Junior Digest

Lucknow, Aug 24,2023: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that due to PM SVANidhi scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi the street vendors are no longer dependent on the money lenders to start their business and no one can dare to extort money from them.

Speaking at the programme organised at Lok Bhawan to distribute loans to 11,000 beneficiaries under the PM SVANidhi and Self-Help Group Loan Scheme, Yogi said that 15 lakh street vendors are currently benefiting from the scheme in UP alone.

During this event, he also handed over loan cheques to nearly a dozen street vendors and women from self-help groups.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has linked street vendors with banks and provided interest-free loans for them. “As a result of the scheme, the street vendors are getting loans in three instalments of Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively under the PM SVANidhi scheme to make them self-reliant,” he said.

The CM said, “A comprehensive cleanliness campaign has been conducted in the state in the last six years, under which not only mafias have been swept out, but the dirt has been removed completely.”

Yogi said that no scheme was ever formulated for the street vendors before, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi understood their pain and brought the PM SVANidhi scheme for them. He said that the Punjab National Bank, which is associated with the scheme now, has connected 200,000 people with this scheme so far.

Yogi said that the state government has provided security insurance of Rs 5 lakhs to the street vendors associated with SVANidhi Yojana so that their families do not face any kind of problem.

“The PM SVANidhi scheme is the foundation of women empowerment and their self-reliance, as mostly women handle household work and then engage in street vending,” he said.

During the program, the first installment of a 10,000 revolving fund was given to 2,000 women of urban self-help groups. Two women self-help groups, associated with the dairy sector, were given a sum of Rs 6,00,000.

He said that to empower half of the state’s population, the women of self-help groups have been integrated under the Take Home Ration Scheme. “This has not only curbed corruption but has also enabled these women to earn extra income and support their families,” Yogi said.

New Delhi, Aug 23,2023: MoS for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said India is set to achieve $150 billion Bio-Economy by 2025, which stood at over $100 billion in 2022.

The Minister was speaking while overseeing the signing up of the ‘Implementation Arrangement’ between the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the United States-National Science Foundation (US-NSF) here.

This was a follow-up of the discussion meeting held between Dr Rajesh S Gokhale. Secretary, DBT and Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director, NSF in June, 2023 to discuss opportunities for developing ‘Strategic Partnership’ between DBT and US-NSF.

Singh recalled that during the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US in June, the leaderships of the both the countries called on their administrations to extend the existing partnerships to advanced biotechnology and biomanufacturing, and enhance biosafety and biosecurity innovation, practices, and norms.

Singh said India’s ever-growing Bio-Economy graph is going to contribute significantly to India’s Overall Economy. He said, India has a 3-5% market share in the global biotechnology industry and it ranks 12th in the world in biotech and 3rd in Asia-pacific.

The Minister said India has the third largest Startups ecosystem globally; and the largest vaccine manufacturer. Moreover, India’s ranking in global science and technology indices continues to rise and India has been ranked 40th among the innovative economies as per Global Innovation Index, 2022.

He pointed out that the Department of Biotechnology has created and nurtured a strong foundation in biotechnology innovation, research and manufacturing across segments such as bio-pharma, bio-services, agri biotech, industrial biotech, and bioinformatics through public-private partnership, Make-in-India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Government.

Singh said Indian Government has always supported technology-driven innovation towards the creation of a ‘future-ready’ technology platform in line with the Prime Minister Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbharta and he congratulated DBT and NSF for building on the bilateral collaborations between India and USA through this Implementation Arrangement.

The minister said the climate change, inadequate resource utilisation, an unsustainable pattern of material consumption and waste generation are global threats and require concerted sustainable interventions and therefore called for futuristic research and innovation strategies for accelerating Biomanufacturing are essential to address global sustainable goals.

The Minister said the ‘Implementation Arrangement’ will lay the foundation for collaboration between the two countries on accelerating innovations in the area of ‘Biotechnology Innovation and Biomanufacturing.’

This will advance knowledge, technologies, and innovation through supportive collaborative research to empower biotechnology industries and promote bioeconomy of both the countries, he added.

NSF Director Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan said that “USA and India can together address pressing global needs such as climate mitigation and energy goals through biotechnology innovation and biomanufacturing.”

DBT Secretray Dr Rajesh S Gokhale added that “this partnership will be an important step to mutually address the challenges in the innovation space as well as for enhancing technological opportunities. This will also bring synergy to DBT’s initiatives for fostering high performance Biomanufacturing- an integrated approach towards promoting circular economy for Green, Clean and Prosperous India.”

