• 10 Jan 2023

The World's Longest River Cruise 'Ganga Vilas'

Why In News?

• On January 8, 2023, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal said that the launch of the world's longest river cruise with MV Ganga Vilas in Varanasi on January 13, 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mark the beginning of a new era of river cruise tourism for India.

Key Points

• This luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 km in 27 river systems in 5 states of India and Bangladesh .
• MV Ganga Vilas Cruise has been equipped to perform the best of the country in front of the world. A 51-day cruise trip to 50 tourist destinations, including world heritage sites, national parks, river ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahib Ganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam has been planned.
• MV Ganga Vilas’s itinerary has been designed to showcase India's rich heritage while staying at places of historical, cultural and religious importance.
• From the famous 'Ganga Aarti' in Varanasi, it will stop at Sarnath, a place of great reverence of Buddhism. It will also cover Mayang, which is known for its tantric lore and is the centre of Majuli, the largest river island and Vaishnava culture in Assam. The pilgrims will also visit Bihar School of Yoga and Vikramshila University, which will give them an opportunity to get acquainted with the rich Indian heritage in spirituality and knowledge.
• The cruise will pass through the biodiversity-rich World Heritage Sites of the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal Delta, famous for the Royal Bengal Tigers, as well as the Kaziranga National Park, famous for one-horned rhinoceros.
• The MV Ganga Vilas cruise is 62 meters long, 12 meters wide and runs with a draft of 1.4 meters. It has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, which have all the facilities to provide a memorable and luxurious experience for the tourists.
• The ship adheres to permanent principles at its core, as it is equipped with pollution-free systems and noise control techniques. In the first visit of MV Ganga Vilas, 32 tourists from Switzerland will enjoy the journey from Varanasi to Dibrugarh. The expected date of arrival of MV Ganga Vilas in Dibrugarh is March 1, 2023.
• MV Ganga Vilas Cruise is a first-of-its-kind cruise service. The success of this service in collaboration with Inland Waterways Authority under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is likely to encourage entrepreneurs to take advantage of river cruises in other parts of the country.
• The global river cruise market has grown at 5 percent in the last few years and the cruise market is expected to reach 37 percent by 2027. In the world, Europe is growing with about 60 percent share in terms of river cruise ships.
• In India, 8 river cruise ships operate between Kolkata and Varanasi, while cruise movement also operates on National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra). Tourism activities like river rafting, camping, sightseeing, kayaking, etc. are operated at many places in the country.
• 10 passenger terminals are being constructed on National Waterway 2 which will further increase the chances of river cruise. Currently, four river cruise ships are operating in National Waterway 2, while it is National Waterway 3 (West Coast Canal), National Waterway 8, National Waterway 4, National Waterway 87, National Waterway 97, and National Waterway 5 Working in limited capacity.
• Now that capital expenditure for capacity building in inland waterways is being ramped up, river cruises, with a systematic forward and backward linkage to the economy, are set to develop, especially on both sides of rivers.

RALSA's Annual Calendar for the Year 2023

Why In News?

• On January 9, 2023, the annual calendar of the year 2023 of RALSA was released by Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Justice Pankaj Mithal and Chief Conservator, RALSA, Justice M.M. Srivastava.

Key Points

• Authority's Member Secretary Denesh Kumar Gupta said that the calendar includes glimpses of 18^th All India Meet, Legal Services Day, International Women's Day, World Water Day and other special days organized by RALSA in the year 2022.
• Apart from this, glimpses of POCSO Act seminars, night shelter inspections, sports competitions organized for the promotion of legal awareness and other activities related to spreading legal awareness and providing free legal services have also been included in the calendar.
• It is noteworthy that the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority (RALSA) came into existence on 07.07.1998 by notification issued by the State Government.

MP Tourism Board signed 8 MoUs in PBD 2023

Why In News?

• On January 9, 2023, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board signed MoU with 8 country chapters of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) at MP Tourism Pavilion at Brilliant Convention Center in Indore at 17^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention.

Key Points

• The MoUs were signed with France Metropole Paris, Mauritius, Reunion Islands, Martinique, Sri Lanka, Gopio International, Malaysia and Mauritius.
• The MoU was signed by Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture and Managing Director Tourism Board Shiv Shekhar Shukla on behalf of the Tourism Board and chairmen of eight countries of GOPIO.
• Principal Secretary Shiv Shekhar Shukla said that this MoU has been signed with the aim of establishing more cooperation in the development of the tourism sector of the state, promoting and promoting tourist places. It is also an effort to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation in research, promotion and tourism development.
• The Principal Secretary said that every person of Indian origin is indeed a cultural ambassador of the country. He also appealed to all overseas Indians to promote India's culture abroad.
• President GOPIO Frans Rajaram Munuswamy said the MoU will pave the way for a fruitful relationship for the two countries. This will further strengthen the bond that exists between Madhya Pradesh tourism and French speaking regions.

MOU will be Signed Between American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and Madhya Pradesh Government

Why In News?

• On January 9, 2023, Madhya Pradesh Medical Education Minister Vishwas Kailash Sarang informed that an MoU will be signed between the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and the Government of Madhya Pradesh under the Innovation Medical Knowledge Sharing Mission of the Medical Education Department.

