PM Modi, Israeli PM Netanyahu dedicate iCreate to the nation

PM Modi, Israeli PM Netanyahu dedicate iCreate to the nation
Prime Minister Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu today dedicated to the nation, the iCREATE facility located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. iCreate is an independent Centre created with the objective of facilitating entrepreneurship through a blend of creativity, innovation, engineering, product design and leveraging emerging technologies to deal with major issues such as food security, water, connectivity, cybersecurity, IT and electronics, energy, bio-medical equipment and devices etc. iCreate aims to develop an ecosystem in India to generate quality entrepreneurs.

,,,,,,,,,,,The First Global Initiative on Academic Network GIAN course on Sustainable Urban planning using remote sensing and Geographic Information System, GIS has been launched at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur’s outreach center in NOIDA. Principal Adviser, NITI Aayog, Ratan P. Watal, inaugurated the course at a function in NOIDA yesterday on 15th January,2018.

This course is being conducted under the Global Initiative on Academic Network (GIAN) Program of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and actively supported by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

This course aims to give participants state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS skills which will allow them to rise to the challenge of managing the rapidly changing urban environment of Indian cities. Focus will be on issues such as water resource management, water pollution and strategic emplacements for water treatment facilities.

The course is being coordinated by Professor Rajiv Sinha from the Department of Earth Sciences at IIT Kanpur and Dr. Patrice Carbonneau from the Department of Geography, University of Durham, UK.

......................The Government has recently entrusted the task of integrated development of Logistics sector in the country to the Department of Commerce. To fulfil this a MoU with Confederation of Indian Industry has been signed today in the presence of the Minister for Commerce & Industry Shri Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi. The Government has decided to reduce the Logistics cost in the country from the present 14% of GDP to less than 10% by 2022. On this occasion the Minister congratulated Logistics division of DoC and CII for this initiative and urged them to work together for taking Logistics sector to global levels both in terms of efficiency and cost.

Manali Girl Aanchal Thakur Brings Home India's First Skiing Medal

Manali Girl Aanchal Thakur Brings Home India's First Skiing Medal
Aanchal Thakur created history when she became the first Indian to win an international medal in skiing after winning Bronze at the prestigious Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup.

Ajeya Warrior-2017:,,,Sentinel- 5P, ,,Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Ajeya Warrior-2017:
It is a fourteen days training exercise between the Indian Army and the British Army. It is being held in Rajasthan. It is the third joint military exercise between the two countries. The first exercise was conducted in 2013 at Belgaum, Karnataka, whereas for the second exercise in 2015, an Indian Army contingent had visited the United Kingdom.

The aim of the exercise is to build and promote bilateral relations and enhance interoperability while sharing experiences between the Royal British Army and the Indian Army.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sentinel- 5P, a European satellite tracking the levels air pollutants around the world has beamed back new views of the Earth’s atmosphere, including images of pollution drifting away from power plants in India.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic alliance of six countries in the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The #38thGulfCooperation Council summit is being held in #Kuwait.
Established in 1981, the GCC promotes economic, security, cultural and social cooperation between the six states and holds a summit every year to discuss cooperation and regional affairs.
Due to their geographic proximity, similar political systems and common sociocultural stances, the immediate goal was for these countries to protect themselves from threats after the Iran-Iraq War.

Bali volcano: Mount Agung spits ash 2.5 miles in sky

Bali volcano: Mount Agung spits ash 2.5 miles in sky, airport shut for a second day
Lava is welling in Mount Agung’s crater, but it remained unclear how bad the eruption might get or how long it could last

A volcano with a deadly history continued to erupt Tuesday on Bali, one of the world’s most popular resort islands, spitting ash 4,000 metres high and stranding tens of thousands of tourists for a second day. Lava was welling in its crater, but it remained unclear how bad the eruption might get or how long it could last.

Authorities have raised the alert for Mount Agung to the highest level and told 100,000 people to leave an area extending 10 kilometres from its crater as it belches grey and white plumes into the sky. Its last major eruption in 1963 killed about 1,100 people.

Officials extended the closure of Bali’s international airport for another 24 hours due to concerns that jet engines could choke on the thick volcanic ash, which was moving across the island.

