Daily Current Affairs – 15-01-2025

Tamil Nadu

India joins UN Big Data Committee

® India has joined the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD). ® The committee will study the benefits and challenges of Big Data, including its potential for monitoring and reporting on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ® India recently rejoined the UN Statistical Council. ® The UN-CEBD consists of 31 member states and 16 international organizations.

IWDC 2 nd meeting

® The 2nd Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC) meeting was held in Kaziranga, Assam . ® The National River Traffic and Navigation System (NRT&NS) was launched to ensure safe and sustainable inland vessel movement. ® A Central Database Module and Issuance of Certificates were launched to streamline vessel certification. ® The government plans to launch 1,000 green vessels to promote sustainable inland waterway transport and generate economic opportunities. ® A Regional Centre of Excellence (RcoE ) in Dibrugarh, Assam was established. ® Construction of 6 floating steel jetties on river Godavari (NW 4) in Andhra Pradesh was also announced. ® A feasibility study on river Penna (NW 79) and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for NW 4 were announced. ® Over ₹3,000 crore will be allocated for developing NW 2, NW 16, and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) by 2030.

18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

® PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention in Bhubaneswar, Odisha . ® The event’s theme is ‘Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat’ . ® The event is jointly organised by the Government of India (GoI) and the Odisha government. ® PM Modi flagged off the Pravasi Bharatiya Express , a special tourist train from Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi . ® The train is for Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) aged 45-65 years and belonging to low-income categories.

NPOP 8th edition launched

® The 8th edition of the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) at the C Subramaniam Auditorium in New Delhi was launched. ® The event was organised by the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). ® The aim is to boost India’s organic export sector to $2 billion by 2030 . ® During the event, the following portals were launched NPOP portal, TraceNet 2.0. Organic Promotion Portal, APEDA portal and AgriXchange portal ® Revised derogation provisions may reduce the land conversion period to organic farm by up to 3 years , subject to conditions and safeguards.