TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Krishi 24/7 launched
2. INS Surat
3. 1st Australia India Education and Skill Council meeting (AIESC)
4. LEAP AHEAD Initiative

1. Krishi 24/7 launched

Syllabus: GS-3, Agriculture

Prelims: Krishi 24/7 

Context:

Krishi 24/7 launched by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW).

What is Krishi 24/7?

• Krishi 24/7 is the first-ever AI-powered solution for automated agricultural news monitoring and analysis.
• It was developed by the DA&FW in collaboration with the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence with support from Google.
• The solution will help the department in identifying relevant news, generate timely alerts, and take prompt action to protect farmers’ interests and promote sustainable agricultural growth through improved decision-making.
• The tool scans news articles in multiple languages and translates them into English. It extracts essential information from news articles, such as headline, crop name, event type, date, location, severity, summary, and source link, ensuring that the ministry receives timely updates on relevant events published on the web.

2. INS Surat

Syllabus: GS-3, Security & Defence

Prelims: INS Surat, Project 15B

Context:

The crest of the Indian Navy’s latest, under-construction, guided missile destroyer ‘Surat’, was unveiled by the Gujarat Chief Minister in the city of Surat.

About INS Surat:

• It is the fourth ship of the indigenously designed and constructed Project 15B (Vishakhapatnam Class) destroyers.
• INS Surat has been built with an innovative block construction methodology, in which the ship’s hull has been assembled at different geographical locations before being integrated at the Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. 
• INS Surat is expected to be commissioned into the Navy in 2024.
• The ship’s crest depicts the Hazira lighthouse that was built in 1836 at the southern entrance of Khambhat and an Asiatic lion symbolising majesty and strength.

Image source: thenewsmill.com​

3. 1st Australia India Education and Skill Council meeting (AIESC)

Syllabus: GS-2, International Relations

Prelims: Australia India Education and Skill Council meeting (AIESC)

Mains: India – Australia relations

Context:

The first Australia India Education and Skill Council meeting (AIESC) was held and co-chaired by the Indian and Australian education ministers.

Details:

• The AIESC is a bi-national body established in 2011 to guide the strategic direction of the education, training and research partnerships between India and Australia.
• It was earlier known as the Australian India Education Council (AIEC).
• 5 MoUs between Australian and Indian HEIs were exchanged to facilitate greater research collaborations in areas like agriculture, water management, critical minerals, healthcare, AI, renewable energy and climate change. The MoU details are as follows:
  • Innovative Research Universities Consortium Campus: Under the MOU, participating members will work together to explore the potential for a consortium approach to in-country delivery of degrees in India and expand in-country access to Australian higher education for Indian students. The IRU is a consortium of seven Australian public universities.
  • Deakin University and National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC): Deakin University has developed the ‘Global Job Readiness Program’ (GJRP) in collaboration with NSDC to address skills shortages in India. This 30-hour program will be delivered online and aims to upskill 15 million Indians over three years. 
  • Deakin University and IIT Gandhinagar: With the establishment of Deakin University’s campus at GIFT City, the key objective through the alliance with IIT Gandhinagar is to provide support for a quality higher education and research ecosystem in the local region. This will provide opportunities for IIT Gandhinagar students to transfer into higher studies and research at Deakin University both in Australia and at GIFT City. 
  • Monash University and Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad: This MoU is for collaboration on academic and research activities in the area of critical minerals and other areas of mutual interest.
  • Monash University and International Center of Excellence in Mining (ICEM): This MoU aims to foster research and innovation collaboration between Monash and iCEM in support of the mining and mineral development sector in India.

Also read: India – Australia relations

4. LEAP AHEAD Initiative

Syllabus:GS-3, Economy

Prelims: LEAP AHEAD initiative, STPI

Context:

STPI launched the LEAP AHEAD initiative.

LEAP AHEAD Initiative:

• It is a joint collaboration of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Delhi-NCR.
• It is aimed at supporting start-ups to succeed.
• Through this initiative, start-ups can receive funding support of up to ₹ 1 Crore and a comprehensive three-month mentorship program that combines virtual and in-person sessions for a well-rounded learning experience. 
• It will also provide start-ups with access to an extensive network and personalized guidance through one-on-one mentorship sessions with seasoned investors and industry experts.
• The initiative will enable startups to establish a product market fit, identify customer segments, grow hacking strategies, business compliance, leadership recruitment and fundraising. 

STPI: STPI is an organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology engaged in promoting software exports, nurturing tech startup ecosystem and working for the dispersal of the IT/ITES Industry.

TiE: The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to entrepreneurs in all industries, at all stages, from incubation, throughout the entrepreneurial lifecycle.

Read the previous PIB articles here.