Doppler weather radar will be installed in Himachal Pradesh's tribal district Lahaul-Spiti for accurate weather forecast, this will be of great help to the Meteorological Department. X-band Doppler weather radar will be installed in Lahaul-Spiti by December 2025. Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh gave this information in a written reply to a question asked by Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sikandar Kumar in Parliament on Friday.

Rs 13.87 crore was spent on installation and operation of Doppler radar

Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed that at present three Doppler weather radars are operational in Himachal Pradesh. Three X-band Doppler weather radars have been installed and made operational at Kufri in Shimla district, Murari Devi in Mandi district and Jot in Chamba district. Dr. Jitendra Singh informed that Rs 13.87 crore has been spent on the installation and operation of these Doppler radars in the state. He informed that weather forecasting is done using data from multiple observation systems and the Ministry is constantly making efforts to enhance the observational and R&D infrastructure to achieve better accuracy in weather forecasting across the country.

Indian Navy’s frontline frigate, INS Tabar arrived St. Petersburg, Russia on 25 Jul 24 for a four day visit to participate in 328th Russian Navy Day Parade celebrations. India and Russia share warm bilateral relations and maritime co-operation that span diverse fields. The visit by INS Tabar aimed to strengthen this longstanding friendship and also explore newer avenues of bolstering the relationship between the two countries.

INS Tabar, on departure from St. Petersburg, Russia successfully conducted Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with the Russian Navy Ship Soobrazitelny on 30 Jul 2024. Participation of Indian Navy Ship Tabar in the 328th Russian Navy Day Parade and conduct of MPX marks a significant milestone in the maritime cooperation between India and Russia, reinforcing the commitment of both nations to maintain peace, stability and security in the region. The MPX involved a series of complex naval manoeuvers, including communication drills, Search & Rescue tactics and Replenishment at Sea serials. Ships from both navies demonstrated high levels of professionalism and interoperability.

The Indian Navy remains committed to fostering partnerships with navies across the world. The MPX with the Russian Navy reinforces the strong bilateral naval ties, further strengthening our resolve and commitment towards ensuring enhanced cooperation in the maritime domain.

Grinson George, former head of the Marine Biodiversity and Environment Management Division at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has assumed charge as Director of the CMFRI here. He has also held the position of Senior Programme Specialist at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Dhaka.

A fisheries researcher with over two decades of experience, Dr. George holds expertise in areas such as fishery resource management, marine biodiversity, environment management, fisheries oceanography, remote sensing and climate change, said a press release here.

He has led multiple high impact research projects as principal investigator at national and international level with funding support of agencies such as the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Indian Space Research Organisation, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology and ICAR- National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture project (NICRA),and the India-UK Water Quality Initiatives.

India is ranked 39th among 119 countries, according to the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024 report published by the World Economic Forum.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha today, Minister of Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said that as per the UNWTO barometer for May 2024, there were 975 million international tourist arrivals around the world in 2022, wherein India recorded 14.3 million international tourist arrivals that represented 1.47 per cent of the international inbound tourism market share. The share of India’s international tourist arrivals in Asia and the Pacific will be 15.66 per cent in 2022. He said that India’s scores have improved in three areas: prioritisation of travel and tourism, safety and security, and health and hygiene.

Beyond the attention-grabbing performances of Indian shooters lie another feat that has gone unnoticed so far. Lieutenant Colonel Kabilan Sai Ashok, a serving Indian Army Officer, has become India’s youngest referee to officiate the boxing events at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.

Lt Col Ashok, 32, is only the fourth Indian since 1904 to officiate at the Olympics and the first to have represented the country as a player and an official at a world championship event, said Army officials.

He is also the first Indian to become the president of World Military Boxing Council.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE) at the National Agricultural Science Centre (NASC) Complex in New Delhi on August 3rd.

Organized by the International Association of Agricultural Economists, the triennial conference will run until August 7th. This marks the first time in 65 years that the ICAE is being held in India.

The theme of this year’s conference, “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems,” addresses the urgent need for sustainable agriculture in the face of global challenges such as climate change, natural resource degradation, rising production costs, and conflicts. The event will highlight India’s proactive approach to global agricultural issues and showcase the nation’s advancements in agricultural research and policy.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced the creation of the Gujarat State Institution for Transformation (GRIT), modelled after the NITI Aayog, to serve as a public policy think-tank for the state. Speaking at the NITI Aayog governing council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by various state chief ministers, Patel emphasised Gujarat's dedication to the vision of making India a developed nation by 2047.

Patel unveiled the 'Gujarat@2047 Dynamic Document-Roadmap' focused on the pillars of 'Earning Well' and 'Living Well,' aimed at enhancing quality of life and economic prosperity in the state.

In a significant move towards sustainable energy and to boost solar energy adoption in Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the 'Goem Vinamulya Vij Yevjan,' an initiative aligned with the Prime Minister's Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.

This new scheme is designed to enhance solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households in Goa to generate their own electricity.

CM Sawant stated that the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana aims to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their electricity. He additionally informed that the scheme has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and is to be implemented till FY 2026-27.

Finance ministers from leading rich and developing nations agreed Friday to strive toward effectively taxing the super-rich, a joint ministerial declaration said.

With full respect to tax sovereignty, we will seek to engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed, the declaration said after the two-day meeting in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil has made a proposal to impose a 2 per cent minimum tax on billionaires a top priority of its presidency of the Group of 20, ahead of the Nov. 18-19 summit in Rio.

While the final declaration stops short of agreeing on a specific global tax, Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad nevertheless called it a significant step forward.

The Jharkhand Assembly on Friday passed a Bill to impose cess on mined minerals to boost the state's revenue. This move follows the Supreme Court's July 25 ruling, which affirmed that the legislative power to tax mineral rights rests with the states.

Mining Minister in-charge Mithilesh Thakur introduced the 'Jharkhand Mineral-Bearing Land Cess Bill 2024', which was approved by voice vote.

The Bill proposes varying tax rates for different minerals on a per-metric-tonne basis: Rs 100 for coal and iron ore, Rs 70 for bauxite, and Rs 50 for manganese ore and other minerals.