All in One Current Affairs

Nepal Government to include yoga in school curriculum

The Nepal government is set to make yoga education compulsory for school children by including it in their curriculum, it was reported. Krishna Prasad Kapri, Joint secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, said: “The ministry has completed designing courses on yoga for grades 9, 10, 11 and 12,”

Through integrated approach, certain topics about yoga will be included as part of the compulsory subjects such as English and Nepali. However the students can make choice between yoga, Ayurveda and natural medicine as optional subjects. Ministry spokesman Deepak Sharma said that yoga was being integrated in the curriculum “to promote a healthy lifestyle”.

Another curriculum for a three-year vocational course on Technical School Leaving Certificate in Yoga, Ayurveda and Naturopathy has also been designed which will be taught under three-year diploma programme. The curriculum will be timely revised as per the need.

Maharashtra: CM launched first girder of India’s longest sea-bridge MTHL

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched the first girder for the country’s longest sea-bridge, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL). The girder weighs 1,000 tonnes and was set off by a 1,400-tonnes ‘launching girder’ marking the erection of the first span in the civilian works of the MTHL.

It is expected to be completed by 2022 and slash the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai from existing 100 minutes to 30 minutes. Estimated to cost around Rs 14,260 crore, it is being financed by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The bridge is said to be 22 km long, of which 16.5 km will run in the sea making it the longest sea bridge in India, and second after the Bandra Worli Sea Link, that will connect the mainland with Sewri and Chirle. The MTHL will connect the new international airport coming up in Navi Mumbai, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, the country’s first expressway, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Mumbai-Goa Highway, providing faster access to north Maharashtra and southern India.

Madhya Pradesh: Government to set up Gandhi chairs and pillars

Madhya Pradesh government has decided to set up Gandhi ‘chairs’ and pillars dedicated to him in universities and colleges across the state. The stone pillars will bear inscriptions regarding Gandhiji with an objective to help the young generation connect with the Mahatma, and inspire them to work in nation-building.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath will inaugurate the study centres to promote research on Gandhiji at a symbolic function here on January 30 (the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi). All the varsities and colleges have been directed to complete the work of setting up the chairs and the stone pillars by January 26.

Arunachal Pradesh: Famous ‘Parshuram Kund Mela’ begins

Parshuram Kund Mela started in North-Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. Parshuram Kund, a Hindu pilgrimage centre is situated on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit River.

Devotees across the country visit the sacred place to take a holy dip in the Kund on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. More than 12,000 footfalls of pilgrims are recorded so far who have come to the Mela this year.

The legendary beheading of his mother by Lord Parshuram and eventual penance followed by taking a bath in the so-called Brahma Kund, has added religious significance to this place.

Indian Army Day celebrated on 15 January

The 72nd Indian Army Day is being celebrated across the country. Army Day Parade is also organized at Parade Ground, Delhi on this day. Army of India has the dedication to the motherland by being effective responders during calamities and through the contributions to wider nation-building.

Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on 15th January to honour Field Marshal KM Cariappa who took command of the Indian Army from General Francis Butcher on the same day in 1949.

India Meteorological Department’s 145th foundation Day celebrated

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is celebrating its 145th Foundation Day on 15 January 2020. With a humble beginning in 1875, the IMD has marched forward with various milestones and paradigms to serve the society. 

It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organization.

E-commerce company Amazon to invest USD 1 billion in India

Jeff Bezos, chief of the e-commerce company, Amazon announced USD 1 billion (over Rs 7,000 crore) incremental investment in India to help bring small and medium businesses online and committed to exporting USD 10 billion worth of India-made goods by 2025.

The new investments will help hiring talent to fill roles across Amazon in India, including software development engineering, cloud computing, content creation, and customer support.

The investments will also help in expanding growth opportunities for the more than 5,50,000 traders and micro, small, and medium-sized businesses – including local shops – through programs like Saheli, Karigar, and “I Have Space”.

National Highway Excellence Awards 2019′ to be presented by Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari will present the ‘National Highways Excellence Awards 2019’ to outstanding performers in National Highways sector on Tuesday in New Delhi. The aim is to recognise companies which are performing exceptionally well in the construction, operations, maintenance and tolling stages of highway development as well as in the arena of road safety.

The awards were instituted in the year 2018. Following the success of the first cycle, the Ministry has decided to make the National Highways Excellence Awards an annual feature. The awards will be given in the following seven categories: Excellence in Project Management; Excellence in Operation and Maintenance; Excellence in Toll Management; Excellence in Highway Safety; Innovation; Outstanding Work in Challenging Conditions; and Green Highway

Prof M S Swaminathan honoured with MVN National Award

Eminent Agricultural Scientist, Prof M S Swaminathan was recently chosen as the first recipient of ‘Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence’. Dr Swaminathan was awarded for his distinguished contributions to the field of agriculture. Dr Swaminathan is the “Father of the Green Revolution in India and the Doyen of Agricultural Science”.

At the same time, a well-known social worker, Dr Gutta Muniratnam was felicitated with ‘Muppavarapu National Award for Social Service‘. Dr Swaminathan could not attend the function, while Dr Muniratnam was present and received the award from the Vice President, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu. Each award carries a cash prize of Rupees Five Lakh and citation.

Ishwar Sharma honoured with ‘Global Child Prodigy Award’ 2020

A 10-year-old Indian-origin schoolboy, Ishwar Sharma from United Kingdom and under-11 yoga champion has won the Global Child Prodigy Award 2020 for achievements in spiritual discipline yoga. Ishwar Sharma, originally from Mysore, is currently based in Kent in south-eastern England.

He was chosen for the awards among 15,000 applicants from across 45 countries and 30 different categories. Sharma has participated in over 100 yoga events across the UK and worldwide.

