1st October, 2024 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
Cruise Bharat Mission’ to Boost Cruise Tourism in India

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, launched the ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ from Mumbai port on October 1, 2024. The mission aims to enhance India’s potential as a global hub for cruise tourism, targeting a doubling of cruise passenger traffic by 2029. It focuses on three key cruise segments: ocean and harbor, river, inland, and island. This initiative is expected to significantly revamp the cruise sector in India and promote the country as a leading global cruise destination.
• The mission aims to achieve several key performance targets:
• Sea Cruise Passengers: Increase from 0.5 million in Phase 1 to 1 million by Phase 3.
• Sea Cruise Calls: Increase from 125 to 500.
• River Cruise Passengers: Grow from 0.5 million in Phase 1 to 1.5 million by Phase 3.
• International Cruise Terminals: Expand from 2 in Phase 1 to 10 by Phase 3.
• River Cruise Terminals: Increase from 50 to 100.

KAZIND 2024 Exercise Commences in the Uttarakhand

• 8th India-Kazakhstan joint military exercise KAZIND-2024 started at Surya Foreign Training Node, Auli, Uttarakhand. An annual affair, the exercise will end on 13th October. To bid to improve the joint military capability and undertake counter terrorism operations in a sub conventional scenario.
• The aim of the joint exercise is to enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter-terrorism operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
• The Indian armed forces, comprising 120 personnel, are being represented by a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army, along with other arms and services, as well as personnel from the Indian Air Force.
• The Kazakhstan contingent is being represented mainly by personnel from Land Forces and Airborne Assault Troopers.

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INTERNATIONAL
India and Uzbekistan Sign Bilateral Investment Treaty in Tashkent

• India and Uzbekistan have signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) aimed at boosting investor confidence and enhancing economic cooperation between the two nations. The treaty was formalized by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Khodjayev Jamshid Abdukhakimovich in Tashkent.
• This BIT assures protection for investors from both countries, providing a minimum standard of treatment and non-discrimination while facilitating dispute resolution through arbitration.
• The signing of the BIT reflects the shared commitment of India and Uzbekistan to create a robust investment environment, which is expected to pave the way for increased bilateral investments, benefitting both economies. As of August 2024, India’s Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) in Uzbekistan amounted to $20 million, with significant investments in sectors like pharmaceuticals, amusement parks, automobile components, and hospitality.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
BharatGen: India’s First Government-Funded Multimodal AI Initiative

• BharatGen was inaugurated in New Delhi, marking a significant step in India’s commitment to generative AI. The initiative aims to enhance public service delivery and citizen engagement by developing foundational models in language, speech, and computer vision.
• BharatGen, led by IIT Bombay under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), focuses on creating generative AI systems that produce high-quality text and multimodal content in various Indian languages. The project is implemented by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IOE at IIT Bombay, with contributions from several premier institutions, including IIIT Hyderabad and IIM Indore.

Published date : 01 Nov 2024 05:29PM