The Indian Embassy in Bahrain unveiled new displays showcasing Punjab’s tourism attractions and One District One Product (ODOP) scheme in a vibrant ceremony this week. The event marks Punjab as the sixth state to be featured in the Embassy’s ongoing ‘focus state-union territory’ initiative.

Colorful walls in the Consular hall now highlight Punjab’s rich cultural heritage and diverse products, offering visitors a glimpse into the state’s touristic appeal and unique ODOP offerings. This month-long promotion aims to raise awareness among the Bahraini public and Indian diaspora about Punjab’s cultural and economic significance.

Local Punjabi-speaking community members attended the inauguration, with the women-led organization Punjabi Virsa playing a key role. The group sourced ODOP products for the display and enriched the event with a lively cultural performance and Punjabi cuisine tasting. The ODOP scheme, a central feature of this exhibition, aims to promote at least one signature product from each Indian district, fostering socio-economic growth across regions. Products are carefully selected based on local ecosystems, export potential, and geographical indications.

The Indian Army contingent on Thursday departed for the fifth edition of India-Oman Joint Military Exercise al Najah. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from September 13 to 26 September at Rabkoot Training Area in Salalah, Oman.

Exercise al Najah has been held biennially since 2015, alternating between India and Oman. The last edition of the same exercise was conducted at Mahajan in Rajasthan.

The Indian Army contingent comprising 60 personnel is being represented by a Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment along with personnel from other arms and services. The Royal Army of Oman contingent also comprising of 60 personnel will be represented by the troops of Frontier Force.

Marking the deepening defence ties between India and Oman, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is all set to participate in the seventh edition of Exercise Eastern Bridge. The Indian contingent, comprising MiG-29s, Jaguars, and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, is scheduled to take part in this strategic bilateral exercise from September 11-22, 2024. The exercise, being hosted at Masirah Air Force Base in Oman, underscores the long-standing defense cooperation between the two nations.

Exercise Eastern Bridge is designed as a platform for enhancing interoperability and operational readiness between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Oman Air Force (ROAF). This bilateral event, now in its seventh edition, showcases the increasing defense collaboration between the two countries. As the Indian government stated, the exercise aims to provide a platform for joint training missions that will improve tactical and operational capabilities in a range of combat scenarios.

The Ayush Ministry has resolved more than 1300 public grievances under the Special Campaign 3.0. The Ministry said that the campaign was aimed at improving and maintaining cleanliness in the workplace. It also disposed various pending issues, including 33 references from Members of Parliament, 18 Parliamentary Assurances and 187 public grievance appeals.

The Ministry is now gearing up for the Special Campaign 4.0. Under the upcoming campaign, the Ayush Ministry will promote a clean and waste-free India through a pledge administered to all its officials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that this is the era of silicon diplomacy and India will take every step to become the semiconductor powerhouse. He said, the government is focussing on increasing the number of chip productions in the country to equip every device with Indian-made chips. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated SEMICON India 2024 in Greater Noida.

During his address, the Prime Minister highlighted the various initiatives taken to boost the electronics and semiconductor industry in the country. He said the government has set a target to make the country’s electronics sector a 500 billion dollars’ worth industry by the end of this decade. He said, this will create 60 lakh jobs.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the success of the Digital India initiative, saying the country is witnessing its multiplier effect. He said, earlier the country used to import mobile phones, but now it has become the second largest producer and exporter of mobile phones.

The Union Cabinet has approved the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-Drive) Scheme with an outlay of ₹10,900 crore for two years and a Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) of ₹3,435.33 crore under PM-eBus Sewa in a boost to electrification of vehicles.

₹3,679 crore will be provided as subsidies for purchasing e-two wheelers, e-three wheelers, e-ambulances, e-trucks, and other emerging electric vehicles (EVs) under the PM E-Drive scheme. In a statement, the government said the scheme will support 2.479 million e-2Ws, 316000 e-3Ws, and 14,028 e-buses.

The heavy industries ministry will implement the scheme and provide subsidies to both the buyer and manufacturer e-vouchers through a dedicated portal. ₹4,391 crore has been earmarked for public transport agencies to procure 14,028 e-buses. “The demand aggregation will be done by CESL [Convergence Energy Services Limited] in the nine cities with more than 40 lakh [four million] population namely Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bangalore, Pune, and Hyderabad. Intercity and Interstate e-buses will also be supported in consultation with states,” the statement said.

The Union Cabinet, on September 11, approved the PM E-Drive Scheme with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore for two years with an aim to boost adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in India. The new scheme offers subsidies worth Rs 3,679 crore to incentivise adoption of battery-driven two and three-wheelers, ambulances, trucks and other emerging electric vehicles (EVs).

Under the PM Electric Drive Revolution In Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme, 100 percent support will be given for charging infrastructure at 88,500 sites, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a media briefing. This investment is over and above the PLI schemes for auto and auto component sectors, the minister said.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved "Mission Mausam" on Wednesday to enhance India's ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change.

The mission, with a budget of Rs 2,000 crore over two years, will be primarily implemented by three key institutions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) -- the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting.

These will be supported by other MoES bodies, such as the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research and the National Institute of Ocean Technology.

Pegged as the ‘ChatGPT’ for exporters by the commerce ministry, the new digital portal for exporters Trade Connect e-Platform is the latest and perhaps the biggest effort in recent years by the Indian government in its quest to achieve the $1 trillion merchandise and $1 trillion services exports target by 2030.

In FY24, the country’s total exports (merchandise and services) had recorded a flat growth of 0.36 per cent to $776.68 billion from $776.40 billion in FY23. Merchandise exports stood at $437.06 billion in FY24, down from $451.07 billion in FY23 while services export grew to $339.62 billion in FY24 from $325.33 billion in FY23.

In commerce minister Piyush Goyal’s words, who launched the platform on September 11, the ‘futuristic’ initiative, particularly focusing on MSME exporters, will help India increase its market share in the world.

A group of researchers from Dodamarg, a few kilometers away from Goa-Maharashtra border have discovered a sacred grove— a Myristica swamp forest in Kumbral, which is protected by the local community. Myristica magnifica is a species of plant native to Karnataka and Kerala, and is classified as endangered.

Earlier in Hewale-Bambarde in Sindhudurg district, researchers had come across the Myristica swamp forest making Kumbral the second village in Maharashtra to have such a unique forest patch.

The patch boasts of an ecosystem of myriad biodiversity which has been conserved and protected by the villagers since ages in the name of Lord Shiva, locally known locally as Bhalandeshwar.