National Pollution Control Day 2022 observed on 2nd December
National Pollution Control Day 2022:
National Pollution Control Day is observed every year on 2 December in India. The day is recognized to commemorate the precious lives that were lost in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, one of the greatest industrial disasters in the history of India. The main aim and objectives of celebrating the National Pollution Prevention Day 2022 in India is to create awareness among people about the judicious use of industries to prevent uncalled-for industrial disasters.
Significance of National Pollution Control Day:
The significance of celebrating the National Pollution Control Day is to avoid similar catastrophes like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and save the earth from the damage caused by pollution. The day is dedicated to encourage the adoption of pollution control acts to prevent the environmental pollution caused by human negligence and industrial emissions.
Objectives of the day:
Spread awareness of managing and controlling industrial disasters
Prevent the pollution produced by industrial processes or human negligence
Make people and industries aware of the importance of pollution control acts
History of National Pollution Control Day:
The history of National Pollution Day in India dates back to the heart-wrenching Bhopal Gas Tragedy in which thousands of people lost their lives. The incident happened on the night of 2 and 3 December 1984, and that is why the National Pollution Control Day is observed annually on 2 December.
On 3 December 1984, almost 45 tonnes of the hazardous gas methyl isocyanate (MIC) escaped from a pesticide plant owned by the Indian division of the American company Union Carbide Corporation. Within no time, the poisonous gas killed thousands of people and several thousands fled the city.
DigiYatra facilities starts at the Delhi, Varanasi and Bangalore airport
The Central government on December 1 launched its facial recognition system DigiYatra at Delhi, Bangalore and Varanasi airports, which will allow domestic passengers to seamlessly travel without an identification card. The Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched the service at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The service will enable passengers to travel paperless through biometric facial recognition technology (FRT).
To use this facility, one-time registration on the DigiYatra app is required using Aadhar-based validation and a self-image capture. At the airport, passengers will have to scan their bar coded boarding pass, which they can download on their phone and the facial recognition system installed at the e-gate will validate their identity and travel documents. Passengers can then enter the airport through the e-gate.
What is DigiYatra?
DigiYatra is based on facial recognition technology and will make the boarding process faster and seamless. Passengers will have to register on the DigiYatra app through their respective Aadhaar cards to avail the service. The initiative will automate the entry and verification of passengers at all airports checkpoints and will use facial features to establish a traveller’s identity and link it to their respective boarding passes. This will result in shorter wait times in lines, quicker processing times, and simpler procedures for the passengers.
Who developed the DigiYatra?
Digi Yatra has been promoted by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. To develop a facial recognition system at the airports, Digi Yatra Foundation was set up in 2019. The Digi Yatra Foundation is a joint venture of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Cochin International Airport (CIAL), Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL) & Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL).
Prasanth Kumar elected as new president of AAAI
Prasanth Kumar, CEO, South Asia of GroupM Media (India) Pvt Ltd, has been elected as the president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI). He has an experience of over 25 years in the Industry. Before joining GroupM, he held positions at Pepsi, The Hindu, The Media Edge, and McCann Erickson. He has served as AAAI’s vice president from 2020 to 2022.
Rana Barua, group CEO of Havas Group India, was elected vice-president of the association. Anupriya Acharya, outgoing president, will be the ex-officio member of the AAAI board for 2022-23.
Other elected members of the board:
Vishandas Hardasani (Matrix Publicities and Media India Pvt Ltd)
Kunal Lalani (Crayons Advertising Pvt Ltd)
Rohan Mehta (Kinnect Pvt Ltd)
Chandramouli Muthu Maitri (Advertising Works Pvt Ltd, Cochin)
Sridhar Ramasubramanian (Beehive Communications Pvt Ltd)
Shashidhar Sinha (Initiative Media India Pvt Ltd)
K Srinivas (Sloka Advertising Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad)
Vivek Srivastava (Innocean Worldwide Communications Pvt Ltd)
About the AAAI:
Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is the official, national organisation of advertising agencies, formed in 1945, to promote their interests. The Association promotes professionalism, through its founding principles, which uphold sound business practices between Advertisers and Advertising Agencies and the various media.
Yes Bank, Turtlefin Launched Online Insurance Services platform ‘EasyNsure’
TurtleFin, India’s leading insurtech platform, has partnered with YES BANK, one of the leading private sector banks in India, to create a comprehensive technology platform EasyNsure. Turtlefin’s distinctive API will power the platform to offer a bouquet of holistic insurance solutions on a single platform.
About EasyNsure
EasyNsure is the first-of-its-kind proposition for YES BANK that will bring multiple insurance partners onto a common platform, providing a host of benefits such as a seamless single-point online insurance service, the ability to compare and select a suitable insurance cover basis the customer’s need, as well as a facility to compare costs for rationalizing purchase decisions, among others.
Yes Bank, Turtlefin Launched Online Insurance Services platform ‘EasyNsure’ – Key Points
Turtlefin’s unique and customized technology solutions will enable the platform to offer a seamless customer experience to its clients.
