1) ISRO loses contact with Moon lander “Vikram”
•According to ISRO, the performance of the lander was as per the plan till it was 2.1 km from the moon surface. Although, the 2,379 kg Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to fly around the moon. Its mission life is of one year.
•ISRO launched the Chandrayaan-2 (on July 22, 2019) into the space from India’s heavy lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III). The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprised three segments: the Orbiter, lander ‘Vikram’ and rover ‘Pragyan’.
2) UNESCO ties up with Rajasthan to promote state’s intangible cultural heritage
•It is a partnership agreement to promote community-based responsible tourism based on the rich intangible cultural heritage of Rajasthan. The project will be implemented in Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts.
3) Vice president releases book titled ‘Glorious Diaspora – Pride of India’
•The book contains the brief profiles of recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA) from 2003 to 2019. It has been brought out by Indian Diaspora Club. It includes an inspiring profile of Distinguished Overseas Indians who have made their indelible mark in various fields.
4) 4th Indian Ocean Conference 2019 held in Male
•The theme for 4th Indian Ocean Conference 2019 was: ‘Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges’. This edition of the conference will provide yet another opportunity for stakeholders of the Indian Ocean Region to deliberate on building an institutional framework for managing the threats to regional peace and human security.
5) Gujarat Govt, Delaware State of America sign MoU for sister state
•The cooperation in the field of services and investment opportunities in GIFT-IFSC (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City – International Financial Services Centre) discussed during the meeting. The sectors like Biotechnology University, biosciences, financial services, animal husbandry and dairy, port services are the fields related to which the cooperation.
6) India to host 6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue
•From the Indian side, it will be chaired by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar and the Chinese side will be led by the chairman of the National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC).
7) India Pavilion inaugurated at 44th TIFF 2019
•The Inauguration of India Pavilion at TIFF 2019 will provide a platform to showcase Indian Cinema in the overseas market and facilitate new business opportunities. TIFF also provides the ideal platform for the global outreach of the 50th International Film Festival of India 2019.
8) B Bala Bhaskar appointed as next Indian Ambassador to Norway