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.
Three Kerala cities – Malappuram, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mizoram government will organise Zo Festival under the banner Zo Kutpui in at least 10 different cities across the globe. The first festival would be held at Vanghmun, a hub town of Mizos in neighbouring Tripura from January 9 to 11. The event aims at re-unifying and strengthening brotherhood among different tribes of Mizo. It will also be organised in Maryland in USA, Tahan in Myanmar, Churachandpur in Manipur and Bangladesh.
President Ram Nath Kovind laid foundation stone to Lakshadweep’s first Super Specialty Hospital at Kavaratti. On his two days visit to the union territory, President Kovind assured special focus for the development of Lakshadweep and directed Lakshadweep Administrator to give special attention for the completion of Super Specialty Hospital.
President received guard of honour from a joint group of 160 different forces. At the event in Kavaratti, President congratulated Rahmath Begum, the only woman who won Padmashri from Lakshadweep.
The Vikram Sarabhai Children Innovation Center (VSCIC) will be set up in Gujarat. The VSCIC will identify, nurture and promote innovative abilities of children in the state. The above announcement was made during the Children’s Innovation Festival (CIF) taking place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Only School-going children up to 18 years old were allowed to participate in the Children’s Innovation Festival (CIF). The CIF is being organized by Gujarat University Start-ups and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC). GUSEC is an incubation centre created by Gujarat University in collaboration with UNICEF.
The 31st International Kite Festival has been launched at Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Ahmedabad is hosting this festival since 1989. A large number of kite artists from across the world are participating in the festival to exhibit their skills. The festival is also taking place at nine other places across the state including Statue of Unity-Kevadiya, Surat and Vadodara.