Daily Current Capsules

11,12,13,14 and 15 November 2023

AMINI

• ‘Amini’, the 4th of 08 x ASW Shallow Water Craft (SWC) Project being built by M/s GRSE for Indian Navy, was launched on 16 Nov 23
• The ship has been named Amini to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Amini at Lakshadweep
• The contract for building eight ASW SWC ships was signed between MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 29 Apr 19.
• As per the build strategy, four ships are being built at GRSE, Kolkata and balance four ships sub-contracted to M/s L&T Shipbuilding, Kattupalli for hull and part outfitting.
• Arnala class of ships will replace the in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes of Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, as also Low Intensity Maritime operations (LIMO) and Mine Laying Operations.
• The 77m long ASW SWC ships with a displacement of 900 tons have a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of approx 1800 NM.

EXERCISE MITRA SHAKTI – 2023

• The ninth edition of Joint Military exercise “Exercise MITRA SHAKTI-2023” commenced today in Aundh (Pune).
• The exercise is being conducted from 16^th to 29^th November 2023.
• The Indian contingent, of 120 personnel, is being represented mainly by troops from the MARATHA LIGHT INFANTRY Regiment.
• The Sri Lankan side is being represented by personnel from 53 Infantry Division.
• 15 personnel from Indian Air Force and five personnel from Sri Lankan Air Force are also participating in the exercise.
• The aim of the exercise is to jointly rehearse conduct of sub-conventional operations under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter.

World Fisheries Day

• Department of Fisheries, GoI is organizing the Global Fisheries Conference India 2023, on the occasion of World Fisheries Day. 
• The two-day event will be held on 21st and 22nd of November 2023 at the Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad with the theme ‘Celebrate the Fisheries and Aquaculture Wealth’.

India’s Fisheries sector

• Fisheries sector is considered a sunrise sector and has immense potential for bringing equitable and inclusive growth
• With 8% share in global fish production, India is the 3rd largest fish producer, 2nd largest aquaculture producer, largest shrimp producer, and 4th largest seafood exporter in the world.

World Fisheries Day

• It is celebrated annually on 21st November by fishing communities across the globe.
• The first World Fisheries Day was celebrated on 21st November 2015, marking the inaugural ceremony of the International Fisheries Organization.
• World Fisheries Day is meant to focus on neglected communities and emphasise their efforts.
• The history of World Fisheries Day can be traced back to 1997 when the World Fisheries Consortium Forum was established and given the name WFF (World Fisheries Forum).
• Within the framework of this forum, several participants from around the world were involved.

Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD)

• The “Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2023” (IPRD-2023), the three-day annual apex-level regional strategic dialogue of the Indian Navy, commenced in New Delhi on 15 Nov 23.
• The IPRD-2023 is being organised by the Indian Navy in association with the National Maritime Foundation as its knowledge partner.
• Established in 2005, the NMF is one of India’s foremost maritime think-tank that concentrates its research upon issues relevant to India’s maritime interests, and has gained significant international traction for conduct of independent, original, and policy-relevant research on all ‘matters maritime’.
• The opening day of the Dialogue witnessed participation by over 1000 participants, including delegates from friendly foreign countries and international organizations.
• The National Maritime Foundation (NMF) is the Indian Navy’s knowledge partner and chief organiser of each edition of the IPRD, which aims to review various maritime trends within the Indo-Pacific region, the regional opportunities and challenges that arise therefrom, and foster the exchange of solution-oriented dialogue amongst key stakeholders.    
• The overarching theme of IPRD-2023 is “Geopolitical Impacts upon Indo-Pacific Maritime Trade and Connectivity”. 

IPRD v/s Goa Maritime Conclave

• The IPRD follows hard on the heels of the Goa Maritime Conclave 2023, which was conducted by the Indian Navy from 29 to 31 Oct 2023 in Goa
• In terms of conceptual positioning, the Goa Maritime Conclave seeks to project the Indian Navy’s cooperative engagement at the strategic-operational level, by providing a forum for the Chiefs-of-Navy and Heads of Maritime Agencies in the Indian Ocean Region.
• The IPRD, on the other hand, is the principal manifestation of the Navy’s international engagement at the strategic level, addressing ‘holistic’ maritime security issues across the Indo-Pacific.  

Viksit Bharat Yatra

• On the occasion of the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, marking the birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra from Khunti, Jharkhand.
• The focus of the Yatra will be on reaching out to people and create awareness and providing benefits of welfare schemes
• The Viksit Bharat Campaign, one of the largest ever outreach initiative to be undertaken, eventually aims to cover over 2.55 lakh Gram Panchayats and over 3,600 urban local bodies by 25^th January 2024 touching every district of the country.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released the 15th instalment of over Rs 18,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme from Khunti, Jharkhand.
• The instalment was released on the birthday of the ‘father of the land’ Shri Bhagwan Birsa Munda, which is celebrated as the JanJaatiya Gaurav Divas every year.
• On the occasion, PM Modi launched the PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan, an initiative with a budget of Rs 24,000 crore, aimed at ensuring holistic development of tribal groups.
• Under PM JANMAN, the government aims to reach out to primitive tribes, many of whom still live in forests.
• The Prime Minister pointed out that 75 such tribal communities and primitive tribes, totalling lakhs of people across more than 22 thousand villages, have been identified.

Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

• Government of India has declared 15th November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas dedicated to the memory of brave tribal freedom fighters.
• India’s freedom struggle was strengthened by several movements by tribal communities such as Santhals, Tamars, Kols, Bhils, Khasis and Mizos to name a few.
• To make the coming generations aware about their sacrifices to the country, Government has declared 15th November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

Know! about ‘Bhagwan’ Birsa Munda

• Birsa Munda, a member of the Munda Tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau, was an Indian freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero.
• He was a driving force behind the Bengal Presidency’s Millenarian movement (Present-day Jharkhand).
• He was born on November 15, 1875, in Ulihatu village, presently in the Khunti district of Jharkhand, and grew up in a tribal Munda family in abysmal poverty.
• Birsa was a close observer of the Sardari Larai movement in the region in the 1880s, which sought to restore tribal rights through nonviolent means such as petitioning the British government. These demands, however, were ignored by the harsh colonial authority.
• The tribals were quickly demoted from landowners to labourers under the zamindari system, which resulted in Birsa taking up the cause of the Adivasis.
• Birsa Munda went on to form Birsait, a new religion. The religion preached the belief in a single God and urged people to return to their old religious convictions. People began to refer to him as a cost-effective religious healer, a miracle worker, and a preacher.
• People from Oraon and Munda became convinced Birsaites, and many began calling him ‘Dharti Abba, meaning Father of the Earth.’ He brought a fresh perspective to the religious realm.
• Munda preached a strong anti-British feeling through his religion, mobilising thousands of tribal people to organise guerrilla armies to battle the British rule.
• In the states of Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh, his clarion call challenging the Britishers is still remembered.
• Between 1886 and 1890 in Chaibasa, Birsa Munda participated in anti-missionary and anti-establishment actions, and founded a movement known as ‘Ulgulan,’ or ‘The Great Tumult,’ as his awareness of British atrocities developed.
• On March 3, 1900, he was arrested by British police and died in Ranchi on June 9 of that year. He was only 25 years old at the time.
• The colonial administration passed the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908, eight years after his death, prohibiting the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals.
• On his birth anniversary, November 15, 2000, a century after his death, Jharkhand was created out of Bihar, and he is now fondly remembered as “Mr Jharkhand.”
• Ulgulan – Ek Kranti (2004) and Gandhi Se Pehle Gandhi (2008) are two Hindi films based on his life.
• The historical novel Aranyer Adhikar (Right to the Forest, 1977), by Ramon Magsaysay Award winner and activist Mahasweta Devi, for which she won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Bengali in 1979, is based on Munda’s life

Ulihatu Village

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visited Ulihatu Village in Jharkhand, the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda and paid floral tribute to his statue.

Gunnery Symposium 2023

• The Gunnery Symposium 2023 was conducted at INS Dronacharya, the Navy’s Center for Excellence in Gunnery and Missile Warfare under the aegis of Headquarters Southern Naval Command on 13 & 14 Nov 23.
• The Symposium is a significant event conducted once in every three years providing a platform for experts from the Gunnery field to present their research papers on matters related to future technologies and operational exploitation of sensors.
• The governing theme for this year’s Symposium was ‘Emerging Technologies in Gunnery and Missile Warfare’ and several papers were presented by the eminent panelists.

9th India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023

• The 9^th edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023 will be held at Faridabad, Haryana from January 17^th-20^th, 2024.
• India’s mega Science Fair will be held at the Campus of Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) of Department of Biotechnology in Faridabad.
• The theme of the present edition is ‘Science and Technology Public Outreach in Amrit Kaal’. IISF 2023 aims to provide a platform for inspiring public at large and individuals with diverse levels of interests like students, educators, scientists, researchers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs and science communicators.
• IISF 2023 will have a total of 17 themes to showcase scientific achievements offering diverse benefits to participants and the general public.

Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme (SHREYAS)

• The scheme Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme- SHREYAS, has been proposed to implement during the 2021-22 to 2025-26 by placing two ongoing Central Sector schemes for OBC and others namely – (i) National Fellowship for OBC (ii) Dr.Ambedkar Central Sector Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loans for Overseas Studies for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs).
• The main objective of the schemes is the Educational Empowerment of OBC & EBC students by way of awarding fellowship (financial assistance) in obtaining quality higher education and interest subsidy on educational loan for overseas studies.

The Scheme comprises following 2 components:

1. National Fellowship for OBC students 

• The scheme is now implemented by the Ministry through the designated Central Nodal Agency; National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (A Govt. of India Undertaking, under the administrative control of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and All universities/institutions recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

2. Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loans for Overseas Studies for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) & Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) 

• This is a Central Sector Scheme to provide interest subsidy to the student belonging to the OBCs and EBCs on the interest payable for the period of moratorium for the Education Loans for overseas studies to pursue approved courses of studies abroad at Masters, M.Phil. and Ph.D. level.
• The scheme is implemented through the Canara Bank (the Nodal bank for the scheme). The Scheme is applicable for higher studies abroad.

Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs signs MoU with Lean Campus Startups (Trust) & WEICI India to empower corporate and women entrepreneurs through various training programmes

• The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and Lean Campus Startups (Trust) & WEICI India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
• The collaborative objective of IICA and Lean Campus Startups & WEICI India is to empower both corporate and women entrepreneurs, augmenting their knowledge, skills, and competencies in the effective establishment and management of a diverse workforce. In partnership with IICA, LCS will orchestrate programmes for women entrepreneurs and students.

Know! about IICA

• The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) is an institution established by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India as an autonomous body to act as a think-tank and a center of excellence to support the growth of the corporate sector in India through an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach.

Know! about Lean Campus Startups

• Lean Campus Startups is a brand of Mission Catalyst, a pioneering trust dedicated to shaping the future of India through transformative initiatives in education, skill development, and entrepreneurship.
• Established in the year 2014 with a vision to inspire and empower the youth, Mission Catalyst operates pan India, touching lives and fostering positive change with help of Startups, Corporates & Government.

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving

TEAM CL/GKP