National
New Chairman of Quality Council of India
⇒ Shri Jaxay Shah, former Chairman of CREDAI and founder Chairman of Savvy Group has been appointed as the Chairman of Quality Council of India (QCI) for a period of three years effective from 21st October 2022.
The former McKinsey India Chief Shri Adil Zainulbhai had served as the Chairman of QCI through three terms for a period of eight years from 2014 to 2022.
About Shri Jaxay Shah:
- Shri Jaxay Shah has been appointed based on his vast industry experience which shall contribute to further propelling the wheels of Quality, a legacy established by the former Chairpersons of QCI.
- Shri Shah founded one of India’s largest infrastructure conglomerates, the Savvy Group in 1996 and held the position of national chairman of CREDAI, the apex body of private Real Estate developers in India.
- In addition, he also holds the position of the Chairman of the ASSOCHAM Western Region Development Council and serves as the Advisor at the PharmEasy Accelerator Program, which offers 1 lakh+ medicine and health products.
About QCI:
- The Quality Council of India (QCI) is a pioneering experiment of the Government of India in setting up organizations in partnership with the Indian industry.
- QCI was established in 1997 through a Cabinet Note by the Government of India.
- QCI is mandated to promote quality in the country through national accreditation of testing, inspection and certification bodies which is internationally recognised, driving third-party assessments across sectors.
- It also undertakes capacity building initiatives for sensitizing industry & consumers on quality and running a national quality campaign to ensure quality of life for every Indian citizen.
- Over the years, QCI has become an organization serving the aspiration for quality of more than a billion people of India.
Jal Jeevan Survekshan (JJS) Toolkit – 2023 and JJS-2023 Dashboard
⇒ The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar launched the Jal Jeevan Survekshan (JJS) Toolkit – 2023 and JJS-2023 Dashboard at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas on 21 October 2022.
Speaking after the launch, the Vice President described “quality, quantity and continuity” as the core principles for the success of Jal Jeevan Mission and called for ensuring a strong and credible accountability mechanism in implementation of this people centric program.
He hoped that these initiatives by the Ministry of Jal Shakti will prove to be an important medium to ensure transparency and accountability in the scheme.
Developed by:
The toolkit has been developed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Aim:
The toolkit has been developed to help the States/ UTs understand the assessment criteria and the overarching purpose of the Survekshan is to incentivize the States/ District functionaries to strive for better performance and improve water service delivery in rural households.
T20 World Cup Silver Souvenir
⇒ The India Government Mint, Kolkata (a Unit of SPMCIL) on 21 October 2022 launched the in-house designed, Souvenir Coin of 40 Grams, 44 Mm Diameter with 999 silver purity colored silver on the theme of T20 World Cup.
About IGM:
- India Government Mints (IGM) at Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Noida have rich minting heritage and a legacy of producing quality minted products.
- IGMs offer comprehensive range of services covering every stage of minting process – from planning to the finished products.
- Utilization of advanced technology, innovation, quality and reliable delivery methods are key strengths of our mints.
- IGMs have a permanent membership of the Mint Directors Conference. They have struck coins for countries like Greece, Sri Lanka, East Africa, Australia, Egypt, Bhutan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Oman in the past, and now of Thailand & Dominican Republic.
Workshop organized on completion of 50 years of successful operation of Sampurnanand Telescope
⇒ A workshop was organised by the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, to commemorate the completion of 50 years of successful operations of the 104 cm Sampurnanand Telescope (ST).
- The 3-day workshop on ‘Role of meter class telescopes in modern-day astronomy’ was conducted during 17-19 October, 2022 as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations at ARIES.
During the workshop, the Governor of Uttarakhand, Lt. General Gurmit Singh (Retd.) highlighted the need for discussing future possibilities of the 104 cm Sampurnanand Telescope (ST), a world-class telescope located near Nainital. Mr Singh felicitated former astronomers, research scholars, and staff members who contributed to the operation of this telescope.
Participation:
About 150 participants from various institutes and universities in different parts of the country, including many alumni and present ARIES members, attended the workshop.
Discussions:
The deliberations focussed on astronomy with moderate-size optical telescopes with science sessions such as ‘Impact of ST in Growth of Astronomy in Early Days’, ‘Star Formation and Star Clusters’, ‘Stellar Polarimetry’, ‘Stellar Variability’, ‘High Energy Transients’, ‘Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei’ and ‘Engineering Upgradations’.
- A panel discussion on ‘Future Instrumentations’ was also organised on the future science capabilities of the telescope.
About Sampurnanand Telescope:
- The telescope at Manora Peak was established in 1972 when ARIES was known as the UP State Observatory (UPSO).
- It has been extensively used for optical observations of comets, occultation by planets and asteroids, star-forming regions and star clusters, variable stars, transients, active galactic nuclei, etc.
- Some of the breakthrough science results contributed by the telescope include the discovery of new rings around Saturn and the rings of Uranus.
- The instrumentation and science capabilities of ST have paved the way for setting up National and International facilities by ARIES, such as the 3.6m DOT and the 4-meter International Liquid Mirror Telescope at Devasthal.
International
Ministerial Meeting of the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC)
⇒ Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav participated in the virtual Ministerial Meeting of the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) on 21st October 2022.
Theme:
The theme of which was ‘Preparations for COP 27 on Climate Change – Expectations and Challenges’
Host:
The Ministerial meeting was hosted by the Plurinational State of Bolivia ahead of the 27th Climate Change Conference of Parties, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 to November 18, 2022.
Key Points:
- The Union Minister encouraged the LMDC colleagues to step forward at COP27, to support the Egyptian Presidency, prepare a plan of action in respect of adaptation and loss and damage, the two issues at the centre of all developing nations’ attention.
- A joint-ministerial statement was endorsed by the LMDC Ministers during the meeting.
- LMDC comprises of around 18 developing countries from Asia and other regions.