National
Sir M Visvesvaraya Memorial Award
⇒ The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu attended ‘Sir M Visvesvaraya Memorial Award’ ceremony organized by Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on 18 August 2021. The award ceremony was held at Bengaluru.
The Vice President of India presented “Sir M Visvesvarya Memorial Award’ to Shri M. R. Jayaram. Mr Jayaram is the Chairman of the M S Ramaiah Group of Institutions in Bengaluru.
Conferring the Award on Dr. M. R. Jayaram, Shri Naidu commended him for his dedication and hard work in transforming the M S Ramaiah Group of Institutions into a vibrant educational hub.
Kerala Sastra Puraskaram
⇒ Agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan and Pune-based theoretical physicist and cosmologist Thanu Padmanabhan have been selected for the Kerala Sastra Puraskaram. It is an award to honour distinguished scientists of Kerala origin.
Dr Swaminathan has received the award for his lifetime contribution to agricultural research, and Dr Thanu Padmanabhan for his lifetime contribution towards theoretical physics.
About Award:
The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Kerala has instituted the ‘Kerala Sasthra Puraskaram’, a lifetime achievement award to promote excellence in science and technology in Kerala.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, a memento and a citation.
Kalam Awards
⇒ Kites Foundation, a youth-led collective, has instituted ‘Kalam Awards’ to recognise young volunteers, social communities and projects focusing on social development.
Awards will be given in three categories:
- Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Social Volunteer Award – for exceptional volunteer services
- Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Community Excellence Award- for the best communities/NGOs
- Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Social Impact Award- for social ventures/projects of impact
The award aims to find individuals who are highly passionate about contributing to activities that lead to a positive social impact and development of under-privileged communities.
'Samsung DOST’ Program
⇒ Recently, Samsung India announced the launch of ‘Samsung DOST’ (Digital & Offline Skills Training), a CSR initiative that aims to make 50,000 youth job-ready for the electronics retail sector over the next few years.
Samsung India has partnered with India’s premier skill development organization, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), to execute the program through its nationwide skills training centres.
MoU:
Samsung has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NSDC for the ‘Samsung DOST’ program.
Under the MoU youth will receive 200 hours of blended classroom and online training, followed by five months of on-the-job training at Samsung retail stores, along with a monthly stipend at par with industry standards. Under the programme, School pass-outs will be trained at 120 sites in India.
International
Bilateral Maritime Exercise between Indian Navy and Vietnam Navy
⇒ In continuation with ongoing deployment of Indian Navy ships in the South China Sea, INS Ranvijay and INS Kora undertook bilateral maritime exercise with Vietnam People’s Navy frigate VPNS Ly Thai To(HQ-012) on 18 August 2021.
The sea phase included surface warfare exercises, weapon firing drills and helicopter operations.
The bilateral interaction was aimed to consolidate the strong bond shared by the two navies. It was another step towards strengthening India-Vietnam defence relations.
MoU between India and Bangladesh
⇒ The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh on cooperation in the field of Disaster Management, Resilience and Mitigation.
The MoU was signed on March, 2021 between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, the Republic of India and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Benefits:
The MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Bangladesh will be benefited from the Disaster Management mechanisms of each other. It will help in strengthening the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building in the field of Disaster Management.
Webinar and Expo between India & Malaysia
⇒ A webinar and expo between India & Malaysia on the theme ‘Indian Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership’ was held on August 17, 2021.
Organised by:
It was organised under the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence through Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
Aim:
The webinar was part of the series of webinars being organised with friendly foreign countries to boost defence exports and achieve the defence export target of US $5 billion by 2025.
