On 3rd December, Amazon India announced its receipt of the prestigious National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, awarded by the Government of India

The award was presented by Smt. Droupadi Murmu, Honourable President of India, at Vigyan Bhavan on International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Sunday, December 3, 2023. This accolade serves as a testament to Amazon India's unwavering commitment to fostering a diverse and equitable workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

“We are immensely honored to receive the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities,” said Dr. Karuna Shankar Pande, Director - Last Mile Operations, Amazon India. “At Amazon India, inclusivity is at the core of our values, and we are dedicated to creating an environment where everyone can thrive. This national recognition reaffirms our dedication to fostering an inclusive workplace and society, ensuring that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunities and access to resources,” added Pande.

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 5 (PTI) The Centre for Autism and other Disabilities Rehabilitation Research and Education (CADRRE) on Tuesday announced an international short film festival on autism.

Titled as CIFA, the CADRRE International Film festival on Autism, invited entries of short films between one to five minutes duration that explore the diverse narratives and experiences related to Autism in a positive manner, the organisers said.

The festival, set to take place here, will award the best film with a cash prize and an official certificate of recognition.

A jury, comprising experts in the fields of film and autism, would be announced later, the organisers said, adding that the deadline for submission of entries is December 29.

President Joe Biden has nominated prominent Indian-American global venture capitalist Deven Parekh as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Development Finance Corporation, a development finance institution and agency of the US government.

Parekh, the managing director at software investment firm Insight Partners, was nominated for the post last week.

His nomination will be for a period of three years, the White House said in a press release on Friday.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a plaque. Jimmy George’s brothers, Jose (committee head), Robert Bobby, Sebastian and Stanley along with Olympian Anju Bobby George were the members of the award committee.

Olympian Murali Sreeshankar, the long jump silver medallist in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, has won the 35th Jimmy George Foundation award for the best sportsperson of Kerala.

Sreeshankar, No. 4 in this year’s World long jump list, won silver medals in the Asian Games in China and Asian Championships in Thailand and also a bronze in the Paris Diamond League this year. He had won the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver in Britain and was seventh in the World Championships in the USA last year.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Shankarrao Pujari Nutan Nagari Sahakari Bank Limited in Kolhapur city. The Commissioner for Cooperation and Registrar Cooperative Societies, Maharashtra, has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank.

According to RBI, the licence was cancelled as the bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects and it does not comply with the provisions of Section 11(1) and Section 22 (3) (d) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

The bank has also failed to comply with various other sections of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Prashant Agrawal, President of Narayan Seva Sansthan, was honoured with the prestigious National Award for 'Best Personality- Empowerment of Differently-abled' by President Draupadi Murmu at a ceremony organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

The event, held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, witnessed the presence of dignitaries including Dr Virendra Kumar, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, along with Ramdas Athawale, Pratima Bhoumik, and A. Narayan Swami.

Recognised for his outstanding contributions, Prashant Agrawal has led initiatives in establishing residential schools, and vocational rehabilitation centres, and providing assistive devices for differently-abled individuals.

The actions undertaken by the Bihar government in the field of afforestation, particularly through the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Abhiyan (Rural Development Department), received praise on Saturday from the international community at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-28) in Dubai.

The Bihar delegation, led by Department Of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (DoEFCC) Secretary Bandana Preyashi, Director (Ecology) Surendra Singh, and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Ashutosh, participated in the prestigious COP-28 event, which gathers nations as signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). COP-28 commenced on November 30, marking its opening with an agreement on a loss and damage fund to assist developing countries in coping with the impact of climate change.

In order to encourage the Spatial Planning by the Gram Panchayat, Ministry of Panchayati Raj had launched the Geographic Information System (GIS) application “Gram Manchitra” (https://grammanchitra.gov.in). This application facilitates and supports Gram Panchayats to perform planning at Gram Panchayat level using geo-spatial technology. It provides a single/ unified Geo Spatial platform to better visualize the various developmental works to be taken up across the different sectors and provide a decision support system for Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP).

Further, Ministry has launched mActionSoft, a mobile based solution to help in capturing photos with Geo-Tags (i.e. GPS Coordinates) for the works which have asset as an output. Geo-tagging of the assets is done in all three stages viz. (i) before start of the work, (ii) during the work and (iii) on completion of work. This would provide a repository of information on all works and assets related to natural resource management, water harvesting, drought proofing, sanitation, agriculture, check dams and irrigation channels etc. Assets geo-tagged using the m-ActionSoft application is available on Gram Manchitra, enhancing the visualization of various developmental works in the Gram Panchayats.

Jithesh John, a 2001 batch Indian Economic Service Officer, has taken charge as Executive Director of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), according to a release. Earlier, John served as an economic adviser in the Ministry of Power.

"Jithesh John took charge as Executive Director, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)," a release dated December 1 by the IBBI said.

John has a postgraduate degree in Economics. He has completed more than 21 years in Government of India in various capacities. He has worked in various sectors such as financial, energy, infrastructure and small and medium enterprises.

The Government of India has approved several high-profile appointments, including the elevation of Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi to the position of Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, according to people aware of the matter. Vice Admiral Tripathi, currently serving as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, is set to take on the crucial role of Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, effective early January 2024.

His extensive experience and leadership in the naval domain make him a strategic choice for this pivotal position. The highly-rated officer has earlier served as chief of personnel Indian Navy, fleet commander and commanded front-line destroyers.