Tourists waiting for planes stared at information screens reading “cancelled” for every flight. Airport spokesman Ari Ahsanurrohim said more than 440 flights were cancelled Tuesday, affecting nearly 60,000 passengers, about the same as Monday. Without aircraft, getting in or out of Bali requires travelling hours by land and boat to an airport on another island.

“I don’t know, we can’t change it,” said stranded German traveler Gina Camp, who planned to go back outside and enjoy another day on the island, which attracts about 5 million visitors a year to its famed resorts and world-class surf spots. “It’s nature and we have to wait until it’s over.”

Experts said a larger, explosive eruption is possible or Agung could stay at its current level of activity for weeks.

“If it got much worse, it would be really hard to think of. You’ve got a huge population center, nearly a million people in Denpasar and surroundings, and it’s very difficult to envision moving those people further away,” said Richard Arculus, a volcano expert at Australian National University, adding that an eruption in 1843 was even more explosive than the one in 1963.

“There are many examples in history where you have this kind of seismic buildup—steam ejections of a little bit of ash, growing eruptions of ash to a full-scale stratosphere-reaching column of ash, which can presage a major volcanic event,” he said.

A Nasa satellite detected a thermal anomaly at the crater, said senior Indonesian volcanologist Gede Swantika. That means a pathway from the storage chamber in the volcano’s crust has opened, giving magma easier access to the surface.

Indonesian officials first raised the highest alert two months ago when a rash of seismic activity was detected at the mountain. More than 100,000 people living near the volcano fled their homes, many abandoning their livestock or selling them for a fraction of the normal price. The seismic activity decreased by the end of October, causing authorities to lower the alert level.

Tremors increased again last week and officials upped the alert and ordered another large-scale evacuation, with nearly 40,000 people now staying in 225 shelters, according to the Disaster Mitigation Agency in Karangasem. But tens of thousands of villagers have remained in their homes because they feel safe or don’t want to abandon their farms and livestock.

“Ash has covered my house on the floor, walls, banana trees outside, everywhere” said Wayan Lanus, who fled his village in Buana Giri with his wife and daughter.

Flows of volcanic mud have been spotted on Agung’s slopes, and Arculus warned more are possible since it’s the rainy season on Bali.

“They’re not making a lot of noise. It’s just suddenly coming like a flash flood out of nowhere,” he said. “You do not want to be near them. Stay out of the valleys.”

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has more than 120 active volcanoes.

Hornbill Festival

President of India inauguratesPresident of India inaugurates Hornbill Festival and State Formation Day celebrations of Nagaland

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the Hornbill Festival and State Formation Day celebrations of Nagaland today (December 1, 2017) in Kisama.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the Hornbill Festival is the perfect showcase of rich Naga culture and traditions, preserved over the years in the form of music, dance and food. The Hornbill Festival at Kisama and the International Music Festival represent the diversity of Naga society.

The President said that the past half-century has been one of both achievements and difficulties for Nagaland. The people of the state have come through many trials, but their essential talent and wisdom, and their essential goodness, has been so apparent. Today Nagaland is at the edge of making history. After years of insurgency, there is hope. With the support of the people of the state, of civil society institutions and all stake-holders, there is an opportunity for lasting peace. He expressed confidence that a final agreement – one that is fair to all and meets the expectations and aspirations of all – will be reached soon.

The President said that the youth of Nagaland are the pride of the country. They are the true legatees of Dr T. Ao, the doctor-sportsperson who was the first captain of our national football team after Independence, leading the team in the London Olympics of 1948. Young people from Nagaland are role models for the rest of India. An illustrious daughter of this state, Temsutula Imsong has won the hearts of the nation for her remarkable work in cleaning the ghats of the river Ganga in Varanasi. Another Naga girl – Chiewelou Thele – was adjudged the best trainee commando in her batch of police officers of Delhi Police. And as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the President said he is immensely proud of our Naga soldiers and officers. They are among the best we have.

