In an attempt to connect with farmers and address their concerns, agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has on Thursday launched a monthly radio programme called "Kisan Se Baat".

The programme, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popular radio programme "Mann Ki Baat", aims to provide a platform for farmers to engage with the minister, agriculture scientists, and officials from the ministry.

The programme will start sometime in September—possibly a week ahead of the PM's radio programme, a senior government official said.

“During the programme, we will discuss various aspects of farming, including best practices, new technologies, and innovative methods to boost productivity,” Chouhan said at an event on Thursday.

The winners of the 70th National Film Awards were announced at the National Media Center in New Delhi on Friday with the Malayalam film Aattam emerging as the Best Feature Film. While Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor award for Kantara, the Best Actress honour was shared by Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for The Kutch Express, respectively. The Best Director honour went to Sooraj Barjatya for his film, Uunchai. Ponniyin Selvan I won the maximum number of awards while Fouja, KGF 2, Brahmastra and Aparajito were among the other films which won multiple honoyrs.

The awards were announced by the chairperson of the Feature Film Jury, Rahul Rawail; Nila Madhab Panda, chairperson of the Non-Feature Film Jury; and Gangadhar Mudalair, chairperson of the Best Writing on Cinema Jury.

First handed out in 1954, these awards were known as the State Awards. In those years, only the best films in different regional languages were recognised and awarded. The awards for actors and technicians working on the films were first given in 1967. Nargis was the first actor to win Best Actress for her performance in Raat Aur Din. Uttam Kumar won the Best Actor award for Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana in the same year.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved multiple high-level appointments across several ministries and departments yesterday.

Senior IAS officer Vivek Joshi, who is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Financial Services in Ministry of Finance, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training. Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Coal, Nagaraju Maddirala will now be the Secretary, Department of Financial Services.

Senior IAS officer Manoj Govil, who is currently Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Expenditure. Chief Executive Officer of National Health Authority, Deepti Gaur Mukherjee will now be Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

DPIIT Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty in Department of Defence, Ministry of Defence and he will take over as Secretary, Department of Defence after the completion of tenure of Aramane Giridhar on 31st of October this year.

An MoU was signed between the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Sansad Television in Parliament today. The MoU was exchanged in the presence of Sansad TV CEO Rajit Punhani and Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, as well as senior officials of both organizations.

The MoU will facilitate resource sharing, training of personnel, and cross-channel promotion of each other’s programs. Talking about the objectives of the MoU, CEO Prasar Bharati Gaurav Dwivedi said the MoU will facilitate content and program sharing, telecast of Sansad TV on Prasar Bharati’s OTT platforms, and the use of training facilities.

On this occasion, CEO Sansad TV Rajit Punhani said the MoU will further enhance the cooperation between Sansad TV and Prasar Bharati.

According to the MoU, Prasar Bharati and Sansad Television will share and broadcast special coverage, exclusive content, interviews, documentaries, audio-visual content, live feeds, archives, and other content produced by the two networks. They will also share human resources, technologies, and equipment. Prasar Bharati will provide the facilities of PB-SHABD to Sansad TV. Both networks agreed to promote and advertise each other’s programs.

India has dispatched a consignment of approximately 1400 kgs of anti-cancer drugs to Syria in humanitarian assistance, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The drugs are dispatched from India, keeping in mind the country's commitments to Syria.

"India sends humanitarian assistance to Syria. In keeping with its humanitarian commitments, India has despatched anti-cancer drugs to Syria," the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X Friday, sharing a post of the consignment with pictures.

The largest-ever contingent of 84 players will take part in the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games this year.

The Paralympic Games will take place from the 28th of this month to the 8th of September 2024. Forty-seven athletes are taking part in the games for the first time.

Addressing the send-off ceremony of the Indian contingent participating in the Paris Paralympic Games, Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that there are 50 players in this team who benefited from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

He said the government has provided every facility, such as training and coaching, to the players under this scheme. Mr. Mandaviya said that many of the players have emerged from the Khelo India games.

Akashvani correspondent reports, some of the players who are taking part in Paris Paralympic Games expressed confidence that they will perform well and win a medal for the country.

In the last Paralympic Games held in Tokyo, Indian players performed well, winning 19 medals. In those games, 54 players participated from the Indian side.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chauhan today inaugurated the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) in New Delhi. Mr Chauhan highlighted that through NPPS, the farmers will be able to know different types of insecticides and pesticides and save their crops from their harmful effects.

On the occasion, Mr Chauhan also interacted with many farmers who are the beneficiaries of the various schemes being implemented by the Central Government. Around Five Hundred farmers were present in the event.

Recently, the Central Government released One Hundred Nine high-yielding, climate-resilient, and bio-fortified crop varieties

India and Israel have joined hands for the establishment of a new water technology centre at IIT-Madras, which is expected to serve as a "key contributor" to India's efforts to achieve sustainable water supply for all.

The Embassy of Israel in India in its statement termed the deal a "significant milestone" in the ongoing collaboration between the two countries in the field of integrated water resource management.

A Joint Statement of Intent was signed to establish a Center of Water Technology at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

"This tripartite agreement, signed by the Embassy of Israel, IIT Madras, and the AMRUT mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, reflects a shared commitment to address the critical challenges of water management in India," it said.

Thailand's Parliament convened to select a new prime minister Friday with the youngest daughter of the divisive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra expected to be nominated.

The vote would come two days after a court removed the last prime minister over an ethics violation.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, is the leader of the Pheu Thai party. She does not hold an elected office, which the law doesn't require of prime ministerial candidates. The parliament also does not require her to be present at the vote.

If Paetongtarn is approved in Parliament's vote, she will become Thailand's second female prime minister and the country's third leader from the Shinawatra family, after her father and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra. She will also become the country's youngest leader.

Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery at Göbekli Tepe, an ancient site in southern Turkey. This site, which dates back nearly 13,000 years, is now believed to house the world’s oldest calendar. Göbekli Tepe, often referred to as the world’s first temple, features a series of large stone pillars adorned with ornate carvings. These carvings have long puzzled researchers, but recent studies suggest they represent an ancient timekeeping system.

The calendar, discovered by a team led by Dr.

Martin Sweatman from the University of Edinburgh, is thought to be a solar calendar. The carvings on the pillars include a series of V-shaped symbols, each representing a single day. By counting these symbols, researchers identified a calendar of 365 days, divided into 12 lunar months with an additional 11 days. This system aligns closely with the modern solar calendar, indicating a sophisticated understanding of astronomy by the ancient people who created it.