Yuva Sangam Registration Portal Launched in New Delhi.
In New Delhi, the Yuva Sangam registration website was unveiled. In the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Yuva Sangam to forge strong linkages between the young of the Northeast Region and the rest of India. More than 20,000 children will travel throughout the nation as part of the campaign, taking advantage of a rare chance to learn about other cultures.
Key Points
- At the launch event, Minister of DoNER, Culture, and Tourism G. Kishan Reddy noted that the Yuva Sangam program will work to connect the youth of the Northeast with the whole country.
- He added that the program is an opportunity for the youth of the Northeast to explore the country.
- Mr. Reddy stressed that the Wide Cultural Exchange Program will also allow the country’s youth to celebrate the ancient culture and natural diversity of India.
- Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur expressed that through ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, Yuva Sangam’, the youth of 18 years to 30 years will get an opportunity to see different states of the country, to understand their art, culture, and languages.
- Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, and other dignitaries also graced the event.
###
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurates Aero India 2023 with hopes of local production boost
The flagship aviation show`s 14th edition, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened in Bengaluru, is considered as a huge economic opportunity as New Delhi looks to promote homegrown goods, modernise equipment from the Soviet period, and expand its domestic carrier network.
Aero India 2023, Asia’s largest aero show, will run from February 13 to February 17, displaying locally-produced equipment and technologies to attract partnerships with foreign companies. The event will include aerial displays by aircraft and helicopters, as well as a large exhibition and trade fair of aerospace and defence companies.
About 809 companies from 98 countries are likely to take part in the event.
Key poits
- India, which was for decades an importer in defence sector, is now exporting defence equipment to 75 countries. Defence equipment exports in the last five years have increased six-fold, Modi said in his inaugural address.
- India has crossed $1.5 billion of defence equipment exports in 2021-2022. “Our target is by 2024-2025, the defence exports amount will rise to up to $5 billion,” Modi said.
- India, under its “Make in India” policy, has been keen on manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing, and Airbus to make more than parts in the country and share technology.
- The share of domestic procurement in the total procurement has been on an uptrend. In 2018-19, the domestic procurement stood at 54% of the total procurement, this figure jumped to 59% in 2019-20 and to 64% in 2020-21. This year it has been increased to 68% for domestic procurement, of this 25% budget has been earmarked for procurement from private industry.
- With focus of Government on indigenisation and procurement of defence products from the domestic resources, the expenditure on defence procurement from foreign sources has reduced from 46% to 36% in the last four years i.e. from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
- Till October 2022, a total of 595 Industrial Licences have been issued to 366 companies operating in Defence Sector.
- Government has also established two Defence Industrial Corridors, one each in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to attract investments in Aerospace & Defence sector and established a comprehensive defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
###
Ministry of Coal Launched ‘Khanan Prahari’ Mobile App to Curb Illegal Mining
In order to monitor and respond appropriately to illegal coal mining activities, the concerned Law & Order enforcing authority has launched the smartphone app "KhananPrahari" and the online app Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS).
The CMSMS has been developed to curb illegal mining and take transparent action as an e-Governance initiative of GoI on the use of Space Technology.
Key Points
- The objective of the development and launching of the CMSMS application was to detect citizens’ participation against illegal mining by receipt of citizen complaints through a mobile app – KhananPrahari.
- The app will help to monitor and take action on any kind of illegal coal mining activity being carried out within the leasehold boundaries of any Coal Mining Project in the Coalfield Areas.
- It is a Mobile App of the Ministry of Coal for Reporting Illegal Coal Mining and a tool for reporting any illegal coal mining incident through geo-tagged photographs as well as textual information by any citizen from the place of incidence.
The following measures are taken to reduce illegal coal mining operations in the country: –
- Concrete walls have been erected on the mouth of the abandoned mines to prevent access and illegal activities in these areas.
- Surprise raids/checks are being conducted jointly by security personnel and law and order authorities of the concerned State Government.
- Dumping of the overburden is being done on the outcrop zones.
- Installation of check posts at vulnerable points.
- Training of existing security/CISF personnel, refresher training, and basic training of recruits in security discipline for strengthening the security setup;
- Maintaining close liaison with the State authorities.
- A committee/task force has been constituted at different levels (block level, sub-divisional level, district level, state level) in some subsidiaries of CIL to monitor different aspects of illegal mining.