Skill India Digital

Recently the Skill India Digital platform was launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

• Skill India Digital (SID) is the Digital Public Infrastructure for skilling, education, employment and entrepreneurship ecosystem of India.
• It is a state-of-the-art platform to bring all skilling initiatives together.
• Skill India Digital is specially designed and developed to skill, reskill and upskill Indian individuals through an online training platform.
• It is an Application Programming Interface (API)-based trusted skill credentials, payment and discovery layers for jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.
• The improved version of the platform has Udyam, e-Shram, NCS and ASEEM portals interlinked for G2C, B2C and B2B services.
• It will act as a bridge between the employees and employers and allow educational institutes to create/modify curricula as per industry demands.
• The platform was developed by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• It is also a comprehensive information gateway for all government skilling and entrepreneurship initiatives – a go-to hub for citizens in pursuit of career advancement and lifelong learning.
• Skill India Digital is designed to provide various services such as discovery, recommendation, skilling, lifelong learning opportunity, apprenticeship, assessment, LMS, etc.

Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)

Recently the renovated library of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) was inaugurated by Vice-President of India

• The Indian Council of World Affairs was established in 1943 by a group of Indian intellectuals as a think tank.
• It was registered as a non-official, non-political and non-profit organisation under the Registration of Societies Act 1860.
• By the Indian Council of World Affairs Act, 2001, it has been declared an institution of national importance.
• The council is devoted exclusively for the study of international relations and foreign affairs.
• The Vice President of India is the ex-officio President of ICWA.
• Minister of External Affairs is the Vice-President of the Council.
• It is located at the Sapru House, New Delhi.
• It is named after the eminent Indian Jurist and intellectual, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, the founder President of the Council.

Ayushman Bhav campaign

The campaign was virtually launched by the president of India to ensure delivery of the healthcare services to the last mile of India

• Ayushman Bhava is a 15 days campaign that starts from September 17 and ends on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti.
• Ayushman Bhava is an umbrella campaign comprising 3 major components such as:
  1. Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0
  2. Ayushman Mela
  3. Ayushman Sabha
• The 3 initiatives will be undertaken by the Union Health Ministry across the country.
• The entire campaign is based on 'Jan Bhagidari' or public participation.
• Ayushman Mela will be organised in over 117,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) across the country where all the poor and middle-class people will be diagnosed and treated.
• Ayushman Sabhas in every village and panchayat will substantially expedite the access of healthcare services at grassroots levels, thereby ensuring the building of a healthy nation.
• Swacchta Abhiyaan (cleanliness drive) will be also run at healthcare institutions across the country including hospitals and dispensaries.
• Seva Pakwada is an initiative under the campaign to ensure the attainment of essential health services for every individual.
• Besides, Swachhta Abhiyaan, Organ Donation and Blood Donation campaigns will also be held during the Sewa Pakhwada.

Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships

Recently 15 countries have joined UN Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships to promote legal certainty in judicial sale of ships

• The UN Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships is known as The Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships.
• It aims to promote legal certainty and predictability at the international level by creating a uniform regime for the international effects of ‘judicial’ sales of ships.
• The Beijing Convention establishes a harmonized and simplified regime that secures cross-border recognition of judicial sales of ships, ensuring the smooth operation of international trade.
• The Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships was developed by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
• International Maritime Organization (IMO) is supporting the establishment of the Convention by acting as the repository for these notices and certificates of judicial sale.
• Information on pending and completed judicial sales of ships will be accessible online via a dedicated module on IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) platform.
• The Convention was signed by 15 countries that includes China, El Salvador, Kiribati, Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal Sierra, Leone Singapore, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, etc.
• The convention is not signed by India yet.

Libya

Recently the torrential rains caused flooding in Libya resulting in death of 5,000 people and displacing 30,000 people

• Libya is the 4th largest country in Africa where about 90% of the country is covered by the Libyan Desert (part of the Sahara).
• Libyan Desert is located in the north eastern portion of the Sahara, extending from eastern Libya through south western Egypt into the extreme northwest of Sudan.
• Libya is located in North Africa.
• Libya borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north and has maritime borders with Greece, Italy, and Malta.
• It shares borders with Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia.
• It has no permanent rivers.
• The wadis is a river beds, which only carry water temporarily after heavy rainfall.
• The Nile Rivers doesn’t run through Libya. 
• The largest city and constitutional capital of Libya is Tripoli (Tarabulus).