Odisha: Puri district receives Swachhata Darpan Awards 2019

Puri, a city of Odisha has been awarded for its initiatives for plastic waste management with the Swachhata Darpan Awards 2019. Award ceremony was held during the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Sustainability Workshop held in National Capital New Delhi.

Actor and founder of Paani Foundation, Aamir Khan presented the award to an official of the Puri district administration at a ceremony in New Delhi. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, organised the ODF Sustainability workshop.

Renowned filmmaker Manmohan Mohapatra passes away

Manmohan Mahapatra, renowned Odia filmmaker considered as the ‘Father of New Wave Odia Cinema’ and winner of eight consecutive national awards, passed away in Bhubneshwar. He was 69. He was suffering from multiple ailments.

An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), he had carved a niche for himself in parallel cinema. His films mainly revolved around human emotion in changing times and were highly appreciated for a truthful presentation. His film, Seeta Raati, had won the Rajat Kamal in the National Film Awards, 1982.

RBI asks issuers to provide facility to switch on and off debit/ credit cards

Reserve Bank of India has asked banks and other card-issuing companies to provide facility to customers to switch on and off their debit or credit cards. At the time of issue or re-issue, all cards (physical and virtual) should be enabled for use only at contact based points of usage (ATMs) and Point of Sale (PoS) devices within India. The move aimed at enhancing security for digital transactions.

Issuers should provide cardholders a facility for enabling card not present (domestic and international) transactions, card present (international) transactions and contactless transactions. The channels should include mobile application, internet banking, automated teller machines, or interactive voice response.

For existing cards, issuers may take a decision, based on their risk perception, whether to disable the card not present (domestic and international) transactions, card present (international) transactions and contactless transaction rights. The latest instructions, however, are not mandatory for prepaid gift cards and those used at mass transit systems.

Wholesale Price Index surges to 2.59 percent in December 2019

Wholesale prices based inflation surged to 2.59 percent in December 2019, as against 0.58 percent in November due to increase in prices of food articles. Among food articles, vegetable prices surged by 69.69 percent mainly on account of onion, which witnessed around 456 per cent jump in prices, followed by potato at around 45 percent.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry , the rate of price rise for food articles rose to 13.12 per cent during December 2019 as against 11 per cent a month earlier, while for non-food articles it rose nearly four-fold to 7.72 per cent from 1.93 per cent in November.

The annual inflation, based on the monthly wholesale price index (WPI), was at 3.46 per cent during December a year ago. The consumer price index-based retail inflation, as per data, spiked to over a 5-year high of 7.35 per cent in December 2019 due to costlier food products.

CCI orders anti-probe against Amazon, Flipkart

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a probe into alleged competition law violations by Amazon and Walmart Inc.-owned Flipkart over allegations that the e-commerce majors promoted and gave discounts to ‘preferred’ sellers, entered into exclusive partnerships with smartphone brands and abused their dominant position.

CCI noted four alleged practices on both the marketplaces – exclusive launch of mobile phones, preferred sellers on the platforms, deep discounting and preferential promotion of private labels. The order follows a complaint filed by Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, whose members comprise many traders dealing in smartphones and related accessories.

The anti-trust body said such exclusive arrangements between smartphone or mobile phone brands and e-commerce platforms or select companies selling exclusively on either of the platforms merits an investigation. The Competition Commission has asked the Director General to complete the investigation and submit a report within 60 days.

Chhattisgarh: Rojgaar Sangi mobile app connects trained candidates with jobs

The Chhattisgarh State Skill Development Authority (CSSDA) has launched a mobile phone app – ‘Rojgaar Sangi’. The app has been developed with the help of National Informatics Centre (NIC).

The mobile application aims to connect trained candidates with the jobs and also help start-up companies to hire an office staff. It will increase accessibility for skilled and trained candidates which in turn will increase job opportunities.

The app is expected to benefit 7 lakh students who were trained under the courses offered by CSSDA. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) institute is part of the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s Department.

Renewable Energy Investors’ Meet 2020 held in New Delhi

Renewable Energy Investors’ Meet 2020 was held on 9 January in New Delhi. The meet was organized by Indian Railways and Railway Energy Management Company Ltd. (REMCL). The Investors’ Meet aimed to disseminate information about the opportunities available under renewable energy in Indian Railways. 

Various experience of developers with Railways and key benefits of partnering with Indian Railways was showcased during the meet. The investors shared their expectations of being partners in the journey of renewable energy of Indian Railways. 

The participants acknowledged the efforts of Indian Railways in leading the development of renewable energy. They re-affirmed their strong support to Indian Railways on the path of going green and achieving the net-zero carbon emissions target by 2030.

The 6th National Standards Conclave being held in New Delhi.

The 6th National Standards Conclave is being held in New Delhi on 15-16 January. At the Conclave, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the new BIS Act will relook at all standards for goods and services to balance the interest of consumers. He also stated that India would not allow the imports without the specific HSN (internationally recognised identification code for specific products) codes.

The conclave is organised by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Export Inspection Council of India (EIC), National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) and the Centre for Research on International Trade.

CARA celebrates its 5th Annual Day in New Delhi

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) celebrated its 5th Annual Day in New Delhi on 15 January 2020. Secretary WCD, Rabindra Panwar along with other senior officials of the Ministry, its associated Statutory/ Autonomous Bodies and representatives from the States and Union Territories participated in the function. Souvenirs to commemorate the Annual Day was unveiled during the event. 

CARA is an apex body of the Government of India. It was established in 1990. It promotes and facilitates In-country Adoption. The designated Central Authority for regulating Inter-country Adoption was designated as a Statutory Body on 15 January 2016, under the provisions of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. It gives emphasis to the rehabilitation of older and special needs children in various Child Care Institutions across the country.