Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh will launch Rural Connectivity GIS Data in Public Domain at 12 PM on 22nd February, 2022 in India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched in the year 2000, with an objective to provide all-weather road connectivity to eligible unconnected habitations throughout the nation. Later on upgradation and consolidation of through routes and major rural links was also included as its objective to give fillip to the rural economy.

Since inception, 7.83 lakh Km roads have been sanctioned and 6.90 lakh Km have been constructed with an expenditure of Rs. 2.69 lakh crores.

New Delhi [India], February 21 (ANI): India batter VR Vanitha, who played six ODIs and 16 T20Is, announced her retirement from all forms of cricket on Monday.

The 31-year-old cricketer also thanked skipper Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and family members for “encouraging” her from time to time.
“19 years ago, when I started playing cricket, I was just a little girl who loved sport. Even to this day, my love for cricket remains the same. What’s changing is direction. My heart says continue playing, my body says stop and I’ve decided to listen to the latter. Time is ripe to hang my boots,” Vanitha said in a statement.

Israel on Monday said it successfully tested a new naval air defense system, intercepting a series of threats in what officials called a key layer of protection against Iran and its proxies in the region.

The “C-Dome” system is a naval version of the Iron Dome, which has been used to shoot down rockets fired from the Gaza Strip for the past decade. The C-Dome is being installed on Israel’s latest-generation corvette warships, which protect Israel’s coastline and offshore natural gas assets in the Mediterranean.

The tests simulated a number of incoming threats, including rockets, cruise missiles and drones, the Defense Ministry said.

International Mother Language Day is being  celebrated today all over the nation to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity with an aim to promote multilingualism.

The day is part of a broader initiative to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by people of the world as adopted by the UN General Assembly.  

The theme for the 2022 International Mother Language Day is 'Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities'.  

External Affairs Ministry is celebrating its Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Iconic Week from today to 27th of this month.

The celebrations will include a series of commemorative events and activities in New Delhi and other cities across the country. Ministry's Branch Secretariats, Indian Council for Cultural Relations and its regional offices, and regional passport offices are organizing several events across the country to mark the Iconic Week.

A week-long Special Course on Foreign Policy for Indian media also began in New Delhi today. This is being conducted jointly by the External Publicity Division and Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.

As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Government of India is holding a week-long commemoration titled Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate from today simultaneously at 75 locations across the country. The programme will be held from Leh and Srinagar to Port Blair and Kavaratti Islands in Lakshadweep from north to south and from Ahmedabad and Daman to Itanagar, Kohima, and Aizawl from west to east, apart from the national capital Delhi. The inaugural programme will be held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi today.
 
The event will display the country’s scientific legacy and technology prowess that has helped find solutions to defence, space, health, agriculture, astronomy, and other sectors. Giving details about the Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate event, Principal Scientific Advisor, Dr K Vijay Raghavan said, the programmes have been grouped under four themes. He said the first theme is - from the annals of the history of Science and Technology and this section traces the contributions of founders of modern science and institutions of national importance to nation-building. He informed that it will be done in the form of the screening of 75 films on 75 scientists, and 75 lectures by eminent scientists and technocrats across the 75 locations.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], February 19 (ANI): Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Gujarat Titans on Saturday announced that they have created a virtual space in the Metaverse named The Titans Dugout.

This app of IIT Roorkee has been named Kisan (KISAN). It has been designed for agricultural weather forecasting only. Giving information about the app, IMD’s Additional Director General (Meteorology) said that farmers will be able to get information about the weather forecast up to the block level through the app.

President Ram Nath Kovind has greeted the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram on their statehood day. In a tweet, Mr Kovind said, endowed with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, both the states exemplify unity in diversity. He wished both the states to make rapid strides in development while living in harmony with nature.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has greeted the people of Arunachal Pradesh on their state formation day. In a tweet, Mr Naidu said, Arunachal Pradesh is known for its pristine natural beauty, diverse flora and fauna, rich cultural heritage and hospitable people. He conveyed best wishes for the all-round growth and prosperity of Arunachal Pradesh.

Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi has complimented Coal India Ltd under the Ministry of Coal for getting the Most Dependable Public Sector in India award. In a tweet, Mr Joshi said, the award will provide further fillip to the efforts of CIL to become the global leader in the energy sector. Minister of State for Coal, Raosaheb Patil Danve also complimented CIL for bagging the coveted award.
The Award was conferred on CIL by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Kolkata in Energy Meet and Excellence Awards function.