Important Facts for Prelims (30th August 2018)

• 30 Aug 2018

Smart India Hackathon

• The third edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model - Smart India Hackathon 2019 (SIH-2019) was launched by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development (MHRD).
• SIH-2019 is a nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to solve some of pressing problems we face in our daily lives, and thus inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving.
• Smart India Hackathon is an initiative by MHRD, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Persistent Systems and Inter Institutional Inclusive Innovation Centre (i4C).
• Students from IISc, IITs, NITs and AICTE/UGC approved institutions will also compete to creatively solve problems and offer technical solutions.
• For the first time, private industry/organisations and NGOs can also send their problem statements to students under SIH-2019.
• Smart India Hackathon- 2019 will have 2 sub-editions-
  • Software edition (a 36-hour software product development competition)
  • Hardware edition (a 5 days long hardware product development competition)
• Previous Editions of Smart India Hackathon were held in 2016 and 2017.

Open Innovation Model

• Open Innovation Model is way organizations employ to find solutions to their problems by tapping on the knowledge and expertise beyond their usual internal pool of employees and experts. It provide an architecture to connect the external pool with internal pool for development of new technologies.

PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation)

• It is a platform which enables the Prime Minister to discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation.
• It was launched in 2015 and has been designed by the PMO team with the help of National Informatics Center (NIC).
• It is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States).
• The three objectives of PRAGATI are:
  • Grievance Redressal
  • Programme Implementation
  • Project Monitoring
• The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: Digital data management, videoconferencing and geo-spatial technology.
• It promotes cooperative federalism as it brings on one platform the Secretaries of Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of the States.
• However, the direct interaction of the PM with the state secretaries without involving the political executives of the states is undermining the State political executive. It is also said that this is leading to concentration of power in the extra-constitutional office of PMO.
• It is a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.
• It is an innovative project in e-governance and good governance.
• It is held once every month on Fourth Wednesday at 3.30 PM and known as PRAGATI Day.

Aranmula Boat Race

• For the first time in the past 50 years, the annual ‘Aranmula Vallamkali’ boat race was held without celebration due to recent floods in Kerala.
• The Aranmula Boat Race is the oldest river boat festival in Kerala, which is held during Onam (August–September).
• It takes place at Aranmula in Pampa river, near a Hindu temple, Sree Parthasarathy temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala State.
• The ‘palliyodams’ (snake boats) move in pairs to the rhythm of full-throated singing and shouting watched by an exciting crowd.