Bonn Global Biodiversity Conclave 2022

During the conclave Assessment on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species report will be published at the 9thconference of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

9thconference of IPBES is scheduled to held on July 8, 2022.

Report will be made on the basis of earlier IPBES assessment reports.

New report will incorporate the details on diverse uses of wild species and practices that are connected with them, these practices include, Gathering, Logging, Fishing, observing and Terrestrial animal harvesting (shearing and hunting).

It will investigate, what sustainable use implies and how it is associated to United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals.

Buses and trucks will be required to comply with fuel consumption norms from April 2023 that applied only to passenger vehicles so far, according to a draft notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The Ministry has proposed to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules so that the Constant Fuel Consumption Standards (CFCS) include medium and heavy-duty motor vehicles of various categories either manufactured in India or imported to the country. These rules so far applied only to passenger vehicles with up to nine seats.

Shortened daily regimen for tuberculosis treatment which enables better drug compliance and gives the patients better chance at completing treatment is the aim of a study that the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT), Chennai, is all set to undertake.

NIRTs multi-centric study to be carried out in Nagpur, Lucknow, Vellor and Delhi will evaluate the efficacy of a four-month daily regimen for TB treatment using Moxifloxacin, a drug used to prevent the disease as compared with the existing six-month course.

Under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), the anti-TB drugs are offered as fixed-dose combinations (FDC) and a pilot study for this has been completed.

UDISE+ 2019-20 Report – Education Report

The report on the United Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019-20 for School Education in India has been released by the Union Education Minister.

Highlights:

When comparing 2019-20 to 2018-19, the Gross Enrollment Ratio at all levels of schooling increased.

For students in Classes 1-8, the GER is 98 percent. The GER for secondary and senior secondary students was 78 percent and 51 percent, respectively.

The pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) has also improved across the board in all levels of schooling.
Girls’ enrollment increased at all levels of schooling in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. The pre-primary level saw the greatest increase.

The Gender Parity Index (GPI) at both the Secondary and Higher Secondary levels improved between 2012-13 and 2019-20.

About UDISE:

UDISE is one of the largest school education management information systems.

The Ministry of Education established UDISE in 2012-13 by combining DISE for elementary education and SEMIS for secondary education.

Purpose: It aids in the measurement of educational parameters from classes 1 to 12 in government and private schools throughout India.

UDISE+ is an enhanced version of UDISE. It was created in 2018-19 to speed up data entry, reduce errors, improve data quality, and simplify data verification.

The data for the reference year 2019-20 are covered in this publication.

Purchasing Managers Index PMI

The survey-based service ‘s June PMI showed that it shrank to 41.2 for the second time in a row

About PMI:

It is a survey-based metric that asks respondents about changes in their perception of key business variables compared to the previous month.

Calculate the manufacturing and service industries separately, and then construct a comprehensive index.

The PMI is a number ranging from 0 to 100.

A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion when compared to the previous month.

A PMI of less than 50 indicates a contraction, and

A reading of 50 indicates that there has been no change.

If the previous month’s PMI is higher than the current month’s PMI (as in the example above), it indicates that the economy is contracting.

The PMI is usually released at the beginning of each month. As a result, it is regarded as a reliable leading indicator of economic activity.

Five Portals on the AYUSH Sector Launched

The Union Minister of Ayush launched five important portals and issued four publications.

Highlights:

Ayurveda Dataset on Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI): The CTRI is a primary Clinical Trials Registry under the WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. The creation of an Ayurveda Dataset in CTRI makes it easier to use Ayurvedic terminologies to record clinical studies based on Ayurvedic interventions. This will increase the global visibility of Ayurveda-based clinical trials.

CCRAS-RMIS: Research Management Information System is a one-stop solution for Ayurveda-based research and development. The portal provides free reference material, research tools, and clinical and scientific advice. It was created in collaboration with the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (Icmr).

E-Medha (electronic Medical Heritage Accession) Portal: NIC’s e-granthalaya platform provides online public access to a catalogue of over 12000 Indian medical heritage books.

AMAR (Ayush Manuscripts Advanced Repository) Portal: It has digitised information on rare and difficult-to-find manuscripts and catalogues of Ayurveda, , Unani, Siddha, and Sowa Rigpa in libraries or individual collections in India or otherparts in the world

SHAI (Showcase of Ayurveda Historical Imprints) Portal: It displays inscriptions, archaeobotanical data, sculptures, philological sources, and advanced archaeo-genetic research.

International Financial Services Centres Authority IFSCA

Establish and operate the International Trade Financial Service Platform (ITFS) to provide a framework for trade financial Services in the International Financial Service Center.

Highlights:

The IFSCA has issued a framework for establishing and operating an International Trade Finance Services Platform in order to provide Trade Finance Services at International Financial Services Centres.

This framework will allow importers and exporters to use different types of trade financing facilities under competitive conditions to conduct international trade transactions through the dedicated electronic platform ITFS.

This will assist them in converting their trade receivables into liquid funds and obtaining short-term funding.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme, launched in 2019, aims to enhance energy security for farmers in India and promote the use of clean energy in the agriculture sector. The scheme seeks to achieve Indias commitment to increasing the share of non-fossil fuel sources in the countrys installed capacity of electric power. In a bid to boost the implementation of solar projects on agricultural lands, the central government is considering linking thePM-KUSUM schemewith the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF). This move aims to provide farmers with access to cheaper loans for setting up solar projects and procuring equipment.

Individual farmers, groups of farmers, cooperatives, panchayats, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and Water User Associations (WUAs) can set up solar power Plants with capacities ranging from 500 kW to 2 MW.

India stands as a net exporter of steel witnessing an export of6.72 MTof finished steel against the import of 6.02 MT in the year 2022-23.

In the financial year 2022-23 alone,total finished Steel Production was 122.28 MT which is a increase of 49 % as compared to 81.86 MT in financial year 2014-15.

Under the PLI(Productive linked Incentive) scheme, the Government has approved Rs. 6322 crores to give a new impetus to the Steel sector. Shri Scindia said that the PLI scheme is expected to generate an of about Rs. 30,000 Crores and additional capacity creation of about 25 Million Tonnes of specialty steel in the next 5 years.

Ukraines Nova Kakhovka Dam Disaster

In recent events, theNova Kakhovka Damin Ukraine has suffered a catastrophic blow, leading to concerns of devastating flooding. Ukraines military command has accused Russia of causing the explosion, given the Dams strategic significance.

The Nova Kakhovka Dam is situated on theDnipro Riverin southern Ukraine. Constructed in 1956 as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, it holds back a massive reservoir of water, estimated to contain 18 cubic kilometers, similar in volume to Utahs Great Salt Lake. The dams destruction would have severe repercussions locally and affect Ukraines broader war effort.

Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme

The Tourism Minister praised the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Program (IITFC) on the occasion of World Environment Day (5th June)

The IITFC Programme is a digital initiative of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) to encourage Indian citizens to participate in the thriving tourism .

It is an online programme where people can learn about tourism at their own pace, in their own time, space, and path.

After successfully completing this programme, the learner will be able to work as a Certified Tourist Facilitator for the Ministry of Tourism.

The DEFENCE Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the issuance of a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the construction of six conventional submarines as part of Project P 75 (I) under the Strategic PARTNERSHIP (SP) Model.

The SP model of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) aims to promote Indian Industry‘s role in manufacturing and to build a domestic defence industrial ecosystem.

This would be one of the most significant Make in India‘ projects.

The SP model will identify a few Indian private companies as Strategic Partners who will collaborate with a few shortlisted foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to manufacture defence equipment.