The President said that Nagaland has so much to offer. The strength of the state lies in its organic farm produce, flowers and fruits. Nagaland has rare medicinal plants and herbs that can help create jobs and boost the economy. He mentioned Naga jolokia, called King Chilli locally, one of the hottest chilli peppers of the world, and said we need to bottle it into one of the hottest selling sauces of the world. He stated that Nagaland has also the potential to be an attractive tourist destination, offering a unique blend of heritage and culture and spectacular natural beauty.

The President said that our country is making great strides and is among the world’s fastest growing economies. We are also a diverse nation. Our linguistic, ethnic, religious and geographical variety makes India special – and this is our biggest strength. It is an exciting time to be an Indian. And it is an exciting time to be a Naga. Nagaland and the Northeast are central to the India story. Without the development of Nagaland, the development of India will be incomplete.

US author #GeorgeSaunders wins 2017 Man Booker Prize for novel 'Lincoln in the Bardo'.

US author #GeorgeSaunders wins 2017 Man Booker Prize for novel 'Lincoln in the Bardo'.
George Saunders’s surreal, experimental first novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” won the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday, marking the second year in a row that the prize has gone to an American author.

The novel unfolds in a cemetery in 1862, where a grieving Abraham Lincoln visits the crypt that holds the body of his 11-year-old son, Willie, who died of typhoid fever. At the graveyard, Willie’s spirit is joined by a garrulous, motley community of ghosts who exist in the liminal state between life and death. At times, the narrative feels more like a play or an oral history than a novel, with dialogue among the ghosts, interspersed with scraps of historical research and snippets of contemporary news accounts that Mr. Saunders gathered, or in some cases invented.

In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Saunders said he was encouraged that the judges had recognized such an unconventional novel.

“For me, the nice thing is that the book is hard, and it’s kind of weird and it’s not a traditional novel,” Mr. Saunders said. “I didn’t do it just to be fancy, but because there was this emotional core I could feel, and that form was the only way I could get to it.”

At a news conference in London on Tuesday, Lola Young, the chair of judges, said that the novel was “unique” and “stood out because of its innovation, its very different styling; the way in which it paradoxically brought to life these almost dead souls, not quite dead souls, this other world.

Queen of Thumri’ Girija Devi dead

Queen of Thumri’ Girija Devi dead
Doyen of the Benaras gharana

Eminent classical singer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Girija Devi passed away at a city hospital here on Tuesday night following a cardiac arrest, hospital sources said. She was 88 and is survived by her daughter.

Considered as the queen of thumri and fondly called Appa-ji, Girija Devi was admitted to the city’s BM Birla Heart Research Centre earlier in the afternoon with cardiovascular ailments, She was put on life support, her family sources said.
Girija Devi’s condition was quite critical when she was brought to the hospital. She was admitted to the CCU and was under constant watch. But she passed away around 8.45 p.m.,” a hospital spokesperson said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled her death, saying the singer’s music appealed across generations and her pioneering efforts to popularise Indian classical music would always be remembered.

“Saddened by demise of Girija Devi-ji. Indian classical music has lost one of its most melodious voices. My thoughts are with her admirers,” he tweeted.

A legendary singer of the Benaras gharana, Girija Devi was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1989 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.

The year of Kidambi Srikanth

The year of Kidambi Srikanth
With four Super Series titles in the bag, 2017 truly looks like the year of Kidambi Srikanth

Kidambi Srikanth has had a fantastic run of form this year.

Since his loss in August to then World No.1 Son Wan Ho of South Korea, in the quarter-finals of the World Championships in Glasgow, the Indian badminton player has lost just one of the 13 matches he has played. His wins include the back-to-back Super Series titles in Denmark (22 October) and France (29 October), taking the number of his Super Series titles this year to four, and career tally to six. His victories this year have come against players such as Olympic champion Chen Long (Australian Open), world champion Viktor Axelsen (Denmark Open), and Son Wan Ho (Indonesia Open).

Along the way, Srikanth became the only Indian, and the fourth player ever, to win four Super Series titles in a calendar year. The other three are Lin Dan (China), Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) and Chen Long (China).

He is slowly becoming the man to beat in world badminton.