The EasyNsure platform is live with over 40 Life and General Insurance plans to be readily available for consideration.
The platform has created over 30,000 insurance quotes with more than 6,500 proposals and 5,200 policies being punched.
This has helped the platform generate a total premium of INR 6,050 lakh.
This robust technology platform will also allow business tracking across the Bank hierarchy, simplifying revenue reconciliation.
It will enhance tracking the productivity of RMs on quotes created versus actual conversion of leads.
100 National Monuments illuminated to mark India’s Assumption of G -20 Presidency
India will formally take over the G-20 presidency from 1st December 2022. Several events are to take place across the country including the lighting of 100 monuments with the G-20 logo to mark the occasion.
The theme of India’s G-20 Presidency is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam of One Earth One Family One Future. The theme affirms the value of life- human, animal, plant, and microorganisms and their interconnectedness on the planet earth and in the wider universe.
100 National Monuments illuminated to mark India’s Assumption of G -20 Presidency – Key Points
The logo draws inspiration from the vibrant colors of India’s national flag.
It juxtaposes planet earth with India’s national flower lotus which reflects growth amid challenges.
The earth symbolizes India’s pro-planet approach to life, one in perfect harmony with nature.
It is a big opportunity for India as the country will get a global center stage.
During its Presidency, India will be holding about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across the country.
100 monuments including UNESCO World Heritage sites carrying the G-20 logo will be lit up for seven days from 1 December to 7 December 2022.
The list of 100 sites that be illuminated also includes Humayun’s Tomb and Purana Quila in Delhi, Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat, Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, and Sher Shah Suri’s Tomb in Bihar.
19 countries are a part of the Group of Twenty (G-20).
The G-20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union.
Meghalaya cabinet approved mental health and social care policy
The Meghalaya cabinet has approved a policy aimed at addressing the issues of mental health and social care through collaborative engagement with communities. The Meghalaya Mental Health & Social Care Policy was approved at the cabinet meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister. In 2014, the Centre launched the first-ever National Mental Health Policy in an attempt to provide universal psychiatry care.
Meghalaya is the third state in the country to have a comprehensive policy on mental health and social care, paying attention to these issues, especially among children, adolescents and youth. Kerala and Karnataka are the other two states in the country to have such policies.
About the National Mental Health Policy:
India being a signatory to it, launched her national mental health policy (NMHPolicy) in 2014.
The policy was in concordance with WHO’s mental health (MH) policy, plan, and program (2005), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, 2007).
Further, it aligned with and was supported by contemporary laws such as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWD, 2016), Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA, 2017), etc.
Before NMHPolicy, India attempted to address the MH needs of the people of the country through National Mental Health Program (NMHP, 1982), and subsequently, through the District Mental Health Program (DMHP, 1996) with the purported objectives of ensuring the availability and accessibility of minimum MH care for all, encouraging MH knowledge and skills in general healthcare, and promoting community participation in MH service development.
NMHP has been the main MH service framework of the country till the launch of NMHPolicy. Since the NMHPolicy is an ambitious and idealistic policy with wide-ranging implications (including rights-based treatment, provision for community rehabilitation, etc.), its progress, to a large extent, is also determined by the constitution and performances of the supporting MH and allied (health and social welfare) plans/policies/laws.
Consequently, NMHPolicy has not been free from criticism from different sections of society, especially regarding its ground-level implementation and performance.
23rd Hornbill Festival 2022 begins in Nagaland
23rd Hornbill Festival 2022:
23rd Hornbill Festival 2022 begins at Naga Heritage Village Kisama in Nagaland. Nagaland’s famous Hornbill Festival is scheduled from 1st December to 10th December 2022. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar graced the inaugural function of the festival as the Chief Guest. Now it has been more than 20 years that the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland has welcomed visitors from around the world. In 10 days festival, a visitor gets the opportunity to view all the Naga tribes, their culture and distinctiveness in one place.
Hornbill Festival of Nagaland:
Hornbill Festival of Nagaland is also popularly known as the ‘Festival of Festivals’ and showcases Nagaland’s rich culture. It is organized by the Government of Nagaland, mainly to encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote the cultural heritage of Nagaland. This year, in the 10-day festival, more than 130 stalls are set up in Kisama wherein, 100 stalls are taken up by the Micro Small & Medium Enterprises and 32 are temporary stalls. The daily cultural events include activities such as music festivals, photo fest, fashion shows, adventure sports, night carnivals, etc.
Hornbill Bird:
Hornbill is an Indian bird also known as the concave-casqued hornbill. It is one of the larger members of the hornbill family and is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The bird is an important part of tribal culture and is known for its size and colour. Indian Hornbill is a cultural icon of the Naga people and is part of the folklore of most tribes.
Other Popular Festivals of Nagaland
Moatsu festival
Ngada festival
Monyu festival
Aoleng Festival