Indian Railways will continue to provide Shramik Special trains within 24 hours after the demand is received from the states. Railway Ministry has requested the State Governments to indicate their requirements about Shramik Special trains.
 
Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said that Indian Railways will provide the desired number of Shramik Special trains immediately within 24 hours of the request made by the State Governments. Railways has also assured that it will provide additional Shramik Special trains for any future requirement. More than 4,347 Shramik Special trains have been operated by Railways to transport approximately 60 lakh migrant workers to their destination states since 1st of May.

Biocon Executive Chairperson  Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been named EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 at a virtual award ceremony, the company said in a statement. She was selected from among 46 Entrepreneur of the Year country award winners from 41 countries and territories, it added.

"I am truly honoured to receive the prestigious EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2020. At its core, entrepreneurship is about solving problems.

The greatest opportunities often arise at the toughest times, and that's been my experience throughout my entrepreneurial journey," Mazumdar-Shaw said.

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s move of launching an online waste exchange platform, has been hailed by the Indian wing of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

“Thank you @ysjagan , we are sure this will help animals too,” read the tweet by the official handle of PETA India, praising the move.

On the occasion of “World Environment Day 2020” on 5th June 2020, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the online waste exchange platform of AP Environment Management Corporation (APEMC).

The platform, one of a kind initiative taken up by the AP Government, facilitates the authorities to monitor the movement of hazardous waste real-time using the tools incorporated in the platform.

The Andhra Pradesh Environment Management Corporation (APEMC) and the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) will work in close coordination to handle the waste

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force on Monday inducted an indigenously designed and manufactured pod called ARPIT, which will be used for evacuation of critical patients suffering from infectious diseases like COVID-19 from isolated and remote areas.

"The IAF has designed, developed and inducted an Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation (ARPIT)," said the IAF in a statement.

It said when the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic, it felt the need for an evacuation system that prevents the spread of infectious aerosol from the patient to another person.

This indigenously designed system has been developed at a cost of Rs 60,000, which is very less when compared to imported systems which cost up to Rs 60 lakh a piece, the IAF stated.

The isolation system has a suitable number of air exchanges, integration of medical monitoring instruments, and ventilation for an intubated patient, the IAF said.

Poet, lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar has become the first Indian to receive the prestigious Richard Dawkins Award for 2020 for critical thinking, holding religious dogma upto scrutiny, advancing human progress and humanist values.

Previous recipients include American TV host, comedian and political commentator Bill Maher and English-American intellectual, philosopher, social critic and writer Christopher Hitchens.

The Ministry of Culture has approved opening of 820 centrally protected monuments under the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) which have places of worship from today. The Union Minister of Culture  has said that all the protocols issued by the Home Ministry and Health Ministry will be followed in these monuments.

In its order, Culture Ministry has said that ASI will ensure that preventive measures as stipulated in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to contain the spread of COVID-19 in religious places are effectively put in place and scrupulously followed while opening and managing these monuments.

The Ministry of Culture also asked the  ASI to share the list of these 820 monuments to the concerned States so that any state or district specific orders with regard to containment and prevention of spread of COVID-19 are also comprehensively implemented. There are 3,691 Centrally-protected monuments and archaeological sites maintained by the ASI which were shut from 17th of March in view of COVID-19.

Religious places, shopping malls, restaurants,  hotels and offices which remained shut due to COVID-19 lockdown, are set to reopen from today. However, such establishments will be allowed to open in only non- containment zones. They will have to follow all the guidelines issued by the Central Government in this regard so that social distancing could be ensured.

As per the guidelines related to religious places, only asymptomatic persons will be allowed and no  physical offerings like prasad and distribution or sprinkling of holy water is permitted. Touching statues, idols, and holy books in places of worship will be  strictly prohibited and use of face masks will be mandatory. The individuals have been asked to maintain a distance of six feet. Community kitchens, langars and Ann-Daan at religious places should follow physical distancing norms while preparing and distributing food.

Delhi state borders will be opened from today. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that only residents of the National Capital will be treated in state’s hospitals till the time COVID pandemic lasts. He also informed that barring hotels and banquet halls in the city, malls, restaurants and places of worship will open from today.

Mr Kejriwal said, the state government received over 7 lakh suggestions from the residents regarding the issue of treatment of patients in Delhi hospitals.

Sports Ministry’s flagship programme Fit India is joining hands with the Department of School Education and Literacy, to launch a series of special films promoting 10 indigenous sports of India under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat initiative.
 
The series is aimed at creating awareness about not just the indigenous games but also the culture and heritage of the states to which they belong. Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat aims to create awareness among youngsters about the culture and heritage of states across India.  This initiative aims to further that effort.

These special films have been customized for school-going children to make them aware of the history and heritage of the state from which a game emanates, the particular sport as well as how it is played. The 10 episodes can be watched from Monday to Friday -- June 8 to June 19 -- at 11am, on the Fit India YouTube page and Ministry of Human Resource Development digital platforms.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced Aatmanirbhar Gujarat package worth 14,000 crore rupees yesterday evening. The package is based on the recommendations of the first interim report submitted by the committee on economic revival of the state led by former Union Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhiya.

The package includes tax rebates, loan subsidies for various sections of the society including business, individuals and industries that hit due to COVID-19.

AIR correspondent reports, the new package gave relief worth Rs 2,300 crore by partially waving off property tax, electricity bill and motor vehicle tax for individuals, commercial establishments and industrial entities. In a bid to revive the housing sector, the government announced a loan interest subsidy of 4 percent for loans up to Rs 2.5 lakh for business and shop owners. The government has also announced to give Rs 466 crore as subsidies to migrant and tribal construction workers to build their own homes. Rs1,190 crore has also been allocated for agriculture, animal husbandry and fishing sectors, and Rs 525 crore for creating self-employment under Gujarat Aatmanirbhar Sahay Yojana-2.

World Environment Day is being Celebrated across the globe today. It is the biggest annual event in the world run by the United Nations to mark the environmental awareness among the people. It's main aim is to raise awareness to protect nature and look at various environmental issues that are growing day by day. World Environment Day 2020 focuses on Biodiversity and will be hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany.

In India, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change will be holding virtual celebrations of World Environment Day on this year’s theme with focus on Nagar Van, Urban Forests. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar will address the gathering on this occasion which will commence from 9 in the morning today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his latest Mann Ki Baat on last sunday said that every Indian should pledge to create some difference to bring about positive change for the environment.
                           
India though having less land mass and more human and cattle population has nearly 8 percent of biodiversity. The country is endowed with rich biodiversity having several species of animals and plants and hosts 4 of the 35 global biodiversity hotspots containing several endemic species. Biodiversity conservation has traditionally been considered confined to remote forest areas but with increasing urbanization a need has arisen to safeguard and save biodiversity in urban areas also.