shri R K Singh inaugurated “Aiming for Sustainable Habitat: New Initiatives in Building Energy Efficiency 2021” on 16 July 2021.
The following initiatives have been launched:
» Specifying code compliance approaches and minimum energy performance requirements for building services, and verification framework with Eco Niwas Samhita 2021
» Web-based platform ‘The Handbook of Replicable Designs for Energy Efficient Residential Buildings’ as a learning tool
» Creating an Online Directory of Building Materials that would envisage the process of establishing Standards for energy efficient building materials
» Announcement of NEERMAN Awards, (National Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Movement towards Affordable & Natural Habitat)
» Online Star Rating tool for Energy Efficient Homes created to improve energy-efficiency and reduce energy consumption in individual homes
» Training of over 15,000 Architects, Engineers and Government officials on Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 and Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS) 2021)
International
US India Business Council (USIBC) Roundtable
⇒ Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the Roundtable organized by US India Business Council (USIBC) on “Maximizing India’s Sustainable and Inclusive Growth as Global Destination for U.S. Investment’ through video conferencing on 16 July 2021.
Participants:
Prominent foreign investors like General Electric, Baxter Healthcare USA, Brambles, Marsh & McLennan Companies, PepsiCo amongst others participated in the Roundtable.
Discussion:
The areas of discussion included Life Sciences, Green Energy, Infrastructure, Insurance, Defence, Security, Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Power, Pharmaceuticals, Textiles and Hospitality and Digital economy.
About USIBC:
The U.S.-India Business Council was formed in 1975 as a business advocacy organization to enlighten and encourage the private sectors of both India and United States to enhance investment flows.