The second edition of Naval Commanders' Conference of 2022 will begin today in New Delhi.

The conference serves as a platform for Naval Commanders to discuss important maritime matters at the military-strategic level through an institutionalized forum. Due to the dynamic and fast-paced developments in security imperatives in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as well as in other parts of the world, the Conference has its own significance and relevance.

 During the 4-day conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address and interact with the Naval Commanders on matters pertaining to national security. The Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and the Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force would also interact with the Naval Commanders.

The 4-day long Chhath puja celebrations concluded this morning following oblations to the rising sun in different parts of the country including Bihar, UP and Delhi. After paying oblations to the Sun, devotees broke their 36-hour fast and Prasad was shared with all the people around. This is called Paran. AIR correspondent reports that people of Bihar from all parts of the country and abroad have come to their native place to perform Chhath Puja.

The nation pays homage to the unifier of Modern India, Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 147th birth anniversary today. The day is also celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
 
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Home Minister Amit Shah paid floral tribute at the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Patel Chowk in New Delhi this morning.

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena and Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi also paid tributes to Sardar Patel.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders paid tribute to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Shakti Sthal, on her death anniversary today. She was assassinated on this day in 1984 by the two of her security guards in the national capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the Rashtriya Ekata Divas parade at the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in Gujarat today. Prime Minister also paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel on his birth anniversary.

Addressing the occasion, Prime Minister said Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is a tribute to the invaluable role of Sardar Patel in unifying our nation. He said unity has always been a uniqueness of India but there are attempts to break and divide the country even today. He urged people to refrain from the negative narratives that try to divide the country into the lines of religion, caste and language.

University Grant Commission (UGC) has issued a public notice regarding online Ph.D. programmes saying that such programmes offered by EduTech Companies in collaboration with Foreign Educational Institutes are not recognized. UGC has advised the students not to be misled by advertisements for online Ph.D programmes. It is also advised to aspiring students to verify the authenticity of Ph.D. programmes as per UGC regulations 2016 before taking admission. UGC said, it is mandatory for all Higher Educational Institutions to follow UGC regulations for awarding Ph.D. degrees.

Tourism and Culture Minister, G Kishan Reddy on Friday inaugurated an exhibition of artworks by eminent artist Akbar Saheb, curated by Rajeev Menon at Delhi. It is a unique exhibition where the artworks are inspired by the contribution of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards country's progress. The paintings also highlight Mr. Modi’s success stories as well as challenges faced with various projects such as Vibrant Gujarat, Shining Bright, Statue of Unity and Sadhbhavana Yatra.

On the occasion, Mr. Reddy said that the paintings show major policy decisions such as GST and surgical strike in a clear manner.
The exhibition will be on till 3rd of November in the National Gallery of Modern Art.

Government has said that efforts are on to have at least 25 per cent of all sales by women Self-Help Groups, SHGs through e-commerce portals annually. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Faggan Singh Kulaste on Friday, while inaugurating SARAS FOOD FESTIVAL, 2022. On this occasion, the Minister also launched the e-commerce portal www.esaras.in for better and more effective marketing of Saras products prepared by women of self-help groups. He said, Ministry of Rural Development will take steps to establish Saras stalls by women SHGs in all State capitals, major cities and metros, airports and railway stations for widening the reach of marketing.

Referring to Atmanirbhar pitch of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Kulaste said, the best products of SHGs are also being exported in different countries.

The Steel Authority of India Limited, SAIL and the Airport Authority of India, AAI signed an Operation and Management agreement on Friday in New Delhi to facilitate commercial operations from Rourkela in Odisha. SAIL, in 2018, had signed a MOU for the use of its own airport, under the UDAN scheme, for the operation of commercial flights. Now, SAIL has signed the Operation and Management contract with AAI, through its Rourkela Steel Plant, to facilitate the commencement of commercial flights from Rourkela. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has provided financial support for the up-gradation of this airport. The government of Odisha will provide the security, fire, and ambulance services, besides helping with other local clearances. AAI, on behalf of SAIL-Rourkela Steel Plant, will operate and manage the airport.

Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that India will become a digital health leader with the best technical manpower and cheapest data in the world. 

Addressing the first Global Digital Health Summit, Expo, and Innovation Awards, Dr. Singh said the recent launch of 5G will bring a new revolution in the digital healthcare system in India. Dr. Singh said that the whole world recognized India’s leadership role during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said, we achieved the rare feat of delivering over 220 crore vaccines through a fully digital platform - COWIN and the process continues.