TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) Portal 2. MoU Between India and Singapore 3. India-Africa International Millet Conference 4. Bastille Day Parade 5. SALVEX 6. MoU for setting up of campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar
1. National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) Portal
Syllabus: GS-2, Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
Prelims: National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment
Mains: e-Governance initiatives
Context:
DARPG Secretary launched the third edition of the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) portal.
Details:
- DARPG developed the NeSDA framework with an overall objective to measure the depth and effectiveness of existing e-Governance service delivery mechanisms from the citizen’s perspective.
- This framework is based on the Online Service Index (OSI) of the UN eGovernment Survey and has been suitably customised for the Indian structure.
- DARPG undertakes the NeSDA study biennially.
- This study assesses States, Union Territories (UTs), and directs the focus of the Central Ministries on the effectiveness of e-Governance service delivery.
- NeSDA helps the respective governments improve their delivery of citizen-centric services and shares best practices across the country for all States, UTs and Central Ministries to emulate.
- The first two editions of the NeSDA study were released in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
2. MoU Between India and Singapore
Syllabus: GS-2, International relations
Prelims: India – Singapore MoU
Context:
India and Singapore signed a Protocol Document extending for five years the current MoU on Cooperation in the field of Personnel Management and Public Administration till 2028.
Details:
- The MoU aims at strengthening the partnership between the two countries through various forms of cooperation between both countries’ Public Service officers.
- Cooperation in areas such as Administrative Reforms & Public Sector Transformation, Public Service Delivery, Leadership and Talent Development, E-Governance, Capacity Building and Training form part of the areas to be covered under the activities of the MoU.
3. India-Africa International Millet Conference
Syllabus: GS-2, IR/Health; GS-3, Agriculture
Prelims: India-Africa International Millet Conference
Mains: Significance of Millets
Context:
Curtain Raiser event for India-Africa International Millet Conference held at Nairobi, Kenya on 6 July 2023.
Details:
- To celebrate the International Year of Millets, the Ministry of Agriculture and Famers’ Welfare, Government of India and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Government of Kenya will be co-hosting the ‘India-Africa International Millet Conference’ in Kenya with the support of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political public international research organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
- The conference, scheduled for August 2023, will witness participation from government leaders, researchers, farmers, entrepreneurs and industry associations, etc, from around the globe.
- Through the international conference, the governments of India and Kenya aim to raise public awareness about millets as the world’s emerging smart food.
- Additionally, the global event would also help highlight South-South exchange and collaboration opportunities within the realm of millets.
Know more about the benefits of millets in the linked article.
Syllabus: GS-2, IR; GS-1, World History
Prelims: Bastille Day
Mains: India – France relations, French Revolution
Context:
Shri Narendra Modi has been invited as the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade in France in 2023.
Details:
- In 2023, India and France are celebrating 25 years of Strategic Partnership.
- The armies of both countries have been participating in joint exercises and sharing their experiences.
- Over the years, India and France have become reliable defence partners.
- An Indian tri-service contingent is taking part in the Bastille Day Parade this year.
- July 14 is celebrated as Bastille Day or the National Day in France to observe the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 during the French Revolution.
5. SALVEX
Syllabus: GS-2, IR; GS-3, Security
Prelims: SALVEX
Context:
The seventh edition of the Indian Navy – US Navy (IN – USN) Salvage and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) exercise, SALVEX was conducted in July 2023 at Kochi, Kerala.
About SALVEX:
- Both navies have been participating in joint Salvage and EOD exercises since 2005.
- The 2023 exercise saw participation from both the navies which included the ships – INS Nireekshak and USNS Salvor in addition to Specialist Diving and EOD teams.
- Spanning over 10 days, the diving teams of both the countries shared experiences on maritime salvage and trained together in various facets of EOD Operations on land as well at sea.
- SALVEX also saw the conduct of joint training exercises towards enhancing interoperability, cohesiveness and gaining from best practices mutually in Maritime Salvage and EOD operations.
6. MoU for setting up of campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar
Syllabus: GS-2, Education
Prelims: IIT Madras International Campus
Mains: National Education Policy & its implementation
Context:
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of a campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar, Tanzania was signed between the Ministry of Education (MoE), Govt. of India, IIT Madras and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Details:
- This is the first ever IIT campus to be set up outside India.
- It is reflective of the longstanding friendship between India and Tanzania and a reminder of the focus India places on building people-to-people ties across Africa and the Global South.
- The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on internationalization and recommends that “High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries”.
- The academic programs, curricula, student selection aspects and pedagogical details will be by IIT Madras, whereas the capital and operating expenditure will be met by the government of Zanzibar-Tanzania.
- IIT Madras degrees will be awarded to the students enrolled in this campus.
- Significance:
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- The setting up of the IIT Campus shall also enhance India’s reputation globally and its diplomatic relationships
- It will expand the international footprint of IIT Madras.
- It is also likely to enhance the quality of IIT Madras education and research further, due to student and faculty diversity from the international campus.
- It will further serve to deepen research collaborations with other top-ranked academic institutions worldwide.
Read the previous PIB articles here.
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