Dubai, 1 December 2023: Today, amidst the gathering of global leaders at COP28, the United Arab Emirates , the COP28 Presidency declared an unprecedented $30 billion commitment to ALTÉRRA, a climate-focused investment vehicle. This initiative aims to revolutionize international climate finance, prioritizing equitable access for the Global South.

With the $30 billion pledge, ALTÉRRA now stands as the world's largest private investment vehicle dedicated to climate action, with a targeted mobilization of $250 billion globally by 2030. The primary focus is to guide private markets toward climate investments and bring transformative change to emerging markets and developing economies, where traditional investments face perceived higher risks.

Veteran actor R. Subbalakshmi, best known for her immense contribution to Malayalam cinema, has passed away.

She was 87. Subbalakshmi breathed her last on Thursday. She had been admitted to a hospital a few days ago due to age-related ailments.

Subbalakshmi was also a trained singer. She started her career as a Carnatic musician. Later, she went on to explore acting. She was widely recognised for her roles in Malayalam movies, including popular films like Kalyanaraman (2002), Pandippada (2005), and Nandanam (2002). She also acted in Telugu and Tamil films.

NTPC Bongaigaon has been recognized for its outstanding achievements in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environment Protection with two prestigious awards from the Greentech Foundation. The power station received the trophy in the Environment Protection Category at the 22nd Annual Greentech Environment Award 2023 and in the Rural Development Category at the 10th Annual Greentech CSR India Awards.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, IAS, Addl. Chief Secretary, Environment, Govt. of Assam in the presence of Dr. Arup Kumar Mishra, Chairman, Assam Pollution Control Board and Shri Shantanu Kumar Dutta, Member Secretary, Pollution Control Board, Assam presented the awards to Shri Ekonthung Ngullie, AGM (EMG & O&M/Civil) at the award ceremony in Sonmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.,

Odisha’s Manisha Padhi, a 2015 batch IAF Squadron Leader, has been appointed as India’s first woman Aide-De-Camp (ADC). Mizoram Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati appointed her as his ADC on Wednesday. Padhi, currently serving as a Squadron Leader in the IAF, hails from Berhampur. Governor Kambhampati shared a video of appointing the officer to the key post on his ‘X’ handle.

“Hearty congratulations to Sqn Leader Manisha Padhi for being appointed as Aide-De-Camp (ADC) to the Governor of Mizoram. Sqn Leader Manisha is India’s first Woman Indian Armed Forces officer to be appointed as Aide-De-Camp (ADC) to the Governor in the country. My best wishes to her and may she excel in the sector with the expertise she has earned over the years,” the Governor wrote.

Ranveer Singh was honoured at the Red Sea International Film Festival by Sharon Stone. The festival in Jeddah had many celebrities in attendance including Johnny Depp. Calling Johnny his inspiration, Ranveer posed with the Pirates of the Caribbean fame actor. 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma received the certificates from Guinness World Record Adjudicator Swapnil Dangarikar at a function held at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati on Wednesday.

It may be noted that Chief Minister Sarma launched Amrit Brikshya Andolan and as a part of the drive, over 1 crore (1,11,17,781) seedlings of commercially valuable tree species were planted across the state on a single day on September 17.

The entire exercise was carried out in the Jan Bhagidaari model through the active involvement of the Self-Help group members, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, educational institutions, police personnel, including tea garden workers, government officials and other citizens. During Amrit Brikshya Andolan, started by the Department of Environment and Forests, attempts were made to create Guinness World Records.

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Fast Track Special Court (FTSCs) for a further three years. It has been extended till 31st March 2026 with financial implications of over 1952 crore rupees. The Central share is to be funded from Nirbhaya Fund. The scheme was launched in 2019. The FTSCs, designed as dedicated courts, are expected to ensure swift dispensation of justice, offering quick relief to victims while strengthening the deterrent framework for sexual offenders. The scheme reflects the nation's commitment to ending sexual and gender-based violence as well as substantially reducing pending cases of rape and POCSO Act. It is also aimed at ensuring swift access to justice for victims of sexual crimes through improved facilities and expedited trials.

Thirty States and Union Territories have participated in the Scheme, operationalizing 761 FTSCs, including 414 exclusive POCSO Courts. Over one lakh 95 thousand cases have been disposed off so far. These courts support State and UT Government efforts to provide timely justice to victims of sexual offenses even in remote and far-flung areas.

Punjab claimed the Gold medal after their penalty shootout triumph over defending Champions Haryana in the Final of the 13th Hockey India Senior Men's National Championship 2023 today at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, Chennai. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu overcame Karnataka in penalty shootouts to claim the Bronze Medal.

Punjab defeated Haryana 2-2 (9-8 SO) to clinch the title. Punjab started the match strong, scoring the first goal in the 13th minute by Harjeet Singh. However, Haryana's Sanjay (25') scored from a penalty corner to level the score. In the second half, Punjab's Captain Harmanpreet Singh (42') scored a powerful drag flick from a penalty corner to put his team in the lead. But Haryana's Rajant (50') scored again to equalize and take the game to penalty shootouts.

During the shootouts, Sanjay, Deepak, and Abhishek scored for Haryana while Harmanpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh, and Sukhjeet Singh scored for Punjab, taking the match to sudden death. In the seventh penalty shootout, Simranjeet Singh scored, securing the hard-fought victory for Punjab.

In a major push to cover 4,373 unbanked gram panchayats under the financial inclusion programme, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday launched ‘Ama Bank’ for providing banking services through customer service point (CSP) Plus banking outlets. Launching the programme online from Lokseva Bhavan, the chief minister said 750 panchayats will get banking services through CSP outlets in the first phase and the remaining panchayats will be covered by March 2024.“Ama Bank model is the first-of-its-kind in the country and I am sure it will be role model for other states,” Patnaik said.

He said, “No state or country can attain inclusive growth without achieving financial inclusion of its people. Odisha has become a role model for others in economic development, social development, digital transformation and good governance.”

In a significant step towards promoting circular economy and waste management, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is set to organize the 'SBM-GOBARdhan Biogas Conference: Accelerating Waste to Wealth & Circular Economy' on December 1, 2023.

The conference, a collaboration with GIZ, circular waste solutions, and UNIDO, aims to bolster the Compressed Biogas (CBG) sector by fostering cross-sectoral linkages and facilitating dialogue among stakeholders.

Underlining the Indian government's commitment to transforming waste into wealth, the GOBARdhan initiative is central to this endeavour. It supports the establishment of Biogas/CBG/Bio-CNG plants as part of India's journey towards net-zero emissions by 2070, in line with its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).