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Delhi’s Nizamuddin Basti project wins two UNESCO heritage awards
Urban revitalisation and conservation efforts initiated at Nizamuddin Basti, one of the oldest and historical settlements in the national capital, has received twin UNESCO recognitions: Award of excellence 2021 for cultural heritage conservation and recognition for sustainable development.
After migration from Badayun in UP sometime in the 1240s, noted Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya settled in a Delhi village Ghiyaspur, located on the tributary of River Yamuna, and later buried in the vicinity. The settlement that developed around his shrine came to be known as Nizamuddin Basti.
Nizamuddin Basti, undertaken by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in partnership with South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation and dargah committee and resident groups of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti.
Urban Renewal Initiative was the only award-winning entry from India. The jury applauded this project for its “outstanding achievement in placing heritage at the heart of the sustainable development agenda” and noted that “through an innovative People-Public-Private Partnership model, the project overcame major socio-economic challenges, particularly for women and youth.”
‘Maitri Diwas’ to be commemorated on Dec 6 to mark India recognising Bangladesh in 1971
‘Maitri Diwas’ marking the day India recognized Bangladesh ten days before its liberation on 16 December 1971 will be celebrated in 18 countries across the world. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release that the day will be commemorated in Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Qatar, Singapore, UK. Australia, France, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, and USA.
India was one of the first countries to establish bilateral diplomatic relations with the newly independent Bangladesh in 1971.
During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in March this year to attend the national day of Bangladesh, it was decided to commemorate December 6 as the Maitri Diwas or Friendship Day.
The Maitri Diwas is a reflection of the deep and abiding friendship between the people of India and Bangladesh that has been forged in blood and shared sacrifices, said the MEA in its statement.
NCC carrying out month-long nationwide ‘Puneet Sagar Abhiyan’ to free seashores/beaches from waste
National Cadet Corps (NCC) is carrying out a nationwide campaign to free seashores/beaches from plastic & other waste materials and increase awareness about importance of keeping these clean.
• The aim of the month-long Campaign is to propagate the message of 'Importance of Clean Seashores/Beaches' amongst the local population and future generation beginning December 01, 2021.
• The Key objectives of the campaign are to clean the plastic waste along the seashores in coastal areas, to generate awareness and educate target population about the measures for conservation and impact of plastic pollution along the sea beaches and to sensitise and mobilise support of local population towards prevention of pollution.
Govt to launch SRESHTA (Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas) scheme for socio economic development of SC students
National Cadet Corps (NCC) is carrying out a nationwide campaign to free seashores/beaches from plastic & other waste materials and increase awareness about importance of keeping these clean.
• The aim of the month-long Campaign is to propagate the message of 'Importance of Clean Seashores/Beaches' amongst the local population and future generation beginning December 01, 2021.
• The Key objectives of the campaign are to clean the plastic waste along the seashores in coastal areas, to generate awareness and educate target population about the measures for conservation and impact of plastic pollution along the sea beaches and to sensitise and mobilise support of local population towards prevention of pollution.
INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) calls for Covid booster hot for those at risk, above 40 years
India should prioritise double vaccinating its eligible population against Covid over booster shots given the large number of people still to get the base layer of protection against the infection.
In advocating putting boosters on the back-burner for the moment, the experts' opinion runs counter to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Sequencing Consortium (INSACOG) that has recommended a booster dose for those above 40
years in high-risk and high-exposure populations.
The INSACOG is a network of national testing labs set up by the government to monitor genomic variations of Covid-19.
Industrialist Ratan Tata honoured with ‘Asom Baibhav Award’ by Assam government
The Assam Government has named industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata for Assam Baibhav, the State’s highest civilian award.
Announcing the names of 19 personalities chosen for three categories of awards, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Mr. Tata would be honoured for his exceptional contribution towards furthering cancer care in the State.
“Mr. Ratan Tata has taken the lead in a cancer care project where we are constructing 16 hospitals under the Assam Cancer Care Foundation. The construction of 10 hospitals will be completed by this year and operationalised in April,” he said.
“He shares a long relationship with Assam and it was he who had advised us to think of such a project. The project is being implemented with the cooperation of the Tata Trust and the Assam Government. The people of Assam are honouring him with this award for his contributions.”
PM inaugurates InFinity Forum, a thought leadership Forum on FinTech
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated InFinity Forum, a thought leadership Forum on FinTech through video conference.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that the history of currency shows tremendous evolution. The Prime Minister informed that last year, in India, mobile payments exceeded ATM cash withdrawals for the first time. Fully digital banks, without any physical branch offices, are already a reality and may become commonplace in less than a decade. “As humans evolved, so did the form of our transactions. From barter system to metals, from coins to notes, from cheques to cards, today we have reached here”, he said.
The Prime Minister noted that India has proved to the world that it is second to none when it comes to adopting technology or innovating around it. Transformational initiatives under Digital India have opened doors for innovative Fintech solutions to be applied in governance. The Prime Minister emphasized that now it is time to convert these fintech initiatives into a fintech revolution. “A revolution that helps to achieve financial empowerment of every single citizen of the country”, he said.
Explaining how technology has also catalyzed financial inclusion, Shri Modi pointed out that from less than 50% of Indians having bank accounts in 2014, India has almost universalized it with 430 million Jan Dhan accounts in the last 7 years. He also listed initiatives like 690 million RuPay cards clocking 1.3 billion transactions last year; UPI processing around 4.2 billion transactions in just last month; almost 300 million invoices are uploaded on the GST portal every month; despite the pandemic, about 1.5 million railway tickets are getting booked online every day; last year, FASTag processed 1.3 billion seamless transactions; PM Svanidhi enabled access to credit for small vendors across the country; e-RUPI enabled targeted delivery of specified services without leakages.
