National
Ministry of Home Affairs launches “Scheme for Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the States”
⇒ The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has launched a “Scheme for Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the States” from the earmarked allocation of Preparedness and Capacity Building Funding Window under the National Disaster Response Fund for strengthening fire services in the States.
- “Scheme for Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the States” has been launched with a total outlay of Rs 5,000 Crore.
- An amount of Rs 500 crore, out of the total outlay, has been kept for incentivizing the States on the basis of their legal and infrastructure-based reforms.
- A letter in this regard has been sent to the Chief Secretaries and Head of Fire Services of all States.
Background:
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah had announced the scheme while chairing a meeting with Ministers of Disaster Management of the States/Union Territories in New Delhi on 13th June, 2023.
Key Points:
- Objective of the scheme is to expand and modernize Fire Services in the States with a view that activities for strengthening of fire services at the State-level through preparedness and capacity-building component of the NDRF will be ensured.
- For seeking funds for the projects/proposals under the Scheme, the concerned State Governments shall have to contribute 25% (except for the North-Eastern and Himalayan States which shall contribute 10%) of total cost of such projects / proposals from their budgetary resources.
- The Scheme finds its origin from the recommendation of the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV-FC) which allows an allocation of 12.5 percent of each of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) [10% of the total corpus of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF)] for the Funding Window of Preparedness and Capacity Building.
DoT Launches Bharat 6G Alliance to Drive Innovation and Collaboration in Next-Generation Wireless Technology
⇒ Telecom sector is a continuously evolving sector with high technological obsolescence. In furthering the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister of Universal and Affordable connectivity, developing indigenous technology, developing telecom and semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, taking lead in 6G Technology, on 03 July 2023, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology announced-
- Formation of the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), a collaborative platform consisting of public and private companies, academia, research institutions, and Standards development organizations.
- B6GA will forge coalitions and synergies with other 6G Global Alliances, fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange
In addition, with a grant of 240.51 crores under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF), two agreements were signed for projects-
- 6G THz Testbed with Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) & Multiplexing through consortium of SAMEER, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati and IIT Patna
- Advance Optical Communication Test Bed with Consortium Members as IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi, Signal-chip Innovations, Signaltron Systems Pvt Ltd, Sasmos het Technologies Ltd, SFO Technologies Pvt. Ltd, ERNET India, Quanfluence Private Ltd, Sterlite Technologies Limited, Nav tech, Tejas network.
Further, Under DCIS (Digital Communication Innovation Square)-
- Grant of Rs 48 crore to 66 Startups and MSMEs was also announced
- 75 Innovators were also felicitated by DoT for their remarkable contributions to the field, recognizing their outstanding achievements and dedication. Department of Telecommunications under DCIS Scheme has been funding such startups and MSMEs.
About Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA)
- The primary objective of B6GA is to understand the business and societal needs of 6G beyond technology requirements, foster consensus on these needs, and promote high-impact open research and development (R&D) initiatives.
- B6GA aims to bring together Indian startups, companies, and the manufacturing ecosystem to establish consortia that drive the design, development and deployment of 6G technologies in India. By accelerating standards-related patent creation within the country and actively contributing to international standardization organizations such as 3GPP and ITU, B6GA seeks to position India at the forefront of 6G innovation.
- One of the key goals of B6GA is to facilitate market access for Indian telecom technology products and services, enabling the country to emerge as a global leader in 6G technology. To achieve this, these efforts shall promote technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, create a culture of technology co-innovation, reduce imports, boost export opportunities and augment creation of Intellectual Property.
About Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF)
- Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme was launched by DoT/USOF on 01.10.2022.
- 5% of annual collections from USOF will be available for TTDF Scheme for funding research & development of technologies, products, and services.
- The scheme is envisaged to bridge digital divide by developing and manufacturing state-of-the-art technologies and to form synergies among academia, start-ups, research institutes, and the industry to build and develop the telecom ecosystem
- The Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme entails grants to Indian entities to encourage and induct indigenous technologies tailor-made to meet domestic needs. Under the TTDF scheme, USOF, DoT is also targeting to develop standards to meet countrywide requirements and create the ecosystem for research, design, prototyping, use cases, pilots, and proof of concept testing, among others.
International
JAPAN INDIA MARITIME EXERCISE 2023 (JIMEX 23)
⇒ The 7th edition of the bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercise 2023 (JIMEX 23) hosted by the Indian Navy, was conducted at/off Visakhapatnam from 05 -10 July 2023.
- This edition marks the 11th anniversary of JIMEX, since its inception in 2012.
- JIMEX 23 concluded in the Bay of Bengal with the two sides bidding farewell to each other with a customary steampast.
Participation:
- Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) units under the command of RAdm Nishiyama Takahiro, Commander Escort Flotilla One, and Indian Naval ships under the command of RAdm Gurcharan Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet participated in the exercise.
- The Indian Navy was represented by the INS Delhi, INS Kamorta, fleet tanker INS Shakti, a submarine, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and Dornier, ship-borne helicopters and fighter aircraft. INS Delhi is India’s first indigenously built Guided Missile Destroyer. INS Kamorta is an indigenously designed and built Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette.
- The JMSDF was represented by the guided missile destroyer JS Samidare and its integral helicopters.
The exercise was conducted over six days in two phases –
Harbour Phase:
- Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam comprised professional, sports and social interactions.
Sea Phase:
- The two navies jointly honed their warfighting skills at sea and enhance their interoperability through complex multi-discipline operations in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.
- Both sides engaged in advanced level exercises in all three domains of maritime warfare – surface, sub surface and air.
- Besides ships and their integral helicopters, the exercise also witnessed the participation of fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and a submarine.
JIMEX 23 ended on a high note revalidating common procedures and enhancing interoperability between the IN and JMSDF.
DGCA signs MoU with European Union Aviation Safety Agency
⇒ The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for cooperation in Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Innovative Air Mobility.
Focus:
This MoU will focus on collaboration on unmanned aircraft and innovative air mobility between the two civil aviation authorities.
Benefits:
- This collaboration would include cooperation between DGCA and EASA in the areas of development of certification standards and environmental standards and related requirements for the certification and use of unmanned aircraft systems and innovative air mobility operations which includes licensing of personnel, training, air traffic management and infrastructure, including Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) standards and services.
- The MoU will also ensure regular information sharing between the two authorities on the technological developments and research in this area and also their respective strategies for outreach to relevant stakeholders.
- Further, the MoU will result in collaboration in conducting conferences, workshops, training programmers by DGCA and EASA in this area.
The signing of this MoU is expected to result in harmonized standards and accelerated growth of Indian unmanned aviation sector.
Background:
During EU-India Aviation Summit held in New Delhi on 20th April 2023, DGCA had signed a letter of intent (LoI) on Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Innovative Air Mobility with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Sports
2023 SAFF Championship
⇒ The 2023 SAFF Championship, South Asia’s biennial international men’s football championship, was held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India from 21 June to 4 July 2023.
- It was the 14th edition of the SAFF Championship and organised by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
- Bangalore was the host city of the SAFF Championship 2023.
Final Match:
The final match of the 2023 SAFF Championship was played on 4 July 2023 between India and Kuwait at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore, Karnataka.
- Defending champions India defeated Kuwait to win their 9th 2023 SAFF Championship title.
- After the match ended 1-1 in regular time, India won the title by defeating Kuwait 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
Awards:
- Most Valuable Player: Sunil Chhetri (India)
- Top scorer(s): Sunil Chhetri (India) (5 goals)
- Best goalkeeper: Anisur Rahman Zico (Bangladesh)
- Fair play award: Nepal