Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, will chair the 'National PACS Mega Conclave’ on ‘Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra' tomorrow at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Mega Conclave is being organised by the Ministry of Cooperation in collaboration with the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). Additional Chief Secretaries (ACS)/ Principal Secretaries/ Secretaries of Cooperation Department and Registrars of Cooperative Societies of all the States/Union Territories, and Chairman, Secretaries and Pharmacists of those PACS, which have obtained drug licenses for operating Jan Aushadhi Kendras, will also participate in the Mega Conclave. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) provide quality generic medicines to the general public, which cost 50-90 percent less than the branded medicines available in the open market. More than 2000 types of generic medicines and around 300 surgical items are made available through these Kendras to common citizens at affordable prices. This initiative will provide new opportunities to PACS for diversification and expansion of their economic activities, thus leading to an increase in the incomes of millions of small and marginal farmers associated with them. It will also help in creating new employment opportunities in rural areas.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), is set to host the inaugural 'Inland Waterways Development Council' meeting in Kolkata on Monday.

According to an official statement issued from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, the day-long meeting on board the vessel MV Ganga Queen, by Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, will bring together key figures from across the waterways states and central government including Shripad Naik and Shantanu Thakur, Ministers of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways.

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli was named the Pubity Athlete of the Year for 2023 after he defeated Lionel Messi 78-22 in the final vote count.

Pubity is an online community, spanning 20 channels. The popular Instagram page has over 35 million followers and their subsidiary channel - Pubity Sport - hosted the online poll between the legends of the sport, Virat Kohli and Lionel Messi.

Sixteen athletes including the likes of Novak Djokovic, Pat Cummins, LeBron James, Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Max Verstappen were pitted against one another in a knockout setup for online voting. It came down to Kohli and Messi in the final, with the former claiming 78% of the votes to win the Pubity Athlete of the Year 2023 title.

Seven more products from Odisha have been granted the coveted geographical indication (GI) tag, recognising them as products unique to the state and safeguarding the interests of local growers, producers and artisans.

Chennai-based GI Registry under Ministry of Commerce and Industry - the national body for GI registrations - on Wednesday registered applications for Gajapati Date Palm Jaggery, Dhenkanal Magji, Similipal Kai Chutney of Odisha, Nayagarh Kanteimundi brinjal, Kapadaganda: Dongria Kondh Embroidery Shawl, Koraput Kalajeera Rice, and Painting of Lanjia Saura (Idital).

Arunachal Pradesh's ginger, locally known as Adi Kekir, handmade carpets and Wancho wooden craft have secured the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has announced.

A geographical indication or GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

"Delighted to share that Adi Kekir (Ginger), Handmade Carpet and Wancho Wooden Craft have been granted Geographical Indication (GI) tags. Truly an acknowledgement of the rich cultural heritage and skilled craftsmanship of our state. Let's celebrate and promote our unique traditions," he said here on Thursday.

More than 1,200 players from across 20 states and union territories of the country will participate in the first-of-its-kind multi-sports beach games in Diu beginning January 4. Players will compete in eight sports on the picturesque Ghoghla beach in Diu.

The logo and website for the ‘Diu Beach Games’ were launched last week by the administrator of the union territory Praful Patel.

The games like volleyball, pencak silat, beach soccer, mallakhamb, beach kabaddi, sea swimming and tug of war will be played during the week-long event.

Kenya's Beatrice Chebet smashed the women's world 5km record in Barcelona on Sunday.

The 23-year-old's time of 14min 13sec improved on the previous women-only world record of 14:29 set by Ethiopia's Senbere Teferi in September 2021.

Her performance also bettered the women's world record set in a mixed race of 14:19, achieved by Ethiopia's Ejegayehu Taye at the same Barcelona meet in 2021.

"I came to Barcelona determined to better the world record as I felt capable of that," said Chebet. "This world record means a lot for me, I can't believe it."

Chennai emerged as the top Indian city for women in 2023 in terms of inclusivity and conduciveness to working women, as per findings from diversity, equity and inclusivity consultant Avtar Group’s Top Cities for Women in India (TCWI) 2023.

Tamil Nadu cities topped both categories that the study covered – 49 cities in the million-plus population category and 64 cities in the less than a million-population category. Chennai topped the million plus category and Tiruchirappalli came on top of the less than a million category. The southern state also had a total of seven cities such as Coimbatore (Million plus), Tiruchirappalli, Vellore, Salem, Erode, and Tirupur (Less than a million) featuring in the lists.

NHPC has inked an initial pact to invest Rs 4,000 crore in 750 MW Kuppa Pumped Hydro Storage Project at Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat. Taking a step towards clean and green energy, NHPC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gujarat Power Corporation (GPCL) for investment in Kuppa Pumped Hydro Storage Project (750 MW) on January 3, 2024, a company statement said.

According to the statement, the MoU was signed at an event organised at the Secretariat in Gandhinagar under the aegis of 'Vibrant Gujarat'.

In the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and state Energy Minister Kanubhai Desai, the MoU was signed by Arun Mahesh Babu, Managing Director, GPCL, and V Srivastava, Executive Director, Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen, NHPC, the statement said.

Nearly one-fifth of the district court complexes in the country lack separate toilets for women, according to a report published by the Centre for Research and Planning of the Supreme Court recently.

The report — ‘State of the Judiciary’ — underscored the necessity of women-friendly toilets, stating that sanitary napkin vending machines have been provided at only 6.7% of the toilets meant for women.

“To ensure equality, dignity and the right to menstrual health and sanitation facilities to women, it is essential that women toilets in institutions of justice have sanitary napkin vending machines with appropriate menstrual waste disposal options,” it stated.