Indian FM Jaishankar to Visit Nepal for 7th Joint Commission Meeting
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Nepal to hold a ministerial-level Joint Commission meeting to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and implement constructive measures for the future.
This will be the seventh meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Commission, it is predominantly a bilateral mechanism at the level of the Foreign Ministers with a mandate of reviewing the entire spectrum of Nepal-India bilateral relations.
Both countries are expected to discuss various facades of cooperation in areas ranging from connectivity, economy and trade, energy cooperation, and water resources.
The sixth meeting of the Joint Commission, co-chaired by Jaishankar and then Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, was held in January 2021, in New Delhi.
Aug 04, 2023
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba Gets another One-year Extension
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba was given one-year extension, beyond August 30, 2023, in service by the government.
This is his third extension on the post.
Gauba, a former Union home secretary, was in 2019 appointed to the country's top bureaucratic post for two years.
He was given one-year extension in 2021 and then in August 2022.
Gauba is a 1982-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Jharkhand cadre.
MP Polls: Tribal Leader Kantilal Bhuria to Lead Congress Poll Campaign
In view of the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh (MP), Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge constituted a campaign committee for the state, with former Union Minister and tribal leader Kantilal Bhuria as chairman.
The party said that by giving the veteran a major role, the party hopes to cement its tribal vote bank, which contributed to its victory in 2018. Back then, the party had gained 32 of the 47 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community in the 230-member Assembly.
Aug 03, 2023
Bengal Governor Opens Anti-corruption Cell at Raj Bhavan
West Bengal governor C. V. Ananda Bose launched an anti-corruption cell at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata for people to lodge graft complaints, a move the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) said was beyond his jurisdiction.
Banerjee alleged that the Governor "working under instructions of the BJP" was trying to go beyond his constitutionally mandated responsibilities, while Bose contended that the cell would not infringe on the state's turf but help common people forward their complaints to the competent authorities.
Portal to Facilitate Transfer of Mortal Remains of Indians Who Die Abroad Launched
The government launched e-CARe (e-clearance for after life remains) portal to facilitate swift transfer of mortal remains of Indian citizens who die abroad.
Nodal officers from the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) will monitor the portal 24X7. They will scrutinise applications and give approvals. There will also be an alert-based system which will help officials track the applications.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the applicant will have to submit scanned copies of four documents — death certificate, embalming certificate, no-objection certificate (NOC) from Indian Embassy or consulate and cancelled passport of the deceased.
The portal, according to officials, has two provisions — one for bringing mortal remains and the other for bringing ashes.
Justice G. Rohini Commission Submits Report on Sub-categorisation of OBCs
The Rohini Commission, constituted to examine the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu.
The Commission for Other Backward Classes was appointed through an October 2017 notification to examine the sub-categorisation of OBC. Justice G. Rohini, a retired Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court is its chairperson.
After 13 extensions, the commission submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu.
The Commission had been entrusted with the task to study the various entries in the Central List of OBCs.
It was also tasked with recommending correction of any repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies and errors of spelling or transcription, examining the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the OBCs, and working out the mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters in a scientific approach, for sub-categorization within such OBCs.
Aug 02, 2023
India, Moldova Agree to Sign MoU for Cooperation in Agriculture
India and eastern European country Moldova agreed to explore signing of an MoU for cooperation in the agriculture sector.
A meeting between Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Agriculture, and Vladimir Bolea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture & Food Industries of Moldova, was held.
Both Ministers emphasized the potential for increasing bilateral trade in agricultural commodities and for strengthening of bilateral agricultural cooperation through exchange of knowledge and technology.
Government Launches Digital Crop Survey
The Centre launched digital Crop Survey (DCS) in 12 states on a pilot basis from kharif (summer-sown) season of this year for better sowing data collection.
DCS reference application has been developed as an open source, open standard and inter operable public good.
Further, geo-referenced cadastral maps with Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) Technologies are used to ensure the farmland position.
The 12 states selected for pilot on DCS are Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam and Telangana.
The states were selected based on the preparedness in respect of pre-requisite criteria for DCS, i.e. geo-referencing of village map and digitised Record of Right (RoR) with ownership extent.
The project aims to create a single and verified source of truth about the crop sown data which is useful for accurate crop area estimation and development of various farmers centric solutions.
Aug 01, 2023
G20 EMPOWER Summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat
The two-day long G20 EMPOWER Summit began in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the summit. The inaugural session saw the launch of key outcomes under the G20 EMPOWER agenda this year including the G20 EMPOWER Tech Equity Digital Inclusion Platform, the Best Practices Playbook, the KPI Dashboard, and the adoption of the G20 EMPOWER Communique 2023.
The summit, organized around the theme- 'Women-Led Development: ensuring a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable global economic growth', witnessed the participation of delegates from across G20 nations, invited guest countries and international organizations in addition to many global experts, policymakers and stakeholders. Besides, a host of esteemed speakers, including Minister of State for Women and Child Development Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Secretary in Ministry of Women and Child Development Indevar Pandey, Vice-President of World Bank Lakshmi Shyam Sunder, Executive Director of UN Women Sima Bahous also addressed the inaugural session.