The Department of Animal Husbandry, in partnership with the World Bank, is organising an Avian Influenza Outbreak and Response Simulation Exercise in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on the 19th and 20th of June, 2024. This workshop comes at a crucial time as we face unusual outbreaks of Avian Influenza in Kerala and witness a global trend of spillovers to non-poultry species, including cattle. The programme was inaugurated by Dr. Abhijit Mitra, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, DAHD in presence of Shri. Gulshan Bamra, Principal Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Dr. Hikuepi (Epi) Katjiuongua, Senior Agriculture Economist, The World Bank and Dr Atul Srivastava, Principal Chief Wildlife Warden, Government of Madhya Pradesh.

The two-day workshop aims to enhance preparedness and response capabilities for avian influenza outbreaks.The simulation exercise is attended by  40 participants from diverse sectors such as Human Health represented by the National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Animal Husbandry Sector represented by Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India and State AHD , Wildlife represented by the Zoo and WWF, and Laboratory experts represented by ICAR-NIHSAD, RDDLs CDDL and State Veterinary Laboratory from Kerala, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh and International Organisations like the WHO and OFFLU signifying a monumental step towards a collaborative, One Health approach in tackling this formidable disease. The programme is facilitated by Dr. Lidewij Wiersma, Exert from the World Bank and Dr Frank Wong, WOAH Expert on Avian Influenza from CSIRO-Australian Cenrte for Disease Preparedness.

Embracing Additive Manufacturing (AM) would facilitate an advanced level of manufacturing efficiency and help capture new markets in many sectors, a senior official said on Thursday.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S Krishnan, who inaugurated the first National Additive Manufacturing Symposium (NAMS) - 2024 here, also said that efforts should be made to connect the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM), Hyderabad with various other organisations engaged in this emerging technology to develop machines, materials, software or products to develop a robust network.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an advisory to the stakeholders to increase the participation of women in the aviation workforce to 25% by 2025, as the government looks at ways to break gender bias and promote women empowerment in the country.

The industry estimates an average of 5-14% presence of women workers across various roles in the aviation sector of India, with the highest representation in the pilot category at 14%. In fact, there has been a significant upswing in the enrollment of women pilots in India in recent years. In 2023, a total of 1,622 commercial pilot licences (CPL) were issued in India, of which 294, or nearly a fifth, were issued to women. This is also 22% higher than 240 CPLs issued in 2022.

The International Day of Yoga (IDY) is an annual observance celebrated on June 21 since 2015. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’ which means ‘to join’. Yoga is harmony. According to the Bhagavad Gita, ‘Samatvam Yoga Uchyate’, which means ‘Equanimity is Yoga’. Yoga helps in balancing the three fundamental Gunas (Tamas, Rajas and Sattva) in the human being.

It removes stress and helps to unify the mind, body and soul. According to ancient Bharatiya seers, Yoga helps to remove pain. It improves our health and keeps us peaceful and happy. Yoga prevents and cures diseases. Regular practice of yoga leads to better flexibility of the body and quickness in thinking ability.

Maharishi Patanjali is often regarded as the father of modern yoga, according to several theories. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are a compilation of aphoristic Sanskrit sutras on the philosophy and practice of ancient yoga. The sutras define the eight limbs of yoga, which teach us different facets of how to embody yoga (unity) in mind, body, and spirit. They are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Even if one limb is perfectly followed, other limbs will follow.

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Mastercard India have signed MoU for collaboration in cyber security to enhance India’s cyber-resilience in the financial sector. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said, two entities will leverage their shared expertise to strengthen the financial sector’s cybersecurity incident response.

Mastercard and CERT-In will hold training programs and workshops for cyber capacity building, latest market trends and best practices to enhance cyber security of financial sector organizations. The two entities will also share relevant cyber threat trends, technical information, threat intelligence, and vulnerability reports to strengthen the financial sector information security of India.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has announced its partnership with Ria Money Transfer (Ria), global leader in the cross-border money transfer industry and business segment of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. The ease of access brought by this collaboration will provide customers in remote areas across India with convenient and affordable doorstep financial services.

Sixty-five per cent of India’s population lives in rural areas with limited financial infrastructure. These families need to travel long distances to withdraw their international inward remittance money, leading to loss of wage, incur travel expense & they also get exposed to risk associated with cash in transit or storage at home as they have to withdraw entire amount altogether. The IPPB & Ria’s partnership will increase people’s access to banking services at their doorstep & help them withdraw only to the extent they need immediately, ensuring they get saved from the earlier hassles and risks, thereby experiencing financial inclusion in true sense, leading to their long-term economic growth.

Through this partnership, the Internationals Inward Money Transfer service will become available at more than 25,000 Post Office locations immediately with an expected reach to over 100,000 locations through the Post Offices. By combining IPPB’s reach through world’s largest postal network and esteemed reputation with Ria’s global network and extensive product offering, customers across India will be able to benefit from a fast, convenient and safe doorstep service no matter where they are.

The Central Council For Research In Yoga And Naturopathy, in collaboration with Svyasa, Deemed to be University, orchestrated a Conference on “Yoga for Space” at S-Vyasa University, Bengaluru, in observance of International Day of Yoga 2024 with the theme “Yoga for Self & Society.”

The conference’s focus was on the convergence of experts from various fields to enhance society, including astronauts. The conference outlined the activities and challenges of IDY 2024, orchestrated by the Ministry of AYUSH for society, such as the “Yoga with Family” global video contest, YogaTech Challenges for innovative yoga ideas by Indian Start-ups, Yoga Quiz, Yoga Jingles, among others. These initiatives aim to raise awareness in society and promote vigorous yoga practice, recognizing that a healthy individual fosters a healthy society, as proclaimed by the theme of IDY 2024, said a release.

The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal for a new passenger terminal at Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, along with works related to the runway and apron extension.

The new passenger terminal will be built at an estimated cost of ₹2,869 crore, which will increase the airport’s passenger handling capacity from 39 lakh passengers per annum to 99 lakh passengers per annum and will be spread over 75,000 sq. m. The design will reflect the cultural heritage of the city.

The proposal also includes runway extension and an expanded apron to park 20 aircraft. A press statement from the government said that the Varanasi airport will be a green facility. This will be implemented through energy optimisation, waste recycling, solar energy utilisation, and other measures.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the development of a Rs 76,200-crore all-weather greenfield deep draft major port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra, according to an official statement.

The statement said the project will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), an SPV formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), with a shareholding of 74 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively.

The port will be one of the top 10 ports in the world, it added.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved an increase in the minimum support prices (MSP) for all 14 kharif crops for the 2024-25 crop season that runs from July to June.

The increase means farmers will get around ₹2 trillion as MSP – ₹35,000 crore more than what they got in the previous season, Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while briefing the media on the cabinet decisions.