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Bhubaneswar declared as ODF++ city

A day before commencement of Swachh Survekshan-2020, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared the Capital an open defecation-free (ODF) ++ city. BMC Administrator and Director of Municipal Administration Sangramjit Nayak stated the ODF++ status will be open for third party verification following the declaration. Nayak also pinned hope that the Smart City will do better in the Swachh Survekshan this year.

ODF++ status is accorded to a city where not a single person is found defecating and, or urinating in the open, all community and public toilets are functional and well maintained, faecal sludge and sewage are safely managed and treated with no discharge or dumping of untreated in drains, water bodies or open areas at any point of a day.

As many as 4,830 urban local bodies will participate in the survey to be carried out by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs across the country from January 4. The total mark for the survey is 6,000 of which 25 per cent will be given to cities on the basis of the performance in Swachh Survekshan League 2020 held in three different quarters last year.

Maharashtra: “Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020” inaugurated

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will inaugurate “Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020” in Aurangabad today. The four-day exhibition has been organised by the Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA).

This Exhibition showcase the growth of Marathwada industries in technology and innovation and the products produced and exported from the region will be showcased in this exhibition. This exhibition will provide an opportunity for businesses and will serve the platform for small entrepreneurs.

5th Asia Pacific drosophila research conference in Pune, Maharashtra

The 5th edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference (APDRC5) is being held in Pune, Maharashtra. The conference is being conducted in India for the 1st time.  It is organised by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).

The aim of the conference is to promote the interaction of Drosophila researchers in the Asia-Pacific region with their peers in the rest of the world. It will bring together scientists from all over the world who use the fruit fly, Drosophila, as a model organism to address basic and applied questions.

Andhra Pradesh CM set to launch ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ scheme

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ programme in Chittoor. Under Jagananna Amma Vodi scheme, financial assistance of Rs 15,000 will be given to nearly 43 lakh mothers or guardians to send their children to school. With the announcement of the scheme, student enrolment surged by 30 per cent in the current academic year.

The government in the fiscal year 2019-20 has allocated Rs 6455.80 crore budget for the scheme, in which financial assistance of Rs 15,000 will be provided to the mother or guardian who is below the poverty line, irrespective of the number of children in that family studying in between class 1 and 12.

The scheme is applicable from the academic year 2019-20 in all the government, private aided, private unaided schools/junior colleges. It will also include residential schools and colleges in the state. The scheme is not applicable to dropouts from school or colleges. Government employees and income taxpayers are also not eligible for the scheme.

Malappuram tops Economist list of world’s fastest growing urban regions

Three Kerala citiesMalappuram, Kozhikode and Kollam are among the top-10 fastest growing urban regions, in terms of population, in the world, according to the latest rankings by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Malappuram ranked number 1, while Kozhikode has been ranked number 4, Kollam is in the 10th position. No other Indian city has figured in the top 10 list.

One city from Vietnam (Can Tho), three from China (Suqian, Suzhou and Putian), one from Nigeria (Abuja), one from UAE (Sharjah), and one from Oman (Muscat) find their place in the list. The other Indian cities to figure in the list are Surat (27) and Thiruppur (30). The list has been compiled on the basis of the data provided by the United Nation’s Population Division.

R P Ulaganambi, former Vellore MP passes away

Former Lok Sabha member from Vellore, R.P. Ulaganambi, passes away due to age related illness. He was 82. He was elected from Vellore for the DMK and served as an MP in the 5th Lok Sabha during 1971-76.

Chennai-Andaman and Nicobar Islands submarine cable work begins

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the submarine cable works on laying between ChennaiAndaman and Nicobar Islands. The submarine cables will be initially laid from Chennai to Port Blair covering a distance of 1,450 kilometres. He also flagged off the ship to lay the cable at Chennai Port. At the initial stage of commissioning of the project itself, the islands can get a data speed of 400-gigabytes per second.

Famous Chariot Festival of Tamil Nadu begins

The famous chariot festival of the Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple in Tamilnadu begins. This 17th-century temple is famous for its architectural grandeur. Thousands have congregated in the sprawling temple premises to join in the pulling of the chariot. The ten-day annual festival is held in the Tamil month falling in December – January.