Srikanth is naturally agile. It helps him move to the net faster and finish with a tap kill. And his speed has been the key to his success and dominance on fast courts such as those in Denmark and France, says coach Pullela Gopi Chand. “In the kind of fast conditions that he’s won in, Srikanth is clearly the world’s best player,” says Gopi Chand.

Srikanth also has a lethal smash.

But, and perhaps more importantly, he has also become stronger mentally, which has helped his game on court. “He has developed the ability to stay cool under pressure,” says former India player Arvind Bhat, who is one of the Indian team’s travelling coaches. “In the quarter-final versus Shi Yuqi (in France), for instance, Srikanth lost the opening game 21-8. An earlier Srikanth, and most players in fact, would have panicked. But he managed to turn things around.”

In fact, in the last two weeks, he has scored three comeback wins—against Axelsen in Denmark, Shi Yuqi in France, and compatriot H.S. Prannoy, again in France.

The other big change has been in Srikanth’s physical fitness. Just hours after his Denmark win, Srikanth landed in Paris and had to get down to business. Sure, both finals (in Denmark and France) may have been horribly one-sided affairs that took a little over 30 minutes to finish, but that alone isn’t reflective of the toll this exertion takes on an athlete’s body. Unlike, say, tennis players during Grand Slams, badminton players have to play six days at a stretch during a Super Series.

“I’m actually a little bit surprised myself,” says Srikanth. “The way we have been training for the last eight-nine months, I guess it’s working for me. I just need to continue this way and keep working hard.” Under Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo, who joined the Indian team in March, training sessions at the academy in Hyderabad have changed dramatically. Two-hour training sessions interspersed with long gaps have turned into 4 gruelling hours on court and plenty of running exercises with water breaks. The idea is to develop endurance.

Gopi Chand, however, thinks he needs to develop more patience. “Specially on slower courts. Hanging in there during sticky situations—that’s going to be a real test of his fitness and maturity,” says the national coach.

Comparisons with Gopi Chand and Prakash Padukone may be unfair, but in his career as a professional badminton player so far, Srikanth’s achievements have been tremendous. Padukone’s All England title (1980) came at a time when badminton as a career was unheard of. Gopi Chand’s title came 21 years later. And for both players, the crown in Birmingham remains their biggest claim to fame, when they were aged 25 and 28, respectively. At 24, Srikanth seems to be on a roll.

Rasogolla hits sweet spot, gets GI tag

Rasogolla hits sweet spot, gets GI tag
The Geographical Indication (GI) Registry and Intellectual Property India has presented the Geographical Indication Tag status to Banglar Rasogolla of West Bengal and Mamallapuram stone sculptures of Tamil Nadu.

The sculptures from Mamallapuram were known to be carved in stone with characteristics of intricate designing chiselled finely, keeping with the spirit of the surrounding Pallava art and architecture. The description includes cave architecture, rock architecture, structural temples, open sculptures, relief sculptures and painting/portrait sculptures.

Rasgolla: According to one of the documents submitted by West Bengal citing historical evidence, Rasogollas invented in the Nadia district of West Bengal are 60 years old (lower end time frame). Haradhan, a confectioner of village Phulia is named as the inventor. West Bengal has given half-a-dozen historical evidences to back its claim.

About GI tag:

What is it?

A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

Significance of a GI tag:

Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

Security:

Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that produc

RBI Governor Urjit Patel has been appointed to the Financial Stability Institute Advisory Board or the Bank of International Settlement (BIS),

RBI Governor Urjit Patel has been appointed to the Financial Stability Institute Advisory Board or the Bank of International Settlement (BIS), a global financial organisation owned by major central banks from across the world.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is the world’s oldest international financial organization. It was established in May 1930.

Manushi Chhillar’s Miss World win draws India level with Venezuela with 6 titles

Manushi Chhillar’s Miss World win draws India level with Venezuela with 6 titles
Manushi Chhillar is the sixth Miss World from India, following in the footsteps of Bollywood actors Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai
Manushi Chhillar’s Miss World win on Saturday has tied India with Venezuela for most number of titles won by a single country.

Chhillar is the sixth Indian to become Miss World, following in the footsteps of Bollywood actors Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai. Her win brings India level with Venezuela as the countries with most victories in the history of the pageant, now in its 67th edition.

