On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of independence, the Central government has taken the initiative to increase expansion of general libraries in the country as a means of expanding public education.

This was stated by the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri G. Kisan Reddy, while participating in a virtual event at the Science City Auditorium in Kolkata today to mark the 250th Birth Anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He called upon the states and Union Territories to take the lead in this endeavor.

Shri Reddy said that Raja Ram Mohan Roy, as a pioneer of renaissance, realized the importance of spreading universal education in social reform. In order to honour great men like him, initiatives have been taken to strengthen the country's library network as part of the nectar festival of independence.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the manufacturing of the semi hi-speed Vande Bharat train sets are on fast track. He inspected the manufacturing of the modern trains in the Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai today. He flagged off 12-thousandth LHB-type coaches that were readied in the ICF and also interacted with its workers. Later, in a tweet, he said the manufacturing process is going on a fast track.

Earlier, the Minister inspected the Egmore Station in Chennai last night. He told reporters that the Indian Railways is undergoing transformation to provide world class services to the public. He said, it will help in the transformation of the Indian economy as well. He added that, on the lines of the redevelopment of the Gandhi Nagar Station in Gujarat and Rani Kamlapati Station in Madhya Pradesh, many more are being redeveloped. They include Chennai Egmore, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Rameswaram and Katpadi stations in Tamil Nadu in the first phase. He said, the five stations will be redeveloped at a cost of two-thousand crore rupees.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the educational institutions should not only impart knowledge, but also inculcate good values in students.

He was addressing the 13th Convocation Ceremony of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth in Pune today. Describing  the youth as the biggest strength, catalyst and source of change for any country, Mr Singh called upon the youth of the country to ideate, innovate and indigenise new technologies in order to achieve ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Chancellor of the University Dr. P. D. Patil and Vice Chancellor Dr. N. J. Pawar and others were present on the dias.

Reacting sharply on the second bridge being constructed across Pangong Lake by China, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since 1960s.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Arindam Bagchi said, India has never accepted such illegal occupation of its territory and the country has never accepted the unjustified Chinese claim or such construction activities. He said, India has made it clear on several occasions that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India and India expects other countries to respect country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead the Indian delegation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos from 22nd to 26th of this month.

The delegation would include Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Ministers and Senior Ministers of six states-Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. Several industry leaders would also participate in the deliberations of World Economic Forum.

This event would further help reinforce country's position as an important and relevant stakeholder in shaping the global narrative, particularly as India assumes Presidency of the G-20 in next year. The WEF will also be a platform to project India as an attractive investment destination in view of its robust economic growth and stable macro-economic indicators.

Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar has announced that NASSCOM will launch a portal to promote digitization of small and medium enterprises. Interacting with the media persons at Ahmedabad, he said that this portal will bring SMEs as well as startups together on one platform to encourage SMEs to adopt digitally and build capacity. He will attend a function for SMEs and Startups today, where this portal will be launched.

During his three day visit to Gujarat, Mr Chandrasekhar will also visit three Universities in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar and interact with start-ups, students, and young entrepreneurs. He will also give a presentation on “New India for Young India- take off opportunity” at Gujarat Technological University.

In a first in the country, Kerala will launch a state-owned over-the-top (OTT) platform, CSpace, on November 1, offering film lovers an array of movies, short films and documentaries of their choice.

Minister for cultural affairs Saji Cheriyan revealed the name of the OTT platform as CSpace, which is an initiative of Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) on behalf of the state government, through video conferencing at a function in Kalabhavan Theatre, here on Wednesday. KSFDC chairman Shaji N Karun presided over the function.

The launch of CSpace, which boasts of several unique features, will coincide with the state’s formation day on November 1.

Named ‘Kalam-100’ after the renowned Indian rocket scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Skyroot Aerospace, the national-award winning startup building India’s first privately built space launch vehicles has announced the successful completion of a full duration test-firing of its ‘Vikram-1’ rocket stage, representing a major milestone for the company on Thursday.

Named ‘Kalam-100’ after former President and the renowned Indian rocket scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the third stage of ‘Vikram-1’ produces a peak vacuum thrust of 100 kN (or ~10Tons) and has a burn time of 108 sec, said the city based firm’s founders, in an official release.

Renowned lyricist, veteran journalist and language movement activist of Bangladesh Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury passed away at the age of 88 in London. Chowdhury was the lyricist of the soul stirring song ‘Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushe February Ami Ki Bhulite Pari’ meaning ‘Can we ever forget the 21st February stained with the blood of our brothers?’

The 21 February is observed as the ‘Language Martyrs’ Day’ in Bangladesh to pay respect to the people killed by the Pakistani forces in 1952 when they took out a procession demanding Bangla as the official language of the then East Pakistan.

The song written by Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury inspired generations of Bangladeshis to fight for their mother tongue which ultimately led to their liberation in 1971.

India to export wheat to countries most in need, says MEA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the third Quad Leaders Summit in Tokyo on May 24 to review progress of Quad initiative and working groups, identify new areas of cooperation and provide strategic guidance and vision for future cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs has said.