NATIONAL NEWS

Mahindra and Mahindra Sign MoU with MSDE for 'Drone Didi' Pilot Project

To boost rural women's empowerment, the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. to conduct two Pilot Projects under the Drone Didi Yojana at Noida and Hyderabad.

The MoU was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Mahindra Group CEO and MD Dr Anish Shah and Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

The pilot projects to train women to operate drones for agricultural purposes will be held at the National Skill Training Institute in Noida and Hyderabad.

The company will train 500 rural women farmers to operate drones for agricultural purposes, such as fertilising crops, monitoring crop growth, and planting seeds.

 Mahindra and Mahindra will offer training in skills such as drone flying, data analysis, and drone maintenance.

The NSTI will provide the necessary infrastructure for the pilot training project. It will mobilise and select the trainee women with the help of the local Non-governmental organisation (NGO) and the women Self Help Group (SHG).

The National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) is run by the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India.

Uttar Pradesh Government Plans To Promote Agri Startups

The Uttar Pradesh government has partnered with the agriculture industry to bolster agri startups and introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in farming to boost the rural economy and ‘smart farming’ practices.

The Yogi Adityanath government is also planning to host a global farmers’ summit ‘Krishi Bharat’ in November 2024 in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The state is looking to host the farm summit on the same scale as the UP Global Investors Summit (GIS) held in February 2023, which fetched the state more than 19,000 investment proposals to the tune of Rs 40 trillion from domestic and multinational companies.

In UP, the net cropped area is estimated at more than 20 million hectares, which is almost 85 per cent of the state’s total land mass.

Krishikalpa in Partnership With NABARD Launches Programme for Farmers

Krishikalpa, a not-for-profit organisation for farmer producer organisations (FPOs) has launched an accelerator program in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabarad) with an aim to support 30 FPOs distributed across Karnataka.

The initiative aims to facilitate the transformation of FPOs into sustainable rural enterprises.

This will be achieved by delivering training sessions focusing on market orientation, business development, and entrepreneurial leadership skills.

The program comprises two FPOs with revenue exceeding ₹1 crore, ten FPOs generating between ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore, another ten FPOs with revenue ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh, and eight FPOs generating between up to ₹10 lakh, per Krishikalpa.

The program includes a total of 30 FPOs, with an additional 6 reserve FPOs as stated by the organisation.

Krishikalpa, founded in 2020, has structured this program as a one year initiative. The primary goal is to double the revenue of the selected FPOs by the fiscal year 2024-25, with a three-month grace period.

IFFCO ties up with Marut Drones for DaaS

The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has signed an agreement with Marut Dronetech Private Limited to launch Drone-as-a- Service (DAAS) operations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

One of the key components of this tie-up is the creation of demand for rural entrepreneurs who have already invested in drone technology.

This will also encourage rural youth to become drone service providers.

Through this initiative, the two entities are targeting to spray agri inputs over five lakh acres.

Under the agreement, Marut Dronetech will deploy its drone technology to administer a range of agricultural inputs developed by IFFCO agri-products.

DAAS enables farmers to access drone technology through rural drone entrepreneurs at a per-acre cost, ensuring affordability and accessibility even for small-scale farmers.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Contributes $5,00,000 to U.N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund

India has contributed $500,000 to the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund, underscoring its unwavering commitment to support multilateral efforts in the global fight against the scourge of terrorism.

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj handed over to Under Secretary General, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Vladimir Voronkov the country's voluntary financial contribution of half a million dollars towards the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund (CTTF).

Since 2018, India has also been actively supporting programmes combating this threat.

With its current contribution, India's cumulative financial support to the trust fund now stands at $2.55 million.

United Nations Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund was established in 2009 and transferred to the UN Office of Counter- Terrorism (UNOCT) in 2017

The Fund accepts contributions from Governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, private institutions and individuals.

 

SPORTS

30th Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy

Japan won its maiden Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey trophy by defeating Pakistan 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out in the final. The final was played at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia, on 11 May 2024.

The Japanese men’s hockey team defeated Pakistan to claim its first Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy. In the final, the match ended at 2-2 after the end of the normal.

 In the penalty shoot-out, Japan defeated Pakistan by 4-1.

Sultan Azlan Shah is considered a prestigious Hockey tournament in Asia that has attracted the world’s top men’s national hockey teams.

Malaysia was in third place, followed by New Zealand, South Korea, and Canada in last place.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

India to Host 'Bharat Parv' at 77th Cannes Film Festival

India is set to host a 'Bharat Parv' at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for eminent dignitaries and delegates from around the world to showcase the myriad creative opportunities in the country.

