Uttar Pradesh Affairs
UP govt ties up with IIM-L to promote start-ups
The Uttar Pradesh government has tied up with the Indian Institute Of Management, Lucknow to promote start-ups and groom entrepreneurial skills among rural youth.
The state, in collaboration with IIM-Lucknow, will set up an incubation centre to provide seed capital and nurture fresh business ideas among rural youth.
The state has a vibrant start-up ecosystem with Noida, Ghaziabad and Lucknow accounting for a dominant share of ventures. Prominent UP-based unicorns include Paytm and Pine Labs.
The Yogi Adityanath government has amended the start-up policy to expand incentives to enrich the doing business Climate for new business ideas.
At the same time, the government has increased the targeted number of start-up Centres of Excellence (CoEs) from three to eight. Currently, UP is Home to about 52 government-recognised incubators with more than 7,200 start-ups registered with the Department for Promotion of and Internal Trade (DPIIP).
To further boost start-up infra, the state has formed an angel fund with the target of setting up 10,000 start-ups. The government has been allocating huge funds to strengthen the start-up support mechanism and promote self-EMPLOYMENT among the youth.
National and International Affairs
Sanchar Saathi portal launched by Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw
The Union Minister for Communications,Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched theSanchar Saathi Portalduring a function held inNew Delhi. This citizen-centric portal aims to empower mobile phone users by providing essential Services, such as tracking and blocking lost mobile phones.
The Union Minister further emphasized how several reforms have positively impacted the telecommunications sector. The is now more robust and Investment-oriented due to these transformations.
Digital India Programme: National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA)
The main objective of this workshop is to promote the adoption of the NeVA platform by all State and Union Territory Legislatures. By utilizing technology, the aim is to bring transparency, accountability, and responsiveness to their legislative proceedings.
NeVA is part of the Digital India Programme initiated by the Government of India and is classified as one of the 44Mission Mode Projects (MMPs). Its purpose is to eliminate the need for paper-based operations in all State Legislatures, transforming them into digital entities. Currently, 21 State legislatures have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implementNeVA.
Funding has been allocated for 17 Legislatures, and they have received the necessary funds to implement the project.
Microsoft launches Jugalbandi, a multilingual AI-chat bot for rural India
Microsofthas launchedJugalbandi,a generative AI-driven multilingual chatbot accessible via popular messaging platform, WhatsApp. The bot has been especially made to cover areas of rural India which arent easily penetrated through media and lack access to governments welfare activities. The chatbot has been developed by AI4Bharat in collaboration with IIT Madras. It is aimed at providing personalised assistance by understanding user queries in multiple languages, whether spoken or typed. The chatbot was launched in April and has been tested inBiwan,a village near Indias capital city of New Delhi.
According to Microsoft, Jugalbandi combines AI models from AI4Bharat and Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, allowing seamless conversation between users and the chatbot.
These generative AI tools can synthesise vast amounts of data to generate text and other forms of content.
Inauguration of online education program Pahal for rural children
The online rural educationinitiative Pahalwas officially launched by Chief Secretary DurgaShankar Mishraat Government UP Sainik Inter College in Sarojini Nagar. This program, developed through a PARTNERSHIP between theDepartment of Secondary Education and IIT Kanpur,aims to provide education to rural communities through online platforms.
Shahabuddin Chuppu takes oath as Bangladeshs 22nd president
Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppuhas become the22nd president of Bangladesh,taking over from Abdul Hamid, in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, politicians, judges, and senior officials. The event was held at the historic Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban, where Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath to Shahabuddin. He was elected unopposed in February this year as the candidate of the ruling party, and after the ceremony, he signed the documents for the office of the president.
There are growing disputes between the ruling Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) regarding the as Bangladesh prepares for general Elections. The elections are scheduled for December or January next year.