Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) has been honored with two prestigious awards at the '3rd PSU Transformation Awards 2024' ceremony, held at Shangri-La, New Delhi on December 5. The awards spotlight HSL's commitment to innovation and excellence in the shipbuilding industry.

HSL received recognition in two key categories:

Innovative Product Development Award for its pioneering fender arrangement in Tugs for Submarines. This accolade was accepted by Sarath Chandra, Senior Manager (Design).

BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Monday (December 9, 2024). His election followed the decision of the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), not to field a candidate, ensuring an uncontested process.

Mr. Narwekar had filed his nomination papers on Sunday. A senior BJP leader, Mr. Narwekar served as the Speaker of the 14th Assembly for two and a half years.

During his earlier tenure as Speaker, Mr. Narwekar made landmark rulings, declaring Eknath Shinde’s faction as the legitimate “Shiv Sena” following the party’s split and recognising the Ajit Pawar-led group as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), over the faction led by Sharad Pawar.

Government has said that it aims to have a post office minimum in a 3-kilometre area. While replying to supplementaries in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Communication, Chandrashekhar Pemmasani said, in the last 10 years more than 10 thousand 500 new post offices were created out of which 90 per cent are located in rural areas. He added that, out of new post offices, more than five thousand are located in Left Wing Extremism affected areas. Mr Pemmasani also clarified that none of the employees of the postal department have downsized in the last five years. He informed that currently around four lakh 50 thousand employees are working in more than one lakh 65 thousand post offices all over the country.

The newly appointed European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday its plans to invest Euro 4.6 billion in decarbonisation technology and clean hydrogen projects, utilising funds raised through its EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

The new investment commitments include two new calls for proposals totalling Euro 3.2 billion for net-zero technologies, including Euro 1 billion targeted specifically towards electric vehicle battery cell manufacturing, and a further allocation of Euro 1.2 billion to accelerate the production of renewable hydrogen through the European Hydrogen Bank, according to an EC statement released on Tuesday.

The Parliament on Thursday (December 5, 2024) passed the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill, 2024, which is expected to provide some relief to aviation personnel in their licensing processes.

The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on Thursday. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 31, and was passed by the Lower House on August 9.

The most significant change in the Bill is that the Radio Telephone Operator Restricted certificate and licence testing process, which was hitherto conducted by the Department of Telecom (DoT) for aviation personnel, including aircraft maintenance engineers, flight despatchers and pilots, has been moved to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This will ensure a single-window clearance process as aviation personnel can now secure all their certificates from one authority. Personnel taking exams, including trainee pilots, have alleged that there was rampant corruption in the conduct of the RTR exam under the DoT, with candidates requiring to cough up several lakhs in bribes.

The meeting where the International Cricket Council (ICC) was to decide the future of the 2025 Champions Trophy has been postponed to 7 December. The Pakistan Cricket Board, the designated host for the tournament, will soon respond to the ICC with its final decision regarding the upcoming 50-over event.

As reported by India Today, the meeting, initially scheduled for 5 December, will now take place on Saturday. It has been learned that the global cricket body, during a brief discussion, has once again urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to agree to the hybrid model for the tournament.

The 30th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) was inaugurated on Wednesday, with France as the theme country, showcasing several films that highlight the European nation's rich cultural and cinematic heritage.

The grand event will continue till December 11, featuring an exciting mix of films from across the globe, celebrating cinematic brilliance.

The opening ceremony was a star-studded affair, with several prominent personalities from the world of cinema and politics in attendance.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with other dignitaries, inaugurated the event, marking the beginning of the festival that has become a significant cultural event for the metropolis.

India has been awarded the prestigious International Social Security Association (ISSA) Good Practice Award for Asia and the Pacific 2024. The award, presented by ISSA President Dr. Mohammed Azman, was conferred during the Regional Social Security Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Union Ministry for Labour and Employment announced on Thursday.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) received five Certificates of Merit for initiatives including Communication Channels, E-Proceedings, the Nidhi Aapke Nikat district outreach programme, Multilingual Call Centres, and the Prayaas initiative. Ashok Kumar Singh, Director General of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), accepted the awards on behalf of EPFO.

EPFO has aligned with ISSA’s guidelines on communication by preparing a Communication Framework Document (CFD) to enhance engagement with stakeholders. The organisation uses both digital and non-digital strategies, such as webinars, SMS and email alerts, social media outreach, IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) videos, and district outreach camps under Nidhi Aapke Nikat 2.0. These initiatives aim to educate and communicate effectively with stakeholders.

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday unveiled 'Anna Chakra', a groundbreaking supply chain optimization tool for the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Developed in partnership with the World Food Programme and IIT-Delhi, the system leverages advanced algorithms to optimize foodgrain movement across the country's logistics network, an official statement said.

The initiative covers 4.37 lakh Fair Price Shops and 6,700 warehouses, targeting the country's food security programme serving 81 crore beneficiaries.

Preliminary assessments across 30 states project annual cost savings of Rs 250 crore with a Rs 58-crore reduction in quantity-kilometer metrics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ‘Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav 2024’, a three-day festival beginning December 6 at the Bharat Mandapam here to showcase the cultural, social, and economic fabric of the eight northeastern States.

The Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia said the ‘Mahotsav’ would provide an unprecedented platform for the region’s vibrant textile industry, artisanal crafts, and unique Geographical Indication (GI) products.

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim are also referred to as the ‘Ashtalakshmi’ or eight forms of prosperity. “They contribute significantly to India’s cultural, social, and economic fabric. The event will foster long-term business relationships between the northeast’s artisans and buyers, and is expected to generate a large volume of on-spot sales and many bulk orders,” the Minister said.