It will be for the first time that the country will host a “Bharat Parv” at the Cannes Film Festival to engage with film celebrities, filmmakers, directors, producers, buyers and sales agents from across the world.

The official poster and trailer of the 55th India International Film Festival , to be held in Goa on November 20 to 28, will also be unveiled at the Bharat Parv.

The Bharat Pavilion, which serves as a platform for the Indian film community to engage in various activities, at the 77th Cannes Film Festival at 108 villages International Riviera will be inaugurated on May 15 in the presence of eminent celebrities.

The Pavilion will be organized by the National Film Development Corporation in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry as industry partner.

A ‘Bharat Stall’ will be put in the Marche du Cannes through the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The Bharat Pavilion has been designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Reserve Bank of India Names R Lakshmi Kanth Rao as Executive Director

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed R Lakshmi Kanth Rao as executive director (ED).

Rao has experience of over three decades in the Reserve Bank having worked in the areas of Regulation of Banks and NBFCs, Supervision of Banks and Consumer Protection.

He had served as Banking Ombudsman at RBI Chennai and as Regional Director of Uttar Pradesh atLucknow.

He has also served as a member of several Committees and Working Groups and has been contributing to policy formulation.

Prior to being promoted as ED, Shri Rao was serving as Chief General Manager-in-Charge in the Department of Regulation.

Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla Assumes Role as Indian Navy's Chief of Personnel

Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, assumes charge as the Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy.

He was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 1989.

In a career spanning 35 years, he has held a number of specialist, staff and operational appointments, both afloat and ashore.

He specialised in Communication and Electronic Warfare.

Throughout his career, he held several challenging command appointments, both afloat and ashore.

Some notable commands include Indian Naval Ship (INS) Nishank, INS Taragiri, INS Beas, and the prestigious appointment of Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF)

 

DEFENCE

Indian Naval Ship Concludes Visit to Malaysia and Vietnam

The Indian Navy's Eastern fleet operation deployment to the Southeast nations of Vietnam and Malaysia has concluded.

The Indian Navy, as part of the government of india’s diplomacy, regularly undertake Operational Deployment of its ships to friendly countries to boost the long-standing friendship, cooperation and goodwill among the people of both countries.

The deployment of Indian naval ships in this region is part of the government of India's Act East and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All) policies.

Under the command of Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar, Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Fleet, the Indian Naval Ship Delhi and Shakti of the Eastern Naval Fleet arrived at Kota Kinabalu port of Malaysia on 12 May 2024.

The Indian Ships also participated in a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX)/ PASSEX at sea with ships of the Royal Malaysian Navy. The PASSEX exercise will strengthen the degree of interoperability between the two Navies.

During the harbour visit, the two navies engaged in professional exchange and other activities to strengthen their naval personnel's bonds.

On 12 May 2024, the INS Kiltan of the visited the Eastern Fleet docked at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.

The visit’s main aim is to increase cooperation between the two navies through professional interactions, sporting events, social exchanges, and community outreach.

Parivartan Chintan II, a Two-Day Conference

The two-day conference of “Parivartan Chintan II’ was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Anil Chauhan.

The event was attended by the officers from the three Services Headquarters, Department of Military Affairs, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and members of various sub-committees of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), mandated to oversee the initiatives undertaken and to generate novel ideas to give impetus to the ongoing process of Theaterisation.

Members of all sub-committees of the apex Chiefs of Staff Committee, the CDS as its permanent chairman and the chiefs of the three services reviewed the progress made in various areas.

They considered the reforms needed to achieve the desired end state of transformation through jointness and integration.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Japan Reveals World’s Inaugural 6G Device

A Japanese consortium unveiled the world’s first high-speed 6G prototype device.

The prototype device can transmit data at a remarkable speed of 100 gigabits per second (Gbps), covering a distance of more than 300 feet.

This represents a significant advancement over current 5G technology, boasting a 20x improvement.

The prototype device was a result of collaboration among Japan’s leading telecom companies, including DOCOMO, NTT Corporation, NEC Corporation, and Fujitsu.

The successful test results were announced on April 11th, showcasing the device's capability to achieve speeds of 100 Gbps indoors using the 100 gigahertz (GHz) band and outdoors using the 300 GHz band.

Tests were conducted over a distance of 328 feet (100 metres).

6G utilizes even higher frequency bands than 5G, making it challenging for devices to receive necessary frequencies for faster downloads.

Factors like distance and environmental conditions (e.g., walls, rain) can significantly disrupt 6G signals, even during tests conducted over 328 feet (100 meters).

With its increased speed, 6G could enable advancements such as real-time holographic communication and immersive virtual and mixed-reality experiences.