Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the first-of-its-kind Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre today at Chandigarh. It was set up under a memorandum of understanding(MoU) between the Union Territory of Chandigarh and the IAF which was signed last year. Spread over 17,000 square feet, this is the first heritage centre of the IAF and depicts its role in 1965, 1971 and the Kargil wars and the Balakot air strike through murals and scale models.

Minister of State for Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar launched the third phase of the Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana of the Health Ministry in New Delhi today. The project is being supported by Coal India Limited as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to commemorate World Thalassemia Day. She also launched the Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana Portal. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Tribal Affairs Secretary Anil Kumar Jha, and Secretary, of the Department of Health Research, Dr Rajiv Bahl were also present on the occasion.

 Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Health Ministry has been implementing the Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana since 2017 under the National Health Mission and recently completed its second phase in March this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded India’s first Indian Air Force Heritage Centre in Chandigarh. Retweeting a tweet by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Prime Minister said this is a commendable effort, which will further highlight the rich contribution of our Air Force to India. In another tweet, Mr Modi congratulated India’s women athletes on winning 17 medals for the country at Wushu Stars Championship held in Moscow, Russia. He also lauded Tripura Government's decision to go paperless. Replying to a tweet by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Prime Minister tweeted that it is good to see Tripura making determined efforts to embrace technology and bring a positive difference in the lives of citizens.

In the Asian Weightlifting Championship, India’s weight lifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga won a silver in snatch at Jinju, Korea on Sunday.
 
The 20-year-old won a silver medal in the snatch event with a lift of 141kg in the 67 kg weight class. However, he could not get an overall total as he failed to lift the weight in any of his three clean and jerk attempts in a disappointing show at the Championships.
 

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur has congratulated Weightlifter Bindyarani Devi on clinching silver medal in the 55 Kilogram category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships. In a tweet, Mr. Thakur said that the country is proud of her achievement.

World Athletics Day 2023 was celebrated on 7th MAy. The main objective of this day is to raise awareness about fitness among children and encourage young and school children to take up athletics. The theme for World Athletics Day 2023 is Athletics for All - A New Beginning.
       
Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, Neeraj Chopra's Diamond League win in Doha and three more athletes breaking National  Records in the last 24 hours at the Athletics Track Festival in Los Angeles is a great way to celebrate World Athletics Day. He said, it has been a stellar week for India in Athletics.

Indian Naval Ship Magar, Landing Ship Tank (Large) amphibious assault ship of the Indian Navy decommissioned after 36 years of exceptional service to the nation. The Decommissioning ceremony was held at Southern Naval Command, Kochi on Saturday.

The ship was indigenously built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, Kolkata. She was launched on 16 November 1984 and commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18 July 1987 by Admiral R H Tahiliani, then Chief of the Naval Staff. Commander D.B Roy was the first Commanding Officer. The ship has a displacement of 5,600 tonnes, a length of 125 metres, a beam of 17 metres. INS Magar is the lead ship of the Magar class amphibious warfare vessels of the Indian Navy.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test- NEET (UG) 2023 for admission in Undergraduate Medical Courses is being held this afternoon. The examination is being conducted at different centres in various cities across the country and 14 cities outside the country between 2 PM to 5:20 PM.

However, the National Testing Agency has postponed the NEET (UG)-2023 only for candidates who have their examination centres in Manipur.The decision in this regard was taken in view of the law and order situation in the State and on the request of Manipur government. The NTA in a statement said that a fresh date of examination for these candidates will be announced soon. The candidates can also contact telephone number 011- 40759000 or email at neet@nta.ac.in for any clarification.

The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) completed its flagship capacity building programme for 58th batch of civil servants of Bangladesh, which was attended by 45 officers. The programme focused on imparting new knowledge in the field of public policies, programmes, governance, use of technology to improve the quality of life of citizens. The NCGG has trained over two thousand civil servants of Bangladesh so far. The NCGG was set up in 2014 by the Government of India, is mandated to work in the areas of public policy, governance, reforms, training and capacity building of civil servants of the country. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has said that in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, NCGG has taken up the responsibility to build the capacities of civil servants of developing countries. The Ministry said, it has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the Indian Air Force Heritage Centre in Chandigarh on Monday. He will also lay the foundation stone for Centre for Cyber Ops and Security.
       
The Heritage Centre will comprise of artifacts, simulators and interactive boards, to highlight the various facets of operations in the Indian Air Force. It will showcase the important role played by Air Force for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief besides its combat capabilities. It will also house various vintage aircraft. The Heritage Centre will go a long way in motivating and inspiring the youth of this city in making a career in the Indian Air Force.