• India Innovation Index
  • It’s a joint initiative of NITI Aayog, DIPP and CII in consultation with World Economic Forum, the World Intellectual Property Organization, Cornell University, OECD, UNIDO, ILO, UNESCO, ITU
  • It will capture data on innovation from all the Indian states on regular basis and rank states through country’s first online innovation index portal
  • The framework will have parameters from GII (Global Innovation Index) and some parameters which are India centric
  • These ranking will provide point of reference for all international agencies to collect India’s up to date data points for global indices
  • About GII
    • Co-published by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD with CII as a knowledge partner since inception
    • Rankings provided since 2007
    • The ranking is done based on the innovation capabilities (using 82 indicators)
    • As per 2016rankings, India stands at 66^th position out of 128 countries

• India Signs Financing Agreement with World Bank
  • India has signed an agreement with IDA (International Development Association) credit of US$201.50 million
  • The credit is for the “Third Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP III)
  • The objective of the Program is to enhance quality and equity in participating Engineering Education Institutes and improve the efficiency of the Engineering Education System in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, 8 North Eastern States and Andaman & Nicobar Islands
  • The Project has two main components
    • Improving quality and equity in engineering institutes in those states
    • System-level initiatives to strengthen sector governance and performance
  • The project has been designed as a disbursement linked one, that is, the World Bank loan will be disbursed on achievement of specific outcomes

• World Wetlands Day
  • Every year 2^nd February is celebrated as wetlands day, to mark the Wetlands Convention which was adopted in the city of Ramsar (Iran) in 1971
  • India is a party to the Convention since 1982 and committed to the Ramsar approach of wise use of wetlands
  • The theme for this year is ‘Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction’
  • The World Wetland Day, this year is being celebrated in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh at Bhoj Wetlands (at Bhopal).
  • India has designated 26 Ramsar sites under the convention.
  • Why wetlands are important
    • Act as ‘kidneys of landscape’- Wetlands are our natural buffers against increasing risk of floods, droughts and tropical cyclones. Wetlands can act as sponges, storing peak rainfall and releasing water gradually during lean season
    • They help stabilize water supplies, cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines and recharge groundwater aquifers.
    • The extensive food chain and biological diversity in wetlands make them ‘biological supermarkets’
    • Wetlands have special attributes as cultural heritage of humanity, and have deep connections with our beliefs and practices
    • They are an important part of our natural wealth and “liquid assets”
  • Despite their tremendous value, wetlands are also one of the most rapidly degrading ecosystems. How the wetlands can be protected
    • Assessment of wetland ecosystem health should be made a part of the District level planning process
    • Wetland management should have an in-built component of disaster risk reduction to address the likely impact of disaster ecosystem health
    • Wetlands conservation and restoration should be included within the suite of actions proposed for reducing disaster risk
    • States should constitute wetland authorities as nodal agencies for integrated policy, planning and regulation of wetlands
    • Mass awareness campaigns should be undertaken to educate shareholders

• BES EXPO 2017
  • It is the 23^rdInternational Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting
  • The theme is Hybrid Technologies in Broadcasting
  • BES-Broadcasting Engineering Society

• Festival of India
  • Organised in Senegal from 26 January – 28 February, 2017
  • The festival will showcase diverse Indian culture such as classic and folk dance, music and exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi
  • The events will be held in the city of Dakar