1 Ministry of Culture launched ‘Amrit Parampara’ festival series
These programs will be organized at Kartavya Path in Delhi and Center for Cultural Research and Training (CCRT) in Dwarka . Their aim is to try to bring unity in the country through art and culture . The objective of this program is also to focus on the disappearing arts and traditions . External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar inaugurated a special cultural festival called ‘ Kaveri Meets Ganga ‘ Amrit Parampara ‘ at Kartavya Path in Delhi by the Ministry of Culture . The first program under the Amrit Parampara series is ‘Kaveri Meets Ganga’, which is being organized from 2 to 5 November 2024. Under this, the tradition and styles of dance and singing of North and South India will be shown. ‘Kaveri Meets Ganga’ is like a symbol of reverence for the famous Marghaji festival of Tamil Nadu , which is held in Chennai during the month of Marghaji of the Tamil calendar. The program will showcase folk arts like Govardhan Puja of Braj region, Kuchipudi dance of Andhra Pradesh, Bharatnatyam and Panchavadyam of Kerala. There will be musicians like flute player Rakesh Chaurasia, sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Bharatnatyam artists like Rama Vaidyanathan and Meenakshi Srinivasan will participate. Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be present at the event.
2 PM Modi’s Principal Secretary attended G-20 meeting in Brazil
A high delegation from India, led by the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr. PK Mishra, participated in the meeting of the G-20 ‘s ‘ Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group ‘ ( DRRWG ). This meeting was held in Belém, Brazil from 30 October to 1 November 2024. The first ministerial declaration was agreed upon by consensus to reduce the risk of disasters. During the Indian presidency of the G-20 countries, 5 priorities of the DRRWG were decided. PK Mishra emphasized on these in the Brazil meeting. ‘Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’ i.e. CDRI is an initiative of Prime Minister Modi. 40 countries and 7 international organizations are members of CDRI. PK Mishra told about the commitment of the Government of India towards the Sendai Framework created by the United Nations to reduce the risk of disaster. During this, the Indian representatives also met the ministers of Brazil and South Africa. India also had bilateral meetings with the ministers of countries like Japan, Norway, South Africa, South Korea and Germany. The DRRWG initiative was launched during the Indian presidency of the G-20. The G-20 is scheduled to meet in Brazil next year.
3 Air Marshal Ajay Arora becomes Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance
Air Marshal Ajay Kumar Arora has assumed the charge of Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance . The ceremony of his taking over was held at Air Force Headquarters . After assuming charge, Ajay Arora paid tribute to the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the country at the National War Memorial.
4 Japan and the European Union entered into a security and defense partnership
The partnership was jointly announced in Tokyo by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya . Borrell called it a ” historic and timely decision “. Borrell said that this is the first agreement of its kind by the European Union with an Asia-Pacific country . Under the agreement, the European Union and Japan will conduct joint military exercises, share information related to the defense industry and work together on many other issues like space security.
5 Praveena Rai takes over as CEO of MCX
Praveena Rai takes over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) at Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) on October 31, 2024 , and is now starting a five-year term. The appointment was announced in a statement issued by MCX, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the organization. Rai will lead India’s largest commodity derivatives exchange with her extensive experience in banking, payments and transaction management.
6 Rishabh Pant scored the fastest half-century for India in Tests against New Zealand
Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant on Saturday scored the fastest half-century for the host team against New Zealand on the second day of the third and final Test of the three-match series at the Wankhede Stadium . Pant completed 50 runs in 36 balls . He played a brilliant innings of 60 runs off 59 balls, which included eight fours and three sixes. The left-handed batsman scored runs at a strike rate of 101.69. Earlier this record was in the name of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (41 balls), who achieved this feat in the second Test of the ongoing three-match Test series against New Zealand. Apart from these two players, there are two more players who have done the same feat earlier. Harbhajan Singh did this feat in 2010, when he scored a half-century in 42 balls. Sarfaraz Khan is the other player who completed a half-century in 42 balls while playing against the Blackcaps in the first Test of the ongoing series in Bengaluru. Let us tell you that Rishabh Pant also holds the record for the fastest Test half-century by an Indian batsman. Pant scored a half-century in 28 balls against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in 2022. At the same time, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq holds the all-time record , Misbah scored a half-century against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014. , Misbah achieved the feat of scoring a half-century in 21 balls
7 Fashion designer Rohit Bal passes away at the age of 63
Rohit Bal, one of India’s famous fashion designers, has passed away. The designer was 63 years old and had also done his fashion show just 2 weeks ago. Rohit was a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) .