Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the United Nations Development Programme have signed a Memorandum of Understanding wherein UNDP will provide technical support towards Centre’s aspirational Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana scheme (PMFBY) and Kisan Credit Card - Modified Interest Subvention Scheme. 

Under the MoU, UNDP will leverage its expertise in systems and global know-how for supporting the Ministry of Agriculture for the implementation of combined agriculture credit and crop insurance.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar by Chief Executive Officer of PMFBY Ritesh Chauhan and UNDP Resident Representative Shoko Noda.

The President has appointed Rajiv Kumar as the Chief Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India. Rajiv Kumar will assume the charge of office of the Chief Election Commissioner with effect from 15th of May. Sushil Chandra will demit the Office of the Chief Election Commissioner on 14th of this month.

Extended range version of BrahMos Air Launched missile successfully fired from Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft today. The missile achieved a direct hit on the designated target in the Bay of Bengal region.

Defence Ministry said, it was the first launch of extended range version of BrahMos missile from Su-30 MKI aircraft. With this, the Indian Air Force has achieved the capability to carry out precision strikes from Su-30 MKI aircraft. The extended range capability of the missile coupled with the high performance of the Su-30 MKI aircraft gives the IAF a strategic reach and allows it to dominate the future battle fields.

As the world gears up to the International Day of Yoga, Indian Embassy in China kicked off the celebrations by holding an “Office Yoga” session at the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Beijing.

SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat along with SCO diplomats attended the specially designed session of yoga postures for office goers conducted by yoga teacher Ashish Bahuguna of the “WeYoga Academy” Beijing. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Rawat said this yoga event is yet another instance of India’s proactive contribution to strengthening cultural cooperation among SCO countries. Ambassador Rawat said: “India will assume SCO presidency in September 2022 and is looking forward to playing a very constructive role in enriching the role of SCO in all spheres”. SCO is a unique organization bringing people from different ethnicities, faiths and languages under one umbrella. Yoga also transcends differences promoting harmony and unity, Amb Rawat said.

The National Health Authority, under its flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, has announced successful integration of additional 13 digital health solutions in the mission in the last three months.

With this, so far 40 digital health service applications have been successfully integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission since the national launch was announced in September last year. Union Health Ministry in a statement said that the ABDM partners ecosystem now consists of 16 government applications and 24 private sector applications.

The integration is a technical collaboration between ABDM and health tech service providers that will help bridge the existing gap among different digital platforms, user applications and stakeholders in the digital health space.

IIT Hyderabad (IITH), Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan (SMC), Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) have jointly taken up research in India-specific vehicle usage scenarios based on futuristic V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication technology.

The V2X communications technology, when used in conjunction with appropriate infrastructure, traffic rules, and driver education, can help reduce traffic accidents and traffic congestions. The first-of-its-kind 5 prototype vehicles showcasing the experimental applications in the Indian context were displayed at the IIT Hyderabad campus yesterday.

Ambulance Alerting System, Wrong-way Driver Alerting system, Motorcycle Alerting System, and Road Condition Alerting System are among the systems that have been demonstrated on the occasion.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stones for many government office complexes at a function held in Guwahati. On this occasion, Mr. Shah said that the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) formed governments in North-Eastern states due to policies of the BJP.

He said, the BJP always wanted to solve the problems of North East while Congress divided the region. Mr. Shah said that peace and progress returned to Assam in BJP's rule. He said that Assam would be free from flood soon.  He further said that due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the connectivity in North East region got a tremendous boost. He said that BJP only believed in progressive policies not in divisive policies. Mr. Shah said that the Assam government provided 23,000 employment during the last one year.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday presented Gallantry Awards at Defence Investiture Ceremony- 2022 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. He conferred 13 Shaurya Chakras, including six posthumous, to the personnel of Armed Forces for displaying gallantry, courage and devotion to duty.

The President also conferred 14 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, four Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals for distinguished service of exceptional order.

Army Chief General Manoj Pande received Param Vishisht Seva Medal from the President. Captain Ashutosh Kumar was awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously. He was martyred during a counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir. Havildar Anil Tomar of Rashtriya Rifles, Havildar Pinku Kumar, Havildar Kashirai Bammanalli, Naib Subedar Sreejith M, and Sepoy Jaswanth Reddy were awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously for their acts of gallantry.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation and collaboration in Broadcasting between Prasar Bharati and ORTM (Office de la Radio et de la Television) was signed in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo yesterday. It was signed by India’s Ambassador to Madagascar Abhay Kumar and ORTM Director-General  Mr. BELALAHY Jean Yves. The ceremony was graced by the Director of Cabinet of the Ministry of Communication and Culture and representatives of the Government of Madagascar.

Madagascar National Television (TVM) will broadcast programmes from internal productions of Prasar Bharati in the fields of culture, education, science, entertainment, sports, news as well as other areas of mutual interest. Both sides will explore co-production opportunities related to matters of mutual interest and will arrange training for TVM personnel in India. The MoU enters into force on the date of its signature.

The government will establish 33 new domestic cargo terminals by 2024-2025 which will allow India's cargo sector to flourish and grow. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said this while addressing the annual event of Air Cargo Forum India. Talking about the reforms in Cargo Sector, the Minister said that industry players need to focus on transportation of smaller cargo loads from Tier II and III cities to metros to achieve the target of 10 million metric tons in cargo. He said this can be achieved by acquisition of smaller size aircraft. To facilitate this, he said 33 new domestic cargo terminals will be established by 2024-2025. He also stressed the need to work on ease of doing business in cargo sector by making processes paperless, adapting automation, and digitalization which can make cargo processing swift.