Date – 15/05/2018: First all-woman Post Office Passport Seva Kendra starts operations in Phagwara, Punjab

Date – 15/05/2018

First all-woman Post Office Passport Seva Kendra starts operations in Phagwara, Punjab

– The Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) run by an all-woman team began its operations Phagwara, Punjab. It was was inaugurated by Union Minister Vijay Sampla in the local head Post Office of Phagwara.

– This kendra was 192nd POPSK in the country and first one to be operated by an all-woman team. It was launched as part of Central Government’s initiatiative for women empowerment.

– It will  cater needs of people from Kapurthala, Nawandhar and Jalandhar rural districts. It will benefit people immensely in this area as town is NRI hub of Doaba region of Punjab. It will enable people of the region to get all facilities related to applying for and processing of passport applications.

Date – 27/04/2018: Bureau of Indian Standards grants first license for Liquid Chlorine on all India basis

Date – 27/04/2018

Bureau of Indian Standards grants first license for Liquid Chlorine on all India basis

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has granted First Licence to Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd for Liquid Chlorine on all India basis as per Indian Standard (IS) 646:1986. This is the First Licence granted on All India basis. The licence has been made operative with effect from April 2018 for a period of one year.

– Liquid Chlorine is in liquid form and stored in metal containers. It is usually used as gas obtained by evaporating liquid from metal container. It is used mainly in paper, pulp, water sterilization, textile bleaching and manufacture of chemicals.

– The approval of first licence will facilitate industry to get quality Liquid Chlorine with Standard Mark under BIS Certification Marks scheme. Indian Standard (IS) 646:1986 for Liquid Chlorine, Technical, prescribes the requirements and the methods of sampling and test for liquid chlorine, technical.

Date – 12/04/2018: IRNSS-1I: ISRO successfully launches navigation satellite

Date – 12/04/2018

IRNSS-1I: ISRO successfully launches navigation satellite

– The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched IRNSS-1I navigation satellite from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The satellite was launched on board of PSLV-C41 (height of 44.4 meters and weight of 321 tonnes) after the normal lift-off and was successfully placed in the designated orbit. It was overall 20th flight of PSLV-XL version and 41st successful mission of total 43 of PSLV.

– The IRNSS-1I is overall eighth satellite to join ISRO’s NavIC navigation satellite constellation. It replaced IRNSS-1A, the first of seven navigation satellites of IRNSS series that was rendered ineffective after its three rubidium atomic clocks failed. IRNSS-1I was made by Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies in collaboration with ISRO.

– The IRNSS-1I was having lift-off weight of 1,425 kg and has life span of 10 years. It carried two types of payloads: Navigation and Ranging.  They are L5 and S-band navigation payloads and C-band ranging payloads. It also has corner cube retroreflectors for LASER ranging. It will be stationed in Geosynchronous Orbit at 36,000 km height.

Date – 12/04/2018: India, UK and Northern Ireland: Cabinet approves MoU on return of Illegal Migrants

Date – 12/04/2018

India, UK and Northern Ireland: Cabinet approves MoU on return of Illegal Migrants

– The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and United Kingdom and Northern Ireland on the return of Illegal Migrants. Decision in this regard was taken at Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

– The MoU will facilitate that Visa Free Agreement for holders of Diplomatic passports as well as liberalization of UK Visa Regime travelling to UK legally, after its conclusion. It will ensure return of persons who have no lawful basis to be in territory of other Party after verification of nationality to its satisfaction. It will help in streamlining procedure of return of nationals who are caught to be staying illegally, belonging to other party in specified time-frame.

More than Rs.240 Crore released for 12 cities under HRIDAY Scheme

05/03/2018

More than Rs.240 Crore released for 12 cities under HRIDAY Scheme

As per the information received from Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), a Central Sector Scheme, with a total outlay of Rs. 500 Cr. was launched on 21st January, 2015.

HRIDAY scheme aims at preserving and revitalizing the soul and the unique character of the heritage cities in lndia. Under the Scheme, twelve cities namely, Ajmer, Amritsar, Amaravati, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Mathura, Puri, Varanasi, Velankanni, and Warangal have been identified for development. The mission period of HRIDAY Scheme is till November, 2018.

HRIDAY Scheme supports the development of core heritage linked civic infrastructure projects which includes revitalization of urban infrastructure for areas around heritage, religious, cultural and tourism assets of the cities. These initiatives include development of water supply, sanitation, drainage, waste management, approach roads, footpaths, street lights, tourist conveniences, electricity wiring, landscaping etc.

So far, 63 projects amounting to Rs. 421.47 cr. for the12 HRIDAY Cities have been approved under the Scheme out of which 241.26 cr. has been released.

This information was given by Minister of State (IC) for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Dr. Mahesh Sharma in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

Setting Up of World Class Football Academy in Manipur under Consideration: Col. Rathore

22/02/2018

Setting Up of World Class Football Academy in Manipur under Consideration: Col. Rathore

A group of 20 students along with their teachers from Chandel district of Manipur here today called on Minister of State (I/C) of Youth Affairs & sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore. The students aged between 11- 16 years are currently on a National Integration Tour organized by Assam Rifles.

During their interaction, it was conveyed to Col. Rathore that for all the students this is the first trip outside their home district and before this tour they never had any experience of journey by train or bus.

Col. Rathore asked the students about their hobbies, studies and their interest in sports. He noted the remarkable presence of 8 players in the Indian Squad from the Manipur state during the FIFA U 17 world cup and asked the students to prepare hard in the sport of their choice so that they can participate in future editions of Khelo India School Games. He said, his ministry is actively considering for setting up a world class Football academy in collaboration with the state government in Manipur.  Wishing well all the students for their future endeavors, he said the exposure during the tour will widen their horizon of thinking and they will realize their full potential to achieve best in their future career.

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh launches six new user friendly features of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Platform

21/02/2018

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh launches six new user friendly features of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Platform

e-NAM integrates Central Farmer Database to increase the efficiency and reduce queue time

The Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh today launched six new features of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Platform to make it more users friendly.Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Agriculture was also present at the event. e-NAM is one of the major and important flagship schemes of the Government of India which is being implemented by Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare with the objective of providing competitive and remunerative price to farmers for their produce through online competitive bidding process.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Singh said that it is the dream of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri NarendraModi to double farmers’ income by 2022 and that farmers should become part of mainstream development. He said that the objective was to bring more transparency and competition and provide remunerative prices to farmers. Keeping in view the need of making marketing of commodities easier for farmers, e-NAM was envisioned and launched in 21 Mandis on 14th April 2016 which has now reached 479 Mandis across 14 states and 1 Union Territory. e-NAM website is now available in eight different languages (Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Odia) while the live trading facility is available in six different language (Hindi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi & Telugu).

The Minister said that the agriculture ministry is now strengthening e-NAM platform with new and user-friendly features by rolling out MIS Dashboard for better analysis, BHIM payment facility by traders, mobile payment facility by traders, enhanced features on Mobile App such as gate entry and payment through mobile, integration of farmer’s database, eLearning module in e-NAM website etc.

  1. e-NAM Mobile App:

Mobile app is being enhanced in multi-dimension so that the entire operation for farmers and traders can be user friendly. Mobile app has been made multilingual. Now the Mandi operators can carry out one of the critical operation of Gate Entry directly from e-NAM Mobile App. This will also facilitate the farmers to do advance Gate Entry on Mobile app which in turn will reduce a lot of time for farmers coming in the Mandi and will bring huge efficiency and facilitate smooth arrival recording at the Gate. A new feature has been introduced for farmers where they can see the progress of their lot being traded and also real time bidding progress of price will be visible to farmers on Mobile App.

During the trade, facility of viewing the assaying certificate is made available to traders on the mobile app. Now, online payment by trader (buyer) can also be done from e-NAM Mobile App through debit card and net banking. This will help buyers to transfer the payment directly through the App and make it easier for traders in online payment to farmers. Also, SMS alert to farmer on receiving payment in their bank account will be sent thereby helping farmers in getting information of payment receipt.

  1. BHIM payment facility :

Currently e-NAM portal facilitates direct online payment to farmers through RTGS/NEFT, Debit Card and Internet Banking. Facilitation of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) through BHIM is another milestone in easing out payment to farmers which will also reduce the payment realization time from buyers’ account to the pool account and in turn disbursal to farmers.

