In Tamil Nadu, the beginning of the month Thai, marking the onset of Spring Harvest season is celebrated as Pongal. The season is celebrated for three days. Today the people offer their harvest to the Sun in the morning. Pongal festival is  mainly a festivity that is connected with the harvest and agriculture. Pongal is a menu cooked with milk, rice, moongdhall, jaggery and ghee in painted rice pots in traditional clay stoves outside the houses under the sugarcane pandal.

Pongal means overflowing that is why, Thai Piranthaal vazhi pirakkum is an old saying which means the birth of this month will make a way for things to be accomplished. Colorful rangolis can be seen in front of houses. Festoons are made with new  mango leaves and turmeric leaves signifying prosperity and happiness. Tomorrow is Mattu Pongal for the cattle which helped the farmers in plowing the fields. The last day of the Pongal season is Kaanum Pongal where people visit their relatives and spend time together.

In Assam, the Magh or Bhogali bihu is being celebrated across the state with traditional fervor and gaiety.  People from all sections of life have participated in the joyous celebration of the post harvest festival. Traditional Meji and Bhelaghar made of thatch and  woods have been set on fire  amidst chanting of prayers.  Community feasts were organized last night on the occasion of Uruka.

Two start-ups supported by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council have received the World Bank Group and the Consumer Technology Association’s Global Women’s Health Tech Awards. The start ups are NIRAMAI Health AnalytixPvt. Ltd. and InnAccel Technologies Pvt. Ltd. These awards recognise innovative startups that leverage technology to improve women’s health and safety in emerging markets. Department of Biotechnology’s Secretary Rajesh Gokhale said that as a funding agency, these success stories are a validation about the impact the department has created.
NIRAMAI Health AnalytixPvt. Ltd was selected for its novel software-based medical device that detects early-stage breast cancer in a simple and private way on women of all age groups and breast densities. The solution developed is a low cost, accurate, automated, portable, contactless, radiation-free, and painless cancer screening tool with no known side effects. Ministry of Science and Technology has said that over 45 thousand women have been screened so far through the startup’s tie-ups with over 30 hospitals and diagnostic centres across India. It said that the product can help 2 Billion women in the world to regularly screen for cancer. It added that the product can potentially save 90 thousand lives every year in India alone.

Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar on Wednesday virtually launched Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2021-2022. While launching the awards, Mr. Sarkar stressed on the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene in schools saying that these play a significant role in determining the health of students. He said, these awards recognise and inspire those schools which have undertaken exemplary work in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene.

At the National level, 40 schools will be selected for awards this year. The award money for the schools has been enhanced this year from 50,000 to 60,000 per school under Samagra Shiksha scheme.

A total of 19.76 lakh metric tonnes foodgrains have been distributed to beneficiaries so far in States and UTs under Phase-V of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY). Phase V will be implemented till March this year. Under the scheme the Department of food and public distribution had so far allocated a total of about 759 Lakh metric tonnes foodgrains to the States and UTs for distribution to around 80 Crore beneficiaries. Foodgrains have been provided free of cost, which is equivalent to about 2.6 lakh crore rupees.

In the wake of surging COVID cases, the Department of Food and Public Distribution is continuously monitoring lifting and distribution of foodgrains. PM-GKAY scheme was announced only for a period of three months of April, May and June 2020 under Phase-I. Later, it was extended under different phases.

The festival of harvest, Lohri, is being celebrated today in North India especially in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Chandigarh. Lohri marks the end of the long nights of winter and welcomes the longer days of summer, as the Sun begins its journey to the Northern Hemisphere. Lohri is celebrated with a bonfire. The festival is mostly associated with crop harvesting and happiness. Popcorns, peanuts, Rewari and Gajak are distributed to all neighbours, friends and relatives on the occasion.
 
President Ram Nath Kovind has greeted citizens on the occasion of Lohri. Mr Kovind also greeted people on the eve of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Bhogali Bihu, Uttarayan and Paush Parva and prayed for a spirit of fraternity among the people, prosperity and happiness in the country. In a message, the President said, a majority of the festivals depict our integral relationship with nature and agriculture.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted qualification tests of the Cryogenic Engine for Gaganyaan human space programme. The ISRO Propulsion Complex in Tamil Nadu conducted the test for 720 seconds duration yesterday and met the test objectives. A release by ISRO said, the engine parameters were closely matching with the predictions during the entire duration of the test. This successful long duration test is a major milestone for the Human Space programme Gaganyaan.
 
The successful test has ensured the reliability and robustness of the cryogenic engine for induction into the human rated launch vehicle for Gaganyaan. The engine will further undergo four more tests for a cumulative duration of 1810 seconds. Thereafter one more engine will undergo two short duration tests and one long duration test to complete the cryogenic engine qualification for the Gaganyaan programme.
 

His major literary works include 'Daria Parira Kabita', 'Astaragara Kabi', 'Di Dhara Luha', 'Agnisambhaba' and 'Ananya'. The prolific writer's 'Bhukha' was later adapted into an award-winning film.

Eminent Odia litterateur Manglu Charan Biswal, on whose story the first Sambalpuri film ‘Bhukha’ was based, died after a prolonged illness on Tuesday.

He was 86, and is survived by his wife Shailabala, three sons and a daughter.

Biswal died at his residence at Baradungri in Sambalpur district, his family said.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile today. The indigenously developed anti-tank missile is low weight and fire & forget missile. The missile successfully destroyed the target during the test flight.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO for the consistent performance of the anti-tank missile saying that this is an important step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in advanced technology-based defence system development. DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the team for the excellent performance of the missile during the test.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh today launched Artificial Intelligence-driven Start-Up by IIT alumni for water purification through innovative technology. The facility aims to provide clean drinking water at a price much lesser than the market price. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said, the Artificial Intelligence-driven Start-Up initiative should be motivating for other Start-Ups as well.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said, Science and Technology Ministry is committed to reach out to potential small and viable start-ups having skill and talent pool, but lacking in resources. He asked private sector to come forward with tech solutions to cover nearly 14 crore households where clean drinking water is yet to reach.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 25th National Youth Festival today in Puducherry via video conferencing. The 12th of January is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and is observed as National Youth Day every year. Briefing media about National Youth Festival, Secretary, Youth Affairs, Usha Sharma said that the Festival aims to shape the minds of India's youth and transform them into a united force for nation-building.

In view of the emerging COVID situation, the two-day festival has been scheduled to be held virtually. The inauguration will be followed by the National Youth Summit which aims to galvanize, ignite, unite and activate the youth towards nation-building, to unleash the true potential of our demographic dividend. During the summit, the youth will get an opportunity to express their views on current issues like Environment, Climate Change, SDG Led Growth, Technology, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Indigenous and Ancient Wisdom, National Character, Nation Building among others.