The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) announced today the launch of the initiative "Million Designers, Billion Dreams." This innovative program aims to empower individuals across India with systems design know-how to tackle complex societal challenges. Spearheaded by LEAP in collaboration with the DAY-NRLM. LEAP is a catalyst organization that emerged from the multidisciplinary work developed in India by the Design Laboratory at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (D-Lab) and the Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF), with seed investment provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

The launch event was chaired by Shri Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary, Rural Livelihoods (RL), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), GoI and joined by Ms. Smriti Sharan, Joint Secretary, Rural Livelihoods and Shri Raman Wadhwa, Deputy Director, DAY-NRLM along with NMMU experts from the MoRD. From LEAP, Mr. Andre Nogueira, Ph.D., CEO of LEAP and Associate Faculty of Design Knowledge at Johns Hopkins University gave a presentation on the program's vision and structure. Shri Anish Kumar, Managing Director, TRIF and other representatives from LEAP and TRIF joined the event. The event was joined online by SMDs/CEOs of State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM)s. Vibrant and engaging discussions followed on the expected impact on India's rural communities.

India and Zambia held their 4th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) today in Lusaka, aiming to bolster bilateral relations and explore new areas of cooperation.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed a broad spectrum of bilateral issues, including institutional mechanisms, scholarships, training and capacity building, and collaboration in higher education. They also discussed trade and commercial relations, and cooperation in key sectors such as defense, health, agriculture, mines, mineral resources, small and medium enterprises, digital platforms, and cultural exchanges.

Both delegations expressed satisfaction with the current state of their bilateral ties and underscored the importance of further strengthening their relationship. Additionally, regional and international issues of mutual interest were discussed, with a focus on cooperation within multilateral forums, including the United Nations.

The discussions culminated in an agreement to hold the next FOC in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date, marking a continued commitment to enhancing the strategic partnership between India and Zambia.

The Government of India has announced the commencement of the nationwide ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, set to run from August 9 to August 15. This initiative aims to strengthen patriotic sentiment among citizens as the country approaches its Independence Day celebrations.

Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, encouraged widespread participation in the campaign.

He also promoted the interactive aspect of the campaign, inviting people to take selfies with the national flag and upload them to the official Har Ghar Tiranga website.

The minister highlighted the success of last year’s campaign, which was launched in 2022 as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations marking 75 years of India’s independence. Last year, over ten crore selfies with the Tiranga were uploaded. Building on this success, this year’s initiative will feature more than 200 cultural programs across the country, further amplifying the patriotic fervor.

Boeing named aerospace veteran Robert "Kelly" Ortberg its next CEO who earlier lead aviation communications and electronics supplier Rockwell Collins's integration into United Technologies, which then merged with Raytheon to become RTX. His appointment comes at a time when Boeing has reported a hefty loss on continued operational problems.

1. The 64-year-old retired from RTX in 2021.

2. Robert "Kelly" Ortberg is an engineer seasoned in aerospace and an outsider to Boeing.

3. His appointment will take effect on August 8 and comes as Boeing attempts to rebound from a series of safety and quality control problems which has increased scrutiny of the company.

The Power Ministry on Tuesday announced the appointment of Harish Dudani as Member of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).

Dudani has been administered Oath of Office and Secrecy by the Minister for Power on August 6, 2024, as Member, CERC, a Power Ministry statement said.

Dudani held the post of Principal Judge, Family Court, in High Court of Delhi..

Prior to this, he held the charge of District Judge (Commercial Court), Additional Session Judge, Special Judge (PC Act) CBI in the High Court of Delhi.

The CERC had been established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998. The Commission consists of a Chairperson and three other Members.

The Central Government has exceeded its goal for setting up Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs), with 173,881 centers now in operation as of July 31. This program, which began in February 2018 under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, originally aimed to establish 150,000 health and wellness centers by December 2022.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, shared this update in a written report to the Lok Sabha.

These AAMs, which involve upgrading existing Sub-Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in both rural and urban areas, offer a wide range of primary healthcare services. They provide free, community-based care that includes preventive, promotive, curative, palliative, and rehabilitative services.

By the end of July, the AAMs have served a total of 317.34 crore people. They have conducted 84.28 crore screenings for hypertension, 74.18 crore for diabetes, 49.88 crore for oral cancer, 22.87 crore for breast cancer, and 15.13 crore for cervical cancer. Additionally, there have been 3.98 crore wellness sessions, including yoga, and 26.39 crore teleconsultations.

Setu, an API infrastructure provider owned by Pine Labs, has partnered with Axis Bank to launch a UPI-focused payments platform—UPISetu-- for businesses and developers.

The platform supports a wide range of UPI products, from basic QR code payments to other collection modes like UPI Autopay, EMI, and Third-Party Validation or TPV service. It also claims to have advanced functionalities like brand and bank offers, advanced dispute resolution, instant cashbacks, refunds—all provided via APIs.

“As ‘Credit on UPI’ gains momentum and there exists a pressing need to drive payment transaction success rates, UPISetu will be a game-changing launch for the ecosystem. We believe the world will increasingly be UPI-first thanks to the pioneering efforts of NPCI in India and overseas,” said B Amrish Rau, CEO of Pine Labs.

The development falls in line with the growing popularity of UPI as a prominent payment method and the uses cases built on the same.

An Assam-based biodiversity organisation has developed a mobile phone application for all stakeholders toward mitigating human-elephant conflict and coexisting with the large animals in the State and elsewhere in the northeast.

The ‘HaatiApp’, envisaged as an early warning system about the presence of wild elephants in the proximity of human settlements, is scheduled to be launched along with a solar fence manual on August 10.

“The app will contain the ex-gratia application form against damages caused due to depredation by wild elephants,” said Bibhuti P. Lahkar, the head of Elephant Research and Conservation Division of Aarankak, the organisation that developed the HaatiApp with support from the SBI Foundation.

When he was 13 years old, Pandurang Balkawde decided to cycle to a historic monument, Aga Khan Palace Gandhi Smarak, which was located far away, on the outskirts of Pune city at the time. He wanted to see the place where Mahatma Gandhi had been imprisoned and where the samadhi of Kasturba Gandhi was situated. What Balkawde did not know was that there was an entry ticket of 25 paise—money that he did not have.

The guards at the gate would not let them in and Balkawde might have had to return disheartened had it not been for Shobhana Ranade passing by. “She was impressed that I had come by cycle all this way. But the ticket price could not be waived as this was Gandhian philosophy so she told the guards to charge it to her. After I had visited the memorial, she spoke to me about what I had seen and why I should bow before the great Gandhians,” recalls Balkawde, who grew up to be a historian.

The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Army Welfare Association Society (AWES), in New Delhi today. The signing ceremony took place under the chairpersonship of the Secretary (Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities - DEPwD), Shri Rajesh Aggarwal.

This strategic partnership aims to train school administrators, students, parents and teachers in promoting Indian Sign Language (ISL), with a focus on enhancing sign language skills among the faculty of Army Public Schools. The MoU marks a significant milestone in collaboration and development in the field of Indian Sign Language, aiming to broaden the reach and efficacy of ISL initiatives and contribute to the empowerment and inclusion of the Deaf community.

This collaboration is expected to bring significant benefits to the educational ecosystem, empowering educators and fostering an inclusive environment for students. By enhancing the capabilities of Army Public School faculty in Indian Sign Language, the partnership aims to create a more accessible and supportive learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.