Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the 24th and the last Jain Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir is being celebrated across the country today. Mahavir Jayanti is considered to be one of the most auspicious events for the Jain community and holds a lot of importance in their religious life.
 
President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu have greeted the people on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. In his message, the President said that Lord Mahavira showed the path of spiritual liberation by observing the vows of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity and non-possession. 

Mr Kovind said that Lord Mahavira taught renunciation and restraint, love and compassion and modesty and righteousness as the basis to lead a balanced human life. Mr. Kovind asked the people to take a pledge to work towards promoting non-violence and eradicating all kinds of social evils in the society. 

The festivals of Baisakhi, Vishu, Rongali Bihu, Naba Barsha, Vaisakhadi and Puthandu-Pirappu are being celebrated in different parts of the country today.
 
President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu have greeted the citizens on the occasion. In his message,  Mr. Kovind said, these festivals celebrated all across the country reflect India's diversity and also emphasis unity. He added that the festivals are occasions of enjoyment for the farmer community who work tirelessly for the betterment and progress of the nation.

The President said, people should resolve to work together for peace, prosperity and happiness, and spread the message of unity and fraternity for the progress of the nation on this occasion. 

Ministry of Health and Family welfare is celebrating 4th anniversary of launch of Health and Wellness Centres.

In an exclusive interview with All India Radio News, Heath Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that Health and Wellness Centres aim to provide comprehensive primary healthcare including promotive, preventive and curative care.

The Health Secretary further informed that Health and Wellness Centres will also provide tele-consultation services to the citizens.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya on 14th April, 2022 at around 11 AM.

The Sangrahalaya, being inaugurated during the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, tells the story of India after Independence through the lives and contributions of its Prime Ministers.

Guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to honour the contribution of all the Prime Ministers of India towards nation building, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since Independence, irrespective of their ideology or tenure in office. It is an inclusive endeavour led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aimed at sensitizing and inspiring the younger generation about the leadership, vision and achievements of all our Prime Ministers.

Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today announced setting up of Single Window Portal for benefit of pensioners and superannuated elder citizens. He said, the portal will not only enable constant contact with pensioners but will also regularly receive inputs, suggestions, and grievances for a prompt response.

The Minister was addressing the 32nd Meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies for Review and Rationalisation of Pension Rules 2021. He said, several revolutionary changes were brought in pension rules for bringing Ease of Living to the common man in 2014. He said, the objective of Common Pension Portal is to create a single window digital mechanism for pensioners to raise their grievances and get the same resolved without approaching different authorities in person. Dr. Jitendra Singh informed that since the launch of Doorstep Service for submission of Digital Life Certificate, more than three lakh eight thousand Life Certificates through India Post Payments Bank have been done.

India and the UK have welcomed the substantial bilateral engagement which covered cyber governance, deterrence, and mutual resilience in the Annual Cyber Dialogue in London. During the two-day Dialogue which ended today, both sides reiterated their commitment to a joint programme of action and next steps in implementing the Enhanced Cyber Security Partnership agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart in May last year.

The Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. The UK delegation was led by Will Middleton, Cyber Director, Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. The meeting was attended by senior officials from several government ministries.

University Grant Commission (UGC) is going to allow students to pursue two full time degree programmes simultaneously. This was announced by UGC Chairman Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar in a virtual meeting with media yesterday. He said, students can pursue two academic programmes simultaneously in a physical mode either from same university or different universities.

Prof Kumar said, students can also pursue two academic programme in online mode simultaneously. He said, this will empower the students to acquire new knowledge and provide them flexibility. Prof. Jagadesh Kumar said, several component of the National Education Policy have been implemented across the country and UGC is trying to provide flexibility under the National Education Policy. The UGC Chairman said, guidelines in this regard will come into effect soon. 

Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched 'SVANidhi se Samriddhi' program in additional 126 cities across 14 States and Union Territories yesterday. With the expansion of scheme, 28 lakh street vendors and their families will be benefited. The Ministry said, SVANidhi se Samriddhi, an additional program of PM-SVANidhi was launched in January this year in 125 cities in Phase one, covering approximately 35 lakh street vendors and their families.

Considering the success of Phase one, the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has launched the program in additional cities with a total target of 20 lakh scheme sanctions for this fiscal year. The Ministry has been implementing Prime Minister Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi scheme since June 2020. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tribute to those martyred in Jallianwala Bagh on this day in 1919. In a tweet today, Mr. Modi said, their unparalleled courage and sacrifice will keep motivating the coming generations.  

In Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif has become the 23rd prime minister of the country after taking an oath. He was administered the oath by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani.

Earlier today, parliament elected the Opposition's joint candidate Sharif as the country's new prime minister. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief got 174 votes in the 342-member National Assembly.

Before the voting process, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers walked out of the National Assembly shouting slogans against the Opposition parties’ leadership and the US after their candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced his decision to boycott the session.