ImageIconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station in Mumbai has been conferred with 'Eat Right Station' certification with the five-star rating by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for food safety and hygiene. An official release said that the CSMT is the first station on the Central Railway to get this certification.

It stated that the CSMT has been judged on the basis of compliance of food safety and hygiene, availability of healthy diet, food handling at preparation, food waste management, promotion of local and seasonal food and creating awareness on food safety and healthy diet. 'Eat Right Station' initiative is a part of the 'Eat Right India' movement launched by FSSAI and an FMCG major which is aimed at promoting food safety and hygiene at the static catering units at railway stations.

The Atal Bhujal Yojana is a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs.6000 crore to be implemented over a period of 5 years.

It aims to improve ground water management through community participation in identified priority areas in seven States, viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Implementation of the scheme is expected to benefit nearly 8350 Gram Panchayats in 78 districts in these States.

The scheme will promote panchayat led ground water management and behavioural change with primary focus on demand side management.

Out of the total outlay of Rs. 6000 crore, 50% shall be in the form of World Bank loan, and be repaid by the Central Government.

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has been named as the captain of Cricket Australia’s ODI team of the decade. This side was announced Cricket Australia on Tuesday and it features Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as the two other Indians.

“The input of MS Dhoni with the bat did tail off during the latter part of the decade, but he was a dominant force in a golden period for India’s one-day side. Having assured his greatness by guiding his nation to World Cup glory on home soil in 2011, the right-hander became India’s ultimate finisher with the bat,” said Cricket Australia about Dhoni.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled a statue of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Lok Bhawan here. He also laid the foundation stone for the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University in the Uttar Pradesh capital.

The state government has given 50 acres of land for the varsity.

The event coincided with the birth anniversary of Vajpayee, who represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha five times.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi named Rohtang passageway in Himachal Pradesh as Atal Tunnel to mark the 95th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Prime Minister said the strategic Atal tunnel will change the fortunes of this region and will help in promoting tourism in the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, the tunnel has been named as a tribute to the former Prime Minister who took the historic decision of constructing this strategic tunnel. He said, after completion of the tunnel, it will provide all weather connectivity to remote areas of Lahaul and Spiti Valley and also reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 Kilometres.

AIRIn Jharkhand, Grand Alliance leader Hemant Soren will take oath as Chief Minister on the 29th of this month. He said this last night in Ranchi after meeting Governor Draupadi Murmu to stake claim to form a new government in the state.

Earlier, the Governor had invited Mr Soren to form the government. Mr Soren was formally elected the JMM legislature party leader yesterday. He was projected as the chief ministerial candidate by the JMM, Congress and RJD Alliance that gained majority in the recently concluded Assembly polls. Congress and RJD have submitted a letter in support of Hemant Soren to the Governor.

Leander
Indian tennis ace Leander Paes has announced that 2020 will be his last year as a professional tennis player.

The 46-year old will bid adieu to the sport after next season. Leander announced on Twitter that he will be picking and choosing tournaments next year to meet his fans all around the world.

Leander, who made his Olympic debut in 1992, will look for one final flourish at Tokyo Olympics next year. The Indian has made 7 appearances in a row at the Olympics making him the only tennis player ever to do so.  

Paes has won eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. 

Renowned Hindi author Ganga Prasad Vimal and his two family members were killed in a road accident in southern Sri Lanka, police said on Wednesday.

The 80-year-old author was travelling along with his family in a van, which crashed into a container truck from behind on the Southern Expressway in Kurundugahahathapma area on Monday night, they said.

Vimal and two of his family members were killed on the spot while a local driver died on the way to hospital. Two more persons sustained injuries.

AIRPetroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today unveiled India's first long distance CNG bus fitted with CNG cylinders at a function in New Delhi. It can travel around one thousand kilometre in a single fill. Talking to reporters, Mr Pradhan said, this is a revolutionary step which help reduce vehicular pollution. He said, the first long range interstate CNG bus will ply from Delhi to Dehradun. Mr Pradhan said, such type of buses will soon ply between Delhi to Jaipur, Chandigarh and Agra.

The project has been executed by Indraprastha Gas Limited, the largest CNG distribution company in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lucknow this afternoon. Mr Modi will unveil the 25-feet bronze statue at Lok Bhawan, the secretariat of Uttar Pradesh government. Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of Atal Bihari Medical University.

Apart from the unveiling of statue by Mr Modi, many other functions have also been organised to mark the birth anniversary of Vajpayee. These include blood donation camps, fruit distribution and cleanliness drive all over the state. Sushashan Day will also be observed on this occasion in many districts. In Lucknow, a Kavi Sammelan has also been organised.