Reita Faria, Yukta Mookhey, Diana Haydon are the other India Miss World winners.




...........................the government has given the go-ahead for setting up India’s first mega coastal economic zone (CEZ) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra as part of a plan to develop 14 such industrial clusters to spur manufacturing and generate jobs.

The plan envisages a total investment of Rs 15,000 crore in the first phase and creation of more than 1.5 lakh jobs. The idea is to attract large firms interested in serving the export markets as they would bring with them technology, capital, good management and links to the world markets. This in turn would help create an ecosystem around them in which productive small and medium firms would emerge and flourish.
These zones are expected to provide business-friendly ecosystem including ease of doing business, ease of exporting and importing, swift decisions on applications for environmental clearances, and speedy water and electricity connections

Manipur Sangai Festival,

Manipur Sangai Festival,
#upscpre2018
which is the biggest festival of the state. Celebrated for 10 days every November since 2010, this is the perfect showcase for the cultural diversity and richness of Manipur, comprising its various communities and beautiful social fabric. The food and culture, adventure sports and crafts, handlooms and universally-admired dance forms of Manipur cannot find a more appropriate setting.

Manipur is the capital of Indian sport. 
#The traditional sport of #Sagol Kangjei was the inspiration for modern polo. And here in Imphal is the oldest polo ground in the world.
# Huyen Langlon is a martial art that I believe deserves much greater international exposure.
As does #Yubi Lakpi, played with a greased coconut instead of a rugby ball. I have only mentioned a few of the many remarkable indigenous sports of Manipur. These are treasures that must be shared with the rest of the country and rest of the world.
Named after Manipur’s state animal, the brow-antlered Sangai deer, the Sangai Festival 2017 got underway on November 21 with the President of India Ram Nath Kovind set to inaugurate the 10-day long tourism extravaganza. Dubbed as the grandest festival of Manipur, the Sangai Festival showcases the tourism potential of the state in the field of arts & culture, handloom, handicrafts, indigenous sports, cuisine, music and adventure sports etc.

Transforming 115 backward districts across the country

Transforming 115 backward districts across the country

First Meeting of Prabhari Officers on 24th November

In keeping with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a New India by 2022, Government has embarked upon a major policy initiative for the rapid transformation of 115 backward districts across the country. Senior Government officials in the rank of the rank of Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary have been designated as Prabhari Officers or the in-charge to coordinate the efforts of the Centre and the states in addressing the specific developmental needs of the districts.

The First meeting of the Prabhari Officers entrusted with the responsibility to co-ordinate the efforts of the Centre and the States towards rapid transformation of 115 backward districts across the country will be held tomorrow on Friday, the 24th November. Cabinet Secretary, PKSinha will chair the meeting with the CEO of the NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant. Secretaries of key Ministries would also attend this session. Home Secretary will also brief the Prabhari Officers. Among the 115 backward districts, 35 are affected by Left Wing Violence. Shortly after this event, meeting of representatives of the State Governments and Prabhari officers is being organised to ensure that transformation of backward district in India is carried out by a dedicated team of Central and State governments.

Background:

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given a Vision for a new and vibrant India by 2022, the year when India celebrates its 75th year of Independence. Inclusive development and improving the liveability of all are integral part of this vision. One of the initiatives in this regard is to make a dramatic improvement in overall socio-economic development of backward districts. The strategy envisaged is to adopt a focussed approach, ensure convergence of efforts of the Central, State and local Government and establish a real time monitoring mechanism to focus on outcomes that matter to common people in these districts beside giving rise to a virtuous cycle of economic development.

A total of 115 districts have been identified for this purpose on the basis of objective criteria. Such criteria include education, health, nutrition basic infrastructure like rural road connectivity, rural household electrification, access to potable water and individual toilets etc. These districts include 35 districts which are affected by violence by Left Wing Extremists. Besides, while selecting these districts, it has been ensured that Ministries of Government of India, implementing social sector Scheme would select at least one most backward districts in every State for extending the reach of the programme in different part of the country. Improvement in one district is likely to spur similar growth in neighbouring districts through demonstration effect.