KYIV: Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency said on Friday a Ukrainian drone attack had hit a Russian military base deep inside annexed Crimea, while residents reported casualties, explosions and a road closure.
Early on Friday, Russia reported one of the biggest coordinated Ukrainian air raids yet over Russian-controlled territory but said air defense systems had downed all 42 drones attacking Crimea before they could hit their targets.
Ukrainian intelligence officials said the attack struck Russia’s 126th Coastal Defense Brigade based in Perevalnoye, a town more than 200 km (120 miles) from Ukraine-controlled territory.

Rome, Aug 26 (UNI) Wildfires have so far burned more than 600 square kilometers (60,000 hectares) of land in Italy, more than in all of 2022, Coldiretti, the country’s main agricultural association said on Friday.

It said that the past two unusually dry and hot summers have left water levels in rivers and lakes low, contributing to dry conditions in wooded areas. The areas impacted most by the fires are the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, but other parts of southern Italy also experienced uncontrolled blazes. Most recently, fires torched the eastern part of the Tuscan island of Elba.

The total area impacted by fires is more than three times the size of the city of Milan in northern Italy.

Even though the summer of 2022 was affected by drought and heatwaves, the weather this year has been even more extreme with record high temperatures in many parts of the country. The back-to-back heatwaves have also had a cumulative effect, leaving forests more vulnerable.

Police are reportedly conducting multiple investigations into possible arson in some cases of the wildfires, especially those in Sicily and Sardinia. A seven-meter-tall wooden statue called the Dragon of Vaia in Trentino, northern Italy, was burnt earlier this week and media reports indicate that police are “almost certain” arson was the case.

On Friday, authorities in Greece said they had arrested 79 people on suspicion of arson in connection with recent fires in that country. In Italy, no arrests have been made so far.

Coldiretti said that in addition to the land lost to fires, the extreme weather events (windstorms, hail, and floods) that have occurred this summer in Italy have had other far-reaching impacts: grape production is expected to be 14 percent below last year’s already reduced harvest. The country’s pears yields are expected to decrease by 63 percent, milk production is estimated to be reduced by 20 percent, and wheat production to shrink by 10 percent.

Earlier in August, Coldiretti estimated that the damage to the agricultural sector in Italy so far this year would top 6 billion euros (6.5 billion U.S. dollars).

In a statement released on Thursday, the group said that part of the fruit produced is unsellable, and that the damage to fruit trees and vegetable production is likely to reduce next year’s harvests even if the weather is less extreme in 2024, since the plants will be in a recovery phase.

According to meteorologists, the hot and dry weather is expected to be pushed away by a cold front moving in from northern Italy. It should reduce temperatures and produce rainfall in much of Italy starting Sunday or Monday. But while the precipitation would likely eliminate the risk of more wildfires, Coldiretti said it would not resolve the medium-term problems caused by the drought and heatwaves.

“Heavy thunderstorms and violent rainfall only aggravate the situation,” the group said in a statement. “They cause mudslides and the dry soil is not able to absorb the excess water.” The group said the water-related issues would be resolved only if rainfall was “continuous and moderate.”

Budapest, Aug 28,2023: Each time Neeraj Chopra gets on the runway of a global championship, he takes down a slice of history and it was no different in the men’s javelin final on the last day of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.

With his first legal throw of the evening (88.17m), which he secured on his second attempt after fouling on his first, the 25-year-old became the first athlete from India to strike gold in any event at the World Athletics Championships.

He is also the first Asian athlete to win gold in the men’s javelin, with his medal being his country’s only one in Budapest.

Coming to the championships, the Olympic champion, who had experienced a bit of a disrupted season and was still trying to adapt to his technique, was not the farthest thrower.

That position belonged to Czechia’s Jakub Vadlejch, who was making his fourth appearance in a World Championships final, and was arguably the most experienced thrower in the field, having claimed silver in 2017 in London, and a bronze in Oregon.

The 32-year-old showed he was still in top form, starting the competition with a season’s best of 89.51m set in Finland.

His javelin landed at 82.59m in the first round to give him the lead, but was pushed to second place when Oliver Helander recorded a superior mark of 83.38m in the same round.

However, the Finnish athlete, who was eighth in Oregon, couldn’t better that distance, eventually succumbing to three fouls, and then registering marks of 81.44m and 82.85m, respectively.

The reverse was the case for Vadlejch, who recorded 84.18m on his second attempt to take him back to the top. However, his reign was short-lived, overtaken by the Indian athlete who charged down the runway, hauling his javelin 88.17m – a season’s best – to top the pack.

Germany’s Julian Weber then recorded a decent throw of 85.30m, displacing the Czech thrower from the top three. It was to be his best effort of the evening, though, and the 28-year-old had to settle for another fourth-place position, the same as in Oregon.

