TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. India - Rwanda Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC)
2. India and ADB sign loan
3. Kilkari Scheme

1. India – Rwanda Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC)

Syllabus: GS-2, IR

Prelims: India – Rwanda Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC)

Context:

India and Rwanda hold their maiden Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting.

Details:

• India and Rwanda held the first edition of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting in Kigali, Rwanda to discuss a wide range of opportunities to enhance defence cooperation between the two countries. 
• Detailed discussions were held in areas like training cooperation, joint military exercises, defence-industrial cooperation, etc.
• Bilateral relations between India and Rwanda have been cordial and have grown steadily over the years.

2. India and ADB sign loan

Syllabus: GS-3, Environment

Prelims: ADB, River Brahmaputra

Context:

The Government of India and ADB sign a $200 million loan to tackle flood and erosion risk along the Brahmaputra River.

Details:

• The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $200 million loan to strengthen flood and riverbank erosion risk management along the 650 km long main stem of the Brahmaputra river in Assam.
• The project interventions include stabilising 60 km of riverbanks, installing 32 km of pro-siltation measures, and building 4 km of climate-resilient flood embankments in five high-priority districts (Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Kamrup Rural, Morigaon, and Tinsukia). 
• These will result in securing living spaces, supporting livelihoods, creating employment opportunities, and ultimately enhancing the navigability of the river. 
• It will advance the institutional capacity in flood forecasting and warning systems, modern surveys, erosion and embankment breach modelling, asset management, flood risk mapping, land use planning, pilot nature-based solutions and the graduation approach.
• The project is expected to benefit about 1 million people and increase crop production over 50,000 hectares.

Agencies involved in the project:

• The Flood and River Erosion Management Agency of Assam will lead, manage, and coordinate the project activities. 
• The Water Resources Department of the Government of Assam will implement the works and the Assam Agroforestry Development Board will use nature-based solutions. 
• The Brahmaputra Board, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, and the Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society will be partner agencies.

3. Kilkari Scheme

Syllabus: GS-2, Govt schemes

Prelims: Kilkari Scheme

About the Kilkari Scheme:

• The Kilkari program is a mobile-based service launched in 2016 as a part of its Digital India initiative for new and expectant mothers to encourage them to make healthier choices for their newborn care by delivering messages about pregnancy, childbirth and childcare directly to the beneficiaries. 
• It is an audio-based service and hence overcomes the literacy challenges of rural India. 
• Kilkari delivers free, weekly, time-appropriate audio messages about pregnancy, childbirth and childcare via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to women registered in the RCH portal. 
• Messaging begins in the second trimester of pregnancy and continues until the child is one year old. 
• The pregnant mother’s data is fetched from the RCH portal to Kilkari through the web service.
• The project is being implemented in 20 states and UTs.

Read previous PIB articles here.