World Tourism Day 2022 celebrates on 27th September
World Tourism Day 2022 is observed on 27 September globally. This day is celebrated every year to focus on promoting tourism in various parts of the world. It was initiated by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). It is celebrated to promote tourism and understand its importance. World Tourism Day aims to make people understand the joy of exploring the world. It is an extremely important event.
World Tourism Day 2022: Theme
The theme of World Tourism Day 2022 is ‘Rethinking Tourism’. Everyone will focus on understanding the growth of the tourism sector and reviewing and redeveloping tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Tourism Day 2022: Significance
World Tourism Day intends to raise awareness about the significance of tourism in affecting the social, political, economic and cultural values of the international community. It is important to note that tourism plays a significant role in improving a nation’s economy and enhancing its image. World Tourism Day is important because it helps to promote the advantages of tourism. The event is set to be led by the representatives of the tourism sector of Bali. The representatives from UNWTO states will also be invited to the event.
World Tourism Day: History
The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) started World Tourism Day in 1979. The celebrations for the same officially began in 1980. It is celebrated on 27 September every year because the date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of UNWTO. In 1997, UNWTO decided that the day would be celebrated in different host countries each year. The initial commemoration of World Tourism Day focused on the promotion of tourism as a whole with a central theme.
Indian government introduces “Sign Learn” smartphone app
“Sign Learn” smartphone app: The Center released the “Sign Learn” smartphone app, a 10,000-word lexicon for Indian Sign Language (ISL). Pratima Bhoumik, minister of state for social justice and empowerment, introduced the app. The 10,000-word Indian Sign Language Research And Training Centre (ISLRTC) lexicon serves as the foundation for Sign Learn. All the terms in the ISL dictionary can be searched using Hindi or English on the app, which is accessible in Android and iOS versions.
“Sign Learn” smartphone app: Key Points
Notably, on October 6, 2020, ISLRTC and the NCERT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conversion of NCERT textbooks from classes 1 through 12 into Indian Sign Language (digital format) in order to make the textbooks accessible to children with hearing impairments.
The official said, that ISL e-content for class 6 NCERT textbooks was introduced this year.
A few volumes from the National Book Trust’s “Veergatha” series had ISL translations released by the Center as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
ISLRTC and NCERT collaborated to launch 500 academic words in Indian Sign Language for the“Sign Learn” smartphone app.
These academic terms, which are frequently used in history, science, political science, and mathematics, are utilised at the secondary school level.
Indian Railways installed RTIS system developed by ISRO
Indian Railways is installing a Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on locomotives “for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival and departure or run-through”. With this, Train Control will now be able to track the location & speed of RTIS-enabled locomotives /trains more closely, without any manual intervention.
About the Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS):
Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with ISRO, is being installed on the locomotives for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival & departure or run-through.
They get automatically plotted on the control chart of those trains in the Control Office Application (COA) system. RTIS devices have been installed for 2700 locomotives in 21 electric loco sheds. As part of Phase-II rollout, 6000 more locomotives across 50 loco sheds shall be covered by utilizing ISRO’s Satcom hub.
Meanwhile, the newly launched Chatbot of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) is getting a remarkable response from train passengers during the beta launch as over 1 billion people have used it.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy launched Virtual Conference ‘SymphoNE’ to boost Tourism Sector
Union Minister for DoNER, Tourism & Culture, G. Kishan Reddy has launched the two-day virtual conference ‘SymphoNE’. The Virtual Conference ‘SymphoNE’ is being organized on 24th & 27th of September 2022 by the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region on the occasion of World Tourism Day. North East India is blessed with amazing food, culture, stunning landscapes, heritage and architecture and ranks among the most beautiful places on the earth. But, there are grand opportunities that can be filled to boost Tourism Sector in the Region.
This two-day conference will aim to create a roadmap to showcase the unexplored beauty of North East India & boost the tourism Sector in the North Eastern Region. It would ideate, discuss & formulate ideas & suggestions by Thought Leaders, Policy Thinkers, Social Media Influencers, Travel & Tour Operators And The Senior Officials of the Ministry of DoNER and State Departments.
About the SymphoNE:
SymphoNE aims to develop a one-stop solution to eliminate all obstacles that are being faced by the tourists, and the tour operators while carrying out the operations for the visitors while solving logistics & infrastructural facilities, lack of awareness about the locations among the tourist and spreading necessary information among the people, and marketing/promotional activities.
SymphoNE is the start of a series of dialogues on the North Eastern Region’s Development Conference comprised of a broad range of Policy Thinkers, Stakeholders & Influencers with the aim to boost the Tourism Sector in the North Eastern Region.
World Environmental Health Day 2022: History, Significance and Theme
World Environmental Health Day is observed on September 26, every year. The goal of observing the day is to increase public awareness of the environment’s condition and encourage people to take the required steps to stop it from getting worse. World Environmental Health Day is a day dedicated to informing people about the health of the environment and preserving it. It is more crucial than ever to raise awareness of the threats posed by pollution, climate change, and global warming because the Earth is our home, thus by not doing anything to prevent it from deteriorating, we are not only endangering the environment but also ourselves.
