President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Kullu district today on the second and final day of his visit to Himachal Pradesh.

The Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, which connects Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3rd of October, 2020.

The 9.2 km long Atal Tunnel is the world's longest highway single tube tunnel located at above 10,000 feet.

Security has been tightened in view of the President's visit. Flying of drones, hot air balloons and paragliding have been prohibited in Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu districts. Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that the prohibitory orders have been issued to avoid any hindrance in the President's aerial visit and ensure his safety and security.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today inaugurated a Mega exhibition- on Nation Building and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar Gujarat. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also remained present on the occasion.

The event has been organized as part of ongoing celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav. During the visit, the Minister was apprised of various key initiatives of CPSEs and their contributions towards nation-building.

During this four-day exhibition, participating CPSEs will showcase their contribution to the development of the country for achieving Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Earlier, the Joint Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises- DPEs Sanjay Kumar Jain said that about 75 CPSEs are participating in this exhibition.

Today, the country is paying tribute to freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda on his death anniversary. Mr. Munda was tribal freedom fighter, religious leader, and a folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal religious millenarian movement during the British Raj in the 19th century that arose in the Bengal presidency.

Mr. Munda fought for the protection of tribal identity and culture. He is revered as Bhagwan by tribal communities across the country.

In honor of the great personality, the union government has declared the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda which falls on 15th November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India's bio-economy has grown eight times in the last eight years and it has grown from ten billion dollars to 80 billion dollars.

Inaugurating the Biotech Startup Expo - 2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi today, Mr Modi said, India is not too far from reaching the league of top ten countries in Global Ecosystem of  Biotech.  

Mr. Modi said, in the last eight years, the number of start-ups in the country has increased from a few hundred to 70 thousand in about 60 different industries. 

He added that out of this over five thousand start-ups are linked with the biotech sector.

The Union Government has launched the Rashtriya Puruskar Portal for inviting nominations for various awards of the various Ministries, Departments and agencies to ensure transparency and public partnership. This common portal has been developed by the government to bring together all the awards under one digital platform.  

The Portal aims to facilitate citizens to nominate individuals and organizations for various awards instituted by the Government of India.

Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement today said, presently nominations and recommendations for Padma Awards are open till the 15th of September this year for Sardar Patel National Unity Awards, nominations will be open till the 31st of next month.

The 2nd edition of Awards for Excellence in District Skill Development Planning, DSDP was organised in New Delhi today where the top 30 districts were awarded for their innovative best practices in skill development in the region. Rajkot in Gujarat, Cachar in Assam and Satara in Maharashtra ranked top three among all participating districts. District Collectors, District Magistrates and other representatives from across 30 states attended the award ceremony and shared their ideas and experiences and presented the skill development work done at the grassroots level in their districts.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan asked the District Collectors, District Magistrates and other officials to carry out demand-mapping of the skilled workforce and drive awareness about skill development initiatives at the local level. He said, District Collectors should further the entire continuum of skill development and work towards strengthening the skill development ecosystem through innovative planning at the district level.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur today released the Volume-IV of selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind named 'Loktantra Ke Swar' and 'Republican Ethics' at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre.

In his address, Mr Pradhan said, the compilation of speeches by President Ram Nath Kovind in his 4th year in office is a good barometer for the state of the nation. He highlighted that this book captures President’s thoughts on varied topics such as public service, ethics, education, aspirations of the youth, contemporary global issues. The Minister said, the book will enrich public discourse and serve as guiding light towards taking India forward in the 'Amrit Kaal'. He also suggested that the educational institutions should engage students in discussions and debates on the relevant topics elucidated by President in his speeches.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Manish Narwal and Rubina Francis for winning a Gold in the 10-metre Air Pistol Mixed event at Chateauroux 2022. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, the nation is proud of them. He conveyed best wishes to them for their upcoming endeavours.

Congratulating both, Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, it’s raining world records for India. He said, Manish Narwal and Rubina Francis won GOLD in P6- 10-metre Air Pistol Mixed team while setting a new World Record in qualification stage with a score of 565 at Chateauroux 2022 World Cup.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Biotech Startup Expo - 2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi tomorrow and address the gathering.

The Biotech Startup Expo - 2022 is a two-day event to be held on 9th and 10th of this month. It is being organised by the Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council BIRAC.

It is being held to mark completion of ten years of setting up of BIRAC. The theme of the Expo is ‘Biotech Startup Innovations: Towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat’.

The Expo will act as a platform to connect entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, scientists, researchers, bio-incubators, manufacturers, regulators, government officials, etc.

India Meteorological Department, IMD has issued an orange alert for some of the Northern parts of the country over the heatwave condition which is likely to continue till 8th of this month. 

Talking to AIR News, Senior scientist in IMD, R K Jenamani has said that north Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Bundelkhand region will experience heatwave conditions where the temperature will vary between 44 degrees Celcius to 47 degrees Celsius. Mr Jenamani said,  people have been advised to take all precautions while venturing out like covering the body with cotton cloths and drinking plenty of water.