Key Points

• Medical Education Minister Vishwas Kailash Sarang took this decision during a special discussion with doctors of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) organization on the second day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan.
• Medical Education Minister Sarang said that with the prestigious organization of doctors in America, new dimensions will be developed in the field of medical education and research in the state.
• Minister Sarang held detailed discussions with the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), an organization of doctors from the US, for mutual exchange in the field of medical education and research.
• Under the Medical Knowledge Sharing Mission, AAPI will provide its support for capacity building and training of medical students and doctors of Madhya Pradesh, technical support in setting up a Centre of Excellence for medical expertise, collaboration in the field of medical research as well as online lectures and workshops for medical students and doctors.

17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore

Why In News?

• On January 9, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 17^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD exhibition on the theme 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Overseas Indians in The Indian Freedom Struggle'.

Key Points

• The Prime Minister also released a commemorative postage stamp 'Go Safe, Trained' to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and efficient migration.
• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conference is a flagship event of the Government of India, which provides an important platform to connect with overseas Indians and enable overseas Indians to interact with each other.
• The 17^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized in Indore from January 08-10, 2023 in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
• The theme of the conference is 'Diaspora: Trusted Partners for India's Progress in the Amrut Period'. More than 3,500 overseas Indian members from about 70 different countries have registered for the PBD Convention.
• Addressing the conference, the Prime Minister said that for the first time, a digital Pravasi Bharatiya Divas exhibition has been organized on the theme of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', which brings out the glorious era once again.
• Highlighting the important role of the diaspora in the next 25 years of the journey of the AMRUT period, the Prime Minister said that they will strengthen India's unique global vision and its role in the global order.
• The PBD Convention will have five thematic plenary sessions-
  • First session on 'Role of Overseas Youth in Innovations and New Technologies' chaired by Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur.
  • Minister of Health and Family Welfare Minister of State for External Affairs Dr Mansukh Mandaviya presided over the function. Second session on 'Role of Indian Diaspora in Promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-System in AMRUT Period: Vision- 2047' co-chaired by Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
  • 3^rd session on 'Leveraging India's Soft Power – Goodwill through Crafts, Cuisine and Creativity' chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi.
  • 4^th session on 'Enabling Global Mobility of Indian Workforce - Role of Indian Diaspora' chaired by Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan.
  • Fifth session on 'Harnessing the Potential of Overseas Entrepreneurs towards an Inclusive Approach to Nation Building' chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• The 17^th PBD Convention assumes significance as it is being held as a de facto event for the first time after a gap of four years and since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last PBD conference was held virtually in 2021 during the pandemic.

Chhattisgarh Ranks Third in the Country in Anemia Free India Campaign

Why In News?

• According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on January 9, 2023, Chhattisgarh ranks third in the country in providing IFA (Iron Folic Acid) supplementation to children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women under the Anemia Free India Campaign. Only Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are ahead of Chhattisgarh in the entire country.

Key Points

• Under the Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, children from six months to 19 years and pregnant and lactating women are given IFA supplements. Iron and folic acid syrup are provided to young children and tablets to pregnant and lactating women by Mitanins. Along with this, children are given IFA medicines in schools.
• It is worth mentioning that the government of India issues a score card of IFA supplementation in all states and union territories every month under the Anemia Free India Campaign. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently released the report of IFA supplementation across the country in the months of July, August and September. According to this, Chhattisgarh has been consistently ranked third in the country in these months.
• Dr. VR Bhagat, State Nodal Officer of Anemia Free India Program, said that Chhattisgarh is consistently leading in IFA supplementation to overcome anemia, leaving behind many big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu. Occupies the third position. This campaign has picked up pace in the state in the last few months. By June-2022, Chhattisgarh was at the sixth position in the country.
• According to the state-wise statistics of IFA supplementation released by the Government of India till September-2022, IFA supplementation has been given to 66.4 percent of children aged six months to 59 months in Chhattisgarh and 71.5 percent children aged five to nine years in Chhattisgarh. During this period, 74.6 percent children and adolescents in the age group of 10 to 19 years, 95 percent pregnant women and 61.6 percent lactating mothers have been given IFA supplements. Taking all these groups together, the overall score of IFA supplementation in Chhattisgarh is 73.8 percent.

Rudraprayag District Administration Got Silver Medal Under Digital India Award 2022

Why In News?

• President Draupadi Murmu presented the Silver Medal at the seventh edition of Digital India Awards 2022 to Rudraprayag district administration of Uttarakhand at a function held in Delhi on January 7, 2023.

Key Points

• President Draupadi Murmu honored Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mayur Dixit and Sub-District Magistrate Ukhimath Jitendra Verma with awards. Rudraprayag district administration has been given this award in the Digital Deposit Refund System (DRS) category.
• The district administration, under the leadership of District Magistrate Mayur Dixit had made a unique arrangement for recycling to dispose of water bottles, cold drinks and other plastic items used by lakhs of devotees coming on the yatra route.
• For this, QR code system was implemented on the Kedarnath Yatra Marg, Chopta, Tungnath and Deoriatal Marg as a pilot project in collaboration with the recycling organization. QR code system was started for disposal of plastic goods, under which tagging of plastic bottles was done. An additional Rs 10 is charged at the time of sale for each QR coded bottle, while Rs 10 is given to each bottle returned.
• District Magistrate Mayur Dixit said that the project started in the year 2022 with the installation of QR code on water bottles, while it was also implemented on cold drink bottles.
• The Digital India Awards (DIA) provide an opportunity to bring digital initiatives to the fore. These awards have been instituted under the aegis of The National Portal of India to encourage and honor innovative digital solutions by government institutions at all levels.
• The Digital India Awards 2022 aim to inspire not only government institutions but also startups to fulfil the Digital India vision.
• In this edition of Digital India Awards, awards were given to 22 teams in seven categories.