  1. New and improved Website with eLearning Module:

A new website has been developed with improved and more informative features like live status of markets of e-NAM based on gate entry, latest information on events, dynamic training calendar etc. Also e-Learning module in Hindi language has been designed and incorporated in the website so that various stake holders can learn online about how to operate the system and continuously get trained on the system at their convenience. Currently the module is available in Hindi.

  1. MIS Dashboard:

MIS Dashboard based on Business intelligence will provide a greater insight into the performance of each Mandi in terms of arrival and trade. This will help the Mandi Board officials and APMC Secretary to compare the performance of each Mandi on daily, weekly, monthly/quarterly and Year-on-Year Basis. This will also enable officials and Mandi Secretary in doing actual trade analysis from commodity level to State level operation. This will also be beneficial for the Mandi Board and Mandi Secretary in planning and coordinating their operation post historical analysis.

  1. Grievance Redressal Management System for Mandi Secretaries:

This system will help Mandi Secretary to raise technology issues related to portal/ software and its operation and also track the status of redressal of their query online.

  1. Integration with Farmer Database:

e-NAM has been integrated with Central Farmer Database so that the registration process becomes easier and Identification of farmers can be done easily on arrival at the Mandi Gate which will increase the efficiency and reduce queue time. This will help in managing the load at the Gate more efficiently during peak time in Rabi and Kharif and reduce waiting time for farmers at the entry gate.

Bhatni-Aurnihar Line Doubling with Electrification

20/02/2018

Bhatni-Aurnihar Line Doubling with Electrification

CCEA approves 116.95 Km long Bhatni-Aurnihar line doubling with electrification at a completion cost of Rs. 1300.9 crore

Likely to be completed by 2021-22

Doubling project will ensure higher speed, reduce train delays, enhance safety by allowing more time for track/block maintenance, and provide additional capacity for future increase in traffic

Decongestion of Mughalsarai-Allahabad route thereby benefiting passengers traveling to Eastern India especially Bihar, West Bengal and North East

By easing the connectivity in Varanasi district, often referred to as the Spiritual Capital of India it will give a boost to pilgrimage, tourism and the local economy

Electrification will lead to faster trains, reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable environment. Further, it will reduce fuel import dependence, and result in energy costs savings for Railways and forex savings for the country.

Generate direct employment during construction of about 28.07 lakh mandays

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved 116.95 Km long Bhatni-Aurnihar line doubling with electrification at a completion cost of Rs. 1300.9 crore and is likely to be completed by 2021-22. The project will cover the districts of Deoria, Ballia, Mau and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.

Aurnihar is junction station of Varanasi division having connectivity towards four sides namely Aurnihar-Chhapra, Aurnihar-Bhatni, Aurnihar-Jaunpur and Aurnihar-Varanasi. Present line capacity utilization of the section is 118% leading to congestion and slower train movement. The doubling project will ensure higher speed, reduce train delays, enhance safety by allowing more time for track/block maintenance, and provide additional capacity for future increase in traffic.

Allahabad-Mughalsarai route of North Central Railway is over saturated and there is heavy congestion at Mughalsarai. Doubling of this route will allow shifting of traffic from Mughalsarai-Allahabad route to this route thereby decongesting it. This will benefit passengers traveling to Eastern India especially Bihar, West Bengal and North East.

Further, by easing the connectivity in Varanasi district, often referred to as the Spiritual Capital of India it will give a boost to pilgrimage, tourism and the local economy

Electrification will lead to faster trains, reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable environment. Further, It will reduce fuel import dependence, and result in energy costs savings for Railways and forex savings for the country.

In addition, the project will generate direct employment during construction of about 28.07 lakh mandays.

Cabinet approves India-Morocco Cooperation Agreement in Railway Sector

20/02/2018

Cabinet approves India-Morocco Cooperation Agreement in  Railway Sector

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the Cooperation Agreement betweenIndia and the Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF) to develop long-term cooperation and partnership in different areas of railway sector.  The Cooperation Agreement was signedon 14th December, 2017.

The Cooperation Agreement will enable technical cooperation in the following areas:-

a. Training and staff development;

b. Expert missions, exchange of experience and personnel; and

c. Mutual technical assistance, including exchanging of experts.

