1) Millet International Initiative For Research And Awareness (MIIRA): India will launch MIIRA during its G20 Presidency. The global initiative will be aimed at coordinating millet research programmes at the international level and will be launched keeping in mind the nutritional value and the climate resilient nature of millets.
- Besides setting up a web platform to connect researchers and holding international research conferences, the plan is also to promote millet consumption by raising awareness.
- India would provide the “seed money” for MIIRA to take off, and each G20 member will subsequently be required to pay to its budget in the form of a membership fee.
- MIIRA secretariat will be in Delhi, and India being a major producer of millets, will ensure a flow of investment from the country’s industry and research bodies.
2) Market Access Initiative (MAI): launched by Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry to act as a catalyst to promote India’s exports on a sustained basis.
- The scheme is formulated on the basis of the product and country focus approach. It will evolve specific markets and specific products through market studies/surveys.
- The first edition of “Upnext India 2023” (Reverse Buyer Seller) meet was organized by AEPC and supported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry under the MAI Scheme
- Reverse Buyer Seller Meet is to provide an opportunity for prospective importers (Buyers) to interact with their Indian counterparts (sellers) about the requirements, instead of sellers going to buyers to sell their products.
- Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC): Incorporated in 1978, AEPC is the official body of apparel exporters in India that provides assistance to Indian exporters as well as importers/international buyers who choose India as their preferred sourcing destination for garments.
3) Mammatus clouds: refer to distinctive cloud formations that are separated by a bulge or protrusion emerging from the base of another cloud.
- They are usually formed in association with large cumulonimbus clouds.
- Typically, turbulence within the cumulonimbus cloud will cause Mammatus to form.
- Mammatus clouds generally form in the most unstable cumulonimbus, meaning that there is also a chance of hail, heavy rain and lightning in the vicinity, and if the air is cold enough during winter they can produce snow.
4) INDIAai initiative: It is the National artificial intelligence Portal of India which was launched in 2020. It is a joint initiative by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and NASSCOM.
- It is the single central knowledge hub on artificial intelligence and allied fields for aspiring entrepreneurs, students, professionals, academics, and everyone else.
5) National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): It is India’s specialized force for responding to natural disasters and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense (CBRN) emergencies, under Ministry of Home Affairs. It is the only dedicated disaster response force in the world
- The force was constituted under the Disaster Management Act of 2005.
- NDRF is a force of 12 battalions, organised on para-military lines, and manned by persons on deputation from the para-military forces of India
