The Rajya Sabha today took up the Appropriation (No.5) Bill, 2021 for consideration and return. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had moved the bill in the House. The Bill seeks to authorize payment and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the Financial Year 2021-22.

The legislation seeks to authorize the Government for gross additional expenditure of more than 3.73 lakh crore rupees during the period of 2021-22. Out of the additional net cash outgo of 2.99 lakh crore rupees provision has been made for big-ticket expenditure like Air India, Fertilizers subsidies, and MGNREGA.

Initiating the discussion on the bill, Sujeet Kumar of BJD while supporting the bill stressed the need to reform the fertilizer sectors. He drew the attention of the government towards leakage in fertilizer subsidies.

M Thambidurai of AIADMK also supported the bill saying that the Narendra Modi government is taking a lot of welfare programmes for the welfare of people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a one-of-its-kind programme on women empowerment in Prayagraj yesterday. The programme was attended by over 2 lakh women, many of them beneficiaries of different government schemes.

The Prime Minister transferred an amount of 1000 crore rupees in the bank accounts of Self Help Groups (SHGs), benefiting around 16 lakh women members. The Prime Minister also transferred 4000 rupees as first month's stipend in 20,000 accounts of Business Correspondent-Sakhis, B.C.-Sakhis.

Over 20 crore rupees were transferred to more than 1 lakh beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme. On the occasion, the Prime Minister spoke to some women beneficiaries.

The Prime Minister said that schemes and programmes of the central and state governments are bringing big change in the lives of women and giving them security. He said that the nation is watching how Uttar Pradesh is working for the empowerment of women and double-engine government has given security and increased the dignity of the women of the Uttar Pradesh.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today paid tributes to the legendary mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan on his birth anniversary, which is also celebrated as National Mathematics Day.

In a tweet, Mr Naidu asked people to spread awareness on the importance of mathematics in sustainable development, innovation and most of all in improving the quality of lives.

Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog today launched the first of its kind Vernacular Innovation Program which enables innovators and entrepreneurs to have access to the innovative ecosystem in 22 mother tongue languages. By providing access to learning in one's language and culture, Atal Innovation Mission aims to create equal opportunity for the vernacular innovators.

To build the necessary capacity for the Vernacular Innovation Program, VIP Atal Innovation Mission has identified and will be training a Vernacular Task Force in each of the 22 scheduled languages. Each task force comprises vernacular language teachers,  subject experts,  technical writers, and the leadership of regional Atal Incubation Centres.  

Launching the VIP,  NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar said innovation will be taken to the grassroots with this initiative. He said through this, innovation can become a Jan Andolan because people are more creative when they think in their own mother tongues rather than in English.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi and kickstart multiple development initiatives tomorrow. During his visit, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of ‘Banas Dairy Sankul’ at Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority Food Park at Karkhiyaon in Varanasi. 

Spread across 30 acres of land, the Dairy will be built at a cost of about 475 crore rupees and will have a facility for processing five lakh liter of milk per day. This will strengthen the rural economy and help farmers of the region by creating new opportunities for them.

Mr. Modi will also transfer the bonus of about 35 crore rupees to the bank accounts of more than 1.7 lakh milk producers associated with Banas Dairy. He will also lay the foundation stone for the Bio-gas based Electricity generation plant for the Milk Producers Cooperative Union Plant at Ramnagar in Varanasi. It will be a key step towards making Milk Producers Cooperative Union Plant energy self-sufficient.

Pradeep Kumar Rawat has been appointed India’s next Ambassador to China. Mr Rawat, currently India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, will replace Vikram Misri, who completed his three-year term earlier this month and has left for Delhi. Mr Rawat, a Mandarin-speaking career diplomat, will take up the assignment shortly in Beijing.

Prasar Bharati and Indian Council for Cultural Relations, ICCR have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for promoting Indian culture. The performances of the eminent artists associated with the ICCR will be telecast on the national and International Channels of Doordarshan.

The dance and music performances will be showcased on DD National, DD India, regional channels of Doordarshan and Prasar Bharati News Services (Digital Platform of Prasar Bharati) in the form of a weekly programme.

The MoU aims to bring forth the best of Indian Culture to the National and International audiences and provide TV and Digital platforms to the performing artists.

In collaboration with ICCR, Doordarshan will produce 52 half an hour episodes, based on cultural events, concerts, performances of music and dance organized by ICCR.

Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju will move the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Rajya Sabha today for consideration and passing. The Lok Sabha had yesterday passed the Bill.

The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 provides linking of Aadhar number with electoral rolls besides giving four opportunities to enroll in a calendar year as voter upon attaining 18 years of age. 

In Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will move the Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021 today for consideration and passing. She will move the bill to further amend the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959 and the Company Secretaries Act, 1980.

The Competition Commission of India has approved acquisition of shareholding in Air India Limited, Air India Express Limited and Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited by Talace Private Limited.

The proposed combination envisages acquisition of 100 per cent equity share capital of Air India Limited and Air India Express Limited, and 50 percent equity share capital of Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited by Talace Private Limited. Talace is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons.

In October this year, the Government approved Air India disinvestment. The government had announced that Talace Private Limited a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons had won the bid to acquire the debt-laden airline.

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.