India successfully test-fired Short Range Surface to Air Missile from integrated test range, Chandipur, Odisha yesterday. Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO said, the launch was conducted from a vertical launcher against an electronic target at a very low altitude.

Yesterday's launch of the system was conducted to validate integrated operation of all weapon system components including the vertical launcher unit with controller and weapon control system required for future launches of the missile from Indian Naval Ships.

The first trial was conducted on the 22nd of February this year and this is confirmatory trial to prove the consistent performance of the configuration and integrated operation.     

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy and industry for the successful flight test. 

The Reserve bank of India will announce its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy today. RBI governor Shaktikanta Das will announce Monetary policy at 10am. The three-day meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee began on Monday. If RBI maintains status quo in policy rates today it would be the ninth consecutive time since the rate remains unchanged. The central bank had last revised the policy rates on May 22, 2020. Industry players are also expecting the rates to remain unchanged.

Dr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Adviser of State Bank of India has said that the forthcoming monetary policy comes against the backdrop of the global scare of Omicron, that we are still trying to unravel.

YS Chakravarti, MD & CEO of  Shriram City has said that they are expecting RBI to maintain status quo in the last monetary policy meet for the year 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated several development projects worth 10,000 crore rupees at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. He said, he was grateful to inaugurate the projects the foundation stones of which were laid by him five years ago. The projects include Fertiliser Plant, AIIMS and a new building of the Regional Centre of Indian Council of Medical Research-ICMR.

Mr. Modi said the projects are a testimony to the fact that nothing is impossible for New India.

The Prime Minister announced that four more fertiliser plants will be revived in the coming years. He said, ‘PM Oorja Ganga Gas Pipeline Project’ will provide cheap gas to the households as well. Mr. Modi said, the demand for AIIMS in Gorakhpur was pending for years and no government paid any heed to it.

Mr Modi said the work is on to build 16 AIIMS and the government is working with the aim to open at least one Medical College in each district of the country.

Mr. Modi also lauded Yogi Adityanath's government for continuously working for the benefit of the farmers. He said, the Uttar Pradesh government has paid a large chunk of the dues to sugarcane farmers in comparison to the previous governments.

Armed Forces Flag Day is being observed across the country today. It is observed on the 7th of December every year since 1949 to honour the martyrs as well as men and women in uniform, who who valiantly fought and continue to fight to safeguard the country’s honour. The day is dedicated towards collection of funds from people for the welfare of the Armed Forces personnel. The fund collected on the Flag Day is  used for the welfare of serving personnel and ex-servicemen.

Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh has said the third phase of the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana will be completed by the year 2025, with focus on providing easy access to markets, hospitals and schools. During Question Hour in the Lok Sabha today, he said the first phase of the central scheme focused on connectivity and the next phase on upgradation of rural roads.

To another question, Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said in the ongoing phase-three of the scheme, even road-length of less than the previously mandated 5-kilometers can be considered for development.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur today informed the Lok Sabha that Prasar Bharati is not closing any Akashvani radio stations in the country. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Mr Thakur said Prasar Bharati is having 500 All India Radio Broadcasting centres across the country.

The minister informed that obsolete analog transmitters are phased out from time to time with the availability of alternate transmission technologies such as FM, satellite radio through DTH and internet streaming. The minister also informed the House that Prasar Bharati has not closed AIR FM Radio channel in Bengaluru.  Mr Thakur said multiple Akashvani stations including AIR Bengaluru contribute several hours of classical music content daily to Raagam 24x7 thus providing opportunities to artists from respective cities.

The Centre has said, organic farming is being promoted by the Centre using a host of programmes to help the farmers. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said organic farming is being taken up in over 38.09 lakh hectares in the country. He said the farmers are being provided a financial assistance of 31-thousand rupees per hectare for three years under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana - PKVY. The ‘Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North east Region’ scheme provides for 32-thousand and five hundred rupees per hectare for three years. The financial assistance is meant for organic inputs like seeds, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, organic manure and botanical extracts.

In response to another question, the minister said 650-crore rupees has been approved for promotion of organic farming for the current financial year, including 450 crore under the PKVK and 200-crore rupees under the scheme meant for the North Eastern region.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have mandated contactless self-declaration at Air Suvidha Portal. The Air Suvidha portal which was launched in August last year  has now been strengthened to accommodate travel guidelines issued on the 30th  November. Air Suvidha is first of its kind digital portal for easing international passenger arrival in India.  

This portal aids passengers in providing their details of travel and final stay along with RTPCR, Vaccination status etc. This also helps state officials in contact tracing. It provides hassle-free, queue free, and convenient air travel to all international passengers arriving in India.  To ensure the necessary prevention of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, the exemption forms from the Air Suvidha portal have been discontinued, and filling of the details have been made compulsory for all international passengers arriving in India. 

All international passengers arriving in India are mandated to declare their current health status prior to boarding on the Air Suvidha Portal along with the required documents like  Copy of Passport, PCR Negative Certificate from a Test conducted within 72 hours of departure and the Vaccination Certificate. For immigration, the copy received in e-mail is essential on arrival in India and has to be verified at the APHO counter.Air Suvidha portal has already assisted over 2.5 lakh  passengers with first five days of this month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed regional and global developments, including the post-pandemic global economic recovery, and the situation in Afghanistan at the India - Russia Annual Summit held in Delhi yesterday. In his opening remarks at the Summit, Prime Minister Modi said the pace of relations between India and Russia has not changed despite the challenges posed by Covid and the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership has been continuously strengthening. He added that the fight against Covid has also seen excellent cooperation between the two countries, whether it be vaccine trials and production, humanitarian assistance, or repatriation of citizens.

Mr Modi said there have been many fundamental changes at the global level in the last several decades and a lot of geo-political equations have emerged. He asserted that India-Russia friendship has been a constant among all these variables. He said both the countries have not only cooperated with each other without any hesitation but have also taken special care of each other's sensitivities. He called it a unique and reliable model of inter-state friendship.

The Prime Minister said the first 2 plus 2 dialogue between defence and foreign ministers which took place earlier yesterday starts a new mechanism to improve behavioural cooperation. India and Russia have been in regular touch on Afghanistan and other regional issues as well. Mr Modi said the regional partnership that began with the Eastern Economic Forum and the Vladivostok summit is today turning into a real cooperation between the Russian Far-East and the Indian states.

On Armed Forces Flag Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged the exemplary contributions of the armed forces. Mr. Modi said their perseverance and courage are outstanding.

He urged everyone to contribute towards the forces’ welfare.