Commonwealth Games champion Arshad Nadeem, who hadn’t competed all season as he returned after a long rehab process following elbow surgery late last year, recorded a big one in the third round.

The 26-year-old, who has a personal best of 90.18m which he secured in Birmingham last year, threw 87.82m to instantly propel himself to second place. His next effort was also a big one but it fell 67cm shy of his previous throw.

Vadlejch bounced back into reckoning in the fifth round with a hurl of 86.67m, taking him to third position.

Chopra, who had two more of his teammates in the field – the first time in history for India – tried to throw farther but his subsequent throws landed at 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m. His compatriots Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) placed fifth and sixth at the end of the day.

And although his winning distance was 60cm shy of his silver medal-winning mark from Oregon, Chopra was just relieved to have taken the gold this time around.

“This was great. After the Olympic gold, I really wanted to win the World Championships,” he said. “I just wanted to throw farther. This is brilliant for the national team, but it was my dream to win gold at the World Championships.”

“This has been a great championships for India, and I am proud to bring another title to my country. I wanted to throw more than 90 metres tonight but it needs all parts of the puzzle to be there. I couldn’t put it all together this evening. Maybe next time, ” he said.

Last year in Oregon, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist became only the second Indian to win a World Championships medal of any colour after claiming silver behind Grenada’s Anderson Peters, following in the footsteps of Anju Bobby George who scooped the bronze medal in the women’s long jump in 2003.

Chopra wasn’t the only one to make history in the men’s javelin. Nadeem’s silver becomes Pakistan’s first ever World Championships medal, making it an emotional night for the Olympic finalist in Tokyo.

Aug 22,2023:Japan has said it will start releasing more than 1 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant on August 24, despite concerns among neighbouring countries, including China, and local fishing communities.

The plan, approved two years ago by the Japanese government, is seen as crucial to the decommissioning of the nuclear power station, which was crushed in the tsunami of March 2011.

The water, used to keep the reactors cool, has been stored at the site since the disaster and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) is running out of space to keep it.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday he had asked Tepco to “swiftly prepare” for the water discharge and expected the “water release to start on August 24, weather conditions permitting”.

Japan has said the water release is safe, which has been backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The United Nations nuclear watchdog gave the plan the go-ahead after an inspection in July, saying it met international standards and that the impact on people and the environment was “negligible”.

Still, some neighbouring countries, particularly China, have expressed scepticism over the safety of the plan. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in July that Japan had shown selfishness and arrogance, and claimed it had not fully consulted the international community about the water release.

South Korean activists have also protested against the plan, although Seoul has concluded from its own study that the water release meets international standards and said it respects the IAEA’s assessment.

The water – equivalent to more than 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools – also includes groundwater and rain that has seeped into the containers.

The water has been diluted and filtered to remove radioactive substances although there remain some traces of tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water, according to Tepco, which says the water will be diluted to well below internationally-approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific.

The water will be released into the ocean, off Japan’s northeast coast, at a maximum rate of 500,000 litres (about 110,000 gallons) per day.
Environmental pressure group Greenpeace has said the filtration process is flawed and that an “immense” quantity of radioactive material will be dispersed into the sea over the coming decades.

But Tony Hooker, a nuclear expert from the University of Adelaide in Australia, dismissed its argument as “fear-mongering”.

“Tritium has been released [by nuclear power plants] for decades with no evidential detrimental environmental or health effects,” Hooker told the AFP news agency.

China bans seafood imports from 10 prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima and the capital, Tokyo. Seafood imports from other prefectures are allowed but must pass radioactivity tests and have proof they were produced outside the 10 banned prefectures.

Hong Kong, an important market for Japanese seafood exports, has also threatened restrictions.

People in South Korea are also concerned, with hundreds gathering in Seoul earlier this month to show their opposition to the plan.

This has worried people involved in Japan’s fishing industry, just as business was beginning to recover more than a decade after the nuclear disaster.

“Nothing about the water release is beneficial to us,” third-generation fisherman Haruo Ono, 71, whose brother was killed in 2011, told AFP in Shinchimachi, 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of the nuclear plant.

James Brady from the Teneo risk consultancy said that while China’s safety concerns may be sincere, there was a distinct whiff of geopolitics and economic rivalry in its harsh reaction.

“The multifaceted nature of the Fukushima wastewater release issue makes it quite a useful one for Beijing to potentially exploit,” Brady said.

Beijing can “leverage a degree of economic pressure on the trade axis, exacerbate internal domestic political cleavages on the issue within Japan… and even potentially put pressure on improving diplomatic ties between Seoul and Tokyo”.

