President Ramnath Kovind to participate in various programmes in Kanpur
President Ramnath Kovind will reach Kanpur this morning and participate in various programmes.
Mr Kovind arrived in Lucknow on Sunday on a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh. He inaugurated a Multi Speciality Hospital in Lucknow Sunday evening.
AIR correspondent reports, President Ramnath Kovind during his stay of more than 7 hours at his native town Kanpur will participate in several programs at different places.
After landing the town in morning Mr Kovind will first visit to Siddh Shree Balaji Mandir, at Dauri Ghat, in Rooma area and perform Puja there.
After that he will Inaugurate the newly constructed Block of Dhamma Kalyana International Vipassana Meditation Centre .
The president will than go to DAV college ground and inaugurate the centenary celebrations of the College where from the attained his higher education.
This is the same famous college where from former Prime Minister late Atal Vihari Bajpayee got his education.
The President will also grace the alumni association conference and annual day function of the BNSD Inter College and Shiksha Niketan in the city in afternoon.
Afghanistan begins export to India through Iran’s Chabahar port
Afghanistan has begun exports to India through Iran’s Chabahar port, as the landlocked country turns to overseas markets to improve its economy.
At the inauguration of the new export route on Sunday in Zaranj city in western Nimroz province, President Ashraf Ghani said Chabahar port is the result of healthy cooperation between India, Iran and Afghanistan.
He said, with the opening of the Chabahar route, Afghanistan’s exports will increase to two billion dollar from the current one billion dollar in the next year.
Speaking at the ceremony, Indian ambassador Vinay Kumar said Afghanistan’s exports to India have increased by 40 percent after the launch of air corridor between Kabul and New Delhi.
Officials said 23 trucks carrying 57 tonnes of dried fruits, textiles, carpets and mineral products were dispatched from Zaranj to Chabahar port to be shipped to Mumbai.
The Iranian port provides easy access to the sea to Afghanistan and India has helped developed this route to allow both countries to engage in trade bypassing Pakistan.
Trade bodies welcome rate cut in GST on real estate
Various trade bodies have lauded the GST Council decision on Goods and Services Tax rate cut on real estate.
Director General of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Chandrajit Banerjee said the GST Council's decision will address the needs of home buyers and boost offtake of housing.
National Real Estate Development Council President Niranjan Hiranandani lauding the decision, said this will give big relief to the home buyers.
Terming the decision as revolutionary, CREDAI President Jaxay Shah said, this move is a significant triumph for home buyers and will play a huge hand in boosting their sentiments.
In a big relief to home buyers, the GST Council has slashed tax rates on under-construction housing properties to 5 per cent without input tax credit, from the existing 12 per cent.
Briefing reporters after GST council meeting in New Delhi on Sunday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, the Council also cut GST rates on affordable housing to one per cent from the current 8 per cent.
PM Modi to dedicate to the nation National War Memorial in New Delhi today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the National War Memorial near India Gate in New Delhi today.
The memorial will honour soldiers who have laid down their lives in the service for the country since Independence.
More than 25,000 soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces have made the supreme sacrifice to defend the country's sovereignty and integrity.
In his Mann Ki Baat Programme on All India Radio, Prime Minister asserted that it will be a small step towards repaying a great debt of country's Armed Forces.
Mr Modi said, the Memorial, which is in close vicinity of India Gate and Amar Jawan Jyoti, is a symbol of the nation's gratitude to those who made the supreme sacrifice after the country gained Independence.
Prime Minister expressed hope that for the countrymen a visit to the Memorial will be akin to a pilgrimage to a holy place, where people will throng, to get information on the great martyrs, to express their gratitude and to conduct further research on them.
Divya Karnad first Indian woman to receive Future of Nature award for marine conservation
NEW DELHI: Dr Divya Karnad has grow to be the second Indian and the first girl to obtain the 'Global Future of Nature Award' for her paintings on marine conservation.
The handiest different Indian to obtain the award is Dr Charudutt Mishra. The award is given to three folks each and every year and this year aside from Karnad, Olivier Nsengimana and Fernanda Abra also gained it.
The 'Future For Nature Award' is a prestigious international award that celebrates tangible achievements in protecting wild animal and plant species.
Karnad, 33, who teaches on the Ashoka Universty is also a Wipro Sustainable Fellow.
Speaking with IdealNews about the award, she stated, "I did not expect it coming. It is definitely amazing."
On the involved spaces in marine conservation and the way she plans to manner it, Karnad stated that during India, it's tough to focus on one aspect. "The present concern is over-fishing and non-sustainable techniques of fishing. So, my approach is broader and not limited to sharks or just the fishermen. I am working on sustainable fisheries and to change the practice of fishing for better."
She added, "Marine conservation isn't just about fishermen but also the patrons, so we're serving to the fishermen with sustainable tactics the place we're trying to bring the two parties in combination.
