Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh today. He will participate in a one-of-its-kind programme around 1 PM, which will be attended by more than 2 lakh women. In a tweet, Prime Minister said he will transfer one thousand crore rupees in the bank accounts of various Self Help Groups at the programme.

Mr Modi said more than 16 lakh women associated with these groups will benefit from this initiative. Interacting with women self help groups in August this year, the Prime Minister had said that they are bringing revolution to the rural areas.

This transfer is being done under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), with 80,000 SHGs receiving Community Investment Fund (CIF) of 1.10 lakh per SHG and 60,000 SHGs receiving Revolving Fund of 15,000 rupees per SHG. Prime Minister expressed happiness over Centre and Uttar Pradesh Government’s constant efforts to strengthen Self Help Groups (SHGs). Mr Modi said, money will also be transferred to over one lakh beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme, which provides assistance to the girl child during different stages of her life.

Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal today inaugurated the Packaged Drinking Water Test Facility at National Test House, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing the Board of Directors, Mr Goyal lauded the National Test House for taking a leap of technology to usher in quality assessment and assurance. Stressing on Prime Minister’s principle of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas, Mr Goyal said, we should test the goods in such a way that they carry Zero Defect and testing shall be acceptable worldwide.

President and Vice President today paid homage to Martyrs and freedom fighters on Goa Liberation Day.  In a tweet, President Ram Nath Kovind said, on Goa Liberation Day, the nation pays homage to the martyrs and freedom fighters who fought to liberate Goa from colonial rule. He said, we also salute the exemplary courage and valour of our armed forces.

Mr Kovind said, he will forever cherish the memories of Goa@60 celebrations which he attended last year.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu greeted people on Goa Liberation Day. He said, today we remember and pay homage to the freedom fighters and martyrs who fought for the liberation of Goa from foreign rule.

Mr Naidu said, Goa has had a remarkable journey since its liberation. He wished the state an even brighter and prosperous future ahead.

Indian Navy conducted the maiden sea trials for Mormugao, the second indigenous stealth destroyer of the P15B class yesterday. Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDSL), the ship has been named after the port town in Goa. The Mormugao was launched in September 2016 when the late Manohar Parrikar was the defence minister.

The Indian Navy plans to commission the stealth destroyer in mid-2022 when it will be known as INS Mormugao. Mormugao will add significantly to the Indian Navy’s combat capabilities. The sea trials come less than a month after the recent commissioning of INS Visakhapatnam, the first of the P15B contract. The fourth P75 submarine INS Vela was also commissioned in November and starting sea trials of Mormugao is testimony to the cutting-edge capabilities of MDSL.

Indian economy is all set for a strong rebound in the current fiscal posting a growth rate of 9-10 per cent, says a CEOs poll conducted among the members of the CII National Council. A large number of CEOs polled, however, appeared worried about the impact of the new COVID variant Omnicron on services and the manufacturing sector.

As regards growth, about 10 per cent of the CEOs polled believe that it could even exceed 10 per cent during 2021-22. CII President T V Narendran said government's strong emphasis on public works, timely interventions to boost liquidity and several reforms carried out in the recent months have buoyed the optimism on higher economic growth. The poll is based on the responses of about 100 CEOs.

On the impact of Omicron on business, 55 per cent of the CEOs polled expect that the services sector would get adversely impacted due to the spread of the new variant of coronavirus, while another 34 per cent of the CEOs indicated that it could adversely impact manufacturing activities. According to the CEOs poll, 56 per cent of the respondents indicated that the economy would grow in the range of 9 per cent to 10 per cent during 2021-22, while another 10 per cent polled expected the growth rate in excess of 10 per cent this fiscal year, CII said.

Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh will inaugurate Good Governance Week in New Delhi today as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. The theme of Good Governance Week is 'Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur'. A Nationwide campaign for Redressal of Public Grievances and Improving Service Delivery will be held in all Districts, States, and Union Territories.

During the week-long event, more than 700 Districts Collectors will visit Tehsil and Panchayat Samiti Headquarters to provide timely grievance redressal and improve service delivery. The Minister will also inaugurate the Exhibition on Good Governance Practices.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched Rashtriya Ekta Geet composed by the National Cadet Core cadets in 22 languages during the grand finale of Vijay Shrankhla aur Sanskrityon ka Mahasangam campaign yesterday. Rashtriya Ekta Geet is based on the theme of national integration.  

Highlighting the glorious history of NCC, Rajnath Singh said, NCC has produced a number of stalwarts who have brought glory and laurels to the nation. He said, leaders like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many others are NCC alumni who have contributed towards Nation building. He said, NCC develops the virtues of unity, discipline, patience and brotherhood in its cadets and these virtues remain forever with them.

The mega event was conducted in New Delhi by NCC as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence. The campaign culminated yesterday with ‘Sanskritiyon ka Maha Sangam’ wherein selected NCC cadets from across the country congregated in Delhi and showcased their shared cultural heritage.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has said that the government plans to set up 35 Multi-Modal Logistics Parks in the country at a total cost of 50,000 crore rupees.

Addressing the National Conference on Investment Opportunities in Highways, Transport and Logistics in Mumbai, Mr. Gadkari said these parks have been conceptualized to enable seamless intermodal freight movement and offer multiple functionalities such as freight aggregation and distribution, storage and warehousing solutions and value-added services such as custom clearances and IT services.

He added that all these Multi-Modal Logistics Parks will be developed as part of the Design, Build Finance, Operate and Transfer model. Mr Gadkari said his ministry will execute infrastructure projects worth 7 lakh crore rupees in the next 2-3 years. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh around 12 noon today. Mr Modi wil also address a rally at Railway Ground, Rouza on the occasion. The inspiration behind the Expressway is the vision of the Prime Minister to provide fast-paced connectivity across the country.

Uttar Pradesh government is working on this ambitious project in a swift manner.  94 percent of the land required for the expressway has been acquired by the state government and despite the Covid pandemic 90 percent of the land purchase completed in the record four months period. AIR correspondent reports, The 594 Km long six-lane Expressway will be built at a cost of over Rs 36,200 crore. Starting near the Bijauli village in Meerut, the Expressway will extend till near the Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj.

It will pass through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj districts. Upon completion of work, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh, connecting the western and eastern regions of the state.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh today gave away Raksha Mantri Awards for Excellence 2021 on the occasion of 96th Raising Day of Directorate General Defence Estates in New Delhi. The recipients were awarded for innovation and digital achievements in the fields of health, education, and sanitation along with public service and land management. Since classes were being run online due to COVID-19 pandemic, the awards in the field of education were not considered. This year, a new award has been instituted by the Defence Minister for achievement in the implementation of 'e-Chhawani' project. These categories are Swachh Chhawani Swasth Chhawani, Digital Accomplishments, Innovation in Public Services,  Land and Record management,  Improvement in Cantonment General Hospital, and Implementation of 'e-Chhawani' Project.

Congratulating the award winners, Mr Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that the awards will encourage all the winning organizations to work for the betterment of Cantonment Boards. He said these awards are testimony to the perseverance and commitment of DGDE towards nation-building. The Minister lauded the efforts of the DGDE towards management of 17.98 lakh acres of land and the civil administration of 62 cantonments across the country. He appreciated the fact that the DGDE is constantly striving to provide modern facilities to Cantonment areas and meet the growing aspirations of the military officers, soldiers, their families as well as the civilian population of more than 20 lakh people.