Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will on Thursday launch a tur dal procurement portal that will enable farmers to register themselves for selling the commodity and receive payments directly into their bank accounts.

The multi-lingual portal will streamline the entire process for tur dal growers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Jharkhand, simplifying the registration, procurement and payment processes.

The portal will be launched at a national symposium on 'self-reliance in pulses' to be held here in the capital.

The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) along with National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) has launched 'SMART 2.0' (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research among Teaching professionals) program to promote robust clinical studies in priority areas of Ayurveda with Ayurveda academic institutions/hospitals across the country through mutual collaboration.

According to Prof (Vd) Rabinarayan Acharya, DG, CCRAS, the study aims at safety, tolerability and adherence to Ayurveda formulations in the priority research areas of Bal Kasa, Malnutrition, Insufficient lactation, Abnormal Uterine Bleeding, Osteoporosis in post-menopausal women and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) II.

As the world prepares to celebrate World Braille Day on 4 January, a global commemoration is underway to acknowledge the significance of Braille as a vital medium of communication for blind and partially sighted individuals. This day holds special importance as it marks the birthday of Louis Braille, the visionary inventor of the Braille script, born in France in 1809. Recognizing the paramount role of Braille in education, communication, and social inclusion, the United Nations has designated 4 January each year as World Braille Day.

Braille, a universal code rather than a language, serves as a tool to write and read in various languages, including Sanskrit, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Spanish, and many others. On this occasion, National Institutes and Composite Regional Centres under DEPwD organising a range of engaging programmes.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday approved the proposal to set up an eco-friendly industrial hub at Rani Khera in northwest Delhi, said an official release.

According to an official release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), "At the beginning of the new year, the Kejriwal government had taken a remarkable step to create new employment opportunities within Delhi. CM Arvind Kejriwal gave his assent to the proposal of planning to create an industrial hub on 147 acres of land at Rani Khera on Tuesday."

As per the release, the land for the industrial hub is being acquired from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The state government has cleared the setting up of the Maharashtra Drone Mission (MDM) for the use of drone technology for functions ranging from security surveillance, rescue and relief work during disasters, delivery of emergency medicines and vaccines to remote areas, monitoring of infrastructure projects and traffic management.

A five-year implementation plan has been prepared based on a report by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay which would be monitored by a committee headed by the chief secretary. The drone mission will be headquartered at IIT-B, according to a notification issued by the higher and technical education department on Thursday.

The drone mission will seek to turn Maharashtra into a global drone hub, the notification said. The IIT-B report, which led the government to approve the mission, was submitted in October this year.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the five-day-long national-level Winter Carnival at Manali on Tuesday. He also offered prayers at the historic Hidimba Temple and flagged off the Carnival Parade from Circuit House, Manali.

The parade featured the involvement of more than 250 Mahila Mandals and cultural troupes from Himachal Pradesh and other states, presenting a vibrant display of traditions and cultures along with messages supporting social causes.

He also inaugurated the cultural programme at Manu Rangshala, the stage for the five-day festivity.

The NDMC's plans for improving facilities at its schools in fiscal year 2024-25 include providing 9,000 computer tablets to students, strengthening sports training infrastructure, and establishing nature-based classrooms. Kuljeet Singh Chahal, a member of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), stated that the council will also establish a wrestling centre at the Atal Adarsh Vidyalaya on Mandir Marg.

"The NDMC's target is to achieve Viksit Bharat@2047 by establishing modern infrastructure for education and green energy," he said. There are around 28,000 students in 43 NDMC-run schools.

Talking about the various initiatives in the field of education, he said that during COVID-19, the council had made 811 computer tablets available to students of classes 10 and 12 in four schools on the basis of a pilot project.

"The NDMC will expand the scope of this programme by including all students from classes 9 to 12, and all PGT and TGT teachers in all schools, benefiting around 9,000 students. The distribution of the tablets will be completed in the 2024-25 fiscal and the NDMC will be the first municipal body to do so," Chahal said.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday, January 2, launched an Annual Capacity Building Plan. This plan has been launched to work towards growth and skill enhancement of its employees.

UGC’s Annual Capacity Building Plan (ACBP) was officially launched today by UGC Chairman, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, in the presence of Dr R Balasubramanium, Member HR, Capacity Building Commission. UGC is the first autonomous organisation to have initiated planning for the capacity building of their employees in collaboration with the Capacity Building Commission (CBC).

“The idea is to build, develop and enhance the abilities, talents, competencies, efficiency and qualifications of UGC employees to increase their capacity to serve the higher educational system in India,” Kumar said.

On the occasion of New Year 2024, CMD IREDA Shri Pradip Kumar Das has announced that the year 2024 will be christened as 'Year of Human Resource Development and Discipline' to mark IREDA's future roadmap into new strategic sectors and geographies.

The CMD extended his best wishes to IREDA employees and congratulated them for their contributions to IREDA’s remarkable achievements. His words celebrated the collective efforts that have brought IREDA to new heights, setting the tone for a year filled with continued success and achievements.

CMD, IREDA was accompanied by Director (Finance), Shri Bijay Kumar Mohanty; Chief Vigilance Officer, Shri Ajay Kumar Sahani and other Senior Management officials.

Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has reportedly launched his new startup to provide end-to-end solutions to e-commerce firms. Bansal had parted ways with Flipkart following its acquisition by Walmart in 2018. It is the first time he has come up with his venture after leaving Flipkart.

Bansal's startup, named OppDoor, will provide services to e-commerce firms related to design, product, human resource, and other backend support, according to media reports. These services will be provided to enterprises willing to expand their businesses to other regions by leveraging network platforms like Amazon and others.