Under this initiative, for all these 115 districts, senior level Government officers (Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary) have been nominated as Prabhari officers. It has been envisaged that using their experience, these officers would form a team with representatives of the State Governments and would also act as a bridge between Centre and the State. States have been accordingly requested to nominate senior level functionary for each district. States are the main drivers of this program.

current affairs of uttarakhand from 10th september to 30th september 2017 by samveg ias

current affairs of uttarakhand from 1october to 18 october 2017 by samveg ias

Audrey Azoulay nominated by UNESCO Executive Board for the post of Director-General:current affairs for upsc pre

Audrey Azoulay nominated by UNESCO Executive Board for the post of Director-General

The 58 members of UNESCO’s Executive Board on 13 October nominated Audrey Azoulay of France for the position of Director-General of the Organization, replacing outgoing Director-General Irina Bokova.
The nomination will be submitted to the vote of the General Conference that brings together all 195 Member States of the Organization every two years on 10 November.

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india-EU
India and the EU have been strategic partners since 2004. The 14th annual Summit between India and the European Union (EU) was held in New Delhi. The two sides reviewed a full spectrum of their ties at the 14th summit with a focus on ramping up two-way trade and investment.

The leaders reviewed the wide-ranging cooperation under the India-EU Strategic Partnership. Recognising that India and the EU are natural partners, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership based on shared principles and values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights and territorial integrity of States.

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The U.S. has announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), accusing it of “continuing anti-Israel bias.” Besides the US, Israel has also decided to pull out of UNESCO.

As required by law, the U.S. has stopped funding UNESCO. The U.S. withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2018. Until then, it will remain a full member.
About UNESCO:

UNESCO is a United Nations organization that helps preserve historical and cultural sites worldwide.

It is a special multi-country agency, formed in 1945 and based in France, that promotes sex education and literacy as well as improving gender equality in countries around the world.
It is also known for its work to preserve cultural and heritage sites such as ancient villages, ruins and temples, and historic sites such as the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, which at one point came under threat of being destroyed by the Islamic State.

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deep sea fishing and marine conservation
Deep sea fishing has been an integral part of the country’s Blue Revolution vision to exploit fishing resources to the maximum within the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). One day workshop was organized on Deep sea fishing with an aim to promote deep sea fishing as an alternative to trawling in the Palk Bay.

What is the issue with Bottom trawling?

Bottom trawling, an ecologically destructive practice, involves trawlers dragging weighted nets along the sea-floor, causing great depletion of aquatic resources. Bottom trawling captures juvenile fish, thus exhausting the ocean’s resources and affecting marine conservation efforts. This practice was started by Tamil Nadu fishermen in Palk Bay and actively pursued at the peak of the civil war in Sri Lanka.

The Palk Bay fishing conflict has figured prominently in high-level meetings between India and Sri Lanka. The Joint Working Group on Fisheries was formed by the two countries in November, 2016 to discuss the prolonged issue. But Sri Lankan fishermen wanted an immediate end to incursions by Indian trawlers, which resulted into amendment to the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act by Sri Lankan parliament. Also its navy has been vigilantly patrolling the International Maritime Boundary Line, ‘capturing’ Indian trawl boats and fishers.deep sea fishing and marine conservation

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Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana
About the Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana:

Under the Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana, at least one village (having a minimum of 100 households) will be identified in each of the revenue districts of the country, wherein endeavour will be made to cover all households of that identified village with a minimum of one RPLI (Rural Postal Life Insurance) policy each. Coverage of all households in the identified Sampoorna Bima Gram village is the primary objective of this scheme.

Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI), introduced on March 24, 1995 on the recommendations of the Malhotra Committee, provides insurance cover to people residing in rural areas, especially weaker sections and women living in rural areas

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National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL) has become India’s first information utility (IU) for bankruptcy cases under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016. NeSL is owned by State Bank of India and Life Insurance Corporation Ltd., among others. Recently, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) eased ownership norms for setting up such utilities.

What is an information utility?

