Saying that Ethanol, Methanol, Bio-Diesel, Bio- LNG, Electric, Green Hydrogen is the future, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari today said India should become an energy exporter rather than an energy importer.

He said this while addressing the Sugar and Ethanol India Conference (SEIC) 2022 in Mumbai. The conclave is being organized by ChiniMandi, a news and information portal for the sugar and allied industries, sought to bring together leading domestic and global industry experts to discuss the top challenges and risk response strategies in domestic and global sugar trade and the way forward to building a more innovative and sustainable Sugar and Ethanol sector in India.

He further said, farmers’ should be made ‘Urja Data’ instead of ‘Anna data’ to pull them out of poverty. Gadkari said, diversification of agriculture towards the energy and power sector is the need of the hour.

NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform will confer to seventy five women in its fifth edition of the Women Transforming India Awards on tomorrow. The Aayog said that as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, the Awards will be conferred on seventy five women achievers to celebrate their contribution towards a Sashakt Aur Samarth Bharat.

The Aayog said that the awards will be given by an equally exceptional group of women including former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi, former Assistant Secretary-General of United Nation Lakshmi Puri, former Chairperson of State Bank of India Arundhati Bhattacharya and many more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address and express his feelings on the occasion of the release of “Shri Dharmajivan Gatha” volumes of a book on the life of Gurudev Shri Shashtriji Maharaj this evening. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address the function at 7.45 pm. The main function is being held at Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam- SGVP in Ahmedabad Gujarat. The volumes of a book on the life of Gurudev Shri Shashtriji Maharaj have been written by his disciple Swami Shri Madhavpriya Dasji. Gurudev Shashtriji Maharaj Shri Dharma Jeevan Dasji Maharaj had reestablished the ancient Gurukul education system in the society. His good work for the society has been depicted in “Shri Dharmajivan Gatha” book by his disciple Swami Shri Madhavpriya Dasji.

The entire function has been organized as “Bhav Vandana Parva” by Shri Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam- SGVP in Ahmedabad.

The Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary today informed Rajya Sabha that Reserve Bank of India is currently working towards a phased implementation strategy for introduction of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). He also said that it is examining cases which could be implemented with little or no disruption. In a written reply, he said introduction of CBDC has the potential to provide significant benefits such as, reduced dependency on cash, higher seignior age due to lower transaction costs.

Border Roads Organisation today signed an MoU with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited for construction of 27 double-lane class 70 modular bridges in border areas. The MoU includes fabrication, supply, erection and launching of 27 double-lane bridges of carriageway 7.5 meters of load class 70 along the Northern and North Eastern border states. It reinforces the commitment of BRO for greater self-reliance on indigenous equipment and achieving overall aim of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. It will also ensure better infrastructure development in border areas keeping in view the nation’s security needs.

Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi has said NDA government has taken various steps to ensure empowerment of women through schematic interventions like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. She was virtually addressing a function organised by Permanent Mission of India in UN, Geneva yesterday in celebration of International Women's Day.

Ms Lekhi said women have always been held in high esteem since time immemorial in India.  She added that women had participated actively in India's freedom struggle and Independent India went on to enshrine the principle of gender equality in its Constitution in 1950.

AIR correspondent reports that International Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year. The theme this year was Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow. 

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the unemployment rate has come down in Jammu and Kashmir. Quoting Centre for Monitoring  Indian Economy (CMIE) she added that in 2016 it was 20 per cent and by late February this year it was 13.2 per cent. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the minister said this country cannot have two symbols, two Prime Ministers and Constitutions, when there is a Constitution which all respect. She asserted that With the removal of Article 370, discriminatory laws were removed from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. 

Mrs Sitharaman said that the budget 2022-23 for Jammu and Kashmir is more than one lakh crore rupees mark again, which is an indicator of government commitment to make J&K a model of development. She said, this is an inclusive budget and all the sectors will get focussed attention. The Government of J&K shall endeavour to double the farmer’s income. The investment proposal under new industrial policy shall be cleared on fast track basis. She said, the power generation capacity is being doubled in next three years.  The Minister said, Tourism sector has huge potential in J&K. In this regard 75 off beat destinations have been identified across J&K and shall be developed with proper infrastructure and requisite facilities for tourists.

N Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Sons, has been officially appointed as the chairman of Air India, ANI reported on Monday.

Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons chief, was appointed as Air India chairman following a board meeting on Monday (March 14), reports said.

Former CMD of General Insurance Corporation Alice GeeVarghese Vaidyan, will also be inducted as an independent director on board, sources close to the development said.

N Chandrasekaran reappointment as the chairman of Tata Sons - the holding company of the salt-to-software Tata Group - for a second five-year term in February this year.

His reappointment was backed by Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, the majority owners of Tata Sons.

THE INDIAN Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday successfully completed the ground test of the solid-fuel based booster stage (SS1) of its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), completing the ground testing of all three stages of the launch vehicle. The new launch vehicle is now ready for its first development flight, which is scheduled for May this year.

“The successful test of solid booster stage has given sufficient confidence to proceed with the first developmental flight of SSLV (SSLV-D1), which is scheduled in May 2022. The remaining stages of SSLV i.e. SS2 & SS3 stages have successfully undergone necessary ground tests and are ready for integration,” the space agency said in a statement.

The space agency usually declares a launch vehicle operational after two successful development flights.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with French firm Safran Helicopter Engines to extend their cooperation and explore opportunities for new helicopter engines in civil and military markets.

The MoU was signed during the ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility of Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Ltd (HE-MRO), a joint venture of HAL and Safran at Sattari, 40 km from Panaji, in Goa.