Chennai, Aug 21,2023: Ahead of its eagerly awaited soft landing on the moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday released the images of far side of Lunar area captured by Chandrayaan-3.
ISRO said the images of Lunar far side area were captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). In all four images captured by LHDAC were released by ISRO.
This camera that assists in locating a safe landing area–without boulders or deep trenches–during the descent is developed by ISRO at Space Applications Centre (SAC), Bengaluru. SAC is one of the major centres of ISRO that focuses on the design of space-borne instruments for ISRO missions and development and operationalisation of applications of space technology for societal benefits.
The applications cover communication, broadcasting, navigation, disaster monitoring, meteorology, oceanography, environment monitoring and natural resources survey.

Bengaluru, Aug 26,2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met and interacted with Chandrayaan-3 team and other ISRO scientists after Vikram Lander successfully landed on the uncharted South Pole of the Moon.
By doing this, India became the first country to soft land on the South Pole of the Moon.
An almost tearful PM Modi addressed ISRO scientists and was briefed about the updates on Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover, that landed softly on the lunar surface.
He also named Chandrayaan-3 landing point as Shivashakti and Chandrayaan-2 point as Tiranga. PM Modi also announced that August 23 will be celebrated as National Space Day.
He also said, “I was in South Africa but my mind was with the scientists.” In a choked voice, PM Modi further said, “I first wanted to meet the scientists ….”

He said this is the new Bharat that spreads light across the world. “This is today’s Bharat on full blown display. This is Bharat that thinks new. This is that Bharat that spreads light across the world. India will lead the solutions for the world. I keep reliving every second before touchdown. That moment of touchdown is unforgettable. Moment of touchdown is eternal for India.”

PM Modi said Chandrayaan’s success is not only the success of India, but also it is the success of humanity once again.

“I want to congratulate all scientists, technicians and all of you who are part of this mission,” he said.

Earlier, the Chandrayaan-3 team demonstrated the soft-landing of Vikram and rolling out of Pragyan (rover) from its belly.
ISRO Chairman S Somnath updated the Chandrayaan-3 mission to PM Modi.

After landing in Bengaluru from South Africa where he attended the 15th BRICS meeting, addressed people chanting “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan.”

He said the picture which he saw at Bengaluru, is the same picture he saw in Greece and Johannesburg as well.

He added, “It’s really surprising that you all are here and even kids are also here too early in the morning.”

Local performers were seen dancing and playing dhol on the streets in front of HAL airport.
People were seen excitedly waving the national flag and posters made for the PM’s arrival and to celebrate the over-the-moon success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
After the US, China and Russia, India achieved a significant milestone by becoming the fourth country to achieve a successful Moon landing.
The mission was launched on July 14 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre situated in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

Johannesburg [South Africa], August 24,2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in which he highlighted India’s concerns at the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh with the two leaders agreeing to direct their relevant officials “to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation”.
Addressing a press conference on India’s participation at the 15th BRICS summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi had interactions with other BRICS leaders during the summit.
He said PM Modi in his conversation with the Chinese President underlined that the maintenance of peace in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China ties.
“Prime Minister had interactions with other BRICS leaders. In a conversation with President Xi Jinping of China, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China border areas. Prime Minister underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship,” Kwatra said.
“In this regard, the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” he added.
India and China held the 19th round of Corps Commander Level talks earlier this month at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point on the Indian side.
Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement that the two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector.
“In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner. They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas,” the statement said.
There has been disengagement from some friction points along LAC in eastern Ladakh following a stand-off between India and China in April 2020 due to the actions of the Chinese army.

Phnom Penh, Aug 22,2023: Khuon Sudary was elected on Tuesday as the president of Cambodia’s National Assembly for a new five-year term, becoming the first woman to hold this top post, according to the state-run National Television of Cambodia (TVK).

Sudary, 70, is currently a member of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP)’s Standing Committee, and used to be the second vice-president of the National Assembly in the old term.

She was elected after the CPP won a landslide victory in the July 23 general election, winning 120 out of 125 seats in the National Assembly.

Some 123 lawmakers unanimously elected her as the president during a “package vote.”

They also voted for CPP lawmakers Cheam Yeap and Vong Sauth as the first vice president and the second vice president, respectively.

Besides, the parliament elected chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the 10 specialist commissions in the legislative body.

The National Assembly in the seventh legislature consists of 125 lawmakers including 120 from the CPP and five from the royalist Funcinpec Party.