Information utility is an information network which would store financial data like borrowings, default and security interests among others of firms. The utility would specialise in procuring, maintaining and providing/supplying financial information to businesses, financial institutions, adjudicating authority, insolvency professionals and other relevant stake holders.

Why is it important? How useful is it?

The objective behind information utilities is to provide high-quality, authenticated information about debts and defaults. Information utilities are expected to play a key role as they allow storage of financial information of registered users and expeditiously process and verify information received.

Moreover, the database and records maintained by them would help lenders in taking informed decisions about credit transactions. It would also make debtors cautious as credit information is available with the utility. More importantly, information available with the utility can be used as evidence in bankruptcy cases before the National Company Law Tribunal

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India have topped the medal tally for first time in the history of Asian Athletics Championships.

India have topped the medal tally for first time in the history of Asian Athletics Championships.
In a stunning show of dominance on the fourth and final day of competitions in Bhubaneshwar today, India clinched five gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze.
With that, the hosts ended the championships on top with a haul of 29 medals which included 12 gold, 5 silver and 12 bronze.

Dhola-Sadiya: A Bridge of New Hope for the North East

Dhola-Sadiya: A Bridge of New Hope for the North East

Road connectivity in the North-East will see a major transformation when Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates the country’s longest river bridge –the Dhola- Sadiya Bridge in Assam tomorrow. This new, three lane, 9.15 kilometre bridge has been built over river Lohit, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, linking Dhola to Sadiya in Assam . The bridge will fill a huge connectivity gap that has existed in the region. Till now, the only means to cross the Brahmaputra at this location has been by ferry only in day-time and even this is not possible during floods. The last bridge over the Brahmaputra was the Kalia Bhomora Bridge at Tejpur. This will however change from tomorrow with the Dhola-Sadiya bridge ensuring 24X7 connectivity between upper Assam and Eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh.

The bridge will also reduce the distance from Rupai on NH- 37 in Assam to Meka/Roing on NH-52 in Arunachal Pradesh by 165 KM. The travel time between the two places will come down from the current six hours to just one hour – a total five hour reduction. This will result in saving of petrol and diesel worth Rs 10 Lakh per day.

The Dhola-Sadiya bridge promises to usher in prosperity in the North-East. It will provide efficient road connectivity to remote and backward areas which have poor road infrastructure. This bridge will also give a major boost to overall economic development of the areas north of Brahmaputra in upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It will also cater to the strategic requirements of the country in the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh, besides facilitating numerous hydro power projects coming up in the state , as it is the most sought after route for various power project developers.

The total length of the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge project, including the approach roads on each side, is 28.50 km. The length of the bridge itself is 9.15 Km. It has been constructed on BOT Annuity basis at a total cost of Rs 2,056 crore, as part of the Arunachal Package of Roads and Highways under the Ministry’s SPECIAL ACCELERATED ROAD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME for NORTH EAST (SARDP-NE). The objective was to bring the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh closer to each other.

Pulitzer Prize: ‘Daily News’, ‘ProPublica’ win public service award, ‘NYT’ leads with 3

Daily News and ProPublica garnered the coveted public service Pulitzer Prize for uncovering abuse of eviction rules that drove many minority families from their homes

The New York Daily News and ProPublica garnered the coveted Pulitzer Prize for public service for uncovering abuse of eviction rules by police that drove many poor minority families from their homes.

The New York Times led all news outlets with three Pulitzers for international reporting, feature writing and breaking news photography. For national reporting, David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post won a Pulitzer for his coverage of the Donald Trump campaign. For investigative reporting, Eric Eyre of the Charleston Gazette-Mail in Charleston, West Virginia, was awarded for exposing a local opioid crisis.

In the Trump era, big newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post are building vital digital businesses to fend off challenges from tech platforms like Facebook and Google that are taking advertising sales from newspapers globally. The president has railed against both news outlets, accusing them of unfair news coverage of him. But those criticisms, often in the form of early-morning tweets, amount to free advertising and have helped feed the online subscription surge.

At the same time, local papers like the Charleston Gazette-Mail continue to struggle, putting at risk valuable local investigative reporting like Eric Eyre’s prize-winning work.

