Union Minister for Tourim, Culture and Development of Northeast Region, G. Kishan Reddy, announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the upcoming fourth terminal at Cherlapally towards month end or first week of March.

He also stated that the MMTS Phase-II suburban railway services will be completed in all aspects in the next few days with the last remaining section between Sanathnagar and Moula Ali to be ready soon by the month end. But, he was non-committal of either starting new MMTS services or about seeking new train sets in view of the extended services. He addressed a press conference held at Secunderabad railway station on Wednesday.

Despite the State Government not coming forward to pay its share of cost, few sections were opened last year up to Falaknuma and Medchal, he claimed. Mr. Kishan Reddy also stated that the extension of MMTS line from Ghatkesar and Yadadri will also be taken up with survey works underway and tenders will be called. “We will take up the issue with the State Government seeking their cooperation,” he said. Incidentally, the Minister is on record vowing to build and run MMTS services with or without State’s financial assistance.

Renowned Kashmiri poet and broadcaster Farooq Nazki passed away on Tuesday at a hospital in Katra on Tuesday. He was 83.

According to media reports, he was battling several health issues, including lung and kidney complications over the past four years.

Nazki was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award in Kashmir for his poetry book ‘Naar Hyutun Kanzal Wanas’ (fire in the eyelashes).

He was also Director of Doordarshan and All India Radio, Srinagar from 1986-97. He retired from his job in 2000.

Tehran on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 announced the initiation of a 15-day visa-free policy for Indian tourists visiting the country, the Iran Embassy said in a statement here.Under the new order, Indian citizens would be allowed to enter Iran with ordinary passports once every six months and with a maximum stay of 15 days which will not be extended.

The visa abolition only applies to individuals entering the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran for tourism purposes, it said."If Indian nationals wish to stay for a longer period or make multiple entries within a six-month period require other types of visas, they must obtain the necessary visas through the respective representations of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India," the statement said

The Uttarakhand State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 Bill.

With this, Uttarakhand became the first State in the country to pass a law on Uniform Civil Code.

The bill was tabled before the Assembly today two days after the Uttarakhand Cabinet approved the final draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Earlier, in 2022, a committee was formed by the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led State Government to prepare the draft of the UCC. The committee consisted of a five-member panel headed by retired judge of the Supreme Court Ranjana Prakash Desai.

In a bid to enhance voter awareness and promote greater participation in the electoral process, the Chief Electoral Officer of Himachal Pradesh, Maneesh Garg, announced the signing of two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on Tuesday.

According to a press release and with the order of the Chief Electoral Officer, Himachal Pradesh, the first MoU was inked between the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department and the Election Department, aimed at disseminating voter awareness among the masses across the state.

Under this collaboration, Special Voter's Enrollment and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) committees will be established at the Gram Panchayat level, comprising Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Yuvak Mandals (YMs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Mahila Mandals, and other user groups.

Ministers of State for Health Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar and Prof. S.P Singh Baghel launched 'Kilkari' programme on Wednesday, a mobile health initiative for beneficiaries, in local content, in Gujarat and Maharashtra as part of Digital Health India Programme. Kilkari is a centralized interactive voice response (IVR) based mobile health service which delivers free, weekly, time appropriate AV messages about pregnancy, childbirth, childcare to the mobile phones of beneficiaries. It is operational in 18 States and UTs.

Mobile Academy, a free audio training course designed to expand and refresh the knowledge of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and improve their communication skills via their mobile phones was also launched on the occasion.

The prelude to the International Water Conclave 2024 concluded on Wednesday with a successful Curtain Raiser event at the State Convention Centre, Shillong. Attended by esteemed dignitaries, experts, and stakeholders, the event set the stage for meaningful discussions and collaborations aimed at addressing water challenges in hill states.

The Curtain Raiser event commenced with fervor as it was graced by the presence of esteemed dignitaries, including the State Minister of the Water Resources Department Coming One Ymbon, Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Shakil P. Ahammed, Commissioner & Secretary, Soil & Water Conservation Department Dr. Joram Beda, and SC Sadhu, Secretary Water Resources, along with other officials, experts, and stakeholders from the water conservation sector.

Maharashtra Government has decided to introduce ‘Chief Minister Vayoshree Yojana’ that is likely to benefit 15 lakh senior citizens who suffer from some physical or mental disability. These citizens, above the age of 65 years, will be screened and those found eligible will be paid three thousand rupees. The scheme will be implemented across all districts at an approximate cost of 480 crore rupees.

With an aim to boost the confidence of depositors in cooperative societies, the government has announced an assistance scheme. According to an official press release, the government will form an independent entity that will pay back deposits of upto one lakh rupees in case a non-agricultural cooperative society goes bankrupt. While the government has announced an initial corpus of hundred crore rupees as its contribution for this entity, the cooperatives too will have to contribute ten paise for every hundred rupees of deposits that they receive. About three crore depositors are expected to benefit from this decision.

Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Monday laid the foundation stone for India's digital National Museum of Epigraphy at the Salar Jung Museum. Spearheaded by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), this museum will house approximately one lakh ancient writings spanning various times and languages.

This initiative follows the announcement made last year by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the establishment of the Bharat Shared Repository of Inscriptions (BharatSHRI), with the goal of digitizing one lakh ancient inscriptions.

During the ceremony, Reddy hailed the development as a significant step forward in the Modi government's commitment to "Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi" (Development and Heritage). He emphasized the administration's dedication to utilizing technology to ensure universal access to art and heritage.

As Earth continues to extinguish its limited years and resources, scientists have been trying to find a habitable place for humanity to flourish and not get extinct if the blue planet becomes inhabitable. 

Now, in a remarkable finding, NASA has said it has discovered a "super-Earth” which has potential conditions and temperature for sustaining life.

The newly discovered exoplanet, which is 137 light years away from Earth, has been orbiting within a "habitable zone," as per NASA.

As per the astronomers, the exoplanet dubbed TOI-715b is around one and half times the Earth’s width and has been orbiting a small, reddish star.