Current affairs 23 August 2023

Ratan Tata conferred Maharashtra's first Udyog Ratna award.

• Veteran industrialist Ratan Tata conferred the first-ever Udyog Ratna award instituted by the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
• The honour comprised a shawl, a citation and a memento from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
• The aim of the Maharashtra Udyog Ratna Awards is to honour those people and groups who have significantly impacted Maharashtra's business, industry, education, financial services, fashion, and other sectors.

Saudi Arabia Launches AI-Powered Program to Combat Desertification.

• The Saudi Environment Ministry has launched a program to combat desertification using artificial intelligence (AI).
• Aim: To study the status of vegetative cover in the Kingdom and contribute to the goals of afforestation projects and the Green Saudi initiative.
• It will use AI to analyze satellite imagery to identify areas that are most vulnerable to desertification.
• Remote sensing technologies will be used to monitor vegetation cover, and track its changes over time.

Guwahati airport becomes first in northeast to get "Digi Yatra" facility.

• Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati, become the first in the northeast to launch Digi Yatra for hassle-free travel.
• Aim: To eliminate the need for verification of tickets and IDs at various touchpoints.
• The Digi Yatra service will be available in three major areas namely - first entrance, check-in and boarding areas.
• Passengers will be able to register their documents on the Digi Yatra app and enter the airport by scanning their faces.

Tirupati boy bags silver at Singapore Math Olympiad.

• Raja Anirudh Sriram, a fourth-standard student of Tirupati, has bagged a silver medal at the Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge 2023 (SIMOC).
• His journey of success has been marked by numerous national and international awards that highlight his extraordinary capabilities.
• More than 2000 students from 32 countries participated in the prestigious event, where Raja Anirudh came up with flying colours.

Jitendra Singh launches the CSIR Prima ET11, the first indigenous e-Tractor.

• The Union Minister of State Science & Technology Jitendra Singh launched the CSIR Prima ET11, the first indigenous e-Tractor developed by the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur.
• Jitendra Singh focused on the role of Agri StartUps in India’s economy and called for the adoption of new and AI-driven technologies in Agriculture.
• An increasing number of new Startups are venturing into the Agriculture sector, focussing on niche technology.