Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today paid his tributes to the great philosopher, distinguished saint and revered Tamil poet, Thiruvalluvar on Thiruvalluvar Day. In a tweet, Mr Naidu called upon everyone to read Thiruvalluvar iconic and timeless scripture, Thirukkural which is a guide to living a virtuous life.

Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan invited students, teachers and parents to participate in the 5th edition of "Pariksha Pe Charcha 2022”. In a tweet, Mr Pradhan said, it is a chance to be mentored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pariksha Pe Charcha is a unique interactive program where students, parents, teachers across the nation and also from overseas interact with Prime Minister Modi to discuss and overcome the stress emerging out of examinations.

The Education and Skill Development Ministry said that the programme will be conducted in online mode like last year. An online creative writing competition is being conducted on various topics from 28th of last month to 20th of this month to select participants. School students of classes 9 to 12, teachers and parents shall be selected through this competition.

Minister of State for Culture Meenakashi Lekhi launched 'North East on Wheels Expedition’ in New Delhi on Thursday to promote the Culture of Northeastern States. The Bike Expedition is scheduled between 8th to 16th April this year to mark the celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

75 Bikers participating in this expedition will be selected from all over the country and will cover about 9000 km in the North East Region in 6 groups. The expedition will also promote the Dekho Apna Desh initiative of the Ministry of Tourism. The Riders will also carry the message of importance of Road Safety.

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has announced that counselling for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Under Graduate, NEET -UG by Medical Counselling Committee will start from 19th January, 2022. In a tweet, he said that all these students are the future of the country. He also hoped that all of them will give a new direction to their career with the mantra of service is duty. Dr Mandaviya also extended his best wishes to all the students.

On the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti and during the celebrations of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Ministry of AYUSH hosted the first-ever global Surya Namaskar demonstration programme today. Minister of Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, addressed the people on the occasion and gave his message on Surya Namaskar.
 
Keeping in view the recent upsurge of corona cases, the Ayush Minister  had advised people to do 'Surya Namaskar' from home and upload videos on the links used for registration. Leading Yoga masters and gurus from global institutions also shared their messages.

In Tamil Nadu, the beginning of the month Thai, marking the onset of Spring Harvest season is celebrated as Pongal. The season is celebrated for three days. Today the people offer their harvest to the Sun in the morning. Pongal festival is  mainly a festivity that is connected with the harvest and agriculture. Pongal is a menu cooked with milk, rice, moongdhall, jaggery and ghee in painted rice pots in traditional clay stoves outside the houses under the sugarcane pandal.

Pongal means overflowing that is why, Thai Piranthaal vazhi pirakkum is an old saying which means the birth of this month will make a way for things to be accomplished. Colorful rangolis can be seen in front of houses. Festoons are made with new  mango leaves and turmeric leaves signifying prosperity and happiness. Tomorrow is Mattu Pongal for the cattle which helped the farmers in plowing the fields. The last day of the Pongal season is Kaanum Pongal where people visit their relatives and spend time together.

In Assam, the Magh or Bhogali bihu is being celebrated across the state with traditional fervor and gaiety.  People from all sections of life have participated in the joyous celebration of the post harvest festival. Traditional Meji and Bhelaghar made of thatch and  woods have been set on fire  amidst chanting of prayers.  Community feasts were organized last night on the occasion of Uruka.

Two start-ups supported by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council have received the World Bank Group and the Consumer Technology Association’s Global Women’s Health Tech Awards. The start ups are NIRAMAI Health AnalytixPvt. Ltd. and InnAccel Technologies Pvt. Ltd. These awards recognise innovative startups that leverage technology to improve women’s health and safety in emerging markets. Department of Biotechnology’s Secretary Rajesh Gokhale said that as a funding agency, these success stories are a validation about the impact the department has created.
NIRAMAI Health AnalytixPvt. Ltd was selected for its novel software-based medical device that detects early-stage breast cancer in a simple and private way on women of all age groups and breast densities. The solution developed is a low cost, accurate, automated, portable, contactless, radiation-free, and painless cancer screening tool with no known side effects. Ministry of Science and Technology has said that over 45 thousand women have been screened so far through the startup’s tie-ups with over 30 hospitals and diagnostic centres across India. It said that the product can help 2 Billion women in the world to regularly screen for cancer. It added that the product can potentially save 90 thousand lives every year in India alone.

Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar on Wednesday virtually launched Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2021-2022. While launching the awards, Mr. Sarkar stressed on the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene in schools saying that these play a significant role in determining the health of students. He said, these awards recognise and inspire those schools which have undertaken exemplary work in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene.

At the National level, 40 schools will be selected for awards this year. The award money for the schools has been enhanced this year from 50,000 to 60,000 per school under Samagra Shiksha scheme.

A total of 19.76 lakh metric tonnes foodgrains have been distributed to beneficiaries so far in States and UTs under Phase-V of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY). Phase V will be implemented till March this year. Under the scheme the Department of food and public distribution had so far allocated a total of about 759 Lakh metric tonnes foodgrains to the States and UTs for distribution to around 80 Crore beneficiaries. Foodgrains have been provided free of cost, which is equivalent to about 2.6 lakh crore rupees.

In the wake of surging COVID cases, the Department of Food and Public Distribution is continuously monitoring lifting and distribution of foodgrains. PM-GKAY scheme was announced only for a period of three months of April, May and June 2020 under Phase-I. Later, it was extended under different phases.

The festival of harvest, Lohri, is being celebrated today in North India especially in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Chandigarh. Lohri marks the end of the long nights of winter and welcomes the longer days of summer, as the Sun begins its journey to the Northern Hemisphere. Lohri is celebrated with a bonfire. The festival is mostly associated with crop harvesting and happiness. Popcorns, peanuts, Rewari and Gajak are distributed to all neighbours, friends and relatives on the occasion.
 
President Ram Nath Kovind has greeted citizens on the occasion of Lohri. Mr Kovind also greeted people on the eve of Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Bhogali Bihu, Uttarayan and Paush Parva and prayed for a spirit of fraternity among the people, prosperity and happiness in the country. In a message, the President said, a majority of the festivals depict our integral relationship with nature and agriculture.