National Affairs
Government replaces Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rules 2021
Ministry of Civil Aviation has repealed the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Rules, 2021, and replace the same with the liberalized Drone Rules, 2021.
The step was taken as the earlier UAS Rules 2021 were perceived as being restrictive in nature and required permissions for every drone flight.
A Drone promotion council is to be set up by the Government with participation from academia, startups, and other stakeholders to facilitate a growth-oriented regulatory regime.
Quick Fact: Jyotiraditya M. Scindia is the Union Minister of Civil Aviation.
India and the World
India & Maldives inks pact on Mega Greater Male Connectivity Project
The Government of India and Maldives inked a contract for the mega Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) which is the largest-ever civilian infrastructure project in the Maldives.
The Government of India is funding the implementation of GMCP through a USD 400 million Line of Credit (LoC) which will be provided by the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank).
The project being developed by Indian construction and engineering firm, AFCONS will connect the national capital Male with three neighboring islands namely- Villingili, Gulhifahu, and Thilafushi.
Quick Fact: Maldivian Rufiyaa is the Currency of Maldives.
Miscellaneous
NITI Aayog and Cisco launches ‘WEP NXT’ Women Entrepreneurship Platform
NITI Aayog in partnership with Cisco has launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) titled ‘WEP NXT’ to foster women entrepreneurship in India.
WEP is a first-of-its-kind unified portal that brings together women from diverse backgrounds and offers them access to a multitude of resources, support, and learning.
WEP NXT Platform is the next phase of this WEP and will be driven by evidence-based decision-making and a focussed study of Indian women entrepreneurs.
Quick Fact: NTITI Aayog was founded on 1 January 2015.
Economy
Nirmala Sitharamn unveils Public Sector Bank Reforms Agenda (EASE 4.0)
The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman has unveiled the 4th edition of the Public Sector bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda ‘EASE 4.0’ for the year 2021-22.
The major theme for EASE 4.0 is ‘Technology-enabled, simplified and collaborative banking’.
EASE 4.0 aims to further the agenda of customer-centric digital transformation and transform all PSBSs into digital-attacker banks offering industry-best customer experience.
Quick Fact: The full form of EASE is ‘Enhanced Access & Service Excellence.
Defense
India Pavilion inaugurated at ‘ARMY-2021’
The International Military and Technical Forum ‘ARMY 2021’ has been organized in Moscow, Russia at the Patriot Expo, Kubinka Air Base, and Alabino Military training grounds.
The ARMY 2021 is the 7th edition of the annual International Military-Technical Forum and is being organized by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation since 2015.
ARMY is the world’s leading exhibition of armament and military equipment and the authoritative platform for discussing innovative ideas.
Person in News
Former England and Sussex captain Ted Dexter passes away
Former England and Sussex captain of the National cricket team, Ted Dexter has recently passed away.
Nicknamed ‘Lord Ted’, he was an aggressive batsman and part-time seam bowler who played 62 tests for England and was captain of the national team between 1961-64.
After retiring, Ted helped devise a ranking system for Test players which was later adopted by the ICC, and was the Chairman of selectors for the England cricket team.
Quick Fact: The full form of ICC is the ‘International Cricket Council’.
International Affairs
Shared Destiny-2021 Defense Exercise to begin
The militaries of China. Mongolia, Thailand, and Pakistan are set to take part in a multinational peacekeeping exercise called the ‘Share Destiny-2021’.
The exercise being organized by the People’s Liberation Army at the combined-arms tactical training base in the central Henan province of China, is the first multinational peacekeeping live exercise involving four nations.
All the participating nations will dispatch about 1,000 troops and the exercise would be held in a close-to-real battlefield environment.
Quick Fact: Henan province is the birthplace of Chinese civilization and is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou.
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