- Noted danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai passes away at 97
- Noted danseuse and Padma Bhushan awardee Mrinalini Sarabhai passed away at her Ahmedabad home in Usmanpura area
- She was the wife of renowned Indian scientist and the father of India’s space programme Vikram Sarabhai.
- The noted classical dancer was 97 and is survived by her children Mallika Sarabhai, Kartikeya Sarabhai, four grand-children and three great-grandchildren
- IRS officer Atulesh Jindal appointed new CBDT chief
- Senior revenue service officer Atulesh Jindal was on Thursday appointed chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy-making body of the income tax department.
- He will succeed A K Jain, who completes his term at the end of this month.
- Jindal, a 1978 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, is currently working as member (revenue) in the CBDT. He will have a tenure of six-months till he retires in July
- 4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference begins in New Delhi
- The 2-day 4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference began in New Delhi today, with the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas (I/C) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan calling for collaborative development and creating a brighter future for the people of India and Africa
- Shri Pradhan expressed the hope that India, apart from being an attractive market for crude oil and gas, would be an able partner for African nations across the industry value chain.
- He said that the present Indian government is keen to move towards a geographically diversified energy basket, and this has resulted in Indias greater focus on Africa as a vital region for sourcing petroleum products in coming years
- India signs Financing Agreement with World Bank for US$ 250 million for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project
- The Financing Agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of US$ 250 million for Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project was signed between Government of India and the World Bank
- The Financing Agreement was signed by Mr. Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of Government of India and Mr. Onno Ruhl, Country Director in India, on behalf of the World Bank.
- The objective of the project is to enhance resilience to floods and increase agricultural production and productivity in the targeted districts in the Kosi River Basin, and to enhance Bihars capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency.
- The primary beneficiaries will be rural producers and households in the Kosi River Basin who are regularly exposed to floods.
- Project Components: The project has five components: (i) Improving Flood Risk Management; (ii) Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Competitiveness; (iii) Augmenting Connectivity; (iv) Contingent Emergency Response; and (v) Implementation Support.
- Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace named the world’s best hotel of 2016
- A dazzling Indian palace fit for a maharaja has taken the top spot in TripAdvisor’s 2016 Travelers’ Choice Awards, receiving glowing reviews from guests who gave it top marks and were effusive with their praise.
- In the 14th edition of the travel site’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, the Umaid Bhawan Palace was named the best hotel of 2016, with a five out of five bubble rating among its 840 guests.
- Built over 15 years between 1928 and 1943 after its namesake, the Maharaja Umaid Singh, the palatial hotel is literally fit for an Indian king, as the sprawling property is the principal residence of the Jodhpur royal family.
- The palace features 347 rooms.
- ‘Nai Manzil’ Scheme Launched in Jammu and Kashmir
- The ‘Nai Manzil’ scheme has been launched, for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir
- Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Minister of Minority Affairs said that the scheme was launched for girls in Srinagar on 20th January, 2016 in three institutions
- The institutions are Skill Development Centre, University of Kashmir and two Madarsas (Madarsa Shahi-i-Hamdan in Pampore and Madarsa Imam Sadique in Shadi pur ,Bandipora.
- Under the scheme girls from minority communities will be imparted three month skill development training in seven identified sectors relevant to the region. These include training in saffron processing, food processing, embroidery, computers IT (both software and hardware), Tourism/hospitality, electronics and plumbing. Trainees will also be given stipend of Rs.4500/-for the course.
- Nai Manzil Scheme is an integrated Education and Livelihood Initiative for the Minority Communities. The scheme aims to benefit the minority youths who are school-dropouts or educated in the community education institutions like Madrasas, by providing them an integral input of formal education (up till Class VIII or X) and skill training along with certification.
- India Submits First Biennial Update Report to UNFCCC
- India submitted its first Biennial Update Report (BUR) today, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), towards fulfillment of the reporting obligation under the Convention.
- As per the provisions of the Convention, countries need to periodically provide information in the form of their National Communication.
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992, then entered into force on 21 March 1994
- India to be fastest growing big economy in 2016: UN
- India will be the fastest growing big economy in the world in 2016, a United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 report said
- India’s economy, which accounts for over 70 percent of South Asia’s GDP, is projected to grow by 7.3 percent in 2016 and 7.5 percent in 2017, slightly up from an estimated 7.2 percent in 2015
- As in other countries of the region, the macroeconomic environment in India has improved, helped by the sharp decline in the prices of oil, metals and food
- South Asia is expected to be the world’s fastest growing region in 2016 and 2017 despite challenging global conditions
- Mumbai Central gets free WiFi service from Google and RailTel
- RailTel has announced the launch of free high-speed public Wi-Fi service in partnership with Google at Mumbai Central Railway Station
- Google had announced its plans to bring high-speed Wi-Fi to 400 Indian railway stations during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Google HQ in Mountain View, California.
- With Railwire Wi-Fi service, the travelers will be able to easily stream high definition video while they are waiting.
- The free public Wi-Fi service will be available in Allahabad, Patna, Jaipur and Ranchi shortly.
- MSDE and DoT sign MoU for national action plan for skill development in telecom sector
- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Department of Telecommunication (DoT), a department under Ministry of Communications & IT, to develop and implement National Action Plan for skill development in telecom sector.
- It will be utilising PSUs under DoT with a common objective of fulfilling skilled manpower requirement of the telecom sector and at the same time providing quality opportunities for employment / entrepreneurship.
- For the successful implementation of the MoU, MSDE has primarily discharged responsibilities through Directorate General of Training (DGT), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and related Sector Skill Councils (SSCs).
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