WHO Partners with Rajasthan to Create Health Account
Health accounts are a critical area of health systems strengthening and an essential step towards achieving universal health coverage. Health accounts help monitor spending and provide insights from past expenditure to enable administrators to improve planning and allocation of resources within the health system, thus increasing efficiency and accountability.
The WHO country office for India is working with the Government of Rajasthan in implementing the first round of health accounts as a step towards institutionalizing processes and budgetary allocations. Health accounts serve as an important tool to generate evidence-based policymaking and WHO plans to undertake this exercise with other states in India as well.
Rajnath Singh No. 1 Cabinet Minister
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the unanimous choice of the NDA and Opposition voters as the top performing Cabinet Minister in the Narendra Modi government. Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari was the unanimous runners-up among the ruling party and Opposition supporters. These are the results of a survey by IANS-C-voter. The survey was conducted on the completion of eight years of the Modi government.
Rajnath Singh with a score of 8.36 is the number one Cabinet Minister among NDA voters. With a score of 7.03, he ranked number one among Opposition supporters. Gadkari with a score of 8.07 and 6.81 among the NDA and Opposition voters, respectively and ranked second in both surveys. Home Minister Amit Shah was ranked number third.
Telangana Govt. Launches Single-Pick Cotton Pilot Project
The Telangana Government launched a pilot project on single-pick cotton on about 50,000 acres. This comes at a time when cotton yields have remained stagnant for years and farmers are finding it tough to find labour to pick the bolls.
When compared to the tall varieties grown across the country now, the single-pick cotton will be suitable for machine harvest because the plants will grow to a uniform height of around knee-level. Machine harvesting of the low height variety will alleviate harvesting season problems. Farmers currently pick cotton bolls at least three times and sometimes up to four times. The single-pick method will extend the harvest by a few weeks and allow farmers to complete the harvest all at once.
Assam Govt. to Provide Certificates to 6 Minority Communities
The Assam government decided to provide certificates to members of six minority communities. Such a move will help the minorities possessing such a certificate avail of government benefits. The six communities are Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis. There was a practice of issuing Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes certificates. Assam started the minority certificates for the first time.
Assam has had a Minorities Development Department but the minorities have not been specified by faith.
NADI-3 Asian Confluence River Conclave Organised in Guwahati
NADI (Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence) is an initiative to articulate and activate a collective vision of sub-regional cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region and with South-East Asia. It recognizes the region south of the Himalayas from Ganga, Brahmaputra to Mekong as contiguity of river basins with common challenges that require close cooperation beyond their political borders.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stressed the need for more collaborations between Northeast India, Bangladesh and ASEAN countries at NADI 3 Asian Confluence River Conclave 2022 in Guwahati. The two-day conclave was organised by Shillong-based think tank Asian Confluence in collaboration with the union ministry of external affairs, Act East Policy affairs department of the Assam government, North Eastern Council and other partners. The Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies is the country partner for the event and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IIT Guwahati and Guwahati University are knowledge partners.
May 30, 2022
PM Inaugurates World's First Nano Urea (Liquid) Plant in Gujarat
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the world's first nano urea liquid plant by Indian Farmers' Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) at Kalol in Gujarat.
The virtual inauguration took place at a ceremony held in Gandhinagar in the presence of Union home minister, Amit Shah, Union minister of chemicals and fertilizers, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, along with chief minister, Bhupendra Patel.
The first IFFCO nano urea (liquid) production unit at Kalol has been made with an investment of Rs 175 crore. At present, it has the capacity to produce 1.5 lakh bottles of 500ml capacity of nano urea per day.
Union Minister Inaugurates North India's First Biotech Park at Kathua, J&K
Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated North India's first Industrial Biotech Park at Ghatti, Kathua, J&K. Biotech Park will act as hub for incubation of new ideas and will act as a robust platform to support Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, farmers, scholars, and students. It has a potential to produce 25 startups in a year which will be among its great contributions to this region. Biotech Parks of J&K are among 9 Biotechnology Parks supported by DBT.
Government of India Sets a Target to Achieve 100 Million Tonnes Coal Gasification by 2030
The Government of India has set a target to increase coal gasification to 100 million tonnes (MT) by 2030. It is considered a cleaner option compared to the burning of coal. Gasification facilitates utilization of the chemical properties of coal. The government prepared a National Mission document to achieve 100 MT Coal Gasification by 2030.
Refineries and fertiliser plants are the largest consumers of hydrogen now, which is being produced from natural gas. It can be produced through coal in the processes during coal gasification.
For 1st Time, India Post Delivers Mail Using Drone under Pilot Project in Gujarat
The Department of Post for the first time delivered mail using a drone as part of a pilot project in Gujarat's Kutch district, covering a distance of 46 km in 25 minutes.
The mail was sent by the drone from Habay village in Bhuj taluka to Ner village in Bhachau taluka of Kutch district by the postal department under the guidance of the Union ministry of communications.
It took 25 minutes for the parcel to reach the destination located 46 km from the originating point.
The pilot project specifically studied the cost of delivery by drones and the geographical location between the two centres, as well as possible coordination among staff during the delivery process, including possible roadblocks.
Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty Appointed Acting Chairperson of Lokpal
President Ram Nath Kovind gave justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty the additional charge of Lokpal chairperson after justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose completed his term as the Lokpal chief. At present, there are six members in the Lokpal. Two posts of judicial members were lying vacant for over two years.The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, which envisages the appointment of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to look into cases of corruption against certain categories of public servants, was passed in 2013.
A Lokpal chief and members are appointed for a term of five years or until attaining the age of 70 years. A Lokpal chief and its members are appointed by the President after obtaining the recommendations of a selection committee headed by the Prime Minister and comprising the speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition in the lower house, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him, and an eminent jurist as recommended by the chairperson and members of the selection panel.