Background:

Ministry of Railways have signed MOUs for technical cooperation in the Rail sector with various foreign Governments and National Railways. The identified areas of cooperation include high-speed corridors, speed raising of existing routes, development of world class stations, heavy haul operations and modernization of rail infrastructure, etc. The cooperation is achieved through exchange of information on developments in areas of railways technology & operations, knowledge sharing, technical visits, training & seminars and workshops in areas of mutual interest.

The MoUs provide a platform for Indian Railways to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the railway sector.  The MoUs facilitate exchange  of technical   experts,  reports  and technical   documents,  training  and seminars/workshops focusing on specific technology areas and other interactions for knowledge sharing.

Dr Jitendra Singh invites young Start-Ups to Northeast

18/02/2018

Dr Jitendra Singh invites young Start-Ups to Northeast

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh invited young Start-Ups from all over India to come to Northeast and try their fortune through unexplored potentials of the region.

Addressing a gathering of participants, after going through the various stalls put up at the “Skill India” exhibition at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said, while all the avenues of livelihood and new ventures are gradually getting exhausted in other parts of the country and States, the immense unexplored avenues and potentials of North Eastern region are still available and beckoning the young entrepreneurs to come and try their luck.

In addition, Dr Jitendra Singh also referred to the decision taken by the Ministry of Northeast to provide “Venture Fund” to any youngster who wishes to set up an entrepreneurship in the region. He said, this provision will be in addition to the provisions already available in Prime Minister’s “Start-up India, Stand-up India” programme, which includes provision of tax holiday as well as 3-month exit period. He disclosed that over 65 proposals from youngsters all over India are under process to avail of the “Venture Fund” for setting up entrepreneurship in the Northeast. He also informed that the first lot of Venture Fund documents were handed over to the new Start-Ups by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi himself during his visit to Aizawl, Mizoram in December last year.

Launched a few months ago, Dr Jitendra Singh said, “Venture Fund” has already become popular among the youngsters. If we are able to move forward with the plan that we have envisaged for ourselves, he said, the day is not far when Northeast will become a favourite destination for young Start-ups from all over India. With its vast unexplored avenues, he said, those looking for livelihood will soon find a potential enterprise in the Northeast, particularly in fruit, food, handicraft and tourism industry, he added.

Northeast Venture Fund, said Dr Jitendra Singh, is the first dedicated venture capital fund for North-Eastern region and the initiative to set it up began in April last year. He further explained that “North-East Venture Fund” has been set up by North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi), which already has the mandate to encourage entrepreneurship in the region, primarily by offering support to the first-generation entrepreneurs. In addition, the NEDFi also performs the role of hand-holding and capacity building, he said.

Recalling Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to Shillong in May, 2017 when he had stressed the importance of entrepreneurship in the region, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the region has huge potential for young Start-Ups unlike many other parts of the country and hoped that the patronage being provided by the Central government will make up for the constraints faced by a youngster when he sets out to be on his own.

Date – 05/02/2018: US Air Force chief General David L. Goldfein flies Tejas aircraft

Date – 05/02/2018

US Air Force chief General David L. Goldfein flies Tejas aircraft

– The Chief of US Air Force, General David L Goldfein flew a sortie in indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. With this he became first foreign military chief to fly Tejas aircraft. He was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal AP Singh as a co-pilot during the short flight.

– General Goldfein was on an official visit to India to boost defence ties between the two nations. Earlier in November 2017, Defence Minister of Singapore Ng Eng Hen was flown in a Tejas fighter jet.

– The indigenous LCA is a single-seat, single-jet engine, multirole light fighter. It is fourth generation aircraft that can fly at 1,350 km per hour, with a payload capacity of 4,000 kg. It has been indigenously developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency, and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

– It has been pegged as world’s smallest and lightest supersonic fighter. It is tailless and has compound delta wing design. It is mounted with inbuilt MultiMode Radar (MMR), Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) systems.

– The first squadron of LCA Tejas named as ‘Flying Daggers’ based in Sulur, Tamil Nadu was inducted in July 2016.

Date – 03/02/2018: India wins Under-19 World Cup 2018

Date – 03/02/2018

India wins Under-19 World Cup 2018

– India has won Under-19 ICC World Cup 2018 by defeating Australia by eight wickets. With this victory, India became first nation to win Under-19 World Cup four times. It was India’s sixth appearance in the under-19 World Cup finals. It was India’s sixth appearance in the under-19 World Cup finals. Australia had made into the final five times, winning the tournament three times.