New Delhi, August 27,2023: Globalisation should be diversified and more democratic with multiple centres of production where the businesses can make a difference, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at the B20 summit on Sunday.
He was speaking at the session titled the ‘Role of Global South in Emerging World 2.0’, organised as part of the B20 Summit India, 2023 in the national capital.
The summit was organised by the B20 India Secretariat of the indian-industry”>Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
“The volatility of the last few years has brought home to us the importance of strategic autonomy. We may talk about seeking a more just, equitable and participative global order but at the end of the day that will only happen when we see commensurate investment in trade and technology decisions,” Jaishankar said at the summit.
Jaishankar also touched on the evolution of the global world order from being political initially to gaining economic connotations that were accelerated by globalisation, with the advent of factors like technology, energy resources, connectivity and human ingenuity.
He also laid emphasis on the need to focus on developing countries for global, food, energy and fertiliser security, trade disruptions, high interest rates, and climate events due in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.
“Increasing climate events have contributed additional factors of stress. The current focus on the Global South emanates from the conviction that these are countries that are truly deserving of special care. These are also societies under exceptional stress which if left unaddressed would become a serious issue in the world economy,” he said.
The challenges and priorities discussed with 125 countries during the ‘Voice of the Global South Summit’ in January 2023 have been made central to the G20 agenda. Countries during India’s G20 Presidency have deliberated on the issues of debt and finance in sustainable development, climate action, food security, and women-led development.
“The mandate of the G20 is to promote economic growth and development and that cannot advance if the crucial concerns of the global South in the areas highlighted are not addressed,” Jaishankar said.
“The Emerging world 2.0 is one with more engines of growth, a fair distribution of the benefits of globalization, and greater resources devoted to attaining sustainable development goals and promoting climate action and climate justice,” he added.
The EAM also voiced appreciation for the B20 Engagement Group for “rising to the occasion by prioritising inclusive growth, resilient supply chain, services trade, digital technologies, innovation, and sustainability in its agenda”.
“The engagement group has established itself as a credible partner of governments who are working to the same ends. The task forces and action councils have given a practical articulation to what the world must do,” the EAM added.
Apart from Jaishankar, N Chandrasekaran, chair, B20 India and executive chairman, Tata Sons, India, was also present at the event. He also delivered the welcome and concluding remarks at the session.
The Business20 (B20) is the official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community. The theme for the summit this year is ‘R.A.I.S.E.: Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable, Equitable Businesses’.
The three-day summit in the national capital started on August 25. The event this year has seen the participation of over 1,500 delegates from 55 countries.

New Delhi , August 23,2023: After watching live telecast of moon landing of Vikram lander, President Droupadi Murmu conveyed her congratulatory message to ISRO and everyone associated with Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Taking to Twitter President Droupadi Murmu said, “There are days when history is made. Today, with the successful moon landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, our scientists have not only made history, but also remade the idea of geography! It is truly a momentous occasion, the kind of event that happens once in a lifetime, making all Indians proud. I congratulate ISRO and everybody involved in this mission, and wish them greater accomplishments ahead.”
President Droupadi Murmu further wrote, “The success of Chandrayaan, I believe, is also a major achievement for the whole of humankind. It shows how India has harnessed its rich traditional knowledge base along with modern science in the service of humanity.”
India has become the fourth country- after the US, China and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.

Vienna, August 23,2023:: International Labour Organisation (ILO) asserted that the impending surge of artificial intelligence (AI) is more likely complement and not destroy jobs by automating some tasks rather than taking over a role entirely.
A report released this week by ILO, encompassing a global perspective, provides crucial insights into the potential impact of generative AI on various occupations and tasks.
Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, or ChatGTP, has been stoking worldwide discussion around the benefits and drawbacks of AI since its launch last November.
The chatbot responds to prompts and generates text. Companies and the general public use it in many ways, including managing workflows, quickly responding to queries, writing code, composing essays, planning vacations, and creating personalised content for social media.
The ILO report found that clerical work was the job category with the highest exposure to technology. In other occupational groups – managers, professionals and technicians, for example – only a small share of tasks was found to be at risk of redundancy.
“As a result, the most important impact of the technology is likely to be of augmenting work – automating some tasks within an occupation while leaving time for other duties – as opposed to fully automating occupations,” the report said.
The study documents notable differences in the effects on countries at different levels of development linked to current economic structures and existing technological gaps. In wealthier countries, 5.5 percent of total employment is potentially exposed to the automating effects of Generative AI, whereas the risk is only around 0.4 percent in low-income countries.
“Such insights are necessary for proactively designing policies that can support orderly, fair, and consultative transitions, rather than dealing with change reactively,” the report added, highlighting the need to design policies that support an orderly, fair and consultative transition.
In conclusion, the report noted that the socioeconomic impacts of Generative AI will largely depend on how it is adopted and rolled out.

