Current affairs 17 July 2023

India and UAE signed historic Memorandum of Understanding on LCS system.

• India has signed MoU with United Arab Emirates have on the Local Currency Settlement (LCS) system to revolutionize cross-border transactions between the two nations.
• LCS system allows the use of the Indian Rupee and UAE Dirham in bilateral trade, marking India's first-ever LCS arrangement.
• It will reduce dependence on international currencies and further strengthen economic cooperation between India and the UAE.

Dharmendra Pradhan launches AI for India 2.0.

• Union Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan has launched AI for India 2.0, a free online training programme on Artificial Intelligence on World Youth Skills’ Day.
• It is a joint initiative of Skill India and GUVI, NCVET and IIT Madras accredited online programme will equip youth with frontier skills.
• GUVI, an IIT Madras incubated startup is a tech platform that enables tech learning in vernacular languages and has been curated in 9 Indian languages.

Ministry of education signs MoU with Abu Dhabi to 1st campus of IIT Delhi.

• Ministry of Education has signed MoU with Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) to establish 1st campus of IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi.
• IIT Delhi campus in Abu Dhabi will set a brand-new template for leveraging the power of knowledge for mutual prosperity and global good and unfolds a new chapter in internationalization of India’s education.
• It is expected to launch its academic programs in 2024.

Rare Bird "Jerdon's Babbler" spotted in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, UP.

• A rare and globally endangered bird species named Jerdon's Babbler was spotted in the buffer zone of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR), in the grasslands of Uttar Pradesh.
• Jerdon's Babbler lives in small flocks in pairs in high/long grasslands and is a globally threatened bird
• It has been listed in the 'Vulnerable' category of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1994.

Shri Bhupender Yadav leads Mangrove Plantation drive in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu.

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India organised a mangrove plantation program at Kovalam Panchayat in Chengalpattu District in Tamil Nadu.
• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav led the plantation drive as part of the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) scheme of the Government of India, where in more than 100 people participated including students.
• The plantation drive is the part of ongoing Hariyali Mahotsav with a particular focus of Mangroves.