The Supreme Court on Friday appointed its ex-judge A.K. Sikri as Chairperson of the High Powered Committee, which would consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Chardham project on the entire Himalayan valley. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant accepted the resignation of Professor Ravi Chopra as Chairperson of the Committee after he wrote a letter in January wishing to relinquish his post.

Attorney General K.K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre said that since Justice (Retd.) Sikri has already been appointed by this court as Chairperson of the oversight committee to look after environmental concerns and other issues related to the Chardham project, it would be better if he is appointed as Chairperson. The bench agreed to the suggestion and appointed Justice (Retd.) Sikri.

As many as twenty-four eminent writers, playwrights and novelists have been conferred  Sahitya Akademi Awards- 2021 in New Delhi on Friday. These awards have been provided for best writings in twenty-four Indian languages. Sahitya Akademi president DR. Chandrashekhar Kambar gave away the awards to them and handed a cheque of one lakh rupees, a shawl and memento to each of them.

Those awarded with the Sahitya Akademi Awards are- Eminent Assamese novelist Anuradha sarma for her novel- Iyat Ekhan Aronya Asil, Bengali writer Bratya Basu, Bodo Poet Dr. Devakanta Ramchiary,  Dogri Fiction writer Raj Rahi, English writer Namita Gokhale, Gujrati Poet Yagnesh Dave, Hindi playwright Daya Prakash Sinha and many more.

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry has said that more than forty thousand farmers across the country benefited from the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela held from 9th to 11th of this month. It said that 41 Innovative awards have been given to farmers during the festival including 36 awards in the valedictory session on its concluding day.

The mela has been organised by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) on the theme 'Self-reliant farmer with technical knowledge' in New Delhi. The Ministry has said that during the festival, IARI gave live exhibitions on drone technology, precision farming, wheat varieties, fruits, vegetables, flowers, different agricultural models and farmer advisory services to them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the building of Rashtriya Raksha University near Gandhinagar in Gujarat this morning. He will also attend the 1st Convocation Ceremony of RRU-Gandhinagar as a Chief Guest and deliver the convocation address. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also deliver a presidential address on this occasion. Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate 11th Khel Mahakumbh, a state-level sports programme at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad this evening.

PM Modi will also announce the new sports policy of Gujarat government on this occasion. AIR Ahmedabad correspondent reports that Rashtriya Raksha University- an institution of National Importance is established by the Indian Parliament Act. The University aims to become an academic-research-training ecosystem for national security and police. Its endeavors focus on highly professional national security, police education, research, and training through its qualified civilian and security faculty.

The Commerce and Industry Ministry has said, India-Canada will re-launch the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations to unlock full potential of bilateral trade.

India and Canada held the fifth Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment on Friday. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade of Canada Mary Ng co-chaired the meeting. A range of other bilateral trade and investment issues were discussed during the meeting.

The Ministers emphasised that the trade agreement would help in expanding bilateral trade in goods and services through unlocking the potential across sectors. Canada also agreed to examine expeditiously the request for conformity verification body status to Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority for facilitating Indian organic export products.

Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that India-Canada Bilateral Center will be set up for dedicated science and technology activities between the two countries. He said, India has already established such bilateral centres in countries like US, Germany and France.

A delegation led by Canadian Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development Mary Ng today met Dr Jitendra Singh and reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in several key areas. Dr Jitendra Singh invited Canada to tap the unexplored areas like Ocean and Sea Missions in India. He said, renewal of two MoUs between India and Canada is due and is proposed to be signed in upcoming Joint Committee Meeting in May this year. Canadian Minister Mary Ng expressed desire to deepen cooperation in areas like bio-technology, renewal energy and climate change through applied research mode.

In pursuance to Prime Minister’s vision “Gati Shakti” and Ministry of Railways’ Policy regarding ‘Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal’ (GCT), Asansol division of Indian Railways has successfully commissioned private siding of Maithan Power Limited at Thaparnagar. This is the FIRST such GCT commissioned in Indian Railways since publication of GCT policy in Dec.’2021.

The Maithan Power Project was initiated in the year 2009 and subsequently the power generation was started in the year 2011. Till now the requirement of coal to the power project was being made through road which is expected to convert into 120 inward coal rakes per month. Also 02 to 04 outward rakes of Fly Ash is projected to be handled from the siding. This will enhance Railways’ earnings by approximately Rs. 11 crores per month.

Two full-time members also appointed

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed former Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey as the Chairperson of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), the country’s sole independent audit regulator.

It has also appointed Praveen Kumar Tiwari, a retired Indian

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry said that nearly twelve thousand farmers from all over the country participated in Krishi Vigyan Mela organized by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute today. It said that more than eleven hundred quintals of Pusa seeds were also purchased on the second day of the mela.

The ministry said that the fair is based on the theme “Self-reliant farmer with technical knowledge”. It said that the four technical sessions were delivered to farmers today. In these sessions, information about Smart agriculture, Natural Farming, Hydroponic and Aeroponic Agriculture has been provided to them. The Ministry said that more than one hundred ICAR Institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and other institutes are showcasing advanced technologies through two hundred 25 stalls.

The Union Cabinet was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health of Department of Health and Human Services, USA in September last year. The cooperation will be undertaken primarily in Chennai at the National Institute for Research on Tuberculosis of ICMR in the scientific area, including but not limited to, basic, translational, and applied innovative research, epidemiology, medicine, molecular biology, medical entomology, and virology. The focus on collaboration includes tuberculosis, parasitic infections, HIV AIDS, Allergic diseases, and immune system diseases.