The Centre has introduced a revised Model Skill Loan Scheme, designed to provide financial support for skill development courses to the nation’s youth. Launched on Thursday by Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Education, the scheme aims to remove financial barriers to advanced skill education.

The updated scheme offers collateral-free loans of up to Rs. 7.5 lakh and expands eligibility to include Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), NBFC-Micro Finance Institutions (NBFC-MFIs), and small finance banks. This initiative is part of a broader effort to develop a future-ready workforce by facilitating access to high-cost, advanced skill courses essential for meeting emerging industrial demands.

During the launch, Jayant Chaudhary emphasized that the scheme empowers youth with financial support for advanced skilling through collateral-free loans. He pointed out that NBFCs, NBFC-MFIs, and small finance banks are now eligible lenders.

Suhel Ajaz Khan, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Yemen, with residence in Riyadh, a government press release said.

The press release added that Ajaz Khan, IFS of the 1997 batch, is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

Ajaz Khan expressed gratitude for being given the additional responsibility.

In a post on X, he said, "It is a matter of great honour for me to be given this additional responsibility-concurrent accreditation to Yemen. I look forward to working closely with the Internationally Recognized Government in Yemen to strengthen India-Yemen relations.

On the 55th Foundation Day of REC Limited, Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, inaugurated the National Feeder Monitoring System (NFMS) Control Centre at REC Headquarters in Gurugram on Thursday.

The NFMS, an ambitious project by the Ministry of Power, aims to provide real-time data on power supply, outages, and the overall status of approximately 2.5 lakh (250,000) 11 KV feeders across India. This initiative is designed to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accountability in power distribution, ultimately benefiting consumers with improved quality and reliability of electricity supply. The system integrates data from 87 distribution companies (DISCOMs), facilitating informed decision-making for stakeholders.

A dedicated control centre at the REC Corporate Office in Gurugram will monitor and disseminate daily findings to DISCOMs. This ensures the accuracy and efficiency of the NFMS portal data and helps DISCOMs maintain the necessary KPIs set by the Ministry.

Hockey India on Wednesday launched their cutting-edge Athlete Management System (AMS), designed to revolutionise the management and development of hockey talent across the nation. This innovative system will serve two primary purposes - Elite Athlete Tracking and Grassroots Talent Identification.

For Elite Athlete Tracking, the AMS will monitor the progress of top-tier players, including all members of the four national teams. This will ensure that athletes receive personalized and data-driven support to enhance their performance and maintain their competitive edge.

Also, the AMS will help in Grassroots Talent Identification by tracking players from their earliest involvement in hockey through all levels of competition - district, state, national, and international. This will help identify and nurture emerging talent, ensuring a strong pipeline of skilled athletes for the future.

India’s first Integrated Agri-Export Facility will come up at Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai to bolster the country’s agricultural export and import capabilities. Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has approved the project of Development of an Export-Import cum Domestic Agricultural Commodity-Based Processing and Storage Facility on public private partnership mode worth over 284 crore rupees.

Mr. Sonowal said, the development of this all-in-one agricultural facility will streamline logistics, reduce wastage, and provide better prices for agricultural products. He said, this is a significant step towards empowering the farmers and boosting India’s agricultural sector. The facility will cater to exports of prominent items like non-basmati rice, maize, spices, onion, and wheat.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $200 million loan to expand metro rail corridors and improve transport connectivity in Nagpur, India.

The Nagpur Metro Urban Mobility Project will improve transport connectivity within and to Nagpur’s new and growing urban areas. It will provide an efficient, safe, and environment-friendly public transport to ease commuters’ travel and improve productivity.

"ADB’s support will extend Nagpur’s metro rail network to meet rising travel demand and enhance the economy," said ADB Principal Transport Specialist Sharad Saxena. "This project will make the city more livable—improving the urban environment and mobility of residents and enhancing their access to basic services."

The central government has approved the construction of AIIMS in Bihar. It will be constructed on the proposed land near the bypass located at Shobhan in Darbhanga district. In this regard, the Union Health Ministry has written a letter to the Bihar government and asked it to start the process of transferring the land as soon as possible. Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Jha gave this information today on Friday.

JDU MP Sanjay Jha wrote in a post on social media on Friday that "We are happy to share that the technical team of the Central Government, which came to Darbhanga on 18-19 March 2024 to survey the land proposed by the state government near Shobhan-Ekmi bypass for the construction of AIIMS in Darbhanga, has described the said land as suitable for the construction of AIIMS in its report. After this, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved the construction of AIIMS on the proposed land".

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday appointed senior IPS officer Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal as the new Director General of Police of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Prior to his new role, Dhaliwal, a 1997-batch IPS officer, served as the special commissioner of police in New Delhi, overseeing traffic zone-II.

Throughout his career, Dhaliwal has achieved significant milestones, including solving high-profile cases such as the Dhaula Kuan gangrape, journalist Saumya Vishwanathan’s murder, and the Jigisha Ghosh murder case. He also played a crucial role in investigating the murder case involving Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

India and the U.S. on July 26 signed a cultural property agreement aimed at enhancing cooperation to protect cultural heritage of the two countries.

Cultural property agreements prevent the illegal trade of cultural property and simplify the process by which looted and stolen antiquities may be returned to their country of origin.

The U.S.-India Cultural Property Agreement was signed by U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan in the presence of Minister of Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

Mr. Kashiff Khan, Managing Director of FashionTV, remains the first Indian business magnet to Crown Miss FashionTV, in ‘Black Sea Excellence Awards Gala’. The much awaited beauty pageant took place in Romania (Europe) on 12th July 2024. This is the second time Mr. Khan has been invited to crown the contestant, he graced the event in 2019 earlier. He was also one of the jury members of the prestigious event, accompanied by who’s who of the Fashion and Media industry from across the world.

FashionTV is the world’s largest Fashion and Lifestyle, Media Television Channel, ruling the industry for the last 27 years, present in 196 countries and with over 2Billion+ Viewership.

The opulent beauty pageant awards was graced by 100’s of beautiful top models and renowned designers from across the globe such as Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and many more… The best models from various countries were invited to ‘Black Sea Excellence Awards Gala’ where the best out of the best models was Crowned as ‘Miss FashionTV’ by Mr. Kashiff Khan. The ‘Miss FashionTV’ will be the face of FashionTV and will be participating in the FashionTV events worldwide such as Paris Fashion Week, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and FashionTV Gala in New Delhi India.