Sports Authority of India, in association with Hockey India today announced the first edition of the Khelo India Women's Hockey League Under-21.

It will be organized by Hockey India at three different venues in three phases between March to November.

While phase one will be held from 23rd to 29th of this month at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi, the second phase will be held from 13th to 19th at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru, followed by the final one from 22nd to 29th November at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Delhi Government has directed an immediate closure of all Government, Government aided, private, Municipal Corporations of Delhi and New Delhi Municipal Council primary schools till 31st of this month.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a tweet said, the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to prevent the possibility of spread of COVID-19 amongst the children.

Kendriya Vidyalayas in Delhi will also remain closed for primary classes till 31st March in view of Coronavirus.

President Ram Nath Kovind today conferred 61st annual Lalit Kala Akademi's awards on 15 artistes at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The awardees include Anoop Kumar Manzukhi Gopi from Kerala, David Malakar from West Bengal, Hari Ram Kumbhawat from Rajasthan, Devendra Kumar Khare from Gujarat, Dinesh Pandya from Maharashtra, Mohan Kumar from Karnataka and Yashwant Singh from Delhi.
Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel and the Akademi Chairman Dr. Uttam Pacharne were also present on the occasion

The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) recommended former spinner, Sunil Joshi, for the role of Chairman of the senior men’s selection committee on Wednesday.

The CAC comprising Madan Lal, Rudra Pratap Singh and Sulakshana Naik met at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai to select the members of the All-India Senior Selection Committee (Mens).

Former seamer Harvinder Singh was also recommended for the senior men’s selection committee panel. The CAC will review the candidates after a one-year period, and make its recommendations to the BCCI.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has lifted the ban on social media sites that was in place for over seven months since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 last year.

In a fresh order yesterday, the J&K administration said people would now be allowed the internet access with 2G mobile data services. Earlier, the government had provided a list of websites that could be accessed in J&K.

The new order could be seen as a step towards bringing normalcy in Kashmir Valley.

Government has envisaged replacement of all the level crossings on National Highways by Road Over Bridges or Road Under Bridges under the Setu Bharatam scheme. The programme is being implemented by Road Transport and Highways Ministry to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic and reduced road fatalities by 50 percent by 2020.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Setu Bharatam scheme on 4th March in 2016 for building rail over-bridges or underpasses for safe and seamless travel on National Highways. The Prime Minister had said that a good infrastructure network is vital for the growth and development of a nation. He also stressed on the necessity to bring in a comprehensive, integrated approach in developing infrastructure in the country.

President Ram Nath Kovind today conferred 61st annual Lalit Kala Akademi's awards on 15 artistes at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The awardees include Anoop Kumar Manzukhi Gopi from Kerala, David Malakar from West Bengal, Hari Ram Kumbhawat from Rajasthan, Devendra Kumar Khare from Gujarat, Dinesh Pandya from Maharashtra, Mohan Kumar from Karnataka and Yashwant Singh from Delhi.
Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel and the Akademi Chairman Dr. Uttam Pacharne were also present on the occasion

68th All India Police Athletic Championship-2019 began at Bhanu in Panchkula District of Haryana yesterday. Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju declared the meet open at Basic Training Centre of ITBP. Addressing the meet, Mr Rijiju said that with an aim to bring India in top 10 in the Olympics scheduled in 2028, the government has  identified 15,000 plus children and started their training across 284 Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centres across the country. He said, to achieve this goal, the role of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)  and State Police organisations becomes very important. Efforts shall be made to assign few games to each force so that we can get good results in Olympics after 8 years.

The Minister stressed that  Sports training centres shall be established in the forces. He also stressed that the government would like to handover few of the SAI extension to the State Governments. It will enable SAI to focus more on the National centres of excellence.
Inaugurating the games formally, the minister emphasized that he is hopeful during the conduct of this Championship, good talent will be identified which will lead to producing good athletes for the country in the future. He lauded the efforts of ITBP in promoting adventure and sports activities in the force.

World Bank has unveiled a 12 billion dollar aid package that will provide fast-track funds to help countries combat the coronavirus outbreak. World Bank President David Malpass told reporters that the goal is to provide fast, effective action that responds to country needs. The funds, some of which are targeted to the world's poorest nations, can be used for medical equipment or health services and will include expertise and policy advice.

Malpass said the money will go to countries that request help. The bank has been in contact with many member nations, but he did not specify which are likely to be the first to receive aid.