The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved capital grant as viability gap funding to Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited for setting up the North-East Natural Gas Pipeline Grid.
 
It approved the proposal to provide 5 thousand 559 crore rupees viability gap funding for building a 1 thousand 656 kilometres gas grid. The total cost of the grid is 9 thousand 256 crore rupees. 

Briefing media, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, the project is critical towards implementing the government's Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for the North-East.

As per the plan, the Gas Pipeline Grid would be developed in all the eight states of the North-Eastern region.

A special drive has been initiated for removal of all sorts of speed breakers on National Highways. Road Transport and Highways Ministry said, the step comes in a bid to ensure smooth and hassle-free traffic movement, especially at toll plazas.

 With the effective implementation of FASTag on toll plazas, the speed breakers and rumble strips constructed at toll plazas are being removed with immediate effect for smooth vehicular movement.

The Ministry said, the speed breakers result in considerable delay, damage to the vehicles and significant discomfort to vehicle occupants and more fuel consumption due to acceleration and deceleration.

The Cabinet today gave its approval for an Agreement between India and Mongolia on Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for Peaceful and Civilian Purposes.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi on 20th September last year during the visit of the President of Mongolia to India.

The Cabinet also gave its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department for International Development Government of the United Kingdom for Enabling Energy Self-Sufficiency for Indian Railways.

The Cabinet was apprised of the Agreement on cooperation in polar science between Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India and Ministry of Education and Research, Sweden.

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chief K Sivan detailed the country’s first manned mission to space on Tuesday, saying the four men shortlisted for the programme will receive physical fitness training in Russia for 11 months, but the first spaceflight in December 2021 may carry just one person.

Under the mission, named Gaganyaan and expected to cost ₹10,000 crore, India is expected to send astronauts, all Indian Air Force pilots, to the low earth orbit, an earth-centred orbit with an altitude of 2,000km where most of the manmade objects in outer space are placed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the space mission from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2018, saying that “an Indian son or daughter” will carry the national flag on the trip when the country celebrates its 75th year of Independence in 2022.

A ten day long art exhibition commemorating 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was inaugurated on Tuesday in Dhaka. The art exhibition has been organised by the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh in association with the Bangladesh Shilpkala Academy.

The exhibition was inaugurated with a floral tribute paid by MP from Noakhali H.M. Ibrahim and MP from Jamalpur Mirza Azam. The two Gandhi Ashrams in Bangladesh are located at Jamalpur and Noakhali. Leading thinker on Gandhian ideals, Syed Abul Maksud was the Special Guests of the Ceremony.

Welcoming the dignitaries and artists on the occasion Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh Bishwadip Dey said that the exhibition will promote appreciation of Mahatma Gandhi’s life of simplicity and devotion to truth.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday granted in-principle approval to Uttar Pradesh-based Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd to convert to a small finance bank (SFB), becoming the first urban cooperative bank (UCB) to make the transition since the guidelines came out nearly two years ago.

“The Reserve Bank of India has today granted in-principle approval to Shivalik Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd (the applicant) for transition into a small finance bank under the scheme on voluntary transition of urban co-operative bank into a small finance bank issued on September 27, 2018," an RBI notification said.

India's P Magesh Chandran lifted the title in the 95th edition of the prestigious Hastings International Chess Congress at  Hastings in England.

He remained unbeaten in all the nine rounds. The 36-year old Grand Master with a FIDE rating of 2479, finished in clear first place with 7.5 points from nine games after securing a 33-move draw in the final round yesterday against compatriot G A Stany, also a Grand Master. He beat fellow Indian GM Deep Sengupta in the eighth round.

Stany took the sixth place with 6.5 points while India's woman GM R Vaishali obtained six points to finish 10th. Two other Indians Deep Sengupta finished 13th and Swayam Mishra 14th with identical six points.

France's Romain Edouard, who was the only player to end the tournament a half-point behind Chandran, took the second spot. Four players shared third to sixth places with 6.5 points.  

Union Minister for Commerce and Industries Piyush Goyal has said that Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will contribute one trillion dollars by the year 2035.

He said, artificial intelligence-powered learning ecosystem will assist the banking, financial services and insurance sector.

The Minister today inaugurated the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Knowledge Hub in New Delhi.

He said, this is a good beginning by NSE to tap the potential of artificial intelligence and use it as a tool to create a workforce in the financial sector. He said, India is a safe investment destination for investors.

The second phase of Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 rolled out yesterday at block level in 35 districts of Uttar Pradesh. The aim of the program launched by central government in 2017 is to achieve 90 percent vaccination coverage in children of less than 2 years in state.
 
AIR correspondent reports that under the program the immunization activity will be in four rounds over seven working days excluding the Regular immunisation days, Sundays and holidays. First round was completed in December last year while present round started yesterday. Next rounds will be in February and March months and will cover 425 blocks of 73 districts of state.

Home Minister Amit Shah today laid the foundation stone of Delhi Cycle Walk project at Tughlakabad in the National Capital. It is aimed at making the city most walkable and environment friendly. 

This 36 kilometre project is first phase of Delhi Cycle Walk which will have whole network of over 220 km. This cycle walk will cover abundant forests, dense residential areas and work places in close proximity in the city. The project will be based on green strategies and universal accessibility and security have been given due care in it.