National Youth Festival: Nasik, Maharashtra is set to host the 27th NYF in January 2024.The programme is being held on National Youth Day, which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, to honour and cherish his ideals, teachings, and contributions. The National Youth Festival is held every year to provide exposure to our talented youth at the national level, along with galvanising them towards nation-building.It brings diverse cultures from all parts of the country on a common platform and unites the participants in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas: It is also known as Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day, is celebrated on January 9 to mark the contribution and achievements of the overseas Indian community to the development of India. It is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs. The day also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, from South Africa to India in 1915, who led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever. It was first celebrated in 2003. It was an annual event earlier, but in 2015, the government revised its format to celebrate PBD once every two years.It has become a platform to connect the Indian diaspora with their roots and encourage their continued engagement with India’s progress. It is held in different cities, to showcase the diversity and progress of different regions of India. Till date, 17 conventions have been held. The last Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was celebrated in the Indore of Madhya Pradesh in 2023.
Colombo Security Conclave: The CSC, was formed in 2011 as a trilateral maritime security grouping of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It welcomed Mauritius as a fourth member at the fifth meeting of national security advisers. Bangladesh and Seychelles attended as observers and have been invited to join the group. The fifth meeting of national security advisers of the CSC identified key areas of cooperation to enhance and strengthen regional security in the following five pillars:
Maritime Safety and Security
Countering Terrorism and Radicalization
Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime
Cyber Security, Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
Narcotics Control Bureau: The Narcotics Control Bureau is an Indian central law enforcement and intelligence agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The agency is tasked with combating drug trafficking and the use of illegal substances under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985.Established in 1986, it is responsible for coordination with the Indian state governments and other central departments, implementation of India’s international obligations with regard to drug trafficking, and assisting international and foreign drug law enforcement agencies. The Narcotics Control Bureau’s national headquarters is located in Delhi. The Director General of NCB is mostly an officer from the Indian Police Service (IPS) or the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).The NCB is outside the ambit of the Right to information Act under Section 24(1) of the RTI act 2005.
