Today News Diary on 9 April 2021

India participates in French Maritime Exercise ‘La Perouse’ held in Indian Ocean

Navies of India & Three other QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) Countries namely US, Japan and Australia participated in the Multilateral French Maritime Exercise ‘La Perouse’. The Exercise took place from April 5-7, 2021 in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region and was led by the French Navy.

• It is the 1st time ever that Indian Navy assets are participating in the French defence exercise.

• The Indian Navy Assets which participated in the exercise are INS Satpura, INS Kiltan along with P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

• The Indian Navy assets participated in drills at sea with ships & aircraft of French Navy (FN), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) & United States Navy (USN).

West Central Railway Becomes First Fully Electrified Indian Railways Zone

On 30th March 2021, the electrification of the West Central Railways(WCR) was completed and WCR became the first fully electrified Indian railway zone. The WCR boasts a 3012 Route km electrified Network.

India’s Military Farms closed after 132 years of Service

India’s Military farms that supplied hygienic cow milk to the armed forces continuously for the last 132 years with 25,000 MT of hay yearly was formally closed on 31st March 2021. This has been recommended for years, as they can

enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of the armed forces. This is also caused by the open market milk procurement & corruption in the farms.

• The 1st military farm was set-up under British-India, on February 1, 1889 at Allahabad.

Vivo ropes in Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli as Brand Ambassador

On 7th April 2021, Vivo Communication Technology Co. Ltd.(Vivo) has appointed Indian Men’s Cricket Team captain Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.

Aim:

• To reach the millennials and technologically driven consumers.

• The association with sports personalities will support the brand to reach a wider audience.

Adil Zainulbhai, Chairperson of QCI appointed as Chairman of Capacity Building Commission

On 1st April 2021, Adil Zainulbhai, the chairperson of Quality Council of India (QCI) was appointed as the Chairman of Capacity Building Commission(CBC), established by the Government of India under the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building(NPCSCB) also known as “Mission Karmayogi” to impose major reforms in bureaucracy.

• The order regarding the appointment was issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Education Minister launches “MyNEP2020” Portal launched for Digital Consultation

Union Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the “MyNEP2020” platform for receiving digital consultation from various stakeholders for preparing a draft of 2 policy related to Teachers Skill development – National Professional Standards for 

Teachers (NPST) & National Mission for Mentoring Program membership(NMM).

• “MyNEP2020″ Web Portal of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) will be operational from April 1 to May 15, 2021.

International Roma Day 2021 – April 8

International Romani Day or International Roma Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th April to celebrate the culture and heritage of Romani and to raise awareness of the issues facing Roma people.

• The day also focuses on the discrimination against the Roma communities across the globe and call for the human rights of all to be respected and observed.

The International Roma Day 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Romani Congress April 7 to 12 1971 in Chelsfield near London, England.

Ladakh Administration, LAHDC & SECI sign MoU to set up 50 MW Solar Power Project at Taur, Leh

On April 6, 2021, Ladakh UT Administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh (LAHDC) & Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI Ltd) signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up a 50 MW solar power project at Taru (Taroo) in Leh District

• It is a step towards making Ladakh Carbon Neutral.

Key Points

• The power consumption is expected to go up to 200 MW in Ladakh Region in the next 5 years.

• Ladakh UT Administration is working with SECI on a 10, 000 MW milestone project in Ladakh. It is expected to make Ladakh Atma Nirbhar in the power sector.

• The Central Government has planned for 2 Solar Plants each of 7MW capacity with 21 MWh battery energy storage system at Leh&Kargil.

News In Detail