Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday announced a Rs 10,000-crore scheme for the overall development of farmers in the state. The state cabinet has approved the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, worth over Rs 10,000 crore, for the development of farmers in the state, the chief minister said. “The KALIA is historic and it will further accelerate agricultural prosperity in the state and reduce poverty,” Patnaik told reporters after the Cabinet meeting chaired by him approved the scheme.

“There are about 32 lakh cultivators in the state. Out of this about 20 lakh have availed crop loan. The remaining 12 lakh have not availed crop loans. “Further the entire gamut of share croppers and landless labourers will not be covered under a loan waiver scheme,” Patnaik said. The chief minister said “This component is not linked to the extent of land owned. It will greatly benefit share croppers and actual cultivators most of whom own very small extent of land. This assistance is for five crop seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22, so as to ensure comprehensive coverage.”

Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, with matching scores, have emerged as the top performing states in Niti Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) index, which evaluates each state’s progress in social, economic and environmental parameters.

According to the ‘SDG India Index Baseline Report 2018’ released on Friday, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh are the front runners with an score of 69 out of 100, followed by Tamil Nadu with 66. Uttar Pradesh was worst performing state with a score of 42, followed by Bihar and Assam.

“Kerala’s top rank is attributed to its superior performance in providing good health, reducing hunger, achieving gender equality and providing quality education,” noted the SDG India report.

“Himachal Pradesh ranks high on providing clean water and sanitation, in reducing inequalities and preserving mountain ecosystem,” it said.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba issued an order authorising ten central agencies with “interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer”.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order on Thursday enabling the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi to intercept information stored on any computer device.

According to the notification, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies and failing to do will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

Famed Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birth anniversary on December 22 is celebrated as National Mathematics Day. Born in 1887 in Erode, Tamil Nadu, the story of Ramanujan’s tryst with mathematics is one of the most engaging tales read, depicted and performed through various works of art. Dev Patel-starrer ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ (2015) was the latest tribute to the mathematics wizard by the popular cinema. It was in 2012 that then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared December 22 as National Mathematics Day.

Born into an orthodox Iyengar Brahmin family, Ramanujan’s strictly vegetarian diet and frugal eating habits took a toll on the genius’ health in London’s inclement winters where he couldn’t endure the off-shore climate, resulting in his return to Tamil Nadu where he breathed his last in Kumbakonam at a remarkably young age of 32.

After a series of relaxations in the external commercial borrowings (ECB) norms, Reserve Bank of India on Thursday announced a cap of 6.5 per cent of GDP at current market prices giving lot more headroom for raising money overseas.

“It has been decided in consultation with the Government of India to have a rule-based dynamic limit for outstanding stock of ECB at 6.5 per cent of GDP at current market prices,” RBI said in a release. This, it said, works out to a soft limit of $160 billion based on the GDP figures as on March 31, 2018.

With the outstanding stock of ECB as on September 30, 2018 was at $126.29 billion, the rise in limit to $160 billion gives enough headroom for additional ECB borrowings.

RBI last month reduced mandatory hedging provision to 70 per cent from 100 per cent for loans with maturities between three and five years, which would bring down the cost of borrowing.

Indian aviation sector maintained the highest safety audit rating in 2018 from global auditors, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the government said on December 19.

"Two important safety audits conducted by ICAO and FAA have given highest possible safety audit standards followed by the aviation sector," Suresh Prabhu, union minister for civil aviation told reporters.

India has been, provisionally, given 74 percent marks by ICAO and has maintained Category 1 (highest category) under International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) by FAA in 2018. It was last upgraded in 2015 after a downward revision to Category 2 in 2014.

"When we came to power in 2014, FAA had just downgraded India. But subsequent to that, we have doubled the air traffic and increased airports from 67 to 101. So, there has been an exponential and dramatic increase in both the areas. Nonetheless, in safety, we have immeasurably strengthened our systems," Jayant Sinha, minister of state, civil aviation said.

India and China have decided to further improve people-to- people contact for better relations between the two countries. 

Speaking at the 3rd India-China High Level Media Forum alongside her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi, Mrs Swaraj said, they discussed enhancing cooperation in ten areas areas media, films, education, tourism, art, yoga, culture, sports, academic and youth exchanges. 

Ms Swaraj said, the Forum underscores the seminal role played by the media of the two countries in building mutual appreciation and understanding. The Minister pitched for increasing bilateral trade. She said India has undertaken several measures to improve economic ties and sought China's cooperation in this direction. 

The Minister said the two sides should work as they have similar goals of achieving better healthcare services for their people and improving their lifestyles. Ms Swaraj said good progress has  been made in the bilateral relations since the Wuhan Summit earlier this year. 

Speaking at the event, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi underlined the need for increasing people-to-people exchanges to benefit the mankind.

Earlier, the two Foreign Ministers held the first meeting of India-China High-Level Mechanism on cultural exchanges and people to people contacts. The new mechanism aims to build synergies in people-to-people ties. 

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2018, amid protests by Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members.

The new measure provides for protection of consumers’ interests and proposes to establish a Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and forums at the district, state and national levels for adjudicating consumer complaints.

Eleven members participated in the discussion, which was marked by slogan-shouting and conduct of parallel mock proceedings by Congress members Sunil Jakhar and Sushmita Deb.

Responding to the discussion, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the legislation had not been amended for 32 years, and needs changes to strengthen the consumer rights. He sought support for the legislation by pointing out to members that it is non-controversial and is only aimed at strengthening the rights of consumers.

Former India opener W V Raman has been appointed head coach of the Indian women’s cricket team, the BCCI said in a statement on Thursday. Raman, who was most recently a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, was selected by an ad-hoc committee comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy. The panel had recommended three names – former South African batsman Gary Kirsten, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad and Raman.

The BCCI said in a statement that the committee had put Kirsten, who led the Indian men’s team to victory at the 2011 World Cup, as the frontrunner for the job. However, his ongoing contract with Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore made him ineligible.

“Mr Kirsten was unable to take up this assignment due to his ongoing contract with an Indian Premier League franchise, which would have entailed Conflict of Interest as per the BCCI constitution,” said the board. Raman was second in preference ahead of Prasad and was hence selected. PTI quotes a BCCI official as saying that Kirsten was “not very keen to leave the RCB role.”

Seasoned diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla was Thursday appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the United States.

Shringla, a 1984-batch Indian Foreign Service diplomat will succeed Navtej Sarna.

“He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

At present, Shringla is serving as Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

Senior diplomat Riva Ganguly Das, presently Director General of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, has been appointed as new High Commissioner to Bangladesh.