For breaking news, the staff of the East Bay Times in Oakland, California, won for its coverage of the “Ghost Ship” fire that killed 36 people at a warehouse party, and the city’s failure to take actions that might have prevented it.

The Salt Lake Tribune staff earned the local reporting prize for revealing the “perverse, punitive and cruel treatment” given to sexual assault victims at Brigham Young University, one of Utah’s most powerful institutions.

Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism announced the 101st annual Pulitzer Prizes Monday in New York. A board of editors, publishers, writers and educators voted on 21 categories of journalism, letters, drama, poetry and music. Winners in all categories except public service receive $15,000. The public-service prize, awarded to an American news organization, is a gold medal.

In recent years, the board has expanded eligibility for five categories—investigative reporting, feature writing, international reporting, criticism and editorial cartooning—to include many online and print magazines that publish at least weekly. The board also changed its rules on partnerships, letting news organizations nominate journalists who work at partnering outlets even if those groups aren’t eligible to compete. 

64th National Film Awards: Akshay Kumar wins best actor for Rustom, best Hindi film is Neerja 64th National Awards:

64th National Film Awards: Akshay Kumar wins best actor for Rustom, best Hindi film is Neerja
64th National Awards: As the National Awards were announced today, Akshay Kumar emerged as the best actor while Neerja was the best Hindi film.
Akshay Kumar won his first National Film Award for his role in Rustom, a courtroom drama inspired by the 1959 Nanavati case, while Sonam Kapoor’s Neerja won the Best Hindi Film at the 64th National Film Awards announced on Friday. The Best Film award went to Marathi film Kasaav and Rajesh Mapuskar will be honoured as the Best Director for his Marathi film Ventilator. The film was produced by Priyanka Chopra. Akshay played the role a patriotic naval officer in the movie, who ends up in jail after killing the lover of his wife. The movie was directed by Tinu Suresh Desai. The jury, headed by filmmaker Priyadarshan, chose Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Pink, a female-centric courtroom drama, as the best film on social issues. Surabhi C M was named as the best actress for her role in Malayalam film Minnaminungu-The Firefly. Along with Neerja winning, Sonam also got a special mention from the jury. The movie is based on airhostess Neerja Bhanot, who displayed utmost courage to deal with armed terrorists and sacrificed her life to save others. Adil Hussain for Mukti Bhawan and Kadvi Hawa also got special mentions. Best Kannada film was won by Reservation while Best Marathi Film award went to Dashakriya. Best Gujarati Film goes to Wrong Side Raju and Best Tamil Film Goes went to Joker by Raju Murugan.
Here is the complete list of 64th National Film Award winners
Best Actor is Akshay Kumar for film Rustom
Best Actress is Surabhi CM for Minnaminunge
Best Film is Kasav
Best Director is Rajesh Mapuskar for Ventilator
Best Film on Social Issues is Pink
Best Supporting Actor is Manoj Joshi for Dashkriya
Best Supporting Actress is Zaira Wasim for Dangal
Best Environmental Film is ‘The Tiger who crossed the line’
Best Hindi Feature Film is Neerja, directed by Ram Madhvani
Best Marathi Film is Dashakriya
Best Kannada Film is Reservation
Best Bengali Film is Bisarjan
Best Children Film is Dhanak
Special Mention Award for The Eyes of Darkness
Best VFX to Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay
Indira Gandhi Award for debut director for Khalifa (Bengali)
Best Action Director and Stunt Choreographer to Peter Haines for Pulimurugan
Best Editing and Sound Mixing Award for Priyanka Chopra’s Ventilator
Best Female Playback Singer is Tumi Jake Bhalobaso by Iman Chakraborty
Best Animation Award goes to Mahayoddha Rama
Best Production Design has been won by Tamil film 24Nargis Dutt Award for best Feature film award on national integration went to Dikchow Banat Palaax, (Assamese film)
Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment: Sathmanam Bhavathi
Best book on cinema was won by Lata Surgatha — a book that narrates the story of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. G Dhananjayan was selected as the Best Movie Critic. Uttar Pradesh was announced as the Most Film Friendly state by the jury. Special mention to the state of Jharkhand on jury’s recommendation.