Today's Current Affairs 5th April 2023

NATIONAL

Anurag Thakur Signs Collaboration Agreement Between I&B Ministry And Amazon

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting inked a partnership with Amazon India. The ministry in a press release said that the Letter of Engagement (LoE) will lead to a multidimensional partnership between the various organisations under the Ministry and various verticals of Amazon.

hese include the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Prasar Bharati, Publications Division, and the media training institutions of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) on the government’s side. On Amazon's side, the LoE involves the participation of Amazon Prime Video, Alexa, Amazon Music, Amazon e-marketplace, and IMDb.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership, Anurag Thakur said that the agreement will reduce the struggle period for talent from film institutes. He said the partnership would help strengthen industry-academia linkages through provisions for scholarships, internships, masterclasses, and other opportunities for students at the Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Tata International appoints Rajeev Singhal as Chief Operating Officer

Tata Group's trading and distribution arm Tata International on Tuesday announced the appointment of Rajeev Singhal as its Chief Operating Officer.

He assumed office from April 1, 2023 and will report to Tata International Ltd Managing Director Anand Sen, the company said in a statement.

All vertical heads will report to Singhal, who moved from Tata Steel to Tata International and has experience of over 35 years, it added.

Prior to his latest role, he was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Flat Products at Tata Steel.

"I believe that his strategic insights and operational expertise will be invaluable as we continue to drive growth and expand our presence. I am confident that under his leadership, Tata International will scale to greater heights in all aspects of the business," Sen said.

RS Sodhi roped in by Reliance Retail to spearhead grocery business

Reliance Retail, the retail arm of Reliance Industries (RIL), has hired RS Sodhi, former MD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF),.

Sodhi is expected to help Reliance Retail build its grocery vertical, especially in the fruits and vegetable space, besides helping its consumer brands segment. The company has been aggressively increasing its presence in the segment. Recently, it has launched a wide range of products, from beverages under the Campa brand to home items.

The conglomerate had earlier hired former Coca-Cola India chairman T Krishnakumar.

Sodhi is an industry veteran who worked with GCMMF for 41 years. He stepped down from his role in January. He was then the managing director (MD) of the federation. Before that, he was the general marketing manager in the 2000s.

For more than three decades, Sodhi worked under the direct guidance of Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution. He obtained a bachelor's degree in agri-engineering from CTAE, Udaipur, and he is among the first-batch alumni of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (Irma).

During the pandemic, Amul launched over 100 stock-keeping units under Sodhi's leadership.

Sanjay Gupta has been appointed the chairperson of IESA

Sanjay Gupta has been appointed as the chairperson of India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) for FY24 after elections on April 5 to pick a new leadership team for the organization.

Gupta is the president and chief executive officer of Spark Minda. The newly elected members of IESA’s executive council are Anku Jain (of MediaTek), Hitesh Garg (NXP), and V Veerappan (Tessolve). The other members include Sudhir Naik (EInfoChips), Ashok Mishra (Reliance Jio), and Manoj Kumar (STMicro).

IESA represents the country’s electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) industry and it has more than 260 members.

The new council will make IESA’s strategy for the electronics and semiconductor industry’s growth. "This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth of this sunrise sector in India and accelerate the government's Make in India initiative,” said Gupta.

“IESA will continue to drive strategic partnerships between industry, academia, and government to unlock the full potential of this sector along with supporting start-ups and emerging players in the industry,” he said. Gupta, an engineer, has more than 28 years of experience in strategy, innovation, technology, research and development, operations and management.

IMPORTNT DAYS

National Maritime Day: India

The National Maritime Week begins on March 30 and culminates in the celebration of National Maritime Day on April 5, The first event of the National Maritime Day or the inaugural ceremony was celebrated in 1964 with an aim to increase awareness about the economy and global trade. The main agenda behind the celebration is symbolizing the necessity of protection, safeguard, and Defence our maritime zone.

Maritime is one of the efficient, secure, and ecologically method of moving goods from one side of the world to the other. It is a day of thanking the people who spend months at the sea contributing to the majority of India’s trade and commerce activities on a worldwide scale. It is important to maintain a secure navigational channel and routes for the nation's trade and overall growth.

This day is an appreciation day for people who have made significant contributions to the Indian maritime sector. An award ceremony is held on India's National Maritime Day during which the Varuna Award is given to few people. The award is a statue of Lord Varuna and a Citation, is the name of this honour.

International Day of Conscience

The United Nations General Assembly observes the International Day of Conscience to recognise the significance of the human conscience, every April 5. An essential intellectual characteristic that sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom is the conscience.

Conscious of the need for the creation of conditions of stability and well-being and peaceful and friendly relations based on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, the General Assembly declared 5 April the International Day of Conscience.

The task of constructing a culture of peace requires comprehensive educational, cultural, social and civic action, in which each person has something to learn and something to give and share. It addresses all ages and all groups; it is an open-minded global strategy with a specific purpose, namely, to make a culture of peace inseparable from culture per se and to take root in people's hearts and minds. Peace is not only the absence of differences and conflicts. It is a positive, dynamic, participatory process linked intrinsically to democracy, justice and development for all by which differences are respected, dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are constantly transformed by non-violent means into new avenues of cooperation.

Babu Jagjivan Ram Birth Anniversary

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Babu Jagjivan Ram Ji on his birth anniversary.

Babu Jagjivan Ram, popularly known as Babuji, was a freedom fighter and politician who championed the cause of social justice. He was born on April 5, 1908, in Chandwa village, in Shahabad district (now Bhojpur) of Bihar.

During British Rule, Babu Jagjivan Ram played an active role in India’s freedom movement as a member of the Indian National Congress. After independence, he served as a Union minister

Jagjivan Ram was India’s Defence Minister during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. He also served as Minister of Labour, and Minister of Communications under the governments of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. He was the Deputy Prime Minister between 1977 and 1979.

Babu Jagjivan Ram passed away on July 6, 1986, leaving behind a legacy of social and political activism. He is remembered as one of India’s most respected and influential leaders, who dedicated his entire life for the cause of social justice and upliftment of the backward sections of the society

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

IIT Kanpur to host Youth20 consultation on April 5,6

The India Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) will be hosting the Youth20 (Y20) consultation under G20 presidency of India on April 5 and 6, 2023. Over 1,200 youth delegates across India will be attending the event. IIT Guwahati held the Y20 summit where over 250 international delegates attended the event from February 6 to 8, 2023.

Out of the five core themes, the Y20 consultation at IITK will be catering to two themes- “Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation, and 21st Century Skills” and “Health, Well-being and Sports: Agenda for Youth”. Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary for sports Navneet Sehgal has been invited as the chief guest and is likely to address the participants on April 6, 2023.

The Y20 consultation, under the aegis of ministry of youth affairs and sports, is a pan-India activity in the run up to the final Y20 Summit that will be held in Varanasi. The discussions from the consultation aims to bring young people together to connect, share ideas and experiences, and deliberate on finding solutions to pressing global concerns.