Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 13 February 2024 | Download PDF

• The Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India launched the “Science for Women-A Technology & Innovation (SWATI)” Portal.

About SWATI Portal:

• Purpose: Represents and showcases Indian women and girls’ contributions in STEMM fields.
• Database: Comprehensive database aiding policymakers in addressing gender gap challenges.
• Interactive Features: Designed to be interactive, facilitating easy access and contribution to the database.
• Development: Developed, hosted, and maintained by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) in New Delhi.

Objectives:

• Exponential Scaling: To include every Indian woman in science across all career stages and subjects.
• Research Support: Compilation of a comprehensive database to support long-term research on equality, diversity, and inclusivity.
• Active Search Engine: Easy access to information about women scientists, their affiliations, areas of interest, and achievements.

Do you know?

• National Women’s Day in India is celebrated every year on 13 February. 
• The day marks the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, an eminent freedom fighter and poet, also known as the “Nightingale of India”.

• Sangeet Natak Akademi to have South India centre in Hyderabad.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA): A national institution founded on 31 May 1952.
• Aim: To preserve and promote India’s rich cultural heritage in music, dance, and drama.

Key points:

• Apex body for performing arts, collaborating with governments and art academies.
• Established institutions like Manipur Dance Academy and Kathak Kendra.

Awards and Recognitions

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award: Highest recognition for artists and scholars.
• SNA Fellowship (Ratna Sadsya): For distinguished individuals.
• Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar: For young artists.
• Tagore Ratna and Tagore Puraskar: Honoring Rabindranath Tagore.
• Kala Deeksha Initiative: Continuing Guru Shishya Parampara.

• The Centre has launched the fourth phase of training under the ‘Amrit Darohar’ capacity-building scheme.
• This initiative is targeted towards people residing close to the Bhitarkanika National Park.

Key points:

• Collaboration: The initiative involves collaboration between IITTM-Bhubaneswar, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Objective: The aim is to build the capacity of 60 local community members around the Ramsar site to strengthen nature tourism and provide alternative livelihoods.
• Training: Local community members will be trained and certified as nature guides.

About:

Goal: The goal of Amrit Dharohar is ‘to promote unique conservation values of Ramsar Sites’.

Purpose

The purpose is to maintain a healthy and effectively managed network of Ramsar Sites which:

• To provide water and food security
• To buffer the landscape from floods, droughts, cyclones and other extreme events
• To generate local employment and support livelihoods
• To provide habitats for species of local, national and international conservation significance
• To maintain and enhance carbon sinks
• To conserve and celebrate rich cultural heritage.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the UAE signifies the importance of the bilateral relationship.
• Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the UAE from February 13-14, 2024.
• He will inaugurate a temple built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha in Abu Dhabi.

Overview of India – UAE relationship:

• • India’s relationship with the UAE has become one of its most significant bilateral relationships, evolving into a strategic partnership.
  • The UAE has become an important partner for India’s engagement in the Gulf region.
  • There’s a close rapport between UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Mr. Modi.
• The BAPS temple, constructed on a 27-acre plot donated by the UAE President, is the second big Hindu temple to be inaugurated in the UAE recently.

• Mr. Modi will also address the World Government Summit on February 14 in Dubai as the ‘Guest of Honour’.

• Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), a prominent scheme of the Odisha government, has received the National SKOCH Gold Award for 2023.
• The award highlights the scheme’s impact and effectiveness in the health sector.
• BSKY was recognized for its innovativeness, inclusivity, transparency, and effectiveness.

Coverage and Components

• BSKY Component-1: Provides free universal treatment, including high-end pathological tests, for all 119.8 lakh families in Odisha at government health facilities.
• BSKY Component-2: Offers cashless treatment in empanelled hospitals for 99.3 lakh economically vulnerable families, covering around 3.56 crore members.

Previous Achievements

• BSKY had previously won the SKOCH Gold Award in 2019, showcasing its consistent impact and excellence in the health sector.

• In India, Sarojini Naidu’s birth anniversary, on February 13, is marked as National Women’s Day in honour of a woman who represented the spirit of female empowerment throughout her life and championed equality.
• She was a prominent freedom fighter and poet known as the “Nightingale of India”.

This day serves as a national observance to:

1. Recognize the significant contributions of women in various fields
2. Highlight their crucial role in shaping the nation’s progress
3. Raise awareness about persisting gender disparities and challenges faced by women in India

• February 13th, 2024, marks the 12th Annual World Radio Day, established by UNESCO 
• The theme for World Radio Day 2024 is ‘Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating.
• This year’s celebration reflects on the past 100 years of radio’s remarkable journey, its present relevance, and its promising future.

About:

• In 2011, the member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared February 13 World Radio Day
• It was then adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 as an international event.
• Radio remains the most widely consumed media platform globally, reaching billions of people, especially in remote areas and those with limited internet access.

• Odisha government introduces a new scheme called Swatantra Yuva Udyami (SWAYAM) aimed at fostering self-employment among the youth in the state.
• State Cabinet, under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, approves the proposal for the SWAYAM scheme.

Loan Provision:

• Interest-free bank loans up to Rs 1 lakh to be provided to unemployed youths aged 18-35.
• Applicable in both rural and urban areas of Odisha.

Eligibility Criteria:

Rural Areas:

• Applicant’s family must be covered under KALIA or Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).
• Family’s annual income should not exceed Rs 2 lakh.

Urban Areas:

• Applicant’s family must be covered under BSKY.
• Family’s annual income should not exceed Rs 3 lakh.

Target and Budget:

• Aim to cover at least 1 lakh rural youths within two years.
• Budget allocation of Rs 448 crore for rural areas.
• Allocation of Rs 224 crore for interest subvention and guarantee fee.

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