Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday unveiled the Gujarat Biotechnology Policy 2022-27 with an expected capital investment of “over Rs 20,000 crore”, providing assistance to “more than 500 industries in the state” and creating “over 1.20 lakh new employment opportunities”, according to a press release from the state government.

The policy aims at providing capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operation expenses (OPEX) assistance to special projects, with upto 25 per cent of the total capital expenditure up to a maximum of Rs 200 crore and up to 15 per cent of the total operating cost up to a maximum of Rs 25 crore per annum.

Tourism Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Alliance Air Aviation Limited to boost cooperation for the promotion and marketing of domestic tourism throughout the country.

Alliance Air is the front runner in promoting the Regional Connectivity Scheme of the government which is being promoted under the scheme UDAN - (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik). The MoU was signed with a view to achieve the common purpose of joint domestic promotion and considering the need to synergize the activities of Ministry of Tourism and Alliance Air Aviation Limited in the tourism markets.

The government has extended the date of NEET-MDS 2022 by four to six weeks. Earlier, the exam was scheduled to be held on 6th March. Health Ministry has said that it has received representations from United Doctor Front association and MDS aspirants regarding the request to extend the date of examination. The Ministry said, the date of completion of a compulsory rotating internship for eligibility for admission to MDS courses is now fixed at 31st July instead of 31st March this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan will hold a Virtual Summit today. Both Leaders are expected to lay out their vision of the historic and friendly relations between the two countries, at a time when India is celebrating 75 years of its Independence as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and UAE is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foundation.

Briefing media in New Delhi yesterday, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, India and the UAE have deepened and transformed their bilateral ties significantly over the past few years and both countries have made substantial progress on some aspects of the free trade agreement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate Asia's largest Bio-CNG plant at Indore in Madhya Pradesh tomorrow. This Bio CNG plant will be operated from 100% wet waste. AIR Correspondent reports, This plant is built on PPP mode, from which Indore Municipal Corporation will get revenue of 2.5 crores per annum.

The plant has been set up on 15 acres of a trenching ground of the Indore Municipal Corporation in Devguradia area with an investment of Rs 150 crore. About 400 buses can be run daily with the gas generated from the Bio-CNG plant.

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.

In order to provide techno friendly digital services to the citizens of the national capital, the Delhi Police has become the first police force in the country to introduce 'Smart Card Arms License', officials said. 

The Delhi Police Licensing unit has decided to replace the existing bulky arms license booklet with a 'Smart Card Arms License'. According to police, the smart card, with inherent security features, is easy to carry and handle. It will be printed in-house after verification of data of the arms license holders.

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.