The Daily Brief – 1st September 2018

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Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) strategy for India which aims at achieving climate change mitigation by incentivizing forest conservation. This strategy will soon be communicated to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). National REDD+ Strategy has been prepared by Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE), Dehradun. It is one of tools to further supplement India’s commitment to 2015 Paris agreement.
India has inked $346 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance Karnataka State Highways Improvement III Project (KSHIP-III) for improvement of over 400 km of state highways in Karnataka. This will help in enhancement of connectivity and access to economic centres across 12 districts in Karnataka. KSHIP-lll project will upgrade about 419 kilometers of state highways to two-and four-lane with paved shoulders.
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has established Innovation Cell at AICTE premises in New Delhi with an aim to systematically foster culture of innovation in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country. Its primary mandate is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative years fostered through network of innovation clubs in HEIs.
Germany has announced to provide soft loan of euro 120 million (Rs. 990 crore approximately) to India to strengthen sewage water treatment infrastructure in Uttarakhand in an effort to clean River Ganga under Clean Ganga Mission. German development agency GIZ also has prepared ‘Ganga Box’ aimed to target schools-going children and inform them about the river. The proceeds from this soft loan will be used for project focusing on extension and replacement of sewerage system (around 360 kilometres) including complete house connection, construction of sewage treatment plants (STPs) of around 15 million litres per day (mld).
Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has introduced Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARRIA) to systematically rank educational institutions and universities primarily on innovation related indicators. ARIIA parameters are primarily organised in five broad heads which are further elaborated into suitable sub-heads. Each of five main parameters has certain weightage assigned to it and sub-heads also have appropriate weight distribution.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Union Ministry of Science and Technology and International Energy Agency (IEA) for enhancing innovation for Clean Energy Transition. The MoU seeks to deepen co-operation in support of clean energy innovations to accelerate research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of clean energy technologies in India. IEA is an inter-governmental organization, with 30 member countries, established in 1974 as per framework of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
BIMSTEC member countries at the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu, Nepal
The fourth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit was held in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal with a theme of ‘Towards a Peaceful Prosperous, and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region’. India was represented by Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi. This was his fourth visit to Nepal after becoming Prime Minister in 2014. Seven BIMSTEC member countries are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka from South Asia and Myanmar, Thailand from South East Asia. The first BIMSTEC summit was held in Thailand in 1997.
Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri has reached Port of Darwin, Australia to participate in multilateral regional maritime exercise KAKADU 2018 conducted by Australia. The ship was earlier deployed in South China Sea and Pacific Ocean for over four months and had represented Indian Navy in multinational exercises MALABAR 18 at Guam and RIMPAC 18 at Hawaii. Started in 1993, exercise KAKADU is hosted by Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and supported by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is held biennially in Darwin and Northern Australian Exercise Areas (NAXA).

Asian Games 2018: (65 medals = 13 gold, 23 silver and 29 bronze)

The Indian hockey team settled for silver medal at the Asian Games 2018 after losing to Japan 1-2 in the final. With this loss, the Indian women’s team missed the chance to directly qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games.
India’s Varsha Gautham and Sweta Shervegar won a silver medal in the 49er FX women’s event, while 16-year-old Harshita Tomar won the bronze medal in the Open Laser 4.7 event at the Asian Games 2018. The Open Laser 4.7 event had both male and female participants.
Indian boxer Vikas Krishan will also have to settle for bronze after he was declared medically unfit to fight his semifinal bout in men’s 75kg event due to a cut on his left eyelid, which he sustained earlier in the event. The 26-year-old was to take on Kazakhstan’s Amankul Abilkhan in his last-four clash but was forced out due to the injury.