The Defence Acquisition Council, DAC has approved Acceptance of Necessity for 24 Capital Acquisition Proposals worth 84 thousand 328 crore rupees for the Armed Forces and Indian Coast Guard.

The decision to this effect was taken in the DAC meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday. The initiative will modernise the Armed Forces and provide substantial boost to the defence industry in achieving the goal of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has said, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed four cooperative documents specifically to collaborate in space exploration in the last five years. He said, the agreement with the USA is for accommodating USA instruments in India’s Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3.

The Minister said, the agreement with Japan is to conduct feasibility study for a joint lunar polar exploration mission, while with UK for conducting feasibility study for collaboration in future space science missions. Dr. Singh said this in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha yesterday.

National Farmer's Day is being observed today to commemorate the birth anniversary of the fifth Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and his contributions towards the upliftment of farmers in the country.

On this day, awareness campaigns and drives are organised across the country to educate people about the role of farmers and their contribution to the economy.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary today.

The Defence Minister said, Chaudhary Charan Singh was a highly respected farmer leader of the country who played an effective role in strengthening the farmers, labourers and other weaker sections of society.

The Minister said, Charan Singh also strengthened Indian democracy and the country will always remember his contribution.

Lok Sabha today passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022. The Bill will amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, for the inclusion of the thirteen communities, in the list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the State of Chhattisgarh.

Replying to the discussion, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said, the government has identified 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups, PVTGs,  across the country. He said, out of these only Nine were listed and the Government is working on the remaining communities.

The Minister attacked the Congress party for neglecting the tribals and their welfare. He said, PM Narendra Modi-led government has changed the approach towards the tribals and is working with conviction.

Parliament has passed the Maritime Anti Piracy Bill 2022 with Rajya Sabha approving it today. The Bill has already been passed by Lok Sabha. The Bill enables Indian authorities to take action against piracy on the high seas. It applies to the sea beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone, which is beyond 200 nautical miles from India’s coastline. The Bill defines piracy as any illegal act of violence, detention, or destruction against a ship, aircraft, person, for private purposes, by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft.

The Government has said, the country's maiden human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024. This was stated by Union Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. The Minister said, in view of the paramount importance of crew safety, two uncrewed flights are scheduled, before the final human space flight- 'H1 mission', to demonstrate the performance of the crew escape system and parachute-based deceleration system for different flight conditions. 

He said, uncrewed 'G1 mission' will be targeted in the last quarter of next year, followed by the 'G2' in the second quarter of 2024. Dr. Jitendra Singh said the astronaut designates for the Gaganyaan are identified and undergoing mission-specific training at Bengaluru.

The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has won the Platinum Icon in the Digital India Awards 2022 for their initiative “DataSmart Cities: Empowering Cities through Data”.  

The award was announced yesterday under the ‘Data Sharing and Use for Socio-Economic Development’ category.

The DataSmart Cities Initiative is a key step in creating a robust data ecosystem that enables evidence-based decision-making in cities. It aims to harness the power of data for better governance in India’s 100 Smart Cities.

Steel Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched India's first Green Steel Brand - KALYANI FeRRESTA in New Delhi today. This first-of-its-kind steel has been manufactured by a Pune-based Steel company, Kalyani group by using renewable energy resources, leaving zero carbon footprints in the environment.  

Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Scindia termed the launch as a paradigm shift in the Steel industry. He said, with the green steel manufacturing going on, India is leading the countries which have committed to achieving carbon neutrality.  

The Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has won the Platinum Icon in the Digital India Awards 2022 for their initiative “DataSmart Cities: Empowering Cities through Data”. 

The award was announced under the ‘Data Sharing and Use for Socio-Economic Development’ category. 

The DataSmart Cities Initiative is a key step in creating a robust data ecosystem that enables evidence-based decision-making in cities. It aims to harness the power of data for better governance in India’s 100 Smart Cities.