Ranveer Singh was honoured at the Red Sea International Film Festival by Sharon Stone. The festival in Jeddah had many celebrities in attendance including Johnny Depp. Calling Johnny his inspiration, Ranveer posed with the Pirates of the Caribbean fame actor. 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma received the certificates from Guinness World Record Adjudicator Swapnil Dangarikar at a function held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati on Wednesday.

It may be noted that Chief Minister Sarma launched Amrit Brikshya Andolan and as a part of the drive, over 1 crore (1,11,17,781) seedlings of commercially valuable tree species were planted across the state on a single day on September 17.

The entire exercise was carried out in the Jan Bhagidaari model through the active involvement of the Self-Help group members, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, educational institutions, police personnel, including tea garden workers, government officials and other citizens. During Amrit Brikshya Andolan, started by the Department of Environment and Forests, attempts were made to create Guinness World Records.

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Fast Track Special Court (FTSCs) for a further three years. It has been extended till 31st March 2026 with financial implications of over 1952 crore rupees. The Central share is to be funded from Nirbhaya Fund. The scheme was launched in 2019. The FTSCs, designed as dedicated courts, are expected to ensure swift dispensation of justice, offering quick relief to victims while strengthening the deterrent framework for sexual offenders. The scheme reflects the nation's commitment to ending sexual and gender-based violence as well as substantially reducing pending cases of rape and POCSO Act. It is also aimed at ensuring swift access to justice for victims of sexual crimes through improved facilities and expedited trials.

Thirty States and Union Territories have participated in the Scheme, operationalizing 761 FTSCs, including 414 exclusive POCSO Courts. Over one lakh 95 thousand cases have been disposed off so far. These courts support State and UT Government efforts to provide timely justice to victims of sexual offenses even in remote and far-flung areas.

Punjab claimed the Gold medal after their penalty shootout triumph over defending Champions Haryana in the Final of the 13th Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship 2023 today at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, Chennai. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu overcame Karnataka in penalty shootouts to claim the Bronze Medal.

Punjab defeated Haryana 2-2 (9-8 SO) to clinch the title. Punjab started the match strong, scoring the first goal in the 13th minute by Harjeet Singh. However, Haryana's Sanjay (25') scored from a penalty corner to level the score. In the second half, Punjab's Captain Harmanpreet Singh (42') scored a powerful drag flick from a penalty corner to put his team in the lead. But Haryana's Rajant (50') scored again to equalize and take the game to penalty shootouts.

During the shootouts, Sanjay, Deepak, and Abhishek scored for Haryana while Harmanpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh, and Sukhjeet Singh scored for Punjab, taking the match to sudden death. In the seventh penalty shootout, Simranjeet Singh scored, securing the hard-fought victory for Punjab.

In a major push to cover 4,373 unbanked gram panchayats under the financial inclusion programme, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday launched ‘Ama Bank’ for providing banking services through customer service point (CSP) Plus banking outlets. Launching the programme online from Lokseva Bhavan, the chief minister said 750 panchayats will get banking services through CSP outlets in the first phase and the remaining panchayats will be covered by March 2024.“Ama Bank model is the first-of-its-kind in the country and I am sure it will be role model for other states,” Patnaik said.

He said, “No state or country can attain inclusive growth without achieving financial inclusion of its people. Odisha has become a role model for others in economic development, social development, digital transformation and good governance.”

In a significant step towards promoting circular economy and waste management, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is set to organize the 'SBM-GOBARdhan Biogas Conference: Accelerating Waste to Wealth & Circular Economy' on December 1, 2023.

The conference, a collaboration with GIZ, circular waste solutions, and UNIDO, aims to bolster the Compressed Biogas (CBG) sector by fostering cross-sectoral linkages and facilitating dialogue among stakeholders.

Underlining the Indian government's commitment to transforming waste into wealth, the GOBARdhan initiative is central to this endeavour. It supports the establishment of Biogas/CBG/Bio-CNG plants as part of India's journey towards net-zero emissions by 2070, in line with its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

The Ministry of Railways looks to upgrade to 4G/5G (LTE-based) its indigenous anti-collision system Kavach and expedite its implementation, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday, amid criticism over rising cases of accidents and collisions.

Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. The state-of-the-art electronic system activates the train’s braking system automatically if the driver fails to do so, and prevents the collision between two locomotives equipped with functional Kavach systems.

The tenders for the next-gen Kavach will be rolled out in May to June next year, while the tender to upgrade the existing Kavach technology to LTE will be floated by next month, Vaishnaw told reporters in New Delhi.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has called upon the Indian Coast Guard to continue working with dedication and professionalism toward bolstering the coastal defences and maritime capabilities of the country. Inaugurating the 40th Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi today, Mr Singh complimented the Indian Coast Guard for ensuring maritime security by being leader in the field of search and rescue and pollution response. He said, that since its inception, Indian Coast Guard has rendered a yeoman service to the seafarers by ensuring their safety and security in all circumstances. The Minister stressed the need to continue the drive against contraband and drug trafficking.
 
During the conference, the Raksha Mantri was given an overview of the ongoing development projects, operational readiness, and future expansion plans of the Coast Guard by Director General Rakesh Pal. The three-day conference aims at addressing contemporary maritime challenges and fortifying the country’s coastal surveillance mechanisms. 

World Bank funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project and Indian Agricultural Research Project New Delhi, Modern Agricultural Science Technology Center for Climate Adapted Agriculture and Water Management has been launched at Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Rahuri in Ahmadnagar district of Maharashtra.

Under this project, the faculty working in Mahatma Phule Agricultural University will be trained in the use of drones, robots, IOT, artificial intelligence, geographic systems, remote sensing, earth engines, etc. A foreign tour in Thailand has been organized  under the guidance of  Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Phule Agricultural University Dr. P.G.Patil for training in modern agricultural technology.

Tata Power arm Tata Power EV Charging Solutions and Kanpur Municipal Corporation have collaborated to install 12 electric vehicle charging stations across six strategic locations in Kanpur. "Tata Power EV Charging Solutions Ltd (TPEVCSL), a Tata Power Group Company, signed a Memorandum of Association with the Kanpur Municipal Corporation to install 12 EV charging stations across six strategic locations in Kanpur," a company statement said.

According to the statement, this collaboration signifies the beginning of a trailblazing initiative to revolutionize the EV infrastructure landscape in Kanpur. These charging stations will be located strategically at key points across the city, including the zonal offices in Zone-2 and Zone-5 of Krishna Nagar, Sen Para Police Chauki between Apna Ghar Ashram and Road, Moti Jheel Parking /Kargil Park, the vicinity of Medical College at Gol Chouraha, and the Children’s Park near OEF at Vijay Nagar Chauraha. Each of these locations will be equipped with two charging guns, totalling 12 charging points across the city.