For the first time, China has enacted a national law on “protection and exploitation” of country’s land border areas.

Key facts

Timing of the new border law is significant as China continues to be at loggerheads with India across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), separating both the countries.

Aim of the law

As per Chinese media, the new law has been enacted with the aim of maintaining national security and managing border-related matters at the legal level amid the regional tensions”.

• The new border law will come into effect from January 1, 2022. It mandates People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China to counter any “invasion, encroachment, infiltration, [or] provocation” across the land borders of China.
• The law also provides a legal framework for hard border closures, if needed.
• The law requires the Chinese government to take measures for “strengthening border defence, supporting economic & social development and opening-up in border areas”.
• It also calls for improvements in public services and infrastructure in border areas in a bid to “encourage and support people’s life and work there”.

Saudi Arabia launched a “National Infrastructure Fund” on October 25, 2021 to invest 200 billion Riyals in projects over the next decade.

Highlights

• National Infrastructure Fund will invest in water, transportation, energy, education, health, digital infrastructure, and communication.
• The fund will finance privatized infrastructure projects as well as create investment opportunities for these projects.
• It will provide innovative financing solutions, which in turn contribute towards enhancing the attractiveness of investment opportunities.
• It will also contribute to development of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and will help in creating job opportunities.

Why was this fund created?

The fund was created as Saudi Arabia has been striving to diversify its economy. It seeks to reduce its dependence on oil by empowering the private sector & by offering different economic initiatives. This fund will contribute to achieving the goal of Saudi’s Vision 2030 by promoting projects.

The central government has planned to set up a committee for National Employment Policy (NEP), which seeks to create a roadmap for improving job opportunities in India.

Highlights

• The committee will comprise of representatives from Ministry of labour and other ministries.
• It will also include prominent people from industry.
• It will be a high-powered committee, of which views and recommendations will be taken.

National Employment Policy (NEP)

The NEP seeks to create a sector-wise strategy to improve the potential of job creation by pulling investments towards employment-intensive sectors, attracting new industries by creating an enabling environment and by policy interventions. It will be created based on data from five all-India labour surveys and E-Shram portal for facilitating evidence-based policymaking to generate employment. Following the consultations, it will be sent for cabinet approval.

On October 25, 2021, a National Steering Committee (NSC) has been formed to implement NIPUN Bharat Mission.

NIPUN Bharat Mission

• NIPUN stands for “National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy”.
• This mission was launched by the “Department of School Education and Literacy” in July 2021.
• Mission was launched with the aim of achieving the goal of universal proficiency in foundational literacy & numeracy in accordance with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020).
• NEP 2020 envisages to provide universal proficiency in foundational literacy & numeracy to every child by end of Class 3 by 2026-27.

Government has established the “National Steering Committee” to implement NIPUN Bharat mission. Committee will be chaired by Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. Minister of State for Education, Annapurna Devi will act as the vice-chairperson.

Objective of the committee

National Steering Committee has been established with the objective to oversee the progress of “National Mission on Foundational Literacy & Numeracy”. Committee will also provide guidance on policy issues and help in achieving the desired target in 2026-27. It will also review programmatic and financial norms in a bid to ensure that they are synchronised with targets to be achieved.

Function of NSC

One of the responsibilities of NSC is to disseminate tools for measuring yearly progress in the form of guidelines. It also seeks to develop assessment methodology to analyse the progress & provide feedback to States & UTs.

Members of NSC

Other members of the NSC include- Secretary of School Education & Literacy; Director of NCERT; Secretary of Education, Karnataka; Secretary Education, Uttar Pradesh; Director SCERT Sikkim and Director SCERT Gujarat.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented the 67th National Film awards on October 25, 2021.

Highlights

• Presentation ceremony of the 67th National Film Awards was held at Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan on Monday. 
• 51^st Dadasaheb Phalke Award was conferred to actor Rajinikanth.
• Manoj Bajpayee, Kangana Ranaut and Dhanush were conferred with acting honours.
• Best Feature Film award was given to Priyadarshan’s Malayalam period epic named ‘Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea’.
• Best Hindi Film Award was presented to Chhichhore movie, starring the late Sushant Singh Rajput.

