• Delhi Police is using Sandes app for secure communication on G20.
• Sandes is being used by police inspectors and Commissioners.

ABOUT SANDES APP

• The mobile application, developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), was launched in August, 2020.
• The app is available on Android, iOS and also has a desktop version.
• The app allows exchange of information securely. The documents being shared by users follows a secure internet protocol and can only be viewed on the app.
• Sandes platform provides the functionality to mark a message as Confidential, on Priority or as Auto Delete.
• Sandes app is difficult to hack and documents sent across cannot be copied by any other user as individual and group chat messages are end-to-end encrypted.
• It has been downloaded on the government-issued phones of police officers and not on their private devices.

ABOUT NIC

• National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is the technology partner of the Government of India.
• It was established in 1976 with an objective to provide technology-driven solutions to Central and State Governments in various aspects of development.
• NIC has been instrumental in adopting and providing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and eGovernance support to Central Government.

• Under the PM-Daksh Scheme, target to train during next three years will be 1,69,300 candidates from 2023-24 to 2025-26 with a budgetary outlay of Rs.286.42 crore.

ABOUT PM-DAKSH SCHEME

• The Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme, was launched during 2020-21.
• The main objective of the Scheme is to enhance competency level of the target groups to make them employable both in self- employment and wage-employment for their socio-economic development.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• Target group– SCs, OBCs, EBCs, DNTs Safai Karamcharis including waste pickers etc.
  • The age criterion of scheme between 18-45 years and
  • Income criteria is no income limit for SCs, SafaiKaramcharis Including wastepicker and DNT.
  • The annual family income should be below Rs.3 lakh for OBCs and the EBCs (Economically Backward Classes) annual family income below Rs.1 lakh.
• Types of Trainings, duration and average cost per candidate-
  • Up-skilling/Reskilling ( 35 to 60 hours/ 5 days to 35 days):-Rs.3000/- to Rs.8000/-
  • Short Term Training (300 hours/3 months) :-Rs.22,000/-
  • Entrepreneurship Development Programme ( 90 hours/15 days):Rs.7000/-
  • Long Term Training ( 650 hours/7 months) :- Rs.45,000/-
• Stipend: 1,000/- to Rs.1,500/- per month per trainee for trainees having 80% and above attendance in short term and long term training.

• Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in its new publication – the “Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control’’ – has found that there are 37,000 alien species, including plants and animals, that have been introduced by many human activities.

• These include more than 3,500 invasive alien species and that invasive alien species have played a key role in 60% of global plant and animal extinctions recorded.

• The report says invasive alien species are one of the five major direct drivers of biodiversity loss globally, alongside land and sea use change, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, and pollution.
• The study, which has taken place over a period of four years, has been by 86 leading experts from 49 countries, drawing on more than 13,000 references.
• About 6% of alien plants; 22% of alien invertebrates; 14% of alien vertebrates; and 11% of alien microbes are known to be invasive, posing major risks to nature and to people.
• Nearly 80% of the documented impacts of invasive species on nature’s contribution to people are negative.
• Exmaples
  • The water hyacinth is the world’s most widespread invasive alien species on land.
  • Lantana, a flowering shrub, and the black rat are the second and third most widespread globally.
  • The brown rat and the house mouse are also widespread invasive alien species.

ABOUT IPBES

• IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body established to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services, working in a similar way to the IPCC, which is the UN’s climate science body.
• It has 143 member States including India.
• Established in 2012 on the basis of Busan outcome document.
• Seat of secretariat is located in Bonn, Germany.

• Zimbabwe’s former cricket captain Heath Streak has passed away at the age of 49, following a long battle with colon and liver cancer.
• He was a cricketing legend, was particularly known for his prowess as a fast bowler.
• He held the distinction of being Zimbabwe’s all-time leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, having taken 216 wickets at an average of 28.14.

• Max Verstappen of Red Bull has won the Italian Grand Prix.
• With this, he has set a new record for the most consecutive wins in Formula 1 history with 10.
• Sergio Perez came in second and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari finished third.

