Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandavia said the Centre will roll out the “One Nation, One Dialysis” programme to help patients undergoing dialysis get the procedure done anywhere in the country at any time. Dr Mansukh Mandaviya participated in the cycle rally organised by the National Health Mission on the iconic Marina Beach this morning. Later, he inspected the Tamil Nadu Government Multi-Super Specialty Hospital in the city.

He inspected the robotic surgery facility and the early pregnancy anomalies screening centre in the hospital. He also laid the foundation stone for the Central Government Health Scheme wellness centre at Avadi, a Chennai suburb, through video conferencing.

Retired IAS officer and former Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Parameswaran Iyer has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Niti Aayog. Mr Iyer will succeed Amitabh Kant who is completing tenure on 30th of this month.

Indian Railways has taken steps to bring Commercial Earning and Non-Fare Revenue contracts under the ambit of electronic auction through Indian Railway e-Procurement System IREPS, in line with prevailing e-auction of scrap sale. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today launched e-auction for Commercial earning, Non-Fare Revenue NFR contracts in New Delhi today. This will not only increase Railways earning but also bolster efforts being taken by the Government for ease of doing business.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vaishnaw said, this policy is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister to change the experience of common man by the use of technology. He said, with this new policy, tedious process of tendering would get simplified. The Minister said, it will also give opportunities for youth to join the e-auction process. He said, this policy enhances ease of living, promotes transparency and adds to Digital India initiatives in Railways.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has approved the Draft GSR Notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), wherein automobiles in India shall be accorded Star Ratings based upon their performance in Crash Tests.

In a series of tweets, Mr Gadkari, said Bharat-NCAP will serve as a consumer-centric platform allowing customers to opt for safer cars based upon their star-ratings, while promoting a healthy competition among OEMs in India to manufacture safer vehicles.

The Minister said Star Rating of Indian Cars based on Crash Tests is extremely crucial not only to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars, but to also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles. He said, the testing protocol of Bharat NCAP shall be aligned with Global Crash Test Protocols factoring in the existing Indian regulations, allowing OEMs to get their vehicles tested at India’s own  in-house testing facilities.

In Gujarat, the Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the 17th ‘Shala Praveshotsav’, the drive to enrol students in primary schools in the state from today. The three-day enrollment drive begins from Memadpur primary school in Vadgam taluka of Banaskantha district. Speaking on this occasion, Chief Minister Patel said that the dropout rate of students’ reduced drastically following the mass enrolment drives of the children. He said that the drop out rate has been reduced to just 3.07 percent from 37.22 percent in 2002. He said that the priority of the state government is to see that every child has access to education. According to official sources, the state officials including IAS and IPS officers and Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly will visit different schools of the state and enrol children in Class I.

Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari has said, Indian Air Force needs to reassess its strategic priorities and actions in times of rapidly evolving International order which is being challenged by complex multi-polar world with traditional processes for geopolitical interplays. He said, coercion is the new strategy with cyber and information and space domains becoming new battlefields.

Delivering the keynote address at the Capstone Seminar of the First Warfare and Aerospace Strategy Programme in New Delhi today, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said, diplomacy, economy and information are becoming the primary tools for engagement with military instruments used as deterrents.

Oil discovery in a new play in the block with the well Urraca-1X, reiterates the technical and operational prowess of ONGC Videsh, says Ministry

ONGC Videsh (OVL), a subsidiary and overseas arm of State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), said on Thursday it has made an oil discovery in the recently drilled well, Urraca-IX, in CPO-5 block, Llanos Basin, Colombia.

“Oil discovery in the lower mirador play in this well opens up new areas for further exploration in the northern part of the block,” the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) said in a statement.

ONGC Videsh had earlier discovered commercial oil in the lower sand play in Mariposa and Indico fields in the block in 2017 and 2018, respectively, which are currently commercially producing around 20,000 barrels of oil per day.

Vienna has made a successful comeback — it has once again been named the ‘most livable city’ in the world.

According to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) Global Liveability Index — which examined 173 cities in the world — the Austrian capital reclaimed its title from New Zealand’s Auckland, which dropped to 34th spot on the rankings this year owing to pandemic restrictions.

“In 2022, relaxed covid-19 restrictions in some parts of the world led to big shifts across the index, with one city claiming top place again,” the summary report read.

Dinkar Gupta, a 1987-batch IPS officer and former chief of Punjab Police, has been appointed Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Appointments Committee has approved the appointment of Gupta as the NIA chief till March 31, 2024, the date of his retirement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today emphasised that to fulfil dreams of New India, it is important that every citizen should have Ease of Access to every government scheme. Inaugurating the new premises of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi, Mr Modi said, the bridge between Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business is Ease of Access. He said, benefits of government schemes should reach everyone with ease of access and this is the only path to 'Sabka Vikas'.

The Prime Minister said, to respect every tax payer, government is ensuring timely culmination of development and infrastructural projects. He said, PM GatiShakti is a tech-led initiative that is now helping us in real-time monitoring of infrastructure projects, thus adding pace to development of country.