UTTAR PRADESH
Agra bags smart city award for skill development initiative
Agra under the India Smart Cities Awards Contest (ISAC) 2020, secured second position at the national level in the economy category for establishing micro skill development centres, empowering 1,350 women.
The city of Taj was declared best performer among the 40 cities selected for the central government’s Smart City Development Project in 2016.
Uttar Pradesh was ranked as the best performing state in the country with respect to the Smart City mission. Overall, Agra was adjudged the best performer in the state for implementation of the smart city project.
Under the smart city project, four skill development centres were set up in the Tajganj locality last year. The smart city project team helped develop 104 women self-help groups involving 10 to 15 women in each. At present, 1,350 women from weaker sections of society are actively working on seven different traditional skill sets and earning their living. These skills are zardozi work, marble inlay work, carpet-making, brush-making, flower bouquet-making, paper craft and crafting ornamental items.
Agra was selected for the smart city development in September 2016. The project covers Rs 2,000 crore-worth makeover plans, including an area-based development plan, which envisages retrofitting 2,250 acre of select area around Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Jama Masjid and other parts of the old city.
INTERNATIONAL
Proposal to Include The Great Barrier Reef On The World Heritage List In Danger
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee recommends that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef be included in the list of “in danger” World Heritage Sites.
It was suggested that it be added to the list due to the impact of climate change.
It is the world’s most extensive and spectacular coral reef ecosystem, with over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands.
The coral reef is located in the Coral Sea (Northeast Coast) off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
It can be seen from outer space and is the world’s largest single structure composed of living organisms.
This coral reef structure is made up of billions of tiny organisms called coral polyps.
Polyps are microscopic, soft-bodied organisms.
Coral reefs have a hard, protective limestone skeleton called a calicle at their base, which forms the structure of the reef.
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There are tiny algae called zooxanthellae in the tissues of these polyps. Corals and algae have a reciprocal (symbiotic) relationship.
In 1981, it was designated as UNESCO’s World Heritage Site.
Central Advisory Board on Culture – CABC
The Central Advisory Board on Culture (CABC) was established to provide policy advice to the Ministry of Culture on developing programmes that would focus attention on creativity at various levels of Indian society and in different regions, which had previously been neglected or not sustained through existing institutional mechanisms.
Identifying human repositories in various sub-fields, advising on strategies to ensure continuity of transmission, and recommending to the government programmes that will integrate the creativity of these long traditions with development processes.
To investigate the extent and manner in which various aspects of Indian culture are addressed by relevant agencies.
To provide inputs for the development of new, need-based cultural programmes;
To guide the work of the Ministry of Culture’s National Missions.
The Board is presided over by the Minister of Culture of the Government of India.
NATIONAL
Fourth Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan
The Ramgarh Vishdhari wildlife sanctuary was approved by the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) technical committee to become Rajasthan’s fourth Tiger reserve.
The NTCA was established in 2005 in response to the Tiger Task Force’s recommendations.
It is a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change with an overarching supervisory/coordination role, performing functions as specified in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Protection Status of Tiger:
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
IUCN Red List: Endangered.
CITES: Appendix I.
Rajasthan’s other three tiger reserves are:
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Sawai
Madhopur, Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) in Alwar, and
Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in Kota.
Investment Promotion Agency 2021 Award – Invest India
Invest India has been awarded the world’s most innovative Investment Promotion Agency 2021 via OCO Global. OCO Global is the main authority on foreign investment and provides a range of financial development services, products, and unique employer assessment tools.
Invest India, established in 2009. It is a non-profit venture under the Dept. for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
It is the national funding merchandising and facilitation agency.
Invest India focuses on sector-specific investor targeting & the new partnerships improvements to enable sustainable investments in India.
In addition to a core crew that focuses on sustainable investments, Invest India also partners with large funding promotion groups and multilateral organizations.
Invest India actively works with countless Indian states to build capacity as well as convey global best practices in investment targeting, advertising and facilitation areas.
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