The Daily Brief – 23rd October 2019

An e-portal and a YouTube channel of the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) has been inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Culture Prahlad Singh Patel at the ‘Digital Bharat-Digital Sanskriti’ program being held at the CCRT headquarters, in New Delhi. A book titled ‘Dewas Ki Sanskritik Parampara’, written by Jeevan Singh Thakur and published by the CCRT, was also released. Established in 1979, the CCRT is autonomous organisation, under the Union Ministry of Culture, which is aimed to support cultural education in country.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo was sworn into office for his second and final five-year term. He was re-elected in the presidential election polls that took place on 17th April 2019. Widodo, a former furniture salesman, popularly known as Jokowi, has sworn into office along with 76-year-old Vice President Maruf Amin, who will replace Widodo’s Vice President in his first term, Jusuf Kalla. Jokowi said that his final term would be aimed at eradicating poverty and catapulting Indonesia into a developed country and one of the world’s top five economies by 2045.

World Osteoporosis Day is observed every year on 20^th October to create awareness for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of osteoporosis. Launched in 1996, it is organised by the International Osteoporosis Foundation. Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, which can lead to increased risk of fractures. The prevalence of osteoporosis in India is 24.6% in men and 42.5% in women above 50 years of age.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Chewang Rinchen Setu (Bridge), named after Colonel Chewang Rinchan, who was one of the highly decorated officers in the Indian Army from Ladakh. He was also a recipient of the Maha Vir Chakara (1952). The bridge has been constructed at an altitude of 14,650 feet on the road Durbuk Shyok Daulat Beg Oldie, which is 45 km east of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The bridge has been built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare attended the G20 Okayama Health Ministers’ Meeting on 19^th & 20^th October, 2019 that was held under the Presidency of Japan in Okayama City, Japan. It focused on four major global health issues: (i) Achievement of Universal Health Coverage (ii) Response to population aging (iii) Management of health risks and (iv) Health security management including Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) and its containment. The G20 Health Ministers meeting concluded by adopting the “Okayama Declaration of the G20 Health Ministers” which has 52 articles. The first G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting was held on 5th and 6th November 2017, under the German presidency.

Bali Jatra, one of the biggest trade fairs of Odisha, is scheduled to begin on 12^th November, 2019 in Cuttack and will be jointly organized by the Cuttack District Administration, Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and District Cultural Council. Also known as Boita Bandaṇa, the annual festival is celebrated from the day of Kartika Purnima, for 18 days. It is celebrated to mark the day when ancient Sadhabas (Odia mariners) used to set sail to distant lands of Bali, Java, Sumatra as well as Sri Lanka for trade and cultural expansion.

Shri K Parasaran, former Attorney General of India, was awarded the “Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award” by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on the occasion of Elder’s Day celebration organized by Age Care India. Parasaran was the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu in 1976 and the Attorney General of India under former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 2003 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2011. The 15^thand current Attorney General of India is K.K.Venugopal.

A book titled ‘Bridgital Nation: Solving Technology’s People Problem’ authored by N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Roopa Purushothaman was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 20^th October, 2019. The first copy was presented to the eminent industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata. The book presents a powerful vision of the future where technology and human beings co-exist in a mutually beneficial ecosystem.