The Prime Minister stressed that financial inclusion is the driver of the Fintech Revolution. Explaining further, the Prime Minister said, Fintech is resting on 4 pillars: income, investments, insurance and institutional credit. “When income grows, investment becomes possible. Insurance coverage enables greater risk-taking ability and investments. Institutional credit gives wings for expansion. And We have worked on each of these pillars. When all these factors come together, you suddenly find so many more people participating in the financial sector”, the Prime Minister elaborated.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of trust in fintech in the light of the wide acceptance of these innovations among the masses. The common Indian has shown immense trust in our Fintech ecosystem by embracing digital payments and such technologies. “This trust is a responsibility. Trust means that you need to ensure that the interests of people are secured. Fintech innovation will be incomplete without fintech security innovation”, he said.
The Prime Minister commented on the wider applicability of India’s experience in the fintech area. He stressed India’s tendency to share experiences and expertise with the world and learn from them as well. “Our Digital Public Infrastructure solutions can improve the lives of citizens around the world”, the Prime Minister offered.
The Prime Minister remarked that GIFT City is not merely a premise, it represents India. It represents India’s democratic values, demand, demography & diversity. It represents India’s openness to ideas, innovation & investment. GIFT City is a gateway to the global fintech world.
The Prime Minister concluded by saying “Finance is the lifeblood of an economy and technology is its carrier . Both are equally important for achieving ''Antyodaya and Sarvodaya ''
The event is being hosted by International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), under the aegis of the Government of India in collaboration with GIFT City and Bloomberg on December 3 and 4, 2021. Indonesia, South Africa and the U.K. are partner countries in the first edition of the Forum.
InFinity Forum will bring together the leading minds of the world in policy, business, and technology to discuss and come up with actionable insight into how technology and innovation can be leveraged by the FinTech industry for inclusive growth and serving humanity at large.
The agenda of the Forum is focusing on the theme of 'Beyond'; with various sub-themes including FinTech beyond boundaries, with governments and businesses focussing beyond the geographical boundaries in the development of global stack to promote financial inclusiveness; FinTech beyond Finance, by having convergence with emerging areas such as SpaceTech, GreenTech and AgriTech to drive sustainable development; and FinTech Beyond Next, with focus on how Quantum Computing could impact the nature of Fintech industry in the future and promote new opportunities.
The forum has participation from over 70 countries.
IREDA and THDCIL sign MoU for Green Energy collaborations
To provide its techno-financial expertise in developing Renewable Energy projects, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with THDC India Ltd (THDCIL). The MoU was signed by Shri Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), IREDA and Shri Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi, CMD, THDCIL in the presence of Shri Chintan Shah, Director (Technical), IREDA and other senior officials. Under the MoU, IREDA will undertake Techno-Financial due diligence of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency & Conservation projects for THDCIL. IREDA will assist THDCIL in developing an action plan to create and acquire Renewable Energy projects for the next 5 years. IREDA will also extend its techno-commercial expertise to THDCIL for Environmental & Social (E&S) due diligence of RE projects as per the internationally accepted E&S standards. Speaking on the occasion CMD, IREDA said: “This MoU will help THDCIL to accelerate their footprints in the Renewable Energy space, which already has a portfolio of Solar & Wind energy projects apart from Hydro and Thermal. It will facilitate knowledge transfer, which will contribute to driving sustainable development of the country through Green Energy.” Shri Das also underlined: “Realising the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, to reduce carbon emissions to 45% by 2030 in India, these collaborations will enable us to contribute for meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement. Also, these efforts can stimulate green investments and create lakhs of jobs.” This is the sixth MoU signed by IREDA within one year for providing its consultancy services for developers of RE and Energy transition. Earlier, IREDA had signed MoUs with SJVN, NHPC, TANGEDCO, NEEPCO and BVFCL to extend its Techno-Financial expertise for Green Energy projects.
International Monetary Fund chief economist Gita Gopinath to become its First Deputy Managing Director in 2022
Gita Gopinath is an Indian-American economist serving as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund since 2019. In that role she is the Director of IMF's Research Department and the Economic Counsellor of the Fund.
Kristalina Georgieva, IMF's managing director said Gopinath’s contribution to the institution's work has already been exceptional, especially her "intellectual leadership in helping the global economy and the Fund to navigate the twists and turns of the worst economic crisis of our lives."
SpaceX launches rocket carrying 48 Starlink Internet, 2 BlackSky satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida (US)
Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky satellites as a payload from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Falcon 9 rocket, which is partially reusable, has had its first-stage boosters launched into space as part of several missions, including five Starlink missions.
The array of Starlink satellites, operated by SpaceX, offer low-latency internet coverage in remote areas of several countries to participants of their test program.
China launches its first cross-border BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) train with Laos
China on Friday launched the first cross-border train of its multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from Laos, which Beijing says will help the small and only landlocked country in South East Asia turn into a land-linked hub, boost regional connectivity and supply chain resilience.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Laos’ counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith jointly witnessed the opening of the China-Laos railway via video link on Friday.
The first train of the China-Laos Railway left Vientiane soon after the cross-border railway was officially put into operation, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Besides China, Laos shares borders with Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia which offered Beijing to extend the train project to those countries.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities observed on Dec 3; theme: ‘Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post-COVID-19 world’
The theme of the day is 'Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post-COVID-19 world'.
Since 1998, the day is observed every year with a particular theme.
Every year, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is marked on December 3. The day is observed to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities at every level of society and development. Additionally, it also aims to raise awareness of the situations of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic and cultural life.
History: The annual observance of this day began in 1992 after it was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3.
In 2006, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was also adopted. It aims at working towards creating equal opportunities for persons with disabilities through the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
