In Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has completed another viaduct at Sher Bibi area, a critical section of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, between Ramban and Banihal section. The 224-meter viaduct (two-lane) has been completed with an estimated cost of 12 crore rupees. It will reduce the travel distance by 125 meters and facilitate the smooth flow of vehicles, bypassing the challenging terrain of Sher Bibi area gradients and steep cutting with a hill slope angle exceeding 80 degrees.
 
The announcement was made by Union Minister of Road Traffic and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. The completion of work in critical areas bypassing landslides and shooting stone-prone belt will help in smooth movement of the traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. However, the widening work on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has now reached critical areas at remaining points especially the areas which are more prone to landslides and shooting of stones between Ramban and Banihal section especially during heavy rains and snowfall. The work on the remaining parts of national highway between Ramban and Banihal which are trouble prone because of frequent landslides and shooting stones especially during adverse weather conditions is expected to be completed shortly.

In a move to encourage farmers for millet production, the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh as part of Millets Year celebrations will organize a three-day 'Shri Anna Mahotsav' and state-level millet workshop at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow from October 27 to 29, an official release said on Tuesday.

The event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Notably, farmers from six divisions will participate on the first day, from five divisions on the second day and seven divisions on the third day. Moreover, teachers and children of agricultural universities and two colleges will also participate in it.

On the first day, farmers from Lucknow, Kanpur, Ayodhya, Basti, Azamgarh and Devipatan divisions will participate, farmers from Saharanpur, Meerut, Aligarh, Agra and Moradabad will participate on October 28 and on the final day farmers from Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Varanasi, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj and Mirzapur will participate in 'Anna Mahotsav'.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the India Skills 2023 competition in New Delhi on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pradhan highlighted the skill competition’s importance in showcasing unique and varied talents of the nation’s youth.
     
The Minister said the future of India’s education lies in skill development over the conventional rote learning. He added that the New Education Policy will bring skill upscaling and rescaling to meet the market needs and boost employability.
 
Speaking to Akashwani News, Mr. Pradhan talked about how to make education more effective and affordable.

Government has said that this year's Ayurveda Day will be celebrated internationally in about 100 countries across the globe. The Ministry of Ayush organized a meeting of various Ministries today for the successful organization of Ayurveda Day scheduled on Dhanvantari Jayanti, 11 November this year.
 
Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said, the day will be celebrated on the theme of Ayurveda for One Health. He stressed on the need to make ‘Ayurveda Day’ a global celebration by using the power of digital technology and mobilization of different involvement activities.

Defence Ministry signed a contract for the construction of one Training Ship for the Indian Coast Guard with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited at a cost of 310 crore rupees on Tuesday. This is the first dedicated training platform with integral helicopter capabilities. The Ministry said, it will provide basic sea training to 70 Coast Guards and other international under-trainee officers to prepare on the multi-dimensional maritime aspects of Coast Guard life.
 
This training ship with advanced and modern high-tech surveillance and monitoring systems will provide profound and expertise to the Indian Coast Guard cadets on the challenges at sea. The Ministry said, the majority of equipment and systems will be sourced from indigenous manufacturers, including MSMEs. The project also envisages to generate significant employment over a period of three years.

The Department of Land Resources, DOLR and National Remote Sensing Centre, NRSC signed an MoU for monitoring of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana - Watershed Development Component, WDC 2.O on Tuesday. It aims to restore the ecological balance by harnessing, conserving, and developing degraded natural resources such as soil and water.
 
The MoU was signed in the presence of Secretary, Department of Land Resources Ajay Tirkey and Secretary, Department of Space Somanath in New Delhi.  
 
Talking to Akashwani News, Somanath said this MoU will aid in better utilization of wasteland and help in ground water recharge.

President Droupadi Murmu will be on a three-day visit to Bihar from Wednesday. She will launch the fourth Krishi Road Map (2023-2028) of Bihar at Patna.

On Thursday, the President will grace the first convocation of Mahatma Gandhi Central University at Motihari. In the evening, the President will address the first convocation function of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna. President Murmu will also visit Gaya to grace the third convocation ceremony of Central University of South Bihar.

Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh launched the EV-Ready India Dashboard
evreadyindia.org in New Delhi on Monday. Addressing the occasion, the Minister asserted that the future is going to be electric. He expressed confidence that the price of storage will come down, and soon the diesel and petrol vehicles will be history. He said, it is imperative for India to switch to electric mobility as the country has aimed to become the third-largest economy in the coming years. He said, this aim will require self-reliance in the energy sector.

According to the Power and New and Renewable Energy Ministry, the dashboard is a free digital platform focusing on near real-time electric vehicle adoption and forecasts, associated battery demand, charging density, and market growth trends. The dashboard is expected to facilitate greater inclusion across audiences, for the industry, policymakers and end users of electric vehicles. The dashboard has forecast a 45 per cent growth in electric vehicles by 2030.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the third edition of the Global Maritime India Summit 2023 today, October 17. The summit is scheduled to be held from 17th to 19th October at MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai. This biggest maritime event is being organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. 

Akashvani correspondent reports that it is expected that the inaugural session will be graced by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde and Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawan. The session is also set to witness the participation of ministers from 12 countries, including Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Comoros, Iran, Italy, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Spain, and Nepal. In addition, 16 State ministers and Lieutenant Governors from 11 Indian States and Union Territories will be present. The summit will focus on key areas of the maritime sector with sessions and discussions around ports of the future; decarbonisation; coastal shipping; shipbuilding innovation & technology maritime safety and security; and maritime tourism, among others. 

INS Sumedha made a port call at Lagos, Nigeria on 13 October 2023 as part of its deployment to Gulf of Guinea. The visit was aimed to further strengthen diplomatic relations, reinforce maritime co-operation, and boost interoperability between the two navies. Various activities including professional interactions, planning conferences in harbour and exercises at sea are scheduled for exchange of best practices.

In addition to social engagements and sports fixtures, the ship conducted a Medical Camp along with Nigerian Navy doctors for the local populace. Sumedha will also be undertaking Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with NNS Unity, with the aim to augment interoperability between both navies.

This is the Indian Navy’s second deployment to the piracy prone Gulf of Guinea (GoG)patrol after the maiden GoG patrol was undertaken by INS Tarkash in Oct 22. The Indian Navy aims to partner with Regional countries in combating piracy & ensuring secure seas for unimpeded trade.