The celebration of festival “Chapchar Kut” has started in the state of Mizoram. Chapchar Kut is the biggest and the most joyful spring festival of Mizos. This festival is held when the bamboos and trees that have been cut down are being awaited to dry to be burnt for jhumming. The celebrations of the festival began with mega event held at Aizawl.
The annual festival of St Antony’s Shrine starts in Katchatheevu Island of Sri Lanka. The festival started with the traditional flag hoisting ceremonies. St Antony is being prayed by the devotees as the patron saint of sea farers. The festival celebrations also featured the participation of more than 3,000 devotees from India. As per an agreement between the two governments, Indians are not required to possess an Indian passport or Sri Lankan visa for visiting Kachchatheevu.
Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), the retirement fund body has slashed the interest rate from 8.65% to 8.50% on provident fund deposits for the financial year 2019-20. The announcement of the reduced interest rate was made by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar.
The Union Government of India is foretelling to replace all level crossings on National Highways by Over/under Bridges. The replacement of all the level crossings on National Highways by Road Over Bridges or Road Under Bridges will be executed under the Setu Bharatam scheme. The whole replacement work will be executed by Road Transport and Highways Ministry.
The 4th Global Ayurveda Festival will be organized at Kochi, Kerala with the theme of Ayurveda Medical Tourism: Actualizing India’s credibility. GAF2020 is being launched by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA). It will be the largest Ayurvedic event ever to be held anywhere across the world. GAF-2020 will bring together the world of Ayurveda wellness providers and it’s seekers to one platform.
The District Employment and Counseling Centre has launched a Workshop-cum-Awareness Programme on the Skill Development for Unorganized Workers in Kulgam, Jammu & Kashmir. The workshop for the unorganized workers was launched under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM) Scheme.
Former UN Chief Javier Perez de Cuellar passed away at the age of 100. He served as the president of the UN Security Council from 1973 to 1974. He also worked as United Nations Secretary General from 1981 to 1991. He was often called as a “pacifist by vocation and nature.” He was honored Prince of Asturias Prize for the promotion of Ibero-American cooperation in 1987.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani has launched a book titled “Chronicles of Change Champions” in New Delhi. The book is a compilation of 25 innovative initiatives taken at the state and district levels under the Prime Minister’s flagship scheme of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22nd January 2015 at Panipat, Haryana.
The International Advanced Research for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad has prepared a fuel cell technology called Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). The Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cells has been developed by ARCI in the power range of 1 to 20 kiloWatt (kW). The in-house PEMFC system has operational capability at low-temperatures with applications in decentralized power generation systems.
Google Cloud declared its plans to open a Delhi Cloud Region which will be the company’s second cloud region in India since it launched one in Mumbai. The new cloud region will expand Google’s existing network which stands at 8 regions in the Asia Pacific and 22 regions globally. The Delhi cloud region will have three zones to protect against service disruptions. The project will be released in 2021.