10 April

Joint Military Exercise ‘Ex KAVACH’ concludes at Andaman and Nicobar Command

Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) conducted a large-scale Joint Military Exercise ‘Ex KAVACH’
involving the assets of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. The exercise, which began on
February 23, 2023, concluded on April 07, 2023.

The exercise was aimed at fine-tuning joint warfare capabilities & Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) and enhancing interoperability and operational synergy between the forces. Elements of the
‘Shatrujeet Brigade’ of the Army, Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD), Special Forces
of the Navy and Amphibious troops of the ANC, participated in the multi-domain exercise involving
amphibious landing, air-landed operations, heliborne operations and rapid insertion of the Special
Forces from mainland on a remote Island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

‘Exercise KAVACH’ demonstrated the capabilities and preparedness of the Armed Forces to safeguard
India's maritime interests and ensure the security of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The exercise
effectively showcased the professionalism and synergy amongst the different components of ANC
while conducting successful joint operations in a complex and dynamic environment.

Impressive demonstrations of rapid response capabilities during the exercise were witnessed by
Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command Lt Gen Ajai Singh. He complimented the
troops for their professional conduct and successful operations. Through such exercises, the nation
continues to strengthen its defence capabilities, whilst promoting peace and security in the region,
he said.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1914940

Ministry of Ayush to organise scientific convention on World Homoeopathy Day

Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy under Ministry of AYUSH is organising a scientific
convention on the occasion of the World Homoeopathy Day on 10th April 2023 at New Delhi.

Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate the scientific convention and Minister of Ayush
and Ports, Shipping & Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal will grace the occasion.

World Homoeopathy Day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of
Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann to mark his 268th birth anniversary. The
theme of this scientific convention is ‘Homoeoparivar- Sarvajan Swasthya, One Health, One Family’.

The delegates of the convention would include homoeopathic researchers, scientists from
interdisciplinary streams, practitioners, students, industrialists as well as representatives of various
homoeopathic associations. The MoUs will be exchanged between CCRH & various homoeopathic
colleges and also between CCRH & Directorate of Homoeopathy, Government of Kerala. On this
occasion, one documentary, one portal and 08 books of CCRH will also be released.

During the convention, various sessions on policy aspects, advancement in Homoeopathy, research
evidences and clinical experiences in Homoeopathy will be conducted.

This flag-off event at Vigyan Bhawan will be followed by the zonal World Homoeopathy Day events in
five locations in India. This scientific convention will give insights into a future roadmap to
Homoeopathic integration in research, education and integrative care through deliberations of
various key stakeholders.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1914815

2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will be embarking on an
official visit to the USA, beginning April 10, 2023. During the visit, Smt. Sitharaman will be attending
the 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), along with G20 meetings, Investor/ Bilateral meetings, and other associated meetings, are
scheduled to take place from April 10 to April 16, 2023, in the WBG and IMF Headquarters in
Washington DC. The Spring Meetings will be attended by Finance Ministers and Central Bankers from
across the world.

The Indian Finance Ministry delegation will be led by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate
Affairs and will comprise officials from the Ministry of Finance and RBI.

Key engagements of the Union Finance Minister will include the following:

Spring Meetings of IMF-WB;

Hosting the Second G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under
India’s G20 Presidency and G20-related side events;

World Bank Development Committee and IMF Committee Plenaries

Interaction with Global Economists and Think-Tanks,

Bilateral engagements with countries and international organisations;

Interaction with global business leaders and investors in roundtables; and

Engagement with Indian Diaspora.

Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman and Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shri Shaktikanta Das,
will jointly chair the 2nd G20 FMCBG meeting on April 12-13, 2023. Around 350 delegates from G20
members, 13 invitee countries, and various international and regional organisations will participate
and engage in multilateral discussions centred around a broad spectrum of pressing global issues.

The 2nd G20 FMCBG meeting will comprise of three sessions:-

Global Economy and International Financial Architecture;

Sustainable Finance, Financial Sector and Financial Inclusion; and

International Taxation
The focus of these sessions will be to deliberate on issues such as addressing food & energy
insecurity, managing global debt vulnerabilities, strengthening Multilateral Development Banks
(MDBs), mobilising finance for climate action, advancing financial inclusion, and accelerating
progress on International Tax and Financial Sector issues. The meeting will take stock of the progress
made on outcomes envisaged under India’s G20 Finance Track agenda.

The 2nd G20 FMCBG meeting will advance efforts towards the preparation of G20 India Finance
Track deliverables for the 3rd G20 FMCBG meeting to be held in Gandhinagar, India, in July 2023.
These meetings are expected to provide informed Finance Track contributions to the Leaders
Declaration set for adoption in the New Delhi Summit in September 2023.

On the sidelines of the Spring Annual Meetings, the Finance Minister will have bilateral engagements
with her respective counterparts from G20 countries and Heads of other delegations, including major
international organisations, to discuss issues and areas of mutual interest and cooperation under
India’s G20 Presidency.

In the course of her visit, the Union Finance Minister will also participate in a fireside chat at the
Peterson Institute of International Economics (PIIE) on April 10, 2023.

In a high-level meeting on April 11, 2023, the Finance Minister will meet the US Treasury Secretary
Ms. Janet Yellen to discuss issues of mutual interest.

During the official visit, a meeting of the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable will be co-chaired by
India, International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank on April 12, 2023, to discuss the current
global debt landscape and ways to address existing challenges in debt restructuring. On April 14,
2023, a high-level seminar on “Macro-financial implications of Crypto assets” will be held to review
the macro-financial implications of Crypto Assets and discuss policies to leverage benefits and
contain risks. Smt. Sitharaman will also meet the G20 Expert Group on strengthening MDBs on April
15, 2023, to discuss the need for an updated MDBs ecosystem for the 21st century towards financing
sustainable development goals and transboundary challenges.

Besides these, the Finance Minister will also participate in a high-level Seminar on ‘Stacking up the
benefits of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)’ organised by the IMF on April 14, 2023. The Seminar
aims to discuss lessons from India and other countries on the transformational power of DPI and
ways to maximise its potential.

Other side events that will be held on the margins of the IMF-WB Spring Meetings include an event
on ‘Enhancing the Economic Empowerment of Women as Entrepreneurs and Leaders’ (April 13,
2023), ‘LiFE (Lifestyle for Enviornment) event on Behavioral Change to Tackle Climate Change’ (April
14, 2023), and ‘Launch of debt restructuring negotiation process on Sri Lanka’ (April 13, 2023),
among others.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1914933