World Environmental Health Day 2022: Theme
Every year World Environment Day is celebrated with a new theme. The theme for this year’s World Environment Health Day is “Strengthening Environmental Health Systems for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals”.
World Environmental Health Day 2022: Significance
The major significance of this day is to spread awareness regarding environmental health and the various events associated with it. Various conferences and workshops are conducted in several universities and colleges to inform the younger generation to understand the need of the hour to tackle environmental issues and prevent them. The events are created to engage the audience in acts like drama and health camps. This will help them learn about the importance of environmental concerns to human health.
World Environmental Health Day: History
The day has its footprints in the year 2011 when the environmental summit and International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) met in Denpasar, Bali and Indonesia. IFEH is an organisation that works for the protection of the environment and its health. Its major focus is on the exchange of scientific and technical research. The aim of marking this day across the world is to aware people of their well-being and health. IFEH works for the protection of the environment and health and is dedicated to these works.
Air India Signs Agreement With Willis Lease For Aircraft Engines
Air India announced that it has signed a definitive sale and lease back agreement with Nasdaq-listed Willis Lease Finance Corporation for 34 CFM56-5B engines installed on its Airbus A320 family fleet. According to the company statement, the engines will be covered under Willis Lease’s ConstantThrust, which will deliver significant reliability and cost savings over a traditional MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) shop visit programme.
What The Air India Said:
The company said in a statement, under the sale side of the transaction, Willis Lease will purchase 34 engines from Air India, powering 13 Airbus A321 aircraft and four Airbus A320 aircraft. Through the programme, Willis Lease will provide replacement and standby spare engines, allowing the airline to avoid potentially costly and unpredictable shop visits on engines powering a transitioning aircraft fleet. Nipun Aggarwal, CCO Air India said, “this transaction will allow Air India to derisk itself operationally, improve fleet reliability, reduce cost, and optimise cash flow.”
The Domestic Growth:
Meanwhile, in an unrelated development, official data released last week showed that the number of passengers carried by domestic airlines surged to 770.70 lakh in January-August 2022 period as against 460.45 lakh recorded during the corresponding period of the last year, registering a year-on-year growth of 67.38 per cent.
According to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the number of passengers carried by domestic airlines rose to 101.16 lakh in August 2022 as compared to 67.01 lakh in August 2021. On a month-on-month basis, domestic air traffic increased by 3 per cent in August 2022. Domestic air traffic in July 2022 stood at 97 lakh. It increased to over 1 crore in August 2022.
India’s Competitive Sector:
IndiGo- India’s largest airline flew the largest number of passengers with a market share of 58 per cent. The Tata Group’s airlines including Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India, together had a market share of 24 per cent in August. Interestingly, SpiceJet had the highest passenger load factor at 84.6 per cent in August while that of Vistara and IndiGo stood at 84.4 per cent and 78.3 per cent, respectively.
Rupee Slips To Record Low AT 81.67, Markets Destabilize
The rupee plunged 58 paise to close at an all-time low of 81.67 against the US dollar as the strengthening of the American currency overseas and risk-averse sentiment among investors weighed on the local unit. Moreover, escalation of geopolitical risks due to conflict in Ukraine, a negative trend in domestic equities and significant foreign fund outflows sapped investor appetite, forex traders said.
The Flexibility:
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 81.47, then fell further to close at an all-time low of 81.67 against the American currency, registering a decline of 58 paise over its previous close. Earlier, the rupee slumped 30 paise to close at 81.09, its previous record low. This is the fourth consecutive session of loss for the domestic unit, during which it has lost 193 paise against the American currency.
What The Economists Said:
“Another day of large gains for the dollar versus the rupee as it fell for the fourth day in a trot amid risk-averse sentiments and unprecedented strength in the greenback following Fed tightening and recession worries,” said Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst, HDFC Securities. Spot USD-INR may head towards 82 as strength in the dollar index continues with surging bond yields, Parmar said, adding that in the near-term, spot USD-INR is having resistance at around 82 and support at 81.05. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, advanced 0.46 per cent to 113.71.
Monetary Policy Challenges:
The 38th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee, constituted under the Reserve Bank of India Act, will be held during September 28 – 30. According to experts, focus will now shift to RBI’s meeting this week, with its decision due on 30th Sept. Market will react accordingly.
Global Factors:
Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.70 per cent to USD 85.55 per barrel. On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 953.70 points or 1.64 per cent to end at 57,145.22, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 311.05 points or 1.8 per cent to 17,016.30. Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs 2,899.68 crore, as per exchange data. Meanwhile, the country’s forex reserves declined USD 5.219 billion to USD 545.652 billion for the week ended September 16.