– The 2018 final match was played at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. Australia, choosing to bat first after winning the toss had set target of 216 runs (10 wickets) in 47.2 overs. India in the chase, scored 220-2 in the 39th over.

– India’s opener Manjot Kalra who scored 101 runs from 102 balls became second player in history to score century in ICC U-19 World Cup final, after Unmukt Chand. Indian team was led by Parthiv Shah and was coached by former batsman Rahul Dravid.

– It is an international cricket tournament organised by International Cricket Council (ICC) and contested by national under-19 teams. It was first contested in 1988 as the Youth World Cup and later was not staged again until 1998. Since then, it is held as biennial event by the ICC.

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is leading the Indian delegation to 10th Global Forum for Food & Agriculture, Berlin, Germany from 18th -20th January 2018

17/01/2018

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is leading the Indian delegation to 10th Global Forum for Food & Agriculture, Berlin, Germany from 18th -20th January 2018

Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is leading the Indian delegation to 10th Global Forum for Food & Agriculture from 18-20 January, 2018 which includes the 10th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference.

The theme of this year’s event is “Shaping the future of livestock – sustainably, responsibly, efficiently”. The discussions will focus on sustainable and productive animal production among other issues.

Bilateral meetings with counterparts of Germany, Uzbekistan and Argentina are proposed on the sideline of GFFA to discuss issues to further enhance cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors.

About Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA)

The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference that focuses on central questions concerning the future of the global agri-food industry. It is held during International Green Week (IGW) and will be taking place in its current shape for the eighth time. The forum gives representatives from the worlds of politics, business, science and civil society an opportunity to share ideas and enhance understanding on a selected topic of current agricultural policy. The GFFA is organised by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMEL) in cooperation with GFFA Berlin e.V., the Senate of Berlin and Messe Berlin GmbH.

Specific aspects of the GFFA’s main theme will be explored in more detail in different event formats. The opening event in 2018 will outline the key issue and explain how it will be addressed by the various GFFA events. The main events are the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference hosted by the BMEL, and the International Business Panel Discussion hosted by GFFA Berlin e.V.

The Agriculture Ministers will convene in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference (not public). With almost 90 ministers at the last conference, this is the world’s largest conference of agriculture ministers. A final communiqué representing the common position of the ministers is incorporated into the ongoing international discourse on agricultural policy.

The preliminary work for the main events is done on the preceding day in High Level Panels hosted by international organisations. The results of these meetings are incorporated into the final communiqué.

In expert panel discussions hosted by various organisers, the main theme is discussed from specific topical and regional perspectives. This ensures that the GFFA is closely meshed with current scientific thinking.

During the GFFA there will be a Cooperation Market where associations, companies, universities and the BMEL will showcase their activities in the agri-food sector. This – along with the Business Lounge – provides all the GFFA participants with an opportunity to withdraw from the bustle and conduct bilateral talks in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Making Warning Labels on fast food compulsory

02/01/2018

Making Warning Labels on fast food compulsory

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed that Fast Food has not been separately defined under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Rules and Regulations made thereunder. However, to address the issue of High Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) in food and associated health risks, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) constituted an Expert Group. The Report of the Expert Group, with its gist, has been uploaded on FSSAI website i.e. www.fssai.gov.in  for the information of general public. Further, to help consumers make an informed choice,  FSSAI  has  decided to revise its labelling regulations to include mandatory declaration of total fat, added sugar, salt, trans fat and energy per serving along with its contribution to Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) on front of pack label.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.

RFPs for manufacture of Ammunition by private sector Companies

02/01/2018

RFPs for manufacture of Ammunition by private sector Companies

The Government has approved a proposal for manufacturing of ammunition for Indian Army by Indian Industry.  Request for Proposal (RFP) under Open Tender Enquiry for the said proposal has been issued on 25th & 27th March 2017.

Consequent to the uploading of the RFPs, a large number of queries and requests were received from the Industry regarding the various provisions of the RFPs.  A pre-bid meeting has also been held on 08.05.2017.  The feedback on the pre-bid meeting as well as queries raised by vendors have been examined in consultation with all stakeholders and a corrigendum to RFPs has been recently approved.

This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Dr. Anil Kumar Sahani in Rajya Sabha today.

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