Chennai, Aug 23,2023: Just two hours after making it successful landing on South Polar region, the Lander Module (LM) on board the third Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3 captured images, confirming the communication link it established with the Ground stations.
ISRO released four pictures taken by the Lander Camera during the powered descent while soft landing on the moon’s surface, the first country in the world to achieve this monumental feat, that brought accolades to the Indian Space Agency from across the world.
“ISRO said “Chandrayaan-3 Mission Updates: The communication link is established between the Ch-3 Lander and MOX-ISTRAC, Bengaluru”.
“Here are the images from the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera taken during the descent”, it said.
Earlier, soon after the soft landing, ISRO said “Chandrayaan-3 India reached my destination and you too!”.
“Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon. Congratulations, India”, it said.

Aug 26,2023: C Radhakrishna Rao, one of India’s greatest mathematicians and statisticians, died in the US at the dawn of August 23, about two weeks before his 103rd birthday.
Known as Dr Rao to his colleagues and students, the former director of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) had hit the headlines earlier this year after he was awarded the International Prize in Statistics, which many consider equivalent to the Nobel Prize.
Rao studied mathematics at Andhra University and obtained a degree with top honours. Recognising his talent, his father encouraged him to study higher mathematics.
After his father’s death in 1941, Rao was called to Calcutta for an interview pertaining to his job application to the Indian military. A chance meeting with a person who knew of the ISI brought Rao to the Presidency College where Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis had established ISI (before it was moved to its own campus). By speaking with some faculty members and workers, Rao felt that ISI was the right place for him.
In an interview in 2013, Rao stated: “I went back to Visakhapatnam and told my mother [that he would like] to get admitted to ISI for training in statistics, and it would cost me Rs 30 a month to stay in Kolkata. She said she would raise the money somehow and that I should go to Kolkata to join ISI. I travelled to Kolkata with `30 in my pocket and joined ISI on 1 January 1941.”
Rao’s seminal contributions have been in areas of statistics that deal with designing an experiment for efficient extraction of information and testing scientific hypothesis using the results of the experiment.
After he had obtained his MA, Rao was offered a technical apprenticeship in ISI. He also began to teach statistics at Calcutta University. In 1944, he derived a seminal result with which his name is associated — the Cramer-Rao bound. In 1945, he proved a result that is now known as the Rao-Blackwell theorem.
Often, we need to obtain knowledge of an unknown feature of a population like, say, the average monthly income of an Indian. Data can be collected only from a small number of people. From these data, one can obtain an approximate knowledge of monthly income. There are several ways of obtaining estimates from data, but the method proposed by Rao, and two years later by David Blackwell, results in highly reliable estimates.
He went to Cambridge and obtained a PhD under Ronald Fisher, a founder of modern statistical science. During his PhD, he discovered a method, now known as Rao’s Score Test, which is used in all branches of science.
Rao returned to India in 1948 and became a professor in ISI at 28; in 1964, he was appointed its Director. After his retirement from ISI, he moved to the US. In 1982, he established the Center of Multivariate Analysis at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Pennsylvania State University in 1988. In 2007, the University of Hyderabad opened the C R Rao Advanced Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science. Around 2010, Rao moved to the University of Buffalo at Amherst. He published his last scientific work in his 100th year.
Rao was hugely creative. He used to categorise creativity in two kinds.
“At its highest level, it is the birth of a new idea or a theory which is qualitatively different from and not conforming to or deducible from any existing paradigm, and which explains a wider set of natural phenomena than any existing theory. There is creativity of another kind at a different level, of a discovery made within the framework of an existing paradigm but of immense significance in a particular discipline.”
Rao had excelled in creativity of both kinds.
C. R. Rao was born to a Telugu family in Hadagali, Bellary, Madras Presidency (now in Karnataka), India. His schooling was completed in Gudur, Nuzvid, Nandigama, and Visakhapatnam, all in the present state of Andhra Pradesh. He received an MSc in mathematics from Andhra University and an MA in statistics from Calcutta University in 1943. He obtained a Ph.D. degree at King’s College in Cambridge University under R. A. Fisher in 1948, to which he added a DSc degree, also from Cambridge, in 1965.
The Indian American statistician was recently awarded International Prize in Statistics, which is statistics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The most distinguished exponent of the subject, Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao’s monumental work across several branches of statistics and its applications, is noteworthy.
He joined the ISI as a student when it was set up by Dr. P.C. Mahanobilis when statistics as a subject was still in its early years and yet to be taught as a distinct subject at the post-graduate level.
He was sent by Dr. Mahalanobis to Cambridge University, United Kingdom to use certain statistical techniques for anthropological analysis, and from where he earned a doctorate under the supervision of Ronald Fischer, among the pioneers of the field.
On returning to the ISI in India, where Dr. Rao spent the next 40 years of his career, he conceived and established several undergraduate and graduate programmes in statistics and was instrumental in establishing several bureaus of the Indian Statistical Institute in various States.
Dr. Rao was also a member of several government committees for the development of national statistical systems, statistical education and research in India. He served as chairman of the Committee on Statistics (1962-69), chairman of the Demographic and Communication for Population Control (1968-69), chairman of the Committee on Mathematics, Atomic Energy Commission, AEC (1969-78), member of the Committee on Science and Technology, COST (1969-71).
After his retirement, Dr. Rao moved to the United States and worked at several universities. Former U.S. President George Bush conferred on him the National Medal of Science. He was awarded India’s highest honours the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 1969 and 2001, respectively.
Reference: Partha P Majumder(The Indian Express),Deccan Chronicle,The Hindu