The temple is especially significant because it is sacred to both the Shaivite as well as Vashnavite sects. There is an Anjaneya statue, which is 22 feet tall is carved of a single granite block. It is one of the tallest statues of its type in India.

Visakhapatnam to host naval exercise MILAN 2020 in March

Visakhapatnam is set to host another International Naval event ‘MILAN‘ in March 2020. The theme of the exercise for the year 2020 is ‘Synergy Across the Seas’. MILAN 2020 is a multilateral naval exercise aimed to enhance professional interaction between foreign-friendly navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain.

8 North Eastern states to participate in Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat

The eight States of the North-East Region will participate in a big way during the Madhavpur Mela held at Madhavpur Ghed in Porbandar district of Gujarat which will commence on 2nd April, a day after the Ram Navami festival. This will mark the cultural integration of Gujarat with the North-East under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat shares its connect to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The Mishmi Tribe traces its ancestry to the legendary King Bhishmak and through him to his daughter Rukmini and Lord Krishna. The festival celebrates the immortal journey which Rukmini undertook from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat with Lord Bhismaknagar, located near Roing in the lower Dibang Valley district, also finds mention in Kalika Purana.

Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Dept launches publicity campaign at SATTE 2020

Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department has launched a massive publicity campaign at the ongoing South Asian Trade and Travel Exchange Expo (SATTE) 2020, to showcase diverse tourism attractions of the twin regions. Aimed at building new business partnerships, SATTE is an important avenue for the promotion of tourism.

The three-day expo, sponsored by J&K Tourism Department and supported by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has been organized in New Delhi. The 27th Edition of SATTE has witnessed participation of over 1,000 delegates from over 50 countries and 28 Indian states.

Bengaluru: SBI launches promotional campaign with Metro Cash & Carry India

State Bank of India (SBI), in a joint promotional campaign with Metro Cash & Carry India, has launched value-added services at its Bengaluru Centre. Similar promotional campaigns are planned at Metro Cash & Carry centres across the country. Under the arrangement, SBI will offer existing and new customers of Metro Cash & Carry, services such as opening SBI current accounts, issuing business debit cards, POS machines, digital products and other asset products.

Loans are also being offered to eligible Metro customers for renovation of their outlets. The campaign was launched simultaneously at three Metro Cash & Carry stores at Yeshwanthpur, Binneypet and Kanakapura and at SBI Mahalaxmi Layout, Chamrajpet and Doddakallasandra branches. SBI’s existing and new SME customers will also be offered pre-approved Metro Cash & Carry cards along with a welcome gift voucher.

Andhra Pradesh govt inks Rs 711 cr loan pact with German bank

KfW, a German development bank, will assist the Andhra Pradesh government with a Rs 711 crore loan for expanding the climate-resilient Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) in the state over the next five years. The state government will spend another Rs 304 crore on the project under which 2.39 lakh farmers in 591 village panchayats will be encouraged to take up ZBNF.

The ZBNF project is being undertaken by the state government, dovetailing the Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) of the Centre, with the Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives extending technical support. It has already launched ZBNF is over 3,011 villages covering an extent of 1.28 lakh hectares.

Agriculture Minister Kanna Babu also launched a toll-free number, 1800 599 3366, for enquiries related to the insurance scheme launched by the YSRCP government. The helpline will be functional from 10 am to 10 pm. YSR Rythu Bharosa for financial assistance to farmers, interest-free loans, free insurance for farmers, free borewell and free power supply to farmlands are among the schemes announced for farmers.

Dept. of Biotechnology funds a ‘KISAN hub’ at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

The Department of Biotechnology in the Union Ministry of Science and Technology has provided funds to Coimbatore-based Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to set up a biotechnology ‘KISAN hub’ under its farmers-centric mission Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN) programe to link India’s farmers with Indian and global best in science.

The hub has a low cost hydrponic demonstration unit, silage making facility, moisture meter, a nutritional forage cafeteria and a power back up facility to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the demonstration unit. The hub has been established at a cost of Rs. 11.14 lakhs at the Department of Forage Crops in the Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics at the University. Six scientists from the partnering institutes were selected and trained on improved fodder varieties and its cultivation and preservation.

