The first Virtual Global Skill Summit (VGSS) was organised today in New Delhi with an Indian mission in ten countries to facilitate overseas mobility of the skilled Indian workforce, in line with the government’s vision of making India the skill capital of the world.

Initiatives:

• India International Skill Centre: It ensures International workforce mobility opportunities for Indians
• NSDC International: To ensure overseas employment through specific programmes
• Skill India International Project: To help in skilling, certification and overseas employment of Indian
• International Partnership: Trainer-Assessor Academies with Singapore; UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) etc.
• The NEP 2020 has set the goal of exposing at least 50% of learners of the school and higher education systems to vocational education
• According to a Ministry of External Affairs report, there are 32 million NRIs and OCIs residing outside India and overseas Indians comprise the world’s largest overseas diaspora
• Saudi Arabia has the highest number of Indians ( almost 9.8% of Saudi’s overall population)

International Financial Services Centres Authority, IFSCA and the Reserve Bank of India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration in the field of regulation and supervision of regulated entities.

• As per an official statement, the MoU facilitates technical cooperation and exchange of information.
• The agreement aims to strengthen the safety, stability and soundness of respective financial ecosystems, thereby ensuring conducive environments for optimal business development and economic growth.

A week after Meta's biggest layoffs across board, WhatsApp’s India head Abhijit Bose, and Director Public Policy Meta India Rajiv Aggarwal, have resigned from their positions.

• Shivnath Thukral, Director of WhatsApp Public Policy in India, has now been made Director, Public Policy for all Meta brands in India.
• Last week, Meta trimmed around 11,000 jobs across the globe. Ajit Mohan, the head of Meta in India, had stepped down from his role earlier this month. He joined Snap as president, Asia-Pacific.

The Government of India has approved the appointment of Arvind Virmani, Founder, Chairman, Foundation for Economic Growth & Welfare as Full-Time member, NITI Aayog with an immediate effect and until further orders, on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to Full-Time Members of NITI Aayog.

• He served as the CEA in the Finance Ministry from 2007 to 2009.
• He has served in various capacities in the Government. Virmani was a member of the Reserve Bank of India’s Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy from February 2013 to August 2016.
• He had also served at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC.

The World Philosophy Day is celebrated on the third Thursday of November each year and this year it falls on November 17.

•  For a fact though, World Philosophy Day first fell on November 21, 2002. 
• It was declared an international day by the The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• On this day, UNESCO aimed to increase public knowledge of philosophy and how important it is for connecting the present to the past, the present to the future, and both.  

The first World Media Congress, also called as the Global Media Congress was inaugurated in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Congress is titled ‘Shaping the Future of the Media Industry’. Secretary, Ministry of Information Broadcasting Shri Apurva Chandra said that India has over 1.2 billion mobile phone users and 600 million smart phone users.

• The Secretary congratulated the United Arab Emirates for holding the first ever such Congress. 
• He said, India has over 1.2 billion mobile phone users and 600 million smart phone users. Along with very low data rates, this penetration of smart phones has resulted in users consuming high amount of information and entertainment via mobile devices. Social media has caused faster and deeper percolation of information in India, to the effect that this has even reduced the loss of lives in natural clamities.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched the fourth phase of Digital Shakti Campaign, a pan-India project on digitally empowering and skilling women and girls in the cyberspace, yesterday. 

In line with its commitment to create safe spaces for women and girls online, Digital Shakti 4.0 is focused on making women digitally skilled and aware to stand up against any illegal/inappropriate activity online. NCW launched it in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation and Meta.

• Digital Shakti started in June 2018 to help women across the nation to raise the awareness level on the digital front
• Through this project, over 3 Lakh women across India have been made aware of cyber safety tips and tricks

• It is helping women in reporting & redressal mechanisms, data privacy and usage of technology for their benefits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 25th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022, at a glittering ceremony in the presence of a galaxy of leaders from the IT, BT and start-up sectors.

National Epilepsy Day is celebrated on 17 November to make people aware of epilepsy disease, how is it caused, and possible treatment.

Date

National Epilepsy Day is observed annually on November 17th in an effort to raise awareness of epilepsy and reduce the stigma and fear surrounding it.

Theme

The theme of National Epilepsy Awareness Month (NEAM) 2022 is "There is no NEAM without ME," according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

History

There are an estimated 50 million epileptics worldwide, 80% of whom live in developing countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In an effort to reduce the prevalence of epilepsy in India, the Epilepsy Foundation of India established National Epilepsy Day. The non-profit Epilepsy Foundation of India's goal is to change societal attitudes toward epilepsy and to enhance the quality of life for people who experience seizures.

Chief Minister of Assam recently released the theme song for 400th birth anniversary celebration of the Lachit Barphukan. The Assam government is planning to celebrate the 400^th birth anniversary of the Ahom general from November 18 to 25 this year.

• On November 18, a march-past parade will be conducted by Assam Police, Indian Army, Paramilitary Forces, Indian Navy and Air Force personnel and National Cadet Corps in each district.
• The government is also taking efforts to beautify the Lachit Barphukan’s maidan in Jorhat and convert it into a tourist attraction.
• The theme song for the program, which was released recently, was composed by the famous singer Zubin Garg. This theme song pays tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of Lachit Barphukan and the importance of the celebration of Lachit Divas.

Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority has appointed Suraj Bhan as the chairman of the National Pension System Trust (NPS Trust), responsible for managing funds under the National Pension System (NPS).

Consequent upon the tenure of the present chairman of the trust coming to an end on November 11, 2022, the authority has designated Suraj Bhan as chairperson of the board of the Trustee with effect from November 12, 2022, Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) said in a circular.

Suraj Bhan has been a Trustee on the Board of NPS Trust since 2018.

According to a report by National Association of Software and Services companies (NASSCOM) and Arthur D Little, the adoption of 5G network technology in India is expected to contribute about 2% to India’s GDP amounting to $180 billion by 2030. 

• The report titled 5G – Unfolding India's Era of Digital Convergence says that an increasing market penetration, sectoral reforms, improvement in user experience, speedy rollout of services, among others, will contribute to the growth.
• Currently, India has 1.1 billion telecom users, which is the second highest in the world after China. Of this, 740 million are 4G users, and they are expected to shift to 5G.
• The report says that the government’s National Optical Fibre Network plan which aims to connect all the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country will help enhance India’s potential to 5G adoption.