UTTARAKHAND
Govt to assist GMVN in developing various activities: CM
A sum of Rs two crore will be provided for improvement of the assets of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN). The government will also provide financial assistance for various adventure tourism activities, skill development of personnel, digitalisation of commercial activities and services and encouraging innovation in the corporation.
The CM said that in order to encourage adventure sports, the corporation will be provided financial assistance for conducting trekking, mountaineering, river rafting, paragliding and other activities and for developing it into a professional institution. Assistance will also be provided for midterm training to enhance the knowledge of the corporation’s personnel in tourism and hotel activities. Similarly, assistance will also be provided to GMVN for fully digitalising its commercial activities and financial transactions with an effective online booking system, maximising digital transaction, enhancing the use of CCTV cameras and incorporating digital locks and other innovations in the hotel business.
INTERNATIONAL
International Ranger Awards were Announced – IUCN
The winners of the first International Ranger Awards were announced. The award is provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to 10 professionals around the world. Highlights:
The award was established in 2020 under the cooperation of IUCN WCPA, International Rangers Federation, Global Wildlife Sanctuary and conservation allies.
The award aims to recognize the outstanding achievements of forest rangers in protected areas and protected areas around the world. The nomination period for this award is from November 17, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
Ranger officer Mahinder Giri has become the only ranger in the region of Asia to win the International Ranger Award. In the past few years, he has been deployed within the Motichur range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR).
This year, 10 professionals have won the award. International Ranger Award is given by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) & World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). All winners will receive a prize of US$10,000 (Rs 7,26,150).
Mahinder Giri was awarded for his efforts to contain human and wildlife conflicts inside and outside Rajaji and for his role in the ongoing tiger translocation exercise from Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) to Rajaji Tiger Reserve.
Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector) – Russia
Russian scientists launched one of the world’s largest underwater neutrino telescopes called Baikal-GVD (Gigaton volume detector) in the waters of Lake Baikal, the deepest Siberian lake in the world. Highlights:
Together with IceCube in the South Pole and ANTARES in the Mediterranean, it is one of the three largest neutrino detectors in the world.
It attempts to study in detail the elusive elementary particles called neutrinos and possibly determine their source. About Neutrinos:
Neutrinos were first proposed by the Swiss scientist Wolfgang Pauli in 1930. They are the second most occurring particle in the universe, second only to the particle photons that make up light.
In fact, neutrinos are so abundant among us that more than 100 trillion neutrinos pass directly through each of us every second-we never even noticed them.
India Joined E9 Initiative
India joined eight other countries to accelerate digital learning. About E9 Initiative:
Nine countries including India, China and Brazil will explore the possibility of co-creating and expanding digital learning in order to achieve the UN’s sustainable development quality education goals.
This consultation is known as the E9 initiative, which is “the first step in a three-phase process of co-creating a digital learning and skills initiative for marginalized children and youth, especially girls. The initiative aims to promote the education system Rapid change to accelerate recovery and advance the agenda of SDG 4.”
E9 countries are India, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan.
NATIONAL
National Maritime Day is on 5th April
The National Maritime Day of India is celebrated on April 5th each and every year. The theme of the 56th National Maritime Day is the Indian Ocean-an ocean of opportunities. Highlights: National Maritime Day has been since 1964. More than a hundred years ago, on this day in 1919, the first ship of Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd, SS Loyalty, traveled from Mumbai to England, thus creating the history of navigation. When sea routes were controlled by the British, this was a crucial step in the history of Indian shipping. It marks the anniversary of the red letter in the maritime history of India.
Celebrate this day to promote the awareness of supporting intercontinental trade and the global economy. The theme of the 56th National Maritime Day is “Indian Ocean-Ocean of Opportunity”.
Godavari to be Released in Irrigation Canals
Godavari water will flow from the site of the Polavaram Irrigation Project to the irrigation canals in the Godavari region in the east and west until April 15, 2021 against the deadline March 31, 2021 and work on cofferdam is scheduled to commence in April. Godavari River:
The Godavari River is the largest peninsula in the entire river system of India. It is also known as Daxin Ganges.
The Godavari River flows from Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, Maharashtra, flows for about 1,465 kilometers, and then discharges into the Bay of Bengal.
The Godavari Basin extends to the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, as well as the combined states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Puducherry Smaller areas of the kingdom.
Ganga’s Tributaris are Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (the combined traffic of Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner and Sabri.
Kumbh Mela also occurred on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik.
Increase in Foreign Direct Investment inflows
The government estimates that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into the country has increased. Highlights:
From April to January 2021, India has attracted a total of US$72.12 billion in Foreign Direct Investment.
This is the highest level for the first ten months of a financial year, 15% higher than the first ten months of 2019-20 ($62.72 billion).
The trend shows that in the first ten months of FY 2020-21 (US$54.18 billion), FDI equity inflows increased by 28%, compared with the same period last year (US$42.34 billion).
In terms of the largest investor country, Singapore accounts for 30.28% of total FDI equity inflows, followed by the United States (24.28%) and the UAE (7.31%) in the first ten months of 2020-21 in the current financial year.
In January 2021, Japan has been one of the largest investors in Foreign Direct Investment, accounting for 29.09% of India’s total direct investment inflows, followed by Singapore (25.46%) and the United States (12.06%).
In this regard, in the first ten months of the 2020-21 financial year, the most important sector is computer software and hardware, followed by construction (infrastructure) activities and services sector.
Women and Men in India 2020 – NSO Report
The National Bureau of Statistics under the Ministry of Statistics and Planning and Implementation (MoSPI) recently released the “Indian Men and Women” report. The report consolidates important socio-economic indicators that reflect the gender situation in the country. This is the 22nd issue of the series. The report is published annually by MoSPI. Highlights:
The estimated population of India in 2021 is 13.613 million. The sex ratio increased from 933 in 2001 to 943 in 2011.
Delhi has the highest increase in the sex ratio, followed by Chandigarh in Arunachal Pradesh. On the other hand, the sex ratios of Daman and Diu have fallen the most.
Women between the ages of 25-29 years have the highest age-specific fertility rate at 146.4.
The infant mortality rate dropped from 39 years in 2014 to 32 years in 2018. The maternal mortality rate dropped from 212 in 2007-09 to 113 in 2016-18. The total fertility rate in rural India in 2018 was 2.3. In 2018, it was 1.7 in urban areas.