Bengaluru , August 28,2023: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday announced that it will launch the Aditya-L1 Solar Mission, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun on September 2, 2023.
The launch of the solar mission will take place on September 2, 2023, at 11:50 am from Sriharikota.

Taking to X (former Twitter), ISRO said, “The launch of Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is scheduled for September 2, 2023, at 11:50 Hrs IST from Sriharikota. Citizens are invited to witness the launch from the Launch View Gallery at Sriharikota by registering here: https://lvg.shar.gov.in/VSCREGISTRATION/index.jsp. Commencement of registration will be announced there.”
Aditya L1 shall be the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage in observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time.

The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors.
ISRO also mentioned the the objectives of Aditya-L1 mission.
“Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics. Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares. Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun,” an official statement issued by ISRO said.
“Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.Development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.
Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events. Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona. Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind,” it added.

Earlier India took a giant leap on September 23 evening as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago.
Overall, India became the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface

Chennai, Aug 23,2023: Marking a monumental event in its space journey, India scripted history by becoming the first country to explore the South Polar region when its third Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully soft landed on the Moon’s surface on Wednesday evening.
The powered descent of the Lander Module (LM), carrying a Rover, on board the Chandrayaan-3, started at 5.44 pm and after the challenging task of performing rough and fine braking maneuvres, it made a soft landing on the moon’s surface at 6.00 pm.
This was ISRO’s third attempt to land Chandrayaan on the Moon four years after its predecessor crashed on the lunar surface.
ISRO came out trumps during the critical process of soft-landing, which was dubbed by many including ISRO officials as 17 minutes of terror.
The lander fired its engines at the right times and altitudes, and used the right amount of fuel, besides scanning the lunar surface for any obstacles before it finally touched down on the Moon.
The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.
The soft-landing was attempted days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.
After the second and final deboosting operation on August 20, the LM was placed in a 25 km x 134 km orbit around the Moon.
ISRO had been releasing a series of up-close images of the moon, assisting the lander module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map.The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.

A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it was through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon’s surface.
Ever since the July 14 launch, ISRO had been maintaining that the health of the spacecraft remained “normal”. On August 5, Chandrayaan-3 was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit with multiple key manoeuvres thereafter.

Aug 23,2023: Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of the Kremlin’s powerful Security Council, has warned that Moscow could annex Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Reuters news agency reported.
Medvedev, who has cast himself as one of Moscow’s most hawkish political voices since Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, accused the West in a newspaper article published on Wednesday of creating tension over Georgia by discussing its possible membership in the NATO military alliance.
“The idea of joining Russia is still popular in Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” Medvedev, a former Russian president, wrote in an article published by the Argumenty I Fakty newspaper.
“It could quite possibly be implemented if there are good reasons for that,” he said in the article.

While Russian relations with Georgia have improved since Tbilisi and Moscow fought a brief but bloody war in 2008 over the breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, Medvedev said that Moscow would not hesitate to act if concerns regarding possible NATO admission come close to being a reality.
“We will not wait if our concerns become closer to reality,” Medvedev said in the article, referring to possible annexation.

Georgian officials have repeatedly said they are committed to joining the United States-led NATO military alliance, viewing it as a way to preserve the territorial integrity of their country.
The military alliance states on its official website that “Georgia is one of NATO’s closest partners”.

“It aspires to join the Alliance. Over time, a broad range of practical cooperation has developed between NATO and Georgia, which supports Georgia’s reform efforts and its goal of Euro-Atlantic integration,” the NATO website states.

