Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 14th BRICS Summit hosted by China on 23rd and 24th of this month. The Summit will be held in virtual format under the theme of Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development.

External Affairs Ministry said, BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of common concern for all developing countries.

During the 14th BRICS Summit, deliberations are expected to be held in areas like terrorism, trade, health, traditional medicine, environment, Science & Technology, innovation, agriculture, technical and vocational education & training and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. Discussions are also likely to be held on issues like reform of the multilateral system, combating COVID-19 pandemic and global economic recovery.

Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy inaugurated Jyotirgamaya - a festival showcasing the talent of unsung performers in New Delhi. As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and on the occasion of World Music Day yesterday, Sangeet Natak Akademi has organised this festival to showcase the talent of rare musical instruments from across the country, including street performers and train entertainers.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Reddy said that music is universal language and Indian music, like its culture, is very diverse. He said, in Indian culture music is integrated in every aspect of life. The Minister added that preservation of folk music and their instruments should be a top priority and this event will take it further.
The festival envisages sensitising people about the need to safeguard the craft of making as well as the skill of playing rare musical instruments. This is a unique endeavour of Sangeet Natak Akademi to salvage the dying performing arts of India.

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today launched an innovative project National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN) in New Delhi. NIPUN is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under its flagship scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission DAY-NULM to train over one lakh construction workers, through fresh skilling and upskilling programmes and provides them with work opportunities in foreign countries also. 

While addressing, Mr Puri said, the transformational impact of the National Urban Livelihoods Mission has definitively reduced the vulnerability of urban poor households by providing upskilling and employment opportunities to urban dwellers, especially the youth. He said, the spirit of entrepreneurship has been encouraged and supported by giving urban workers access to self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities. The Minister said, the initiative will enable Nirman workers to be more proficient and skilled while making them adopt future trends in the construction industry by increasing their capabilities and diversifying their skill sets. He said, NIPUN Project will enable the construction workers to seek better job opportunities, increase their wages and even pursue overseas placements - an indication of a new eco-system. Mr Puri added that through suitable skilling initiatives such as NIPUN, India creating a future labour force for the construction industry which will propel innovation and large-scale development in the country.

The Prime Minister's award for outstanding contribution for promotion of Yoga has been announced for the year 2021. Bhikkhu Sanghasena from Ladakh, Marcus Vinicius Rojo Rodrigues from Brazil and two organisations, The Divine Life Society from Uttarakhand and the British Wheel of Yoga from United Kingdom have been chosen for the award. Ayush Ministry said, the winners will be felicitated with a trophy, certificate and cash award of 25 lakh rupees.

The award was announced by the Prime Minister on the occasion of the second International Day of Yoga celebrations at Chandigarh in 2016.

In the Indian Coast Guard, a new air squadron was created in Chennai yesterday by the name 840 Squadron, initially with an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mark-III aircraft. The aircraft was received with the traditional water cannon salute, in presence of Inspector General AP Badola, Commander of the eastern Coast Guard Region. This is the first such aircraft to be positioned by the defence force in the eastern region.

Three more ALH aircraft will be added in the inventory of the new Squadron shortly, says the Coast Guard. The aircraft are having Beyond the Visual Range detection, using modern radars. It is equipped for target neutralisation operations, using its mounted Heavy Machine Gun.

The ALH is an indigenous aircraft designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, in line with the government’s push towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

The 8th edition of International Day of Yoga is being celebrated today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the mass Yoga demonstration at Mysuru in Karnataka. Over 15 thousand participants are expected to do yoga along with the Prime Minister. Crores of people will participate in various International Day of Yoga programs being organized in India and the world. 

The theme of this year’s International Day of Yoga is ‘Yoga for Humanity’. As the International Day of Yoga is falling in the year of  'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', Yoga Day is being celebrated in 75 iconic places across the country. As part of the Guardian Ring initiative, the movement of the Sun from east to west will be celebrated through Yoga. Indian Missions in different countries will organise Yoga programmes at sunrise according to the local time there.

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh AK Abdul Momen arrived in India on a three-day official visit yesterday. He will attend the 7th Round of Joint Consultative Commission, JCC between India and Bangladesh today evening. The JCC will be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Mr Momen. This will be the first physical JCC meeting after the Covid-19 pandemic. The previous edition was held virtually in 2020.

The JCC will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including cooperation in the wake of Covid-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional & multilateral issues.Tomorrow, Mr Momen will call on Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated the main tunnel and five underpasses of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project to the nation in New Delhi. The project has been built at a cost of more than 920 crore rupees, entirely funded by the Central Government. It is aimed to provide hassle-free and smooth access to the new world-class exhibition and convention centre being developed at Pragati Maidan.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Modi said, this tunnel is part of the campaign to transform Pragati Maidan according to the needs of the 21st Century. He called the project a big gift from the central government to the people of Delhi. Mr. Modi recalled the enormity of the challenge in completing the project due to the traffic congestion and the pandemic. He credited the new work culture of New India and workers and engineers for completing the project.

Union Minister of State  Science and Technology, Earth Sciences and MoS PMO, Dr. Jitendra Singh yesterday said that Agnipath  is a scheme which has been brought for the interest of the  unemployed  youth of the country. The scheme is to provide them an opportunity to serve the nation and get employment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the historic torch relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi yesterday. This year, for the very first time, International Chess Federation, FIDE, has instituted the Chess Olympiad Torch, a part of the Olympic tradition. India is the first country to have the Chess Olympiad Torch Relay. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich handed over the torch to Prime Minister, who in turn handed it over to Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand. This torch will be taken to 75 cities in a span of 40 days before the final culmination at Mahabalipuram near Chennai. At every location, chess grandmasters of the state will receive the torch. The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held in Chennai from 28th July to 10th August, 2022.