1. PM Narendra Modi's cabinet gets 19 new faces
PM Narendra Modi inducted 19 new faces to his Cabinet. This is the second expansion of the council of ministers since Modi government came to power in May 2014.
The list of ministers who were inducted include Faggan Singh Kulaste, SS Ahluwalia, Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi, Vijay Goel, Ramdas Athawale, Rajen Gohain, Anil Madhav Dave, Parshottam Rupala, MJ Akbar, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jasvantsinh Bhabhor, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Ajay Tamta, Krishna Raj, Mansukhbhai Mandavia, Anupriya Patel, CR Chaudhary, PP Chaudhary and Subash Ram Bhamre.
Apart from the 19 new faces, Prakash Javadekar also took oath at Rashtrapati Bhawan today. Javadekar,the incumbent Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change has been elevated to the Cabinet rank. He was the only union minister to be elevated.
Among the 19 inductees, three MPs each from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh took oath while four from Rajasthan were also sworn in.
2. World’s largest charkha unveiled at T3 airport
World’s largest charkha (spinning wheel) was unveiled at the Terminal 3 terminal of IGI Airport here.
At the unveiling ceremony, Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra said charkha is a symbol of Gandhian values and shows governments priority towards khadi and village industries.
He added charkha represents swadeshi, self-sufficiency and at the same time, interdependence, because the wheel is at the center of a network of cotton growers, carders, weavers, distributors and users.
3. Online portal to monitor Krishi Vigyan Kendras
The government today said it has developed an online portal to monitor the functioning of 642 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) spread across the country.
"The online portal will help monitoring of KVKs on 24 hours basis," an official statement said.
The portal will have information about government schemes/programmes besides details of seeds and other inputs.
The portal will also have farm scientists names and phone numbers and other updates about KVKs.
4. Govt approves MoU with Mauritius for rural development
Government approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Mauritius to establish a framework for cooperation in the sphere of rural development.
The MoU, which was approved by Union Cabinet today will encourage cooperation in the field of rural development and capacity building on the basis of equality and mutual benefit between both the countries.
The MoU will establish a framework for cooperation between the National Development Unit, Prime Ministers Office of Mauritius and the Rural Development Ministry in the sphere of rural development, Rural Development Ministry said in an official statement.
Both countries have agreed to coordinate and facilitate appropriate technical cooperation, including the access to Indian expertise institutions that can assist in fulfilling the objectives of this MoU.
As per the agreement signed, a joint committee on cooperation in rural development will be established which will meet alternatively in both countries on mutually agreed dates.
5. NADA signs MoU with WADA, ASADA to boost anti-doping programme
In a bid to bolster its anti-doping programme, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has signed a two year memorandum of understanding with its Australian counterpart and its international parent body, the WADA.
A detailed project plan has been established among the three parties -- the NADA, the Australian Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) and World Anti-Doping Agency -- to ensure India implements a more effective anti-doping programme that is fully compliant with the WADA Code.
WADAs role is to oversee the partnership, including the timeline set for the project, and to assist with the implementation of the work required. The scope of the agreement includes the need for improvement of key aspects of NADAs programme, including testing and results management structures, more timely appeals processes, and a review of the agency’s structure to confirm that the current structures enable autonomous operational decision making.
6. SBI Card launches premium credit card 'Elite'
SBI Card, a subsidiary of State Bank of India launched a premium credit card with host of facilities targeting high networth customers.
'Elite' card is launched on the Master Card World platform and is enabled with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology.
This allows customers a contactless payment experience, adding more speed and suave to their wallets, SBI Card CEO Vijay Jasuja said.
The new card comes with a joining fee of Rs 4,999 nd all customers will receive a welcome gift worth Rs 5,000 in the form of vouchers from popular lifestyle and travel brands.
The third-largest card issuer has total card base of 3.75 million.