About 67^th National Film awards

67th National Film awards were announced in March 2021 however, they were honoured the best in cinema in the year 2019. Awards were postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.

It is the most prominent film award ceremony, held in India. It was established in the year 1954. It has been administered since 1973, along with Indian Panorama and International Film Festival of India by the Directorate of Film Festivals of Indian government.

India and Sweden celebrated the 8th Innovation Day on October 26. During the online event they discussed several aspects of climate change and possible solutions to bring in green transition.

• The one-day event was divided into nine parts for discussing several aspects of climate change. Both sides also discussed possible solutions to initiate green transition.
• In the session, they also exchanged the ideas for implementing digital technology and Artificial Intelligence in order to introduce climate-friendly solutions.

Theme of the event

The online event was organised under the theme ‘Accelerating India Sweden’s Green Transition’.

Who was the host?

India Sweden Innovation Day was hosted by “India Unlimited” in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Sweden, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Sweden-India Business Council.

India–Sweden relations

The bilateral relation between India and Sweden is historic. Sweden is among the countries that recognised India’s independence from the United Kingdom in the year 1947. Both the countries established their formal diplomatic relations in 1949. India has established an embassy in Stockholm. On the other hand, Sweden established an embassy in New Delhi. Sweden also established honorary consulates in Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai.

People to People tie

Around 10000 Indian citizens are living and work in Sweden. There are also around 9000 persons of Indian origin. Both the groups are employed in business or professional fields.

Union Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, inaugurated the first direct flight on Shillong–Dibrugarh sector on October 26, 2021.

Key Points

• This flight was made operational under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN).
• In September 2021, Shillong airport witnessed more than 5000 passengers.

Why connectivity to Shillong is significant?

Shillong is one among the highest & wettest places of the world. It is important not only for India but for the entire world. It has always been known as Scotland of East because of presence of rolling hills, tallest waterfalls, caves, beautiful landscapes as well as its rich heritage & culture. The place attracts tourists from entire world. This, it is necessary to improve connectivity there.

Which airline will work on this route?

Indigo won the bidding for Shillong – Dibrugarh route during the UDAN 4 bidding process. It will deploy its 78-seater ATR 72 aircraft to the route. Under the UDAN scheme, around 389 routes and 62 airports have been operationalized.

About UDAN 4.1

UDAN 4.1 scheme was launched in 2020. Under this phase, 78 new routes were approved under this phase, to enhance connectivity across remote & regional areas in India. Under this route, it was planned to connect Agatti, Kavaratti, and Minicoy islands of Lakshadweep. It focuses on connecting smaller airports, special helicopters, and seaplane routes.

National Tribal Dance Festival will be held in Raipur from October 28 to October 30.

Highlights

• The festival will be held at Science College Ground, under the Tourism Development plan of Chhattisgarh government.
• It is a three-day National Tribal Dance Festival.
• Festival will witness participation of Tribal Dance Groups from several states and union territories of India.
• International participants will also take part in the festival, portraying and celebrating the tribal folk culture of their respective country.

National Tribal Dance Festival will feature multiple artists belonging to diverse tribal communities from different parts of India. Artists from countries like Kingdom of Eswatini, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Mali, Syria, and Palestine will also take part in the event.

Significance of the festival

The festival will promote and celebrate the uniqueness of tribal culture. It will also showcase the richness and diversity of tribal life across Chhattisgarh and other areas of India & world.

Dance performances

The dance performances in the event will be held in two categories namely, Wedding Ceremonies and Other Prominent Rituals.

First edition of the festival

First edition of the National Tribal Dance Festival was organised in the year 2019. It witnessed the participation of tribal communities from 25 states of India along with six guest countries. Around 1 lakh people attended the event.