• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, celebrated its 14th foundation day on Wednesday.
• Prof TG Sitharam, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), was the chief guest.
• Faculty members, other staff, students and several distinguished guests attended the event.
• Prof Prem Vrat, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT-Mandi, presided over the event.
• The Foundation Stone of IIT Mandi was laid on 24 February 2009. IIT Mandi was registered as a society in Uttarakhand on 20 June 2009. Classes started in IIT Roorkee, the mentoring IIT, on 27 July 2009.

• It is the exercise conducted between the Indian Air Force (IAF) Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF).

• Two Australian universities will be establishing campuses in the GIFT City in Gujarat. The partnership with Australia will provide accessibility, affordability, and quality of education for youngsters.
• The two universities, both public, are Deakin University and Wollongong University.
• These are the first two foreign varsities to be setting up their campuses in GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec) City.
• The two universities will sign an agreement on setting up their campuses during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s maiden visit to India next week.

• Every 3rd of March, UN World Wildlife Day is celebrated all over the world.
• This global event is marked annually to celebrate and promote awareness of the planet’s wild fauna and flora.
• The date also marks the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973.
  • CITES aims to prevent international trade from threatening species’ survival.
• The World Wildlife Day 2023 falls on the 50th Anniversary of CITES coming into being.
• World Wildlife Day 2023 is celebrated under the theme “Partnerships for wildlife conservation”

• Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Rashmi Shukla has been appointed as the Director-General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
  • SSB is the border-guarding force deployed along Nepal and Bhutan border.
• Rashmi Shukla, a 1988 batch IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, was posted with the Central Reserve Police (CRPF).

• Recently, the National Stock Exchange of India received final approval from the markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to set up a Social Stock Exchange (SSE).
• Finance Minister had proposed to initiate steps for creating a stock exchange under the market regulator’s ambit in the Union Budget of 2019.
  • The proposal was cleared in September 2021.

Social Stock Exchange

• The SSE would function as a separate segment within the existing stock exchange and help social enterprises raise funds from the public through its mechanism.
• It would serve as a medium for enterprises to seek finance for their social initiatives, acquire visibility and provide increased transparency about fund mobilisation and utilisation.
• Retail investors can only invest in securities offered by for-profit social enterprises (SEs) under the Main Board.
  • In all other cases, only institutional investors and non-institutional investors can invest in securities issued by SEs.
• Eligibility: Any non-profit organisation (NPO) or for-profit social enterprise (FPSEs) that establishes the primacy of social intent would be recognised as a social enterprise (SE), which will make it eligible to be registered or listed on the SSE.
• NPOs can raise money either through the issuance of Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) Instruments from private placement or public issue, or donations from mutual funds.

• India recently hosted the first meeting of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) Governing Board.
• It recommended the addition of cyber security, green hydrogen, and energy transition areas under the specialized wings of BEC.

About BEC

• The First BIMSTEC Energy Ministers Conference of 2005, agreed to the setting up of a BEC to share experience in reforms, restructuring, regulation, and best practices in the energy sector.
• Objectives of the Centre: create, manage, and evaluate energy-related databases to suggest a road map for meaningful intra-BIMSTEC cooperation.
• Initiatives for BIMSTEC Energy Cooperation
  • The grid interconnection MoU, signed in 2018 by member-states, for the trade in electricity with optimal power transmission in the BIMSTEC region.
  • The 1125 MW Dorjilung hydropower project involving Bangladesh, Bhutan, and India will allow Bhutan to export electricity to Bangladesh through India.

About BIMSTEC

• It is a regional organization that was established on 06 June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.
• BIMSTEC aims to foster regional and economic cooperation among the member countries i.e India, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.
• Secretariat- Dhaka, Bangladesh

• It is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community, held annually in New Delhi since 2016.
• It takes its name from Raisina Hill- the seat of the Indian government.
• It is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs.
• It brings together global leaders in policy, business, media, civil society, defence and foreign policy.
• The Chief Guest of Raisina Dialogue 2023 was the Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy.
• The theme of Raisina Dialogue 2023 is “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest”.

• Recently, India decided to open applications for residents of the U.K to apply for the young professional scheme.

About the scheme

• Under the scheme Indian and British nationals aged between 18 and 30 can apply to live and work in either country for a period of up to two years.
• It highlights the strength UK-India Mobility and Migration Partnership, signed in 2021.
• Criteria for application
  • It requires an applicant to show funds equivalent to INR 2,50,000 held for a minimum period of 30 days at the time of submission of the application.
  • Every professional coming to India is required to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office/ Foreign Registration Office (FRRO/FRO).

• Recently, Spice Board India celebrated its 36th anniversary.
• It is headquartered in Kochi, Kerala.
• It is a statutory body constituted under Spice Board Act 1986 after merging erstwhile Cardamom Board and the Spices Export Promotion Council.
• The board is responsible for development of the cardamom industry and promotion export of 52 scheduled spices listed under the act.
• The board is headed by a senior secretary level officer. Also, two Members of Parliament are also elected to serve on the board.
• The board functions under administrative control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries.