India will showcase its Agriculture and Food Processing prowess at EXPO2020 Dubai. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi will inaugurate the Food, Agriculture and Livelihood fortnight at the India Pavilion tomorrow.

The fortnight will showcase India’s prowess in sectors like food processing, horticulture, dairy, fisheries, and organic farming. India will exhibit investment opportunities in millets, organic farming, horticulture and dairy to investors worldwide. Millets Food Festival will also be held as part of Dubai EXPO. The  fortnight will conclude on the 2nd of next month.

Government approved a new scheme New India Literacy Programme for the period Financial Years 2022 to 2027 to cover all the aspects of Adult Education to align with National Education Policy 2020 and Budget Announcements 2021-22.

The National Education Policy 2020 has recommendations for Adult Education and Lifelong Learning. The Union Budget 2021-22, announcement had been made to enable increased access of resources, online modules covering the entire gamut of adult education will be introduced.

The objective of the scheme is to impart not only foundational literacy and numeracy but also to cover other components which are necessary for a citizen of 21st century.  It includes critical life skills including financial literacy, digital literacy, commercial skills, health care and awareness, child care and education, and family welfare,  vocational skills development with a view towards obtaining local employment,  basic education including preparatory, middle, and secondary stage equivalency and continuing education including engaging holistic adult education courses in arts, sciences, technology, culture, sports, and recreation, as well as other topics of interest or use to local learners, such as more advanced material on critical life skills.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has expressed grief over the passing away of eminent Kannada poet, Channaveera Kanavi. In a tweet, Mr Naidu said, known for his linguistic mastery, his poems covered a wide range of themes.

The Vice President said that the death of Channaveera Kanavi is a huge loss to Kannada literature. He also expressed condolences to the bereaved family members.

Edelweiss Asset Management has launched eInvest- a mutual fund mobile app for investors for a smooth investing experience. eInvest is an easy-to-use app that will help investors perform all financial transactions on the go.

Veteran Bengali singer Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, whose golden voice enthralled music lovers for generations and who had last month refused to accept the Padma Shri, passed away in Kolkata on Tuesday evening following a massive cardiac arrest. She was 90.

Mukhopadhyay was hospitalised on January 27 after she developed heart- and lung-related complications following Covid-19 infection. Since then, she has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city.

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address at the Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) World Sustainable Development Summit tomorrow via video message.

The summit is TERI’s annual flagship event and the theme for this year is ‘Towards a Resilient Planet: Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future.  It will discuss a wide range of issues including climate change, sustainable production, energy transitions, global commons and resource security.

The three-day summit starting tomorrow will be attended by President of  Dominican Republic,  Luis  Abinader, President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, Deputy Secretary-General of  United Nations, Amina J Mohammed, heads of various intergovernmental organisations and Ministers and  Envoys from more than a dozen countries and delegates from over 120 countries.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways plans to develop 22 Greenfield Expressways, 23 key infrastructure projects and 35 Multi-Modal Logistics Parks as part of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. Gati Shakti is a digital platform which brings 16 Ministries, including railways and roadways together, for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects for industrial cluster and economic nodes. Some of the major Expressways and Corridors which are under construction stage include Delhi - Mumbai Expressway, Ahmedabad -- Dholera Expressway, Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, and Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway.

Some of the major key infrastructure projects which are under construction stage include construction of Zojila Tunnel in Ladakh, roads to connect Krishnapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh, and two-laning of Lalpul-Manmao changing road in Arunachal Pradesh.

Ravidas Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas, is being celebrated across the country today. Sant Ravidas was a 14th century saint and founder of Bhakti movement in North India. Lakhs of people converge at Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan Mandir, Seer Goverdhanpur in Varanasi to celebrate his anniversary.

President Ram Nath Kovind has greeted people on the occasion of birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas. In his message, the President said Guru Ravidas was a great saint, poet and social reformer who tried to eradicate the social evils and bring about harmony in the society through his devotional songs.

He is considered a leading poet saint of the Bhakti Movement. Mr Kovind said Guru Ravidas tried to inculcate the feeling of mutual love and equality among the people. He added that his teachings of peace and fraternity are even more relevant today. He asked people to pledge to follow the path shown by Guru Ravidas and contribute in building a society based on equality and harmony.

Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar will launch the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs in New Delhi today for the welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes. The DNTs are the most neglected, marginalized and economically and socially deprived communities. Historically, these communities never had access to private land or home ownership and used forests and grazing lands for their livelihood and residential use.

Free Coaching for DNT students has been envisioned under the Scheme. The objective is to provide good coaching quality for DNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations or admissions to professional courses. Approximately, 2,000 clusters will benefit under this component in five years. The total funds spent in the five years will be 49 crore rupees.

Legendary Bollywood Music Composer and singer Bappi Lahiri passed away in Mumbai. He was 69. Doctor treating him at a private hospital in Mumbai said the singer died last night due to multiple health issues. Bappi Lahiri was instrumental in popularizing Disco music in India and has many hit songs to his credit. Some of his memorable songs include ‘Chalte chalte mere yeh geet rakhna’, ‘I am a Disco Dancer’, ‘Pag Ghunghroo baandh Mira nachi thhi’ from ‘Sharabi’ and ‘Yaar bina Chain kaha re’ among others.    

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sadness at the demise of singer and composer Bappi Lahiri. In a tweet, Mr Modi said Bappi Lahiri's music was all encompassing, and beautifully expressed diverse emotions. He said people across generations could relate to his works and Bappi Lahiri's lively nature will be missed by everyone.