Today's Brief 20/1/2025

IE Analysis:https://youtu.be/DkQ1lXxMtr8?si=PYycXtEW8bpmr9Es

JN Analysis:https://youtu.be/7vOzDML8d2k?si=gU8w8ESCgHUqrAoA

1 .Kho-Kho World cup

 (GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

concluded in New Delhi with India claiming the men’s and women’s titles after beating Nepal in both finals at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on January 19

In the men’s division, India outplayed Nepal by a 54-36 scoreline in the summit clash while the women’s title decider finished 78-40 in the hosts’ favour.

This was the inaugural edition of the world kho kho competition, backed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and featured 20 men’s and 19 women’s teams.

The Indian men’s team was in Group A with Nepal, Peru, Brazil and Bhutan while the women’s team was drawn in Group A with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia and Republic of Korea.

2 .NDRF Day:

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day is celebrated annually on January 19th to commemorate its establishment in 2006. This significant day honors the unwavering dedication and selfless service of NDRF personnel who tirelessly work to mitigate the devastating impacts of natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and cyclones across India.

Observed with various events, including award ceremonies recognizing their bravery and exceptional service, NDRF Raising Day also serves to emphasize the crucial importance of disaster preparedness and resilience within communities.

3 .NIXI :

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

is a not for profit Organization under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013, and was registered on 19th June, 2003. NIXI was set up for peering of ISPs among themselves for the purpose of routing the domestic traffic within the country, instead of taking it all the way to US/Abroad,

thereby resulting in better quality of service (reduced latency) and reduced bandwidth charges for ISPs by saving on International Bandwidth.

NIXI is managed and operated on a Neutral basis, in line with the best practices for such initiatives globally.

IN Domain Registry: NIXI manages the ".in" domain, the country-code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) for India. This involves registering and managing domain names ending with ".in" (e.g., example.in), which are crucial for online presence and e-commerce.  

IPv6 Adoption: NIXI actively promotes the adoption of IPv6, the next-generation internet protocol, which addresses the limitations of the current IPv4 system

4 .India and USA Cyber Security Agreement :

 (GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

to enhance cooperation and information sharing on cyber threat intelligence and digital forensics in criminal investigations.

Key Aspects:

• Focus: The MoU aims to strengthen collaboration in areas such as:

  • Cyber threat intelligence sharing: Exchanging information about cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and malicious actors.

  • Digital forensics: Cooperating in the collection, analysis, and preservation of digital evidence in criminal investigations.

• Objectives:

  • Improve investigative capabilities: By combining expertise and resources, both countries aim to enhance their ability to investigate and disrupt cybercrime activities.

  • Combat cyber threats: The agreement seeks to bolster joint efforts in combating cyber threats such as terrorism, violent extremism, and other transnational crimes.

Significance:

• Enhanced Security Cooperation: The MoU represents a significant step forward in the growing security partnership between India and the United States.

• Combating Cybercrime: By fostering closer collaboration, the two countries aim to more effectively combat the increasing challenges posed by cybercrime in the digital age

5 .Startup India initiative completes 9 years: 

 (GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

is a flagship program launched by the Government of India in 2016 to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. It aims to create a conducive environment for startups to thrive, promoting economic growth and job creation.

Since the launch of the initiative on 16th January, 2016, Startup India has rolled out several programs with the objective of supporting entrepreneurs, and transforming India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers.

The broad scope of Startup India’s programs is outlined in the Action Plan below, and is managed by a dedicated Startup India Team, which reports to the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DPIIT).

The 19-Point Action Plan envisages the following forms of support for Startups, and more:

- Enhanced infrastructure including incubation centres

- Easier IPR facilitation, including easier patent filing

- A better regulatory environment including tax benefits, easier compliance, improved of setting up a company, faster exit mechanisms and more

- An economic stimulus in the form a INR 10,000 crore Fund of Funds managed by SIDBI, with the goal of increasing funding opportunities

- This website, also known as the Startup India Portal, which offers a range of useful resources and a vast networking database for entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the Startup ecosystem­

5 .Bhashini Platform: 

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

, the National Language Technology Mission (NLTM), was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2022 to provide language technology solutions as digital public goods through the Bhashini platform (https://bhashini.gov.in).

Bhashini is a platform that helps translate languages spoken in India, like Hindi, Tamil, or Bengali. It uses special technology called AI to understand and translate these languages. This makes it easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other and access information online.

This is aimed to be achieved by harnessing emerging technologies such as AI/ML, and NLP to develop and share open-source models, tools and solutions (products and services) for Indian languages with ecosystem development involving startups, industries, academia, research groups, enthusiasts and State/Central Governments