Over Nine crore fifty lakh Rural Households Provided with Tap Water Connections in Country: Govt.
The country achieved the milestone of fifty per cent rural households having access to tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The Ministry of Jal Shakti said that more than nine crore fifty lakh rural households now have access to tap water connections within their premises. It said that Goa, Telangana, Andman and Nicobar Islands, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Puducherry and Haryana have already achieved hundred per cent household connections. Punjab, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have coverage of more than ninety per cent and are progressing fast towards attaining the status of 'Har Ghar Jal'.
'Har Ghar Jal' is a flagship programme of the Union Government, implemented by Jal Jeevan Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in partnership with States and Union Territories to ensure tap water connection in every rural household by 2024.
May 29, 2022
Kolkata Becomes First Metro City To Get Its Biodiversity Register
Kolkata is the first metro city in the country to prepare a detailed register of biodiversity. Kolkata Municipal Corporation released the People's Biodiversity Register (PBR), a document with details about the floral and faunal varieties in the city as well as its land use and human activities. The document is prepared by the biodiversity management committee (BMC) of the civic body under the supervision of the state biodiversity board and with help from NGOs. Chandigarh and Indore are other important cities which have prepared the document.
The report documented around 290 animal species, including about 70 species of butterflies, 47 varieties of fish, 84 varieties of birds and 22 varieties of mammals, based on the data sourced from 144 wards in the city.
May 28, 2022
NICSI Signs MoU with Delhi SCHOOL of Management for R&D Management and Consultancy in e-Governance
The National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Delhi School of Management for research & development and consultancy in e-governance by synergising resources. During the MoU signing, NICSI Chairman Dr Rajendra Kumar briefed the attendees about the vision of the Union Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology to use technology for digital transformation to benefit citizens and effectively utilise resources (knowledge, manpower, infrastructure) by collaborative efforts to enhance efficiency.
Delhi School of Management students will be able to explore the emerging technologies and develop a better understanding of the working environment of the government with hands-on exposure in e-governance and ICT (information and communications technology) management. This will help the government strengthen its internal system with effective utilisation of technology.
MeitY Hosts Digital India BHASHINI Brainstorming Session
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, was present during a brainstorming session organised by MeiTY on Mission Digital India BHASHINI – the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM). According to him, Startups are an essential component of our digital ecosystem, and Mission Digital India Bhashini will support them in developing India-specific and Indian Languages enabled IT solutions.
Multilingualism provides a significant potential for businesses to build novel solutions and products that can serve all Indian citizens, regardless of their native language. To fulfil the aims of Digital India, enabling access to knowledge resources and digital empowerment of citizens is a top priority. The Hon'ble Minister of State expressed his desire to digitally link all Indians and encourage their digital inclusion through the use of AI/NLP to overcome linguistic hurdles on the Internet.
May 27, 2022
India's First Olympic Values Education Launched in Odisha
The Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was launched in Odisha by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in collaboration with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT). The OVEP is a practical set of resources aimed at introducing young people to the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. It will be a values-based curriculum, to be implemented initially in 90 schools in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar, catering to about 32,000 children.
It is a series of free and accessible teaching resources created by the IOC, to complement academic curricula using the context of Olympic sports and the core principles of Olympism. The programme aims to disseminate this values-based curriculum to help children become active, healthy and responsible citizens. It is a landmark initiative in India's Olympic movement, the launch of OVEP comes as a build-up to the prestigious IOC 2023 Session.
The state of Odisha intends to take OVEP to all its schools and higher education institutions in a phased manner, thereby enabling its young population to truly take on board the Olympic values.
PM Modi Inaugurates India's Biggest Drone Festival-Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022 in New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022, India's biggest drone festival, at Delhi's Pragati Maidan. The Prime Minister interacted with Kisan Drone pilots and start-ups in the drone exhibition centre. He also witnessed open-air drone demonstrations. This forum brought together key stakeholders including start-ups with the aim of increasing India's presence in the sector.
Over 1600 delegates comprising government officials, foreign diplomats, armed forces, central armed police forces, PSUs, private companies and drone start-ups participated in the drone festival.
The festival came amid the central government's push for extensive use of drones in various fields, including agriculture.
PM Chairs 40th PRAGATI Interaction
The Prime Minister chaired the meeting of the 40th edition of PRAGATI, which is the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments. In the meeting, nine agenda items were taken for review including eight projects and one Programme. These eight projects have a cumulative cost of over 59 thousand 900 crore rupees concerning the 14 States. These states are Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
Prime Minister asked the agencies working in the infrastructure sector to map their projects with water bodies being developed under Amrit Sarovar. Mr Modi said, this would be a win-win situation as the material dugout for the Amrit Sarovars can be utilised for civil works by the agencies.
PM Dedicates to the Nation and Lays Foundation Stone of 11 Projects Worth over Rs. 31,500 crore i...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of 11 projects worth over Rs. 31,500 crore in Chennai. These projects will boost infrastructure development, enhance connectivity and give an impetus to ease of living in the region. Governor of Tamil Nadu R. N. Ravi, Chief Minister M K Stalin, Union Minister L Murugan were among those present on the occasion.
The Prime Minister congratulated all those getting houses as a part of the historic Chennai Light House project under the PM-Awas Yojana. The foundation stones for redevelopment of five Railway stations: Chennai Egmore, Rameswaram, Madurai, Katpadi and Kanyakumari, were also laid during the programme. This project will be completed at a cost of over Rs. 1800 crore, and is being undertaken with a view to enhance convenience and comfort of the passengers through provision of modern amenities. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of a Multi Modal Logistic Park at Chennai worth around Rs. 1430 crore. It will provide seamless intermodal freight movement and also offer multiple functionalities.
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