Kanchan Devi, an IFS officer from the 1991 batch of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was appointed as director general of Dehradun-based Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) on Friday. With over three decades of service, she became the first woman officer to hold this position.

With expertise in various domains of forest, wildlife and their policies, Devi specialises in forest management, policies and administration.

She is among the few Indian IFS officers in the country who played a key role in setting up the Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management and implementation of the World Bank-funded Ecosystem Services Improvement Project (ESIP) at ICFRE.

Before assuming this posting, Devi served as deputy director general (education) for the past four years at ICFRE. Her contributions span her tenure in Madhya Pradesh and the central government, including her role as a faculty member at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy. She has been instrumental in promoting forest education in the country, accrediting forestry courses and conducting research on forest policy, fostering human resource development.

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder platform bringing together representatives from various groups, considering all to be at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet. India Internet Governance Forum 2023 (IIGF-2023) is a hybrid event, being convened on 5th December from 09:00 – 18:30 (IST). After successfully convening the first two edition of the IIGF in 2021 and 2022, the third edition of the IIGF is being conducted under the overarching theme “Moving Forward – Calibrating Bharat’s Digital Agenda”.

The event is an effort to delve deeper into issues such as building a secure, trusted & resilient cyberspace for Bharat, Enabling Innovation for India’s Developmental Goals, Bridging Divides and Calibrating Bharat’s Digital Agenda – on Leadership for Global Digital Governance & Cooperation. For attendees in person the event is being held at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The link to register for the event and view the detailed agenda is: https://indiaigf.in/agenda-2023/

Vaishali Rameshbabu has become India’s 84th grandmaster after surpassing 2500 rating during the 2023 IV Elllobregat Open on Saturday.

Vaishali is now the third female grandmaster from India after Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli.

Vaishali and her younger brother R. Praggnanandhaa is now the first sister-brother pair to be grandmasters.

She defeated Turkish FM Tamer Tarik Selbes (2238) in the second round to surpass rating and has started the tournament with two consecutive wins.

The 22-year-old had three GM norms - Xtracon Open 2019, Fischer Memorial 2022, and Qatar Open 2023 - and only needed 4.5 ratings to go past the 2500-mark.

She is now the current world number 11 in women’s ranking with a live rating of 2501.5 and India’s number two.

The Indian Railways will be installing an AI-based surveillance system to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks. These surveillance system will be installed on 700 kilometres of route passing through forest areas.

Announcing this, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday said, “We have identified forest areas in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand and some parts of Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu which are home to elephants." The Minister also said that the technology, which was created by the railroads in association with a few start-ups, was implemented on a 150-kilometer section of Assam last year and has shown to be quite beneficial.

Asked if the railways has officially named the system, the minister said, "You can call it 'Gajraj System'." The minister, during his interaction with reporters, referred to the introduction of the system in the NFR.

Dr Rajendra Prasad was the first president of independent India. He was born on 3 December, 1884 in Siwan, Bihar. Dr. Prasad was a freedom fighter, a teacher and a lawyer. He was a keen follower of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles and ideologies. He is the only Indian President to have been re-elected for two consecutive terms. He was elected in 1952 and 1957. Dr. Prasad was a key member in drafting India’s constitution. He was conferred with Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1962. Dr Rajendra Prasad breathed his last on February 28, 1963, at the age of 78.

President Droupadi Murmu today paid floral tributes to former President of India, R. Venkataraman on his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Ramasamy Venkataraman served as the eighth President of India from 1987 to 1992. Hailing from Rajamadam village of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Venkataraman made significant contributions to Indian politics and constitutional law during his illustrious career. Before entering politics, Mr. Venkataraman was a part of the Indian freedom struggle. After India gained independence, R. Venkataraman was elected four times to the Lok Sabha and he also served in various ministerial roles. 

The World's first portable hospital, 'Aarogya Maitri Aid Cube' was unveiled on Saturday (2nd December 2023) in Gurugram. Designed indigenously under the Project 'BHISHM', the modular trauma management and aid system is made up of 72 detachable mini-cubes, each being a specialized station for emergency response and humanitarian efforts. It can handle bullet injuries, burns, head, spinal and chest injuries, minor surgeries, fractures and major bleeding. It can treat as many as 200 patients. These cubes are light and portable, and can be rapidly deployed anywhere, from airdrops to ground transportation.

Talking to Akashwani News, Air Vice Marshal Tanmay Roy said that the mobile hospital is part of India’s message of health for all and assisting other nations during their times of crises.

In an initiative announced at COP28, the World Bank unveiled its Climate and Health Program to combat the escalating health risks triggered by climate change in low- and middle-income countries.

According to a press release by the World Bank, with projections indicating at least 21 million additional deaths by 2050 due to climate-related health hazards, the program aims to fortify health systems, particularly in vulnerable regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The initiative involves comprehensive strategies, including assessing climate and health vulnerabilities, bolstering investments in resilient health systems, and mobilizing funds for immediate action.

More than 150 management and delegates converged at the Hyatt Regency Pune to discuss role of innovations and new technologies and resultant disruptions across sectors and geographies. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Pune in association with organizing the 11th Edition of West Tech Summit 2023 focused on the theme "Technological Innovation & International Expansion" in Pune on 30 November 2023. The conference was supported by 'The Embassy of Republic of Korea' and Korea-Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) India-Korea Business Cooperation Center.

Chang Jae-bok, Ambassador of Republic of Korea to India delivered the key note address while Shekhar Singh, IAS, Commissioner Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and Pradeep Bhargava Chairman, CII GreenCo Council and Chairman Automotive Stampings and Assemblies Ltd. delivered special address.

Rajasthan’s Abhinav Choudhary clinched the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol title at the National Shooting Championship here on Sunday.

Abhinav shot a score of 30 in the final to outgun Uttar Pradesh’s Ankur Goel, who finished with 26 hits to his name. Delhi’s Arpit Goel was third with 21 at the MP State Shooting Academy range.

Abhinav had earlier qualified for the top-six final round with a score of 584 in qualification, which was also the leading score.

In the junior men’s rapid-fire pistol, Vijayveer Sidhu struck gold with 28 hits in the final, getting the better of Haryana’s Paris Olympic quota winner Anish Bhanwala, who had 25.