The Uttar Pradesh government Friday approved 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions for the economically backward in the general category.

The nod was given at a meeting here of the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, senior cabinet minister and UP government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma told mediapersons.

Uttar Pradesh became the third state after Gujarat and Jharkhand to approve the legislation which has to be ratified by at least half the state Assemblies in the country.

The Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019, providing for 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to the economically weaker sections in the general category was passed by Parliament in its recently concluded winter session.

President Ram Nath Kovind has since given his assent to the bill.

“The cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved the notification granting 10 per cent reservation to the poor in the general category which has come into effect on January 14,” Sharma said.

Widening the source base for the nuclear fuel, the government Friday exchanged a long- term contract with Uzbekistan for supplying uranium ore concentrates.

The contract was exchanged in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who are here for the three-day Vibrant Gujarat summit that began Friday. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting as well.

Modi also had separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts in Denmark, The Czech Republic and Malta. "The department of atomic energy (DAE) and Novoi Minerals & Metallurgical Company of Uzbekistan today exchanged contracts for long-term supply of uranium ore concentrates, "the foreign ministry said in a statement without offering more details.

The contracts were exchanged by DEA secretary KN Vyas and Uzbekistan deputy minister of economy and industry Sohib Saifzazarov, the statement added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mumbai, Hazira in Gujarat and Silvassa, the capital of union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli today. 

In Mumbai, he will inaugurate the new building for National Museum of Indian Cinema and address the gathering. 

The Museum has been set up to showcase the rich cinematic history of India as well as to encapsulate the socio-cultural history of India as revealed through evolution of Cinema. It will take the visitors through an absorbing journey of more than a century of Indian Cinema in a story telling mode with the help of visuals and graphics, film clippings,  publicity materials and interactive exhibits.

In Hazira, Mr Modi will dedicate to the nation L&T Armoured Systems Complex. Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of Nirali Cancer hospital at Navsari. 

The ultra-modern Nirali Cancer Hospital will be the first comprehensive cancer hospital of Navsari. It will benefit cancer patients of South Gujarat and neighbouring states.

In Silvassa, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of Medical College in Sayli. 

The Setting up of Medical College will improve tertiary care facilities in both Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and adjoining areas. Mr Modi will also unveil plaque to inaugurate various development projects in Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. 

Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani today said group companies Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio Infocomm would jointly launch a new e-commerce platform in the country. Gujarat would be the first state to get it, he said in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two were present at the inauguration of the three-day Vibrant Gujarat summit.

The new e-commerce project would empower 1.2 million shopkeepers in Gujarat, Ambani said, adding the company was committed to making the western Indian state a fully digital one.

The company declared its December quarter earnings Thursday and for the first time, its consumer businesses, mostly the telecom and retail operations, contributed one-fourth to the revenues. Petrochemicals contributed 42% and refining almost 26%.

Speaking at RIL’s 41st annual general meeting last year, Ambani had said the company aimed to more than double its revenues by 2025 as contributions from the retail and telecom arms came to match that of the hydrocarbon business.

The oil-to-telecom conglomerate posted consolidated revenues of Rs 430,731 crore in 2017-18 and a profit after tax of Rs 36,075 crore.

Yuzvendra Chahal returned to ODIs with a bang as he bagged a career-best 6 for 42 to help India fold Australia for a score of just 230 runs in the series decider at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The rest was done by MS Dhoni in the run chase. He carved another patient and crucial fifty on Friday to help India defeat Australia by a convincing seven wickets as Kohli-led Men in Blue became the first-ever Indian side to win a bilateral ODI series in Australia. Also, the win made this Indian side the first visiting team to defeat Australia in a bilateral series across formats in Australia.

India earned their first bilateral series win in Australia in the T20I format in 2015/16 tour when the MS Dhoni-led side registered a clean sweep over the hosts in the three-match contest. In the Test format, India registered a historic 2-1 win in Australia earlier in January 2019. It was India's first win in the format since 1947 that includes a total of 12 tours to the nation. And in the ODI format, Friday was the evening when history was witnessed. The win also made India the first nation since South Africa in 2008/09 to win both the Test and ODI series on a tour of Australia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday inaugurate the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) that has come up in a 19th century heritage bungalow and a modern building in the country's film capital, an official said here on Thursday.

A galaxy of dignitaries like Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, A.R. Rahman, David Dhawan, Rohit Shetty, Waheeda Rehman, Jeetendra Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Raveena Tandon, Pankaj Kapoor, Rakesh Mehra and others are expected to attend the opening ceremonies.

The NMIC will provide a glimpse into the Indian film history and help film students, film-makers, fans and critics to learn and understand cinema as a medium of artistic expression in the country and globally.

The museum has on display artefacts like vintage cameras, projectors, editing and recording equipment, costumes, photographs and other materials portraying the journey of Indian cinema since its dawn in 1913 with the first full-length feature film, "Raja Harishchandra" made by the legendary Dhundiraj Govind Phadke, known as Dadasaheb Phalke.

To enhance the operational capability of Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), Naval Air Station (NAS) Shibpur will be commissioned as INS Kohassa, a Defence release said here Friday.

Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff will commission NAS Shibpur which was established in 2010 as INS Kohassa on January 24, the release issued by the Headquarters ANC said.

INS Kohassa has been named after a White-Bellied Sea Eagle, which is a large bird of prey endemic to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it said.

The NAS Shibpur was set up as a Forward Operating Air Base (FOAB) for surveillance in North Andaman. Located in the northern most part of the islands, the airfield holds strategic importance not only for the security of the islands but also for its overall development.

With the addition of this airfield, the ANC’s ability to operate independently from all the regions of Andaman and Nicobar Islands will get a great boost, the release said.

Ace Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has become the first Indian to receive a nomination in the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards to be held here on February 18.

The 24-year-old Indian, who made a sensational comeback after battling a long injury lay-off to win a gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and Jakarta Asian Games, has been nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year.

The Haryana wrestler, who was stretchered off after dislocating her knee during the quarterfinals of 50kg freestyle event at the 2016 Olympic Games, has been nominated alongside US Tour Championship winner Tiger Woods, who won his first tournament in five years.

Also nominated are four inspirational Winter Olympic athletes; Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, US ski racing legend Lindsey Vonn and Dutch Paralympic champion Bibian Mentel-Spee.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the 10th edition of the India Rubber Expo - 2019 in Mumbai this morning. The three-day event being held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre is one of the most anticipated events in the rubber industry’s calendar. 

"Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu today said that the rubber industry is a truly homegrown industry which is having a deep impact on several global markets. The minister hoped that the rubber industry will continue to grow faster, create more employment opportunities, increase exports and add to the economic output of India. 

Stating that the National Rubber Policy will be unveiled soon to address issues concerning the sector and also to boost productivity, Mr Prabhu said the rubber industry can also contribute significantly in India’s efforts to become a 5 trillion dollar economy. He said that a multi-pronged strategy is being formulated to boost India’s exports and to ensure that India’s products get market access in more than 150 countries.