The Rural Development Ministry and State Bank of India on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate enterprise financing for rural self-help groups (SHG), an official statement said.
The MoU was signed by Additional Secretary Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission, Charanjit Singh and Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, Corporate office Mumbai, Shantanu Pendsey.
Rear Admiral Upal Kundu has assumed charge as Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command (SNC).
An alumnus of the Indian Naval Academy, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1991. He is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) specialist and commanded guided missile frigate INS Trikand, missile corvette INS Kuthar, erstwhile INS Akshay, and ashore units — INS Tanaji and INS Kadamba.
A graduate from the Defence Services Staff College (Wellington), he was also the Commodore, Bureau of Sailors. On promotion to flag rank, he assumed duties of Chief Staff Officer (Training) at the headquarters, SNC, prior to taking over as Chief of Staff, says a Navy release.
The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, better known as the safest address of the greater one-horned rhinoceros, has recorded a 27% increase in the number of resident and winter migratory waterbirds.
The fifth waterbird census conducted through the citizen scientist initiative from January 9-10 across the 1,302 sq. km wildlife preserve revealed the presence of 84,839 birds, which was 18,063 more than the number recorded during a similar exercise in 2021-22.
This, park officials said, places Kaziranga among the top five habitats of waterbirds in the country.
Continuing his spree to set up state-of-the-art libraries in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday inaugurated 14 new ultra modern libraries constructed at a cost of 14.62 crore in the Sangrur district
The Chief Minister said these libraries will act as a harbinger of growth and prosperity in the state adding that this path breaking initiative is aimed at inculcating reading habits amongst the youth of the state. He said that this step will go a long way in empowering the youth and making them an equal partner in the social-economic development of the state.
“These will transform the destiny of the youth and produce bureaucrats, scientists, doctors, technocrats and others,” said Mann.
Byrnihat in Meghalaya topped the list of the most polluted cities in India in 2023, closely followed by Begusarai in Bihar and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, according to a report released on Wednesday.
Delhi, known for its persistently high air pollution levels during winter, ranked as the eighth most polluted city, the report by independent think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said.
Sunil Dahia, South Asia's analyst at CREA, said 227 cities with air quality data available for over 75 per cent of the days in 2023 were studied.
The Government of Maharashtra has declared a new Conservation Reserve in the forest land of Sangli district namely 'Atpadi Conservation Reserve'. The newly formed Atpadi Conservation Reserve connects the Maini Conservation Area in the west with the Maldhok Bird Sanctuary in the northeast. This will help in the protection of wildlife corridors and preserve the habitat of wolves, deer, foxes, civets and other mammals in the area.
This newly declared Conservation Reserve hosts three types of forest cover, Semi-evergreen, moist deciduous and dry deciduous. 36 tree species, 116 herb species, 15 shrub species, 14 vine species and 1 parasitic plant are found in this area. The Atpadi Conservation Reserve will help preserve the habitat of wolves, jackal, deer, foxes, civets, rabbits and other mammals in the area.
As a teenager, Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik felt uncomfortable being in the spotlight and wondered whether there was any way he could avoid becoming king.
Such doubts have been swept aside as the 55-year-old takes over the crown on Sunday, January 14, 2024 from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who is breaking with centuries of Danish royal tradition and retiring after a 52-year reign. The crown prince will become King Frederik X.
An athlete, decorated military officer and rock music fan, Frederik has a more informal style than his mother but is equally popular in the Scandinavian country.
Tamils from about 58 countries participated in the two-day World Tamil Diaspora Day celebrations, inaugurated by Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin here on Thursday.
Ministers, people’s representatives, industrialists and writers, among others, took part in the event.
During the inauguration ceremony, held at Chennai Trade Centre, Mr. Udhayanidhi underlined the strong link that Tamils living abroad have with the State and the functions of the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils.
For months on, Indian wrestling’s biggest prodigy, Aman Sehrawat, had to suffer a snippy taunt at his akhara – dheela.
It had nothing to do with his relaxed demeanour. Rather, that was how Sehrawat’s coaches described – at times sarcastically, sometimes in a caustic way but always out of frustration – his wrestling style in the opening few exchanges of a bout. The barb would have perhaps rung in his ears on Wednesday.
While he went on to win the 57kg title at the UWW Ranking Series in Zagreb, beating China’s Wanhao Zou 10-0 in the gold medal bout, Sehrawat was a little slow off the blocks earlier in the day in the opening round.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd, India’s second-largest carmaker, has signed an agreement with IIT- Madras to establish a dedicated ‘Hydrogen Valley Innovation Hub, with an investment of ₹180 crore.
The objective is to help foster a worldwide Hydrogen Society by making hydrogen readily used for everyone, everything and everywhere, according to a statement.
This facility will act as an incubation cell to develop a framework for the localisation of the hydrogen ecosystem. The initiative is also expected to generate employment and support skill development in the region, it said.