7. NBCC signs MoU with Gremound for new tech on housing project
NBCC, a psu under Urban Development Ministry, today signed an MoU with Gremound Engineering, a Hungarian company for partnership in introducing new construction technology in India for implementation of mass housing projects in the country.
The new construction technology named Non-Tectonic System, has been developed by Gremound and is designed to build liveable houses in mass quantities at extra speed, through setting up of a factory that would produce modules, suitable for building housing units of any category and shape.
Gremound has a unique concrete technology that uses special recipe for faster construction of mass housing projects, according to a release.
NBCC's partnering with Gremound for bringing in the Non- Tectonic Technology System in India would open up a huge opportunity for the Company in its participation in the Government's 'Housing for all by 2022' initiative, since the application of the technology shall make the construction faster, cost effective and qualitatively superior.
8. China inducts its largest homegrown military transport plane
China inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft Y-20, a breakthrough in military aviation technology for the PLA that allows the world's largest force to transport cargo and troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.
"The Y-20 entering into service marks a crucial step for the Air Force improving its strategic power projection capability," Air Force spokesperson Shen Jinke said.
With a maximum takeoff weight of 200 tonnes, the Y-20, which officially joined the PLA Air Force in Chengdu, is ideal for transporting cargo and personnel over long distances in diverse weather conditions, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The Air Force needs more and better transport to better fulfil its military responsibilities, including safeguarding national security as well as domestic and international rescue and relief work, Shen said.
The Air Force has provided aid and delivered relief supplies to Pakistan, Mongolia, Thailand, Nepal and other countries as they were hit by disasters in recent years.
The indigenously designed and developed Y-20 took its maiden flight in January 2013 and made its debut at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in November 2014, Chinese officials said.
The plane is comparable to the Russian-made IL-76 and the US C-17. PLA officials earlier said Y-20 is more advanced than the IL-476.
The plane which made its maiden flight in January 2013 and underwent trials runs including in the rugged Tibetan terrain will make troop deployment easier, enabling the military to act more promptly and respond to emergencies in a better manner, officials said.
It is also regarded as a major breakthrough in military aviation technology for the PLA which is more reliant on Russian-made planes so far.
9. India slips to 91st place on readiness for digitised economy
India has slipped two places to 91st position on a global list of countries in terms of their readiness for transition to a digitised economy and society, while Singapore remains on top.
Among the major emerging markets, India is ranked the lowest with Russia retaining the top place at 41st rank, followed by China at 59th (up three places), South Africa up 10 places at 65th and Brazil moving up to 72nd position.
The annual Networked Readiness Index released today by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) is once again topped by Singapore while Finland has also retained its second place. Others in the top-ten are Sweden, Norway, the US, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, Luxembourg and Japan.
The index, forming part of the WEFs Global Information Technology Report, measures countries success in creating the conditions necessary for a transition to a digitised economy and society.
Indias position on the list has come down for the fourth year in a row, from 89th in 2015, 83rd in 2014 and 68th in 2013.
While the country has scored better in terms of political and regulatory environment (78th position), it fares worse in terms of business and innovation environment (110th).
In terms of infrastructure it is even worse at 114th place, while it is ranked very high at 8th place in terms of affordability. India also fares poorly on sub-indices for skills and individual usage.
"Lack of infrastructure (114th) and low levels of skills among the population (101st) remain the key bottlenecks to widespread ICT adoption, especially in terms of individual usage (120th)," WEF said.
The report further noted that a third of the Indian population is still illiterate and a similar share of youth is not enrolled in secondary education. "Only 15 out of 100 households have access to the Internet and mobile broadband remains a privilege of the few, with only 5.5 subscriptions for every 100 people," it said but added that a divide persists between well-connected metropolitan hubs and remote rural areas.
In 2015, India launched the Digital India programme, which aims to close this gap by fostering investment in digital infrastructure, improving digital literacy, and increasingly providing online services to citizens. Indias performance in terms of providing online services and allowing e-participation has so far been in line with that of peer countries, but far from the global best (57th and 40th, respectively).
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