Tamil Nadu: 2 state-run varsities to be named after Jayalalithaa

Tamil Nadu Assembly passed two Bills to name a fisheries university and a music varsity after late Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa. The Tamil Nadu Fisheries University and The Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University have been rechristened “The Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Fisheries University,” and “The Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University.” She served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for six times.

Orders had been issued in 2017 for the name change of fisheries varsity and sometime back as regards the music university. Though the name change is already in force in both the state-run varsities, the Bills were adopted to validate the change. DMK and other opposition party members, who opposed most of the other Bills, did not oppose naming the varsities after Jayalalithaa.

IMS certification for Mangaluru Junction railway facility

The Carriage and Wagon Depot at Mangaluru Junction railway station, which is capable of examining freight train formations for rail worthiness, has obtained Integrated Management System (IMS). The IMS certification covers ISO 9001-2015 for quality management, ISO 14001-2015 for environment management, and ISO 45001-2018 for occupational health and safety, and is valid up to December 2022.

Functions associated with the examination of freight trains and maintenance activities performed at the depot, platform yard, and sick line; and the stores and material management functions at the depot are certified under the IMS. The brake power certificate issued by the depot is the authority to utilize the rakes in the specified schedule. On average, 49 such rakes are examined at the depot in a month

Imported water-soluble fertilizers launched by Gujarat Agro Industries

The Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC) has imported 300 metric tonnes (MT) of water soluble fertilisers from China, which it will be selling to farmers in Gujarat. GAIC Chairman and BJP MLA Madhu Shrivastav launched six different grades of imported water soluble fertilisers at a formal event in Ahmedabad. The new-generation fertilizers will be sold in the market under its brand – ‘AGRO’.

Gujarat has become a front-runner State in terms of area under drip irrigation system. The use of water-soluble fertilizers will be the next step for precision agriculture and to produce fruits and vegetables matching global standards. The water-soluble fertilisers that were launched include, AGRO MKP, AGRO NOP, AGRO MAP, AGRO NPK, AGRO CN, AGRO SOP.

The products that the company will be selling in markets across Gujarat are Calcium Nitrate, Mono Ammonium Phosphate, Potassium Sulphate, Soluble Potassium Nitrate, Mono Potassium Phosphate and NPK, which have been imported in powder form.

1st edition of Krishi Manthan begins in Gujarat

The first edition of Krishi Manthan– the largest Food, Agri-business and Rural Development Summit of Asia begins in Gujarat. The summit is organized by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

More than 1,500 delegates including students and academicians are participating in the two-day event organized by the Food and Agribusiness Committee of IIMA. It is an exclusive platform for industry, academia, and policymakers to share ideas, knowledge, and expertise to create solutions.

Eminent speakers like the founder of Honey Bee Network, SRISTI, NIF and GIAN Padma Prof. Anil Gupta, IIMA Professor in Production and Quantitative Methods Chetan Soman, Founder of 24 Mantra Organic Rajashekhar Reddy Seelam, former Executive Vice President of Mahindra Agri Solutions attended the summit.

NITI Aayog and Ladakh UT sign MoU to develop infrastructure projects

NITI Aayog entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union Territory of Ladakh administration on 17 January 2020. The MoU NITI Aayog will be supporting the UT’s administration through its crucial initiative Development Support Services to States for Infrastructure Projects (D3S-i).

The MoU executed in the presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Joint Secretary MC Jauhari. It will be signed by NITI Aayog Senior Adviser Dr. Yogesh Suri and Adviser to the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Umang Narula.

NITI Aayog committed to assist the UT’s administration in creating a strategic plan for identifying prioritized infrastructure projects and by providing end-to-end transaction-management support for the identified projects.

3rd North Zone Conference of Media Units held in Jammu

The 3rd edition of North Zone Conference’ of Media Units of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, is being held in Jammu. The two-day Conference is organised by the Regional Outreach Bureau, Jammu and Kashmir region.

Joint Secretary Vikram Sahay asked the IIS officers to work in coordination and effectively promote programmes and policies of the Union Government. He stressed upon the young officers to learn and disseminate information in regional languages.

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