The Daily Brief – 10th November 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Integrated Check Post of the Kartarpur Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur in Punjab on 9^th November, 2019. He also flagged off the first batch of over 500 Indian pilgrims led by Akal Takhat Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib through the corridor, which was opened to the public on the occasion of the 550^th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.

National School of Drama (NSD) organised the 11^th edition of the Bal Sangam festival in New Delhi from 9^th November to 12^th November, 2019. The four-day festival will showcase enthralling folk and traditional performing arts and folk theatre dedicated to children. The NSD was set up by the Sangeet Natak Akademi as one of its constituent units in 1959 but later in 1975, the NSD was registered as an autonomous organization under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development Sanjay Dhotre launched an e-governance school automation and management system for the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) called Shala Darpan Portal. It will integrate all Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas with a common standard which includes around 636 schools and 2.67 million students. The platform aims to meet the educational and administrative needs of all stakeholders.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) has launched India’s first online repository called IndAIR (Indian Air quality Interactive Repository), which documents the air quality studies done in the last 60 years. Established in Nagpur in 1958, the CSIR-NEERI is a research institute created and funded by the Government of India.

Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched three books – Guru Nanak Bani’, ‘Nanak Bani’ and ‘Sakhian Guru Nanak Dev’ – on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev in New Delhi. Published by the National Book Trust (NBT), the move aims to spread the message of Guru Nanak Dev’s writings among readers of the Indian sub-continent.

Indian Railways has launched three applications – CRS Sanction Management System, Rail-road crossing GAD approval system and TMS (Track Management System) for construction – to strengthen its Information Technology (IT) enabled services, which will help ensure proper monitoring of projects undertaken by the Railways and boost vision of Digital India.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the incoming IORA Chair, hosted the 19^th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting on 7^th November, 2019 in Abu Dhabi under the theme of “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”. At the COM, UAE took the chairmanship from South Africa for the period of 2019-21. The COM was preceded by the 21^st Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) that is held twice a year. During the meet, Maldives formally became the 22^nd member state of IORA after the Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid signed the Instrument of Acceptance.

Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) announced the winners of the Infosys Prize 2019 in six categories on 7^th November, 2019. First awarded in 2008, the annual award is presented in six categories – Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering and Computer Sciences. The award aims to celebrate the exemplary work by researchers and scientists in different areas of scientific research.