The first meeting of the Youth -20 engagement group under India's G20 presidency will be held in Guwahati, Assam from today. The Summit will provide an opportunity to the students to voice up their opinions for the audience worldwide. Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry said, the three day Y-20 Inception meeting will be held in IIT-Guwahati campus. More than 150 Youth delegates from G20 countries are set to participate in the meetings.

Over 12000 college and university students are also expected to participate in these events. Every higher education institution in Assam will also be organising an awareness drive at 10 nearby schools to sensitise the schools about G-20 groupings and functioning. Y-20 works with an aim to provide the youth a platform to raise their concerns on contemporary issues.

President Droupadi Murmu has greeted fellow-citizens on the eve of birthday of Sant Guru Ravidas. In a message today, the President said that Sant Ravidas was a great social reformer and messenger of peace, love and brotherhood. She said, Sant Ravidas worked tirelessly to remove caste and religion-based discrimination and worked for the upliftment of the downtrodden.

President Murmu said that Guru Ravidas also wrote many compositions on different social issues and his life is a unique example of sacrifice and penance. She said, Ravidas considered service to humanity as service to God. On this occasion, the President called upon all citizens to follow his teachings and move forward with the overall aim of public well-being.

Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that perception shift towards wealth creators has led to a favorable ecosystem for new businesses and a rising economy in the country.

Attending the CEO Conclave at PLASTINDIA 2023 in the national capital today, the Minister said that India does not only provide robust technical expertise but also holds its value while doing commerce and prioritize benefit for all rather than a few. He also lauded the conclave as a step to encourage all the stakeholders to understand India’s ethos and invest in its growth story.

Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur will launch the Mascot, Theme song and Jersey for the 3rd edition of Khelo India Winter Games in Jammu today. The Winter Games are scheduled to be held from the 10th to the 14th of this month.

The Khelo India Winter Games is supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council as well as the Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir.

The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas in Final Operational Clearance configuration will hold a centre stage of India Pavilion at the 14th edition of Aero India show to be held in Bengaluru from the 13th to 17th of February. India Pavilion will showcase the growth of India in developing an eco-system for Fixed Wing Platforms.

There will also be a section for Defence space, new technologies and a UAV section, giving an insight into the growth of India in each sector. After the Final Operational Clearance, Tejas is a highly agile, multi-role supersonic fighter designed for air combat, and offensive air support with reconnaissance and anti-ship capabilities.  Asia's biggest Aero India show is organised with the theme, “The Runway to a Billion Opportunities”.

Union Minister of AYUSH and Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal urged the representatives of the G-20 member countries to act collectively to make sustainable lifestyle a mass movement. Addressing the Inaugural Session of the G-20  1st Sustainable Financial Working Group (SFWG) meeting in Guwahati this morning the Union Minister said that the world must work for a cleaner and greener society and urged all to cut their carbon footprints. Explaining the role of traditional medicine in a sustainable future the Minister said, “the aim is to channel India’s ancient wisdom and traditional knowledge and capitalise on it to pave the way for a sustainable future”.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Thursday to enable Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and provide services offered by Common Service Centres, CSCs.

The MoU was signed between the Ministry of Cooperation, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India Limited in New Delhi. 

Union Home Minister and Minister of  Cooperation  Amit Shah described this agreement as a win-win situation for all. He mentioned that this will not only help fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of ‘Sahkar Se Samridhi’   but also strengthen both cooperatives and farmers.  He said,  this will help in advancing the concept of Common Service Centres to the smallest unit of the country very easily.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2023-24 in Parliament yesterday. Attractive incentives and rebates in the new income tax regime, a steep hike in capital investments, and the biggest ever outlay in railways were the three big takeaways of Budget.

In her Speech, Ms Sitharaman also proposed to use Permanent Account Number (PAN) card as as a common identifier for all digital systems of government agencies.

The first G20 Employment Working Group meeting will commence at Jodhpur in Rajasthan this afternoon. More than 80 delegates from 19 countries, European Union and 9 guest countries along with regional and International organisations have reached Jodhpur to participate in the three-day meeting. AIR correspondent reports that elaborate arrangements have been made to welcome the delegates. 

Former Law Minister and senior advocate Shanti Bhushan passed away on Tuesday. He was 97. 

He always stood for truth both as a Law Minister in the Morarji Desai Cabinet between 1977 and 1979 and as a senior advocate who fought alongside his son and noted civil rights lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, for judicial accountability and transparency. 

In his memoir ‘Courting Destiny’, Mr. Bhushan quotes the cricketing legend Don Bradman to say that one can successfully combine the values of dignity, integrity, courage and modesty with pride, ambition and competitiveness.