Cricketer Rohit Sharma is among the 4 athletes who have been recommended for India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

Along with Rohit Sharma, Asian Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat, table tennis champion Manika Batra and Paralympic gold medalist Mariappan Thangavelu have been recommended for the Khel Ratna Awards.

Reserve Bank of India has unveiled the framework for setting up of pan-India Umbrella Entity for Retail Payments. As per the framework, the companies with a net worth of over 500 crore rupees will be eligible to set up an umbrella entity which among other things will be permitted to set up, manage and operate new payment systems in the retail space comprising ATMs, White Label PoS, Aadhaar-based payments and remittance services.

The entity will be expected to monitor national as well as international developments so as to avoid shocks and frauds that may adversely affect the system and the economy in general.

Inviting applications by February 2021, the RBI said that the promoter/promoter group of the umbrella entity shall be owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens.

RBI said the application for setting up the umbrella entity should contain a detailed business plan covering the payment systems proposed to be set up and/or operated along with other documents to duly establish its experience in the payments ecosystem.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will release the results of the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements, ARIIA 2020 today. ARIIA is an initiative of the Ministry of Education to systematically rank higher education institutions and universities in India on indicators related to Innovation, Startup and Entrepreneurship Development amongst students and faculty.  The Chairman of AICTE, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, highlighted that the world is observing a noteworthy improvement in performance of India in Global Innovation Index ranking. In the last 5 years, India has risen 29 spots in the Global Innovation Index from 81 in 2014 to 52 in 2019. He said, in the years to come, India will make a true impact on global innovation with the initiatives taken by the Ministry in this direction.

Our correspondent reports that ARIIA 2020 will have six Prize categories. This includes a special category for women only higher educational institutions to encourage women and bring gender parity in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship. 

The First World Solar Technology Summit will be organized by International Solar Alliance, ISA on a virtual platform on 8th of September. Sharing details of the summit, President of the ISA Assembly and New and Renewable Energy Minister R. K. Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address of the First World Solar Technology Summit and it will be graced by Ministers from member countries from across all ISA regions. He said, High-level dignitaries from the world of Scientific Research and Development and a CEO’s conclave will set the tone of the deliberations on low cost, innovative and affordable solar technologies.  Senior Government Functionaries, Heads of Global Corporations, Financial and Multilateral Institutions, Civil society, Foundations and Think-Tanks will be present during the inaugural session.

Mr Singh said Nobel Laureate Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham will present the Key-note Address during the inaugural ceremony. He said, the objective of the event is to bring the spotlight on state-of-the-art technologies as well as next-generation technologies which will provide impetus to the efforts towards harnessing solar energy more efficiently. The Minister said, ISA would also be launching the ISA Journal on Solar Energy that would help authors from across the globe to publish their articles on solar energy, during the event.

In Jammu and Kashmir, high speed mobile data services were restored on a trial basis in Ganderbal and Udhampur districts from Sunday evening for post-paid sim card holders.

According to the order issued by the J&K Home Department, the trial period which began at 9 pm on Sunday will stay in force till 8th of next month, unless it is modified earlier. Internet speed however, in other districts of the Union Territory shall continue to be restricted to 2G internet speed only.

It is worthwhile to mention that the central government had during the hearing in the Supreme Court recently submitted that the Committee set-up to review the restoration of 4G internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, is considering to allow the same in one district each of Jammu and Kashmir divisions on a trial basis.

The Nation will celebrate the 74th Independence Day tomorrow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the nation in celebrating the Independence Day at the majestic Red Fort in New Delhi. Prime Minister will unfurl the National Flag and address the nation from the ramparts of the iconic monument. Security has been tightened in the National Capital in view of the celebrations. A full dress rehearsal was held at the Red Fort yesterday for the Independence Day celebrations.
 
In view of Covid-19 situation, the Delhi police has requested the invitees to follow guidelines issued by Union Home Ministry and Health Ministry at all times while they are in the function area at Red Fort. Around four thousand security personnel will be deployed for the ceremony and they will stand maintaining social distance.
 
There will be a multi-layer security ring, including NSG snipers, elite SWAT commandos and kite catchers around the monument. Flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms like UAVs, paragliders and hot air balloons in the national capital have been prohibhited till tomorrow due to security reasons. Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory to ensure safe and smooth vehicular movement across the national capital on Independence Day. 

The Sports Ministry will organise the largest country-wide run, the Fit India Freedom Run from tomorrow till 2nd of October, which boasts of a unique concept. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju will launch the mega-event today. In keeping with the current pandemic situation and social distancing norms, the government has decided to encourage participants of the event to run at their own pace - anywhere and at any time of their convenience.
 
Additionally, they can break up their runs over several days in this period. The total kilometers clocked can be tracked using a Global Positioning System (GPS) watch or manually. The event is targeted to encourage fitness among the masses while following Covid-19 protocols. Speaking about the event, Mr Rijiju said, the Fit India Freedom Run is yet another endeavour to strengthen the Fit India Movement envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and involve the citizens to embrace fitness as a way of life.
 
He said, the event is even more important at this time because staying fit is the key to building strong immunity, which is the need of the hour to fight Covid 19. Individuals and organizations can register for the event on the Fit India website. The event is being organised to mark the 74th Independence Day of India tomorrow and will continue till 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd of October.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address the nation on the eve of the 74th Independence Day today. The address will be broadcast from 7 PM onwards on the entire national network of All India Radio and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan in Hindi followed by the English version.
 
All India Radio will broadcast regional language versions of the President's Address from 9.30 PM on its respective regional networks. Broadcast of the address in Hindi and English on Doordarshan will be followed by broadcast in regional languages by regional channels of Doordarshan. 

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has allowed registration of electric vehicles without pre-fitted batteries. In a letter to Transport Secretaries of all the States and UTs, the ministry has clarified that vehicles without batteries can be sold and registered based on the type approval certificate issued by the test agency.

Further, that there is no need to specify the make/type or any other details of the battery for the purpose of registration. However, the prototype of the electrical vehicle, and the battery (regular battery or the swappable battery) is required to be type approved by the test agencies specified under Rule 126 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

Attention of the States/UTs has been drawn to the relevant FORMS under Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. Viz. FORM-21 (Sale certificate), FORM -22 (Road worthiness certificate issued by the manufacturer) and FORM-22-A (Road worthiness certificate issued for motor vehicles where fabrication of the body is done separately), required for the registration of motor vehicles under Rule 47 (Application for registration of Motor Vehicles), clearly specify engine number/motor number (In case of battery operated vehicles).

The Government is striving to create an ecosystem to accelerate the uptake of electric mobility in the country. It is time to come together to work Jointly to achieve the broader national agenda to reduce vehicular pollution and oil import bill. This will not only protect the environment and reduce the oft import bill but also provide opportunities to sun rise industry.

In a bid to financially empower women, the Assam government would provide Rs 830 per month each to 17 lakh poor families under the ambitious “Orunodoi” scheme, Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Wednesday.

Under the new scheme, district-wise selection of beneficiaries would begin from August 17 and the beneficiaries would start receiving the amount in the bank account of a female family member on the first day of every month, starting from October, he said.

“The “Orunodoi” would be the biggest scheme in Assam which would initially benefit at least 17 lakh families and the number would subsequently increase to 25 lakh, he added.

“The main focus of the scheme on empowering women while contributing to economic development,” he told the media in Guwahati.

However, Sarma clarified, that while selecting the beneficiaries, there would be economic criteria and “those who have certain movable and immovable assets including land, big houses, vehicles, electronic gadgets, and most government and semi-government employees, would be excluded”.