In the year 2018, the Ministry of External Affairs organized the 11th World Hindi Conference in Mauritius under the theme “Hindi World and Indian Culture”. The World Hindi Conference is an initiative aimed at expanding the global reach of the Hindi language. The conference was first launched by the Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti, Wardha in 1973 with the intent of making Hindi a medium of service and knowledge which can move forward with time.
Since its inception, Hindi has made outstanding strides and has emerged as one of the world’s leading languages. The first-ever conference took place in Nagpur, India in 1975, and since then conferences have been held in various countries like Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Suriname, South Africa, and the United States of America among others. The 10th conference was held in Bhopal, India in 2015.
Share Buyback Mechanism
Leading companies, including Infosys, TCS, and L&T, have opted for the share buyback mechanism. In this process, a publicly listed company repurchases its shares from the market. This buyback can happen either through open market purchases where the company repurchases the shares from the secondary market, or via a tender offer route where shareholders can tender their shares during the buyback offer.
Companies that amass significant cash reserves and believe that their shares are undervalued in the current market often opt for the share buyback mechanism. However, to follow this mechanism, a company must pass a special resolution at a general meeting and can use only a maximum of 25% of the aggregate of its free reserves and paid-up capital for a buyback.
Revival of Cheetah Reintroduction Project
The Madhya Pradesh forest department has reached out to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) with a proposal to reintroduce cheetahs into the state’s Nauradehi sanctuary. The initial plan includes housing the cheetahs within an enclosure with substantial boundary walls before releasing them into the wild. Approximately 20 cheetahs are planned to be translocated to Nauradehi from Namibia in Africa.
The program, which was conceived in 2009, experienced a stalemate due to lack of funds. The cheetah is currently found only in the arid regions of eastern Iran in Asia, and in Africa, particularly in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. It was declared extinct in India in 1952, with the country’s last spotted feline reported to have died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.
Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary
Located in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary in the state in terms of area covered. The sanctuary lies in the center of the state, covering parts of Sagar, Damoh, Narsinghpur, and Raisin Districts.
It spans two major river basins in India – the Narmada and Ganges. The sanctuary has been identified as the most appropriate location for the reintroduction of cheetahs due to its moderately dense forests and rich prey base.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Peace Mission 2018
The Indian Army participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Peace Mission 2018 in Chebarkul, Russia. This event is one of the significant defense cooperation initiatives amongst SCO nations.
The primary objective of the exercise was to provide armed forces of SCO nations an opportunity to train in counter-terrorism operations in urban scenarios in a multinational and joint environment. Notably, for the first time, the armies of India and Pakistan participated together in a joint anti-terror exercise as a part of this mission.
