Youth Co:Lab
Context : AIM NITI Aayog, UNDP India Jointly Launch “Youth Co:Lab” to accelerate youth-led social entrepreneurship and innovation in India .
What it is ? In a latest initiative to recognize young people as critical drivers of sustainable development, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India launched Youth Co:Lab which aims at accelerating social entrepreneurship and innovation in young India.
How its work :
- Through Youth Co:Lab, young entrepreneurs and innovators will get a chance to connect with governments, mentors, incubators and investors, who will help equip them with entrepreneurial skills .
- The initiative will also convene a series of youth dialogues across several cities such as New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai to promote entrepreneurship across India.
- Youth Co:Lab will convene social innovation challenges at the national and sub-national level, which will invite young people in the age group of 18-29 years and start-ups to showcase their proposed ideas and solutions to tackle some of the region’s biggest social challenges.
About Youth Co:Lab:
Co-created in 2017 by UNDP and the Citi Foundation, and operational in 25 countries across the Asia Pacific region, the Youth Co:Lab initiative aims to create an enabling ecosystem to promote youth leadership, innovation, and social entrepreneurship.
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
AIM including Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) is Government of India’s endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Its objective is to serve as a platform for the promotion of world-class innovation hubs, grand challenges, start-up businesses and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology driven areas.
“Eat Right India” Movement
Context : FSSAI’ launches ‘Trans-Fat Free’ logo to gives a boost to “Eat Right India” Movement.
What is Trans-Fat ?
Trans fats are the worst type of fats with known health risks. India is committed to eliminating it from the food supply and is progressing towards its objective of trans fat elimination by 2022.
About Eat Right Movement:
It was launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The movement aims to cut down salt/sugar and oil consumption by 30% in three years.
It also aims to engage and enable citizens to improve their health and well-being by making the right food choices.
District mineral foundations
Context: Rajasthan to create pneumoconiosis fund with DMF money.
The fund will be used to execute a comprehensive policy on the disease, which is widely prevalent in the mining state.
Background:
Pneumoconiosis, a lung disease, mostly affects workers who work in the mining and construction sectors and deal with soil, silica, coal dust and asbestos. The disease includes asbestosis, silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis.
About DMFs:
DMFs were instituted under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act 2015.
They are non-profit trusts to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations.
Objective: to work for the interest of the benefit of the persons and areas affected mining related operations in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
Jurisdiction: Its manner of operation comes under the jurisdiction of the relevant State Government.
The various state DMF rules and the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Khestra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) guidelines stipulate some “high priority” issues for DMFs, including:
- Drinking water.
- Health
- Women and child welfare.
- Education
- Livelihood and skill development.
- Welfare of aged and disabled.
- Sanitation.
Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY):
The programme is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).
Objectives of the scheme:
- To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas that complement the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government.
- To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts.
- To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.
Blood4Pet – mobile app that brings together canine blood donors
- In order to bridge the gap between canine-blood demand & supply, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas)has launched a mobile app — Blood4Pet — to bring ‘pet-parents’ together across the country.
- There’s also a provision in the app for calculating the amount of blood required. A dog can safely donate blood once in three weeks.
- The app will help both pet owners and veterinarians to find suitable donors for dogs and thus help save lives of dogs
National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC)
Context: Designation of National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical Devices and Health Technology Policy.
Why do we need such collaborations?
Such global collaborations in the area of health technology will ensure that scientific and technological advances, research and development as well as innovative technologies play a substantial supportive role in healthcare and enable us to reach the public health goals and achieve universal health coverage.
About NHSRC:
Set up under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to serve as an apex body for technical assistance.
Established in 2006.
Mandate is to assist in policy and strategy development in the provision and mobilization of technical assistance to the states and in capacity building for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) at the centre and in the states.
Composition:
- It has a 23 member Governing Body, chaired by the Secretary, MoHFW, Government of India with the Mission Director, NRHM as the Vice Chairperson of the GB and the Chairperson of its Executive Committee.
- Of the 23 members, 14 are ex-officio senior health administrators, including four from the states. Nine are public health experts, from academics and Management Experts.
- The Executive Director, NHSRC is the Member Secretary of both the Governing body and the Executive Committee.
VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS
In News
- Union government started New Delhi-Katra ‘Vande Bharat’ Express to give boost to religious tourism in Jammu.
- Katra is a small townlocated 42 km from the city of Jammu which serves as the base camp for pilgrims who visit Vaishno Devi.
- The coaches of this train are indigenously manufactured at the Chennai Rail coach factory.
- Vande Bharat Express has been tested at 180 kmph and can run upto maximum speed of 160 kmph on passenger service. All Coaches are equipped with automatic doors; GPS based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot, wi-fi for entertainment purposes, and very comfortable seating.
- This is the second ‘Vande Bharat’ express after the New Delhi – Varanasi semi-high speed train was started in February this year.