Georgia lost control over the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Moscow recognised the independence of the two regions in 2008 following Georgia’s attempt to regain control of South Ossetia by force, which led to a Russian counterattack that saw Moscow’s forces briefly occupy Georgian territory.
Medvedev’s article was published to mark the 15th anniversary of Russia recognising the independence of the regions following the 2008 conflict.

Kyiv’s aspiration to join NATO and the threat this posed to Russian security has been one of several arguments used by officials in Moscow to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Bengaluru, Aug 23,2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the momentous moment of Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft-landing on the South Pole of the Moon is the triumph of the New India, and it is about crossing the ocean of difficulties, besides it is the cry of developed India.

“When we see such a history being made before our eyes, life becomes blessed. Such historical events become the eternal consciousness of a nation’s life. This moment is unforgettable. This moment is unprecedented. This moment is the victory cry of a developed India. This moment is the triumph of the new India. This moment is about crossing the ocean of difficulties. This moment is about walking on the path of victory,” he said.

“When we see such a history being made before our eyes, life becomes blessed. Such historical events become the eternal consciousness of a nation’s life,” he added.

Modi further said: “This moment holds the capability of 1.4 billion heartbeats. This moment signifies new energy, new belief, and new consciousness in India. This moment is the call of India’s ascending destiny.”

The first light of success in the dawn of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ has showered this year, and India took a pledge on Earth, and fulfilled it on the Moon, PM Modi said, adding, “And our scientific colleagues also said, “India is now on the moon.” Today, we have witnessed the new flight of New India in space.”

Extending his heartfelt congratulations to Team Chandrayaan and all the scientists of the country who worked tirelessly for years for this moment, Modi said though he is currently in South Africa to participate in the BRICS Summit, his heart was also focussed on the Chandrayaan Mission.

“As a new history unfolds, every Indian is immersed in celebration, and festivities have begun in every household. From my heart, I am also connected with my fellow countrymen and my family members with enthusiasm,” he said.

Modi said through the hard work and talent of India’s scientists, the country has reached the South Pole of the Moon where no other country in the world has ever reached.

From today onwards, the myths associated with the Moon will change, narratives will change, and even proverbs for the new generation will change, Modi said.

“In India, we refer to the Earth as our mother and the Moon as our ‘Mama’ (maternal uncle). It used to be said that “Chanda Mama is quite far away.” Now a day will come when children will say, “Chanda Mama is just a ‘tour’ away,” he said.

On this joyous occasion, Modi said India’s successful moon mission is not India’s alone and this success belongs to all of humanity.

“This is a year in which the world is witnessing India’s G-20 presidency. Our approach of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ is resonating across the globe. This human-centric approach that we represent has been welcomed universally. Our moon mission is also based on the same human-centric approach. Therefore, this success belongs to all of humanity,” he said.

This will also help moon missions by other countries in the future, Modi said and expressed confidence that all countries in the world, including those from the Global South, are capable of achieving such feats. “We can all aspire for the moon and beyond,” he said.

MOdi said this achievement of the Chandrayaan Mission will propel India’s journey beyond the Moon’s orbit.

“We will test the limits of our solar system and continue working to realize the infinite possibilities of the universe for humanity. We have set many big and ambitious goals for the future,” he said.

Soon, PM Modi said ISRO will launch the ‘Aditya L-1’ mission for in-depth study of the Sun, and following that, Venus is on ISRO’s agenda.

Through the Gaganyaan mission, the country is diligently preparing for its first human spaceflight mission, and India is repeatedly proving that the sky is not the limit.

Modi said science and technology are the foundation of a bright future for India, and this day will inspire all Indians to move towards a brighter future.

“The country will remember this day forever. This day will inspire all of us to move towards a brighter future. This day will show us the path to fulfilling our resolutions. This day symbolizes how victory is achieved by taking lessons from defeat. Once again, heartfelt congratulations to all the scientists of the country and best wishes for future missions! Thank you very much,” he said.

Earlier, India made history on Wednesday after its Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeded in soft-landing on the South Pole of the Moon.

India became the first nation to land on the south pole of the moon, and fourth to land on the north pole of it.

This was ISRO’s third attempt to land Chandrayaan on the Moon four years after its predecessor crashed on the lunar surface.

ISRO came out trumps during the critical process of soft-landing, which was dubbed by many including ISRO officials as 17 minutes of terror.

The lander fired its engines at the right times and altitudes, and used the right amount of fuel, besides scanning the lunar surface for any obstacles before it finally touched down on the Moon.

The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.

The soft-landing was attempted days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.

After the second and final deboosting operation on August 20, the LM was placed in a 25 km x 134 km orbit around the Moon.