Lok Sabha today passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022. The Bill will amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, for the inclusion of the thirteen communities, in the list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the State of Chhattisgarh.

Replying to the discussion, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said, the government has identified 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups, PVTGs,  across the country. He said, out of these only Nine were listed and the Government is working on the remaining communities.

The Minister attacked the Congress party for neglecting the tribals and their welfare. He said, PM Narendra Modi-led government has changed the approach towards the tribals and is working with conviction.

Parliament has passed the Maritime Anti Piracy Bill 2022 with Rajya Sabha approving it today. The Bill has already been passed by Lok Sabha. The Bill enables Indian authorities to take action against piracy on the high seas. It applies to the sea beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone, which is beyond 200 nautical miles from India’s coastline. The Bill defines piracy as any illegal act of violence, detention, or destruction against a ship, aircraft, person, for private purposes, by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft.

The Government has said, the country's maiden human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024. This was stated by Union Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. The Minister said, in view of the paramount importance of crew safety, two uncrewed flights are scheduled, before the final human space flight- 'H1 mission', to demonstrate the performance of the crew escape system and parachute-based deceleration system for different flight conditions. 

He said, uncrewed 'G1 mission' will be targeted in the last quarter of next year, followed by the 'G2' in the second quarter of 2024. Dr. Jitendra Singh said the astronaut designates for the Gaganyaan are identified and undergoing mission-specific training at Bengaluru.

The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has won the Platinum Icon in the Digital India Awards 2022 for their initiative “DataSmart Cities: Empowering Cities through Data”.  

The award was announced yesterday under the ‘Data Sharing and Use for Socio-Economic Development’ category.

The DataSmart Cities Initiative is a key step in creating a robust data ecosystem that enables evidence-based decision-making in cities. It aims to harness the power of data for better governance in India’s 100 Smart Cities.

Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched India's first Green Steel Brand - KALYANI FeRRESTA in New Delhi today. This first-of-its-kind steel has been manufactured by a Pune-based Steel company, Kalyani group by using renewable energy resources, leaving zero carbon footprints in the environment.  

Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Scindia termed the launch as a paradigm shift in the Steel industry. He said, with the green steel manufacturing going on, India is leading the countries which have committed to achieving carbon neutrality.  

The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has won the Platinum Icon in the Digital India Awards 2022 for their initiative “DataSmart Cities: Empowering Cities through Data”. 

The award was announced under the ‘Data Sharing and Use for Socio-Economic Development’ category. 

The DataSmart Cities Initiative is a key step in creating a robust data ecosystem that enables evidence-based decision-making in cities. It aims to harness the power of data for better governance in India’s 100 Smart Cities.

The fifth Scorpène submarine, Vagir of Project - 75 Kalvari Class submarines has been delivered to the Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai. Defence Ministry said, the submarine would shortly be commissioned into the Navy and enhance its capability.

Project-75 includes the indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design. These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France.

Arnala, the first ship of the ASW SWC Project, being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, GRSE for the Indian Navy was launched yesterday, December 20 at Kattupalli, Chennai. She made her first contact with the water of the Bay of Bengal at 1040 hrs at the launch ceremony graced by Rasika Chaube, Financial Adviser, Ministry of Defence.

In keeping with the Naval maritime tradition, Ms Chaube launched the ship to the chanting of invocation from Atharva Veda. The ship has been named Arnala to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala located about 13 Km north of Vasai, Maharashtra by the great Maratha warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has launched one of India’s first-ever Surety Bond Insurance products from Bajaj Allianz. Commenting on the product launch, Mr Gadkari said, India is well on its path to becoming a five Trillion dollar economy and achieving the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said, insurance will play an important role in this growth. The Minister expressed confidence that expanding our road network will lead to more prosperity, increased employment opportunities, and increased social connectivity. He said, Surety Bond Insurance is the right step in this direction. Surety Bond Insurance will act as a security arrangement for infrastructure projects and will insulate the contractor as well as the principal. 

India and Netherlands held 11th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in New Delhi yesterday, where both sides discussed the way forward in crucial sectors such as Water, Agriculture and Health (WAH agenda), Science and Technology, climate innovation, and renewable technologies. Considering that the Netherlands is India's third-largest export partner in Europe, both sides are looking forward to strengthening their trade ties through the Joint Trade and Investment Committee Meeting next year.

Both the countries have also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest including Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, European Union, United Nations, and climate action. The re-launch of  Free Trade Agreement negotiations and Connectivity partnership between India and EU were acknowledged as key drivers by both sides. Both countries also committed to early implementation of the outcomes of the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting in May 2021.