UTTAR PRADESH

Varanasi to hold ‘Swachhagrah – Bapu ko Kaaryaanjali’

To celebrate the creative and cultural industries in Varanasi and to focus attention on the need for Swachhta by using cultural forms, a Sanskriti Mahotsav “Swachhagrah – Bapu ko Kaaryaanjali” is being organized on the 21st and 22nd February, 2018 at the Man Mandir Ghat and Assi Ghat in Varanasi.

The Mahotsav will integrate the tangible and intangible heritage along the river-belt and will see the engagement of the academia, artists, artisans, writers, poets, environmental and cultural forums on the use of cultural expressions for conservation and protection of the river and the ancient city.

The Swachhta drive will be steered by school-children affiliated to Ministry of Culture, Government of India’s Interpretation Centres through exhibitions, songs, puppetry, nukkad nataks and folk dances.

The 2-day event would focus on performances on the theme of ‘Swachhagraha’ presented under the rubric of ‘Swachhagraha: Bapu ko Karyanjali’.

INTERNATIONAL

China’s Qingdao to host SCO summit in June

East China’s Qingdao City will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in June this year.

Shandong is the birthplace of many ancient Chinese thinkers, including Confucius. In 2017, its GDP exceeded 7.2 trillion yuan.

The summit has China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan as full members.

India’s defence budget breaks into world’s top 5: UK report

India’s defence budget broke into the world’s top five, beating the UK for the first time, a new report by a London-based global think-tank has said.

India overtook the UK as the fifth-largest defence spender in the world in 2017 at $52.5 billion, up from $51.1 billion in 2016, according to the ‘Military Balance 2018’ report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

In contrast, the UK’s defence budget fell from $52.5 billion in 2016 to $50.7 billion last year.

World’s top five defence spenders are the US, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India.

· India and Iran signed 9 MoUs To Boost Bilateral Ties

India and Iran signed nine agreements in order to further the bilateral cooperation between the two sides.
The pacts were signed after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Iran President Hassan Rouhani at New Delhi’s Hyderabad house.
The two countries inked pacts to enhance cooperation in the areas of taxation, maritime cooperation, health and medicine, trade, agriculture and postal cooperation.

· Saudi Arabia allows women to start business without male permission

Women in Saudi Arabiacan now open their own businesses without the consent of a husband or male relative.
The policy change, announced by the Saudi government also marks a major step away from the strict guardianship system that has ruled the country for decades.
The Country’s Ministry of Commerce and investment said on its website that women can now launch their own businesses and benefit from governmental e-services without having to prove consent from a guardian.

NATIONAL

Modi govt to set up 562 more Ekalavya schools

The government will set up 562 more Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in tribal areas across the country that will be on par with the Navodaya Vidyalayas, Tribal Affairs minister Jual Oram said.

Detailing about the budgetary provisions for budget 2018-19, Oram said 271 EMRSs have already been sanctioned out of which 190 are currently operational.

The EMRS are planned under a government scheme for model residential school for Indian tribals (Scheduled Tribes) across India.

National Banana Festival, 2018 held in Thiruvananthapuram

The Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh addressed at the National Banana Festival, 2018 held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

India is the largest producer of banana in the world with 29.7 million tonnes from an area of 0.88 million hectares with a productivity of 37 MT/ha.

Although India accounts for only 15.5per cent in area, its contribution in the world’s production is 25.58per cent.

PM to Inaugurate the Fourth Container Terminal of JNPT
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Fourth Container Terminal (FCT) of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai.

With this, JNPT will nearly double its container handling capacity .

The new FCT will add a capacity of 24 lakh containers per year in Phase-I and after completion of Phase-II in 2022, the capacity of JNPT will be 100 lakh containers per year.

The Fourth Container Terminal has been developed on Design, Built, Fund, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis for a concession period of 30 years at an estimated cost of Rs. 7915 Crore.

The project is being implemented in two Phases. i.e. Phase –I and Phase –II. The indicative cost of the project for Phase – I is Rs 4719 Crore. The foundation stone for the project was laid by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in October 2015, and Phase I has been completed in record time.

Magnetic Maharashtra investors summit inaugurated

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Global Investors’ Summit at “Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018 at the MMRDA grounds at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.

This summit is Maharashtra’s first Global Investors Summit and is said to be on the lines of Make In India initiative by PM Modi.

PM will next inaugurate the Wadhwani Institute for Artifical Intelligence at the University of Mumbai.

· Reserve bank of India directs all banks to accept denomination coins from public

The Apex bankissued a notification in Mumbai, saying such denial of service causes inconvenience to the public at large as shopkeepers and traders refuse to accept coins for payment of goods and services.
The branches to accept coins of all denominations tendered at their counters either for exchange or for deposit in accounts
Also, RBI advised all banks to accept coins, particularly in one and two rupee denominations by weightment or sachets of 100 coins each.

· Ola ‘Auto Unnati’ launched to ensure healthy ecosystem for Auto driver

Ola successfully launched ‘Auto Unnati’ program to assist its auto driver partners through the firm’s ‘Chalo Befikar’ insurance program, family welfare initiatives.
The aim is to create an inclusive environment in which driver partners can operate and thrive. ‘Auto Unnati’ is a milestone program in the same direction that will offer better financial and emotional stability for thousands of auto drivers in Bengaluru.
The program is aimed to enhance business assurance plan to ensure a healthy professional ecosystem for Auto driver partners and for those hoping to target high business profits with ease.

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