Current Affair 1:

India Infrastructure Report 2023

 

The India Infrastructure Report 2023 has been a collaborative effort of the IDFC Foundation, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). The report is a significant milestone in the acclaimed India Infrastructure Report (IIR) series, initiated by the IDFC Foundation in 2001.

Key Highlights of the India Infrastructure Report 2023:

1. Spotlight on the transformative potential of digital technology in shaping the urban landscape of India. Focus areas include the concept of ‘smart cities and the significance of performance ranking criteria.
2. Examination of financial dimensions of urban development, with a special emphasis on public-private partnerships (PPPs), the financial sustainability of urban local bodies, and the efficacy of municipal bonds as potent financing instruments.
3. Urban transportation planning and urban redevelopment as pivotal components of effective urban governance through transit-oriented development, efficient urban goods movement, and floor space and land price regulation in India.

About NIUA   Established in 1976, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. The Institute has been at the forefront of reshaping India’s urban narrative through its commitment to cutting-edge research, advocacy, capacity building and knowledge dissemination. It is instrumental in bridging the gap between research and practice on issues related to urbanization and suggesting ways to address urban challenges in the country.

Current Affair 2:

Miyawaki Method

 

News:

The Miyawaki Method is named after its creator, Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist and plant ecologist.

The essential principle of the Miyawaki method is using species of trees that would occur naturally in that area and that work together to create a diverse, multi-layered forest community. This creates a resilient and thriving forest ecosystem with species that complement each other, restoring “native forests by native trees”.

One of the most noticeable differences in a Miyawaki forest is that the seedlings are planted at very high densities. This replicates the regeneration process that occurs in a natural forest when a clearing in the canopy opens up due to a larger tree falling. The saplings grow very fast to compete for the light and then natural selection will favour the fastest growing individuals and act to thin out the trees.

Current Affair 3:

‘Build for Bharat’ initiative.

 

News:

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), in collaboration with Google Cloud India, Antler in India, Paytm, Protean, and Startup India, officially launched the ‘Build for Bharat’ initiative.

The initiative aims to revolutionize the digital commerce space with innovative solutions and has invited participation from startups, professionals, freelancers, and students.

The initiative has 3 categories: ‘Next Gen Ventures’, ‘Hackathon (Foundational)’, and ‘Hackathon (Scalable)’.

Startups are eligible to apply in the ‘Next Gen Ventures’ category and professionals are eligible to apply in the category of ‘Hackathon (Scalable)’ in addition to ‘Next Gen Ventures’.

The ‘Next Gen Ventures’ category invites innovative solutions from participants on several aspects including last-mile delivery of services, reverse logistics, onboarding of sellers and cataloguing, financial services using advanced technology for data collection, personalised solutions to customers, etc.

About ONDC   Founded on December 31, 2021, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry oversees the ONDC as a Section 8 business. Its goal is to democratise and decentralise e-eommerce, giving customers more options and autonomy while guaranteeing accessibility and inclusion for sellers—especially small and local enterprises. "Build for Bharat" is a big step towards transforming digital commerce in India and fits in perfectly with ONDC's mission

Current Affair 4:

Google Gemini

 

News:

Google took its next leap in artificial intelligence with the launch of project Gemini, an AI model trained to behave in human-like ways that is likely to intensify the debate about the technology’s potential promise and perils.

It might be capable of unprecedented AI multitasking by simultaneously recognising and understanding presentations involving text, photos, and video.

Gemini will also eventually be infused into Google’s dominant search engine, although the timing of that transition has not been spelled out yet.

With Gemini coming out, OpenAI may find itself trying to prove its technology remains smarter than Google’s.

 

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