World Vegan Day
- World Vegan Day is celebrated every year on November 1 to encourage people to follow the vegan lifestyle and spread awareness about veganism.
- The day is dedicated to the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and exploitation of animals. All across the world, World Vegan Day is celebrated the day after Halloween.
India’s Defence Ministry Is World’s Biggest Employer
- India’s Ministry of Defence is the world’s biggest employer with 2.92 million people, which includes combined active service personnel, reservists and civilian staff, according to a report in ‘Statista’.
- A touch ahead of the United States equivalent, the Department of Defense.
RBI launches Its First Pilot Project
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will commence pilot launches of the digital rupee from November 1.
- It has identified nine banks for participation in the pilot launch.
- They are the State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC First Bank, and HSBC.
West Bengal’s Lakshmi Bhandar scheme bags the SKOCH Award
- The West Bengal government’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme has bagged the SKOCH award in the women and child development category.
- The award is a recognition for the government as well as the nearly two crore women of the state who have been empowered by the scheme.
- The West Bengal government had launched the scheme in August 2021 to provide financial support to a woman head of a family in the age group of 25-60 years.
- Under the scheme, Rs 500 is given every month to women in the general caste category and around Rs 1,000 per month to women in the SC and ST categories.
- The state government spends around Rs 11,000 crore every year to fund the scheme.
‘Steel Man of India’ Jamshed Irani passes away at 86
- Jamshed J Irani, also known as the “Steel Man of India”, passed away aged 86 at Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur.
- Jamshed J Irani completed his BSc from Science College, Nagpur in 1956 and his MSc in Geology from Nagpur University in 1958.
- Irani then went to the University of Sheffield in the UK as a JN Tata scholar, where he secured a Master’s in Metallurgy in 1960, and a PhD in Metallurgy in 1963.
- He started his professional career with the British Iron and Steel Research Association in Sheffield in 1963. But he always wished to contribute to India’s industrial progress.
UP’s Ranipur Tiger Reserve Becomes 53rd Tiger Reserve of India
Read more about Tiger Reserve
- Uttar Pradesh is set to have its fourth Tiger Reserve and 53rd tiger reserve in India.
- The tiger reserve is spread across over 529.36 sq km out of which the core area is 230.32 sq km.
- Apart from Ranipur, Uttar Pradesh has three tiger reserves, Dudhwa, Pilibhit, and Amangarh.
- The Uttar Pradesh government approved the development of the first tiger reserve in the Bundelkhand region of the state on 28th September 2022.
- The UP government also approved the notification of the Ranipur Wildlife Protection Act 1973.
- Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also decided to establish the Ranipur Tiger Conservation Foundation along with sanctioning requisite posts.
- Ranipur Tiger Reserve is covered by northern tropical dry deciduous forests and is home to mammals like megafauna tiger, leopard, bear, spotted deer, sambhar, and chinkara among others.
- According to the state government, the establishment of the Tiger Reserve in Ranipur will lead to the opening up of eco-tourism in the area and create immense employment opportunities.
Maharashtra government to set up Cyber Intelligence Unit
- Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed that a dedicated cyber intelligence unit will be set up in Maharashtra to curb cyber and financial crimes.
- The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
- The meeting was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he discussed many issues of national security.
- Devendra Fadnavis informed that the Cyber Intelligence Unit will be a dedicated single platform, through which a global model will be created to curb cybercrime.
- Through this platform Government and Private banks, financial institutions, Social media institutions, regulatory bodies, cyber police, and technicians will be united.
- The platform will serve as a dynamic response system and make more use of modern technology.
- In recent times, financial and cybercrimes have increased significantly which needs to be controlled.
- According to Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra has completed proceedings at the highest speed in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS).
- The state government has also marked great progress through Automated Multimedia Biometric Identification System (AMBIS).
1st ASEAN-India Start-up Festival 2022 inaugurated in Indonesia
- Deputy Secretary General for ASEAN Economic Community, Satvinder Singh highlighted that ASEAN has a vibrant and promising start-up ecosystem.
- In 2021, 25 new unicorns in ASEAN were included with their combined valuation at USD 55.4 billion.
- The 1st ASEAN-India Start-up Festival will further strengthen the ASEAN-India cooperation to accelerate the start-up economy.
- The National COSTI Chairperson of Indonesia and the Chairman National Research and Innovation Agency, were also present at the inaugural ceremony.
- The festival is part of the overall ASEAN-India Science, Technology, and Innovation Corporation program between the ASEAN Committee on Science Technology, and Innovation (COSTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (GoI).
- It is supported under the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund (ADF) of Govt of India.
- The four-day event is being hosted in conjunction with the Indonesian Research and Innovation Expo (INA-RIE) from the 27th until the 30th of October 2022 at the Innovation Convention Centre, Cibinong Bogor, Indonesia.
- The 1st ASEAN-India Start-up Festival (AISF) was inaugurated by Dr. Srivari Chandrashekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology on 27th October 2022 in Bogor, Indonesia.