• “Impossible trinity”, better known as the “trilemma,”is a concept which stipulates that a country cannot have –

1. Free capital flow (no capital controls),
2. A fixed/stable exchange rate, and
3. Independent monetary policy, all at the same time.

• An able policymaker can, at best, achieve two of these three objectives at any given time.
• John Marcus Fleming and Robert Alexander Mundell developed this concept.

• National Teachers’ Day in India is annually celebrated on September 5^th to honor and celebrate the contributions of teachers to society.
• The day is also observed as a tribute to the memory of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

ABOUT DR S. RADHAKRISHNAN

• Dr S. Radhakrishnan was born on 5th September, 1888, in Tiruttani, Madras Presidency.
• He was the second President of India from 1962 to 1967.
• Radhakrishnan was a scholar, philosopher, and teacher.
• He held the prestigious position of Professor of Philosophy in the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta from 1921 to 1932. His contributions extended beyond India; he represented the university at international platforms like the Congress of the Universities of the British Empire in 1926 and the International Congress of Philosophy at Harvard University, USA in the same year.
• Dr Radhakrishnan’s brilliance garnered him 16 Nobel Prize nominations in Literature and another 11 in Peace.

Note

• World Teachers Day is observed on October 5^th. It is an initiative led by organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF and ILO.

• The Meghalaya government has adopted AI-enabled robotic technology to keep it’s tourist hotspot, Umiam lake, free of pollutants.
• The AI-powered boat has the capacity to gather as much as 15 litres of oil and 200 kilograms of floating refuse daily, thus making it an economical method for effectively removing waste.

ABOUT UMIAM LAKE

• The Umiam Lake is a reservoir in the hills 15 km north of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya, India.
• It is an artificial lake created by damming the Umiam River in the early 1960s.
• It is more easily recognised as Bara Pani, and covers an area of about 220 sq km.
• Original purpose was to store water for hydroelectric power generation.
• Today, it also serves as a major tourist attraction in the state for water sport and adventure facilities.

• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), under Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, recently distributed tool-kits and machineries to artisans in a distribution ceremony in Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) under Gramodyog Vikas Yojana.

ABOUT GRAMODYOG VIKAS YOJANA

• Launched in March 2020, it is one of the two components of the Khadi Gramodyog Vikas Yojana which is a Central Sector Scheme (CSS).
  • The other component being Khadi Vikas Yojana (KVY).
• It aims to promote and develop the village industries through common facilities, technological modernization, training
• The scheme is implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
• Components include- R &D and Product Innovation, Capacity Building and Marketing & Publicity
• Activities
  • Agro-Based & Food Processing Industry (ABFPI)
  • Mineral-Based Industry (MBI)
  • Wellness & Cosmetics Industry (WCI)
  • Handmade Paper, Leather & Plastic Industry (HPLPI)
  • Rural Engineering & New Technology Industry (RENTI)
  • Service Industry

• India has built the world’s first disaster hospital- Aarogya Maitri Cube
• It can be airlifted, packed in 72 cubes.
• India has built the product under project BHISHM – Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri – which includes three frames, each accommodating 12 mini-cubes.
• These cubes can handle several severe injuries including 40 bullet injuries, 25 major bleeds, 25 major burns, around 10 head injuries, long limb fractures, spinal injuries, chest injuries and spinal fractures.
• Apart from the refrigerator, the cubes contain a portable ventilator, ultrasound machine, digital imaging radiography machine, defibrillator, high-mounted OT lights, stretchers, modern surgical devices, and portable laboratory among other high-end equipment.
  • The product can also be tailored to meet specific needs.
• While India has already donated two Aarogya Maitri Cubes to Myanmar as a goodwill gesture, one is being readied for donation to Sri Lanka.
• All equipment is rechargeable and the kit contains a portable generator, including a solar panel-based generator.
• In times of crises and disasters, ‘Aarogya Maitri’ can deliver swift medical aid to those in need, irrespective of their location.
  • Its ability to be quickly deployed to remote and disaster-stricken regions makes it a game-changer in disaster relief efforts.