"It is set building bridges between the fishermen and the patrons the place the latter get to know the wear and tear to the marine existence first-hand," Karnad stated.
World's largest bee spotted for the first time since 1981
That might be frightening to most people, but scientists were delighted when a team of researchers recently found it in Indonesia.
It's the largest bee in the world, and scientists feared it might be extinct -- until now.
A group of researchers made a stunning "rediscovery" of the elusive critter and took the first photos and video of a living Wallace's giant bee on January 25.
The team -- composed of natural history photographer Clay Bolt, entomologist Eli Wyman, behavioral ecologist Simon Robson and ornithologist Glenn Chilton -- spent years studying the bee and slogged around in humid Indonesia forests for days before stumbling upon one.
The rediscovery has renewed hope that more of the region's forests are home to the rare species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies this species as "vulnerable" due to mining and quarrying.
Only two other lucky fellows are documented to have seen it in person before. The first was British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who discovered the giant bee in 1858 while exploring the tropical Indonesian island of Bacan. Entomologist Adam Messer became the second in 1981.
The team went from termite nest to nest in the forests of remote islands known as the North Moluccas, Bolt said.
They had some information about the bee's habitat and behavior from Messer's paper, and they examined satellite imagery to become familiar with the terrain. They knew the Wallace's giant bee tended to be found in the lowland forest and tree-dwelling termite nests.
Waste to Wonder Park Inaugurated in Delhi
The Waste to Wonder Park was inaugurated by Home Minister, Rajnath Singh on Thursday 21st February, near Sarai Kale Khan, New Delhi. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has made this park by creating replicas of the Seven Wonders of the World and the replicas have been fabricated from scrap material.
"The replicas of all seven wonders of world has been built with eco-friendly, self-sustainable material, and has its own solar and wind power generation. It is open to all and we are more than happy that the park has been constructed within six months’ time and now it is a reality in Delhi. This is will also enhance the tourist’s economy," said Rajnath Singh. Lieutenant Governor, Anil Baijal, Mahesh Girri, Lok Sabha (MP) from East Delhi seat and senior officials of SDMC were present on the occasion apart from locals.
South Delhi Municipal Commissioner Puneet Kumar Goel, told that the park is ‘world’s first’ wherein waste products have been used to replicate the wonders. With solar panels, solar trees and a windmill, the park is self-sustainable. The entry fee would be Rs 50 for adults and Rs 25 for children in the age group of 3-12. However, children up to the age of three years and senior citizens will not be charged any fee.
With Supreme Court order on forest land, 4 lakh claimants set to be evicted in 3 states
The Supreme Court order of February 13, directing states to evict Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Traditional Forest Dweller (OTFD) whose claims over forest land have been rejected, notes that Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana are the states that rejected maximum claims, and where more than 4 lakh claimants are set to be evicted.
According to the affidavit filed by the states before the three-judge bench of Justices Arun Mishra, Navin Sinha and Indira Banerjee, at least 6,60,388 ST claimants are set to be evicted from forest land across the country. The data shows that 22,87,225 ST applicants sought claim over the forest land, meaning that 29 per cent of the STs who claimed forest land are likely to be evicted.
The data also shows that in case of OFTDs, 6,84,485 filed claims over the forest land, and as many as 4,44,493 claims were rejected by the respective state governments.
The Supreme Court has ordered that for the 17 states where rejection order has been passed, the chief secretary will ensure “eviction will be carried out on or before the next date of hearing”. The court will hear the matter on July 24. “Forest Survey of India (FSI) make a satellite survey and place on record the encroachment positions and also state the positions after the eviction as far as possible,” the order states.
Donald Trump picks envoy to Canada Kelly Craft for UN ambassador
President Donald Trump said on Friday he was nominating Kelly Craft, currently the US ambassador to Canada, to replace Nikki Haley as his envoy to the United Nations after a four-month search.
Craft, a top Republican donor from Kentucky, rose this week as a serious contender for the post based on a recommendation by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentuckian.
Craft will not hold a Cabinet-level position, as Haley did, a senior White House official said, after Trump decided to downgrade the post. Regardless, she will need to be confirmed by the US Senate.
“Kelly has done an outstanding job representing our Nation and I have no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level,” Trump said in a tweet announcing his decision.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Craft “extremely well-qualified” and an “outstanding advocate for America’s national security and economic interests in Canada.”
Russia warns US against deploying new missiles in Europe
Russia has warned the US against deploying new missiles in Europe, threatening to retaliate in kind by targeting Western capitals with his own new weaponry.
Delivering a state of the nation address, President Vladimir Putin said the US abandoned the 1987 arms control pact to free its hands to build new missiles and tried to shift the blame for the move on Russia.
He, however, added that Russia still wants friendly relations with Washington and remains open to arms control talks.
Signed in 1987 by then US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty banned ground-launched missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometres.