1) Rail Budget`s 92-year-old journey set to end.
- Putting an end to a 92-year-old tradition of the colonial era, the railway Budget will be merged with the general Budget from 2017-18 onwards.
- The move will come as a relief to the national transporter, which, until now, has been reeling under an additional burden of Rs. 40,000 crore from higher salaries, following implementation of the 7th Pay Commission.
- It also has to bear close to Rs. 35,000 crore of subsidy burdens. If the merger goes through, the Railways will get rid of the annual dividend it has to pay for gross budgetary support from the government.
2) Five electronic manufacturing clusters to be set up in Andhra Pradesh.
- Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that the Union government will set up five electronic manufacturing clusters in Andhra Pradesh including Tirupati and Sri in Chittoor district and Anantapur where it is in final stage.
- Union Minister held a high-level official meeting with the authorities of NIC, UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), C.DOT and STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in Tirupati .
3) Fifth Generation signs pact with Anna University.
- Chennai based Fifth Generation Technologies has entered into an agreement with Anna University, Chennai, for conducting research to study about the remaining life of critical equipment that are working in high temperature environments.
- Company is specialized in real time intelligence solutions and products to the manufacturing industry, will work on creep, fatigue and corrosion to arrive at a prediction of remaining life of critical equipment’s.
4) CBSE to make interim arrangements for teaching in Srinagar affiliated schools.
- Central Board of Secondary Education has come forward to make arrangements for teaching class XII students studying in five affiliated schools in Srinagar in the wake of curfews, law and order problems and disruptions in normal life of the public.
- Current situation has critically impacted class XII students, who have to appear for annual board examinations in March 2017 and several other competitive examinations.
- Board is thus making efforts to engage and depute retired teachers from other parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Pathankot, Chandigarh and has even written to Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan for the same till the resumption of regular classes again.
5) Dr. Jitendra Singh flags off Jammu-Haridwar Express.
- Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh flagged off the Jammu-Haridwar Express train.
- To facilitate the pilgrims, from Jammu to ply between City of Temples and the holy city of Haridwar.
- The new train will be essential in connecting the pilgrims directly between the two pilgrimage sites of Katra and Haridwar.
6) Govt services to be available through mobile app in Maharashtra.
- Government services will be made available through mobile app in the state.the people will get the feeling of his secretariat in their mobile.
- The government has made available online access to 150 services which various departments offer and wants to add 100 more. These services will also be available on mobile.
7) Sikkim govt commitment to total literacy by 2019.
- The Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling has unfurled the National tricolour at Palzor Stadium and took salute of jawans from Sikkim police and other paramilitary forces on the occasion.
- He also reiterated his government commitment to declare Sikkim a total literate state by the year 2019.
8) PM announces 20% hike in freedom fighters pension.
- Pension for our freedom fighters will be increased by 20 per cent. So those who are receiving Rs. 25,000 will now get Rs. 30,000.
- 73rd anniversary of the Quit India Day also increased the pension for freedom fighters by hiking dearness relief by 218 per cent.
9) Govt releases commemorative postage stamp on Tourism.
- Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha released a commemorative postage stamp on Tourism in India
- The theme tourism was selected on account of tourism sector being an economically important and rapidly growing industry.
- Tourism is fast emerging, as one of the majors sectors of the economy and generating huge employment opportunity across the country.
10) Bihar becomes 2nd state to ratify GST.
- The Bihar State Legislature has unanimously ratified the Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014 for introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in the country.
- Bihar thus became the second state after Assam to ratify the bill.
11) Digital Maharashtra drive: Will connect 28,000 gram panchayats by 2017-18.
- The Maharashtra government will bring in a digital revolution by connecting all its 28,000 gram panchayats in 36 districts by 2017-18 to open the world to rural Maharashtra.
- The digital revolution needs to be adequately backed by stronger infrastructure in the core sectors of health, education and the agriculture departments to serve its larger objectives.
- The technology involves laying of optical fibre connectivity. In the pilot project at Nagpur, 4-Mbps connectivity with WiFI has been installed facilitating e-health, e-education and e-marketing.
12) Maharashtra launches Crime Criminal Tracking Network system (CCTNS).
- Under CCTNS, all police stations of the state will be linked with each other for sharing information about various crimes under their respective jurisdiction.
- Under the project, the state government will raise a special cyber police force of about 1000 policemen, who would be trained to handle cyber crimes.
- The laboratory network will also offer cyber security to private institutions including banks.
13) Govt to build museum to glorify tribal freedom fighters.
- The government would build permanent museums to glorify the role of tribal freedom fighters, so that the coming generations could be able to know about their devotion and sacrifices for the motherland.
- The role of some people in the freedom struggle is being discussed more than needed, while the contribution of tribals has not been highlighted as they deserved.
14) NHAI collaborates with PFC under Adopt a Green Highway Program.
- National Green Highways Mission (NGHM) under NHAI has collaborated with Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC) for plantations work on NH 7 in Nagpur region covering 87 km stretch.
- Power Finance Corporation Ltd. has provided financial assistance of Rs. 13 crore for plantation and five year maintenance under their CSR funds.
- This event is historic as this marks the first collaboration with the National Green Highways Mission - NHAI under their `Adopt a Green Highways` Program. Adopt a Green Highway Program is an initiative by NGHM to engage Corporates, Public Sector Units, Governmental organizations, institutions and individuals under CSR and Public Private Partnership for developing green corridor along NHs.
15) SC quashes order to grant 30% quota in PG courses to doctors.
- The Supreme Court upheld the Allahabad High Court judgment quashing Uttar Pradesh government’s order to provide 30% quota in admissions to post-graduate medical courses to those doctors in government service who have served in rural areas.
- The High Court was justified in quashing the state government order providing for reservation to in-service candidates, being violative of Regulation (9) as in force.
16) ICHR plans encyclopedia of village folklore from across India.
- The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) has set the ball rolling to document stories and legends relating to villages and towns across India into an encyclopedia in a bid to ``connect`` people better with the oral and folk traditions.
- The key initiatives of the ICHR to ``fill the gaps`` between the Harappan civilization (the first Indian urbanization) and the 6 century BC (the second urbanization).
17) Shri Piyush Goyal launches `TARANG` `e-Trans` & `DEEP`.
- Shri Piyush Goyal, opened a new chapter to enhance transparency in power transmission sector of the country by launched the `TARANG` Mobile App, `e-Trans` & `DEEP` e-bidding web portals, developed by Rural Electrification Corporation Transmission Projects Company Limited (RECTPCL), a subsidiary of REC Ltd, in New Delhi.
- TARANG is the electronic platform shall enhance ease, accountability & transparency and would boost confidence of investors in power transmission sector.
- The `e-Trans` web platform for e-bidding and e-reverse auction for Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) in transmission projects.
- DEEP (Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price) e-Bidding portal for medium term (1-5 years) purchase of power.
18) Uma Bharti launches Rs. 560 crore Namami Gange projects at Kanpur.
- Union Minister for Water Resources Sushri Uma Bharti launched various projects worth Rs. 560 crore under Namami Gange programme at Ganga Barrage in Kanpur.
- This includes Rs. 63 crore interception and diversion plan of Sisamau drain, Rs. 397 crore networking schemes and river front development scheme at Bithoor worth Rs. 100 crore. 14 Ghats and five crematoria will be constructed at Bithoor.
19) Indian Railways Ties Up with Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara for award of MBA Degree To Railway Probationary Officers In Specific Railway Fields.
- The apex level training institute of Indian Railways for imparting training to Railway Officers, has signed an MoU with Maharaja Sayajirao(MS) University, Vadodara for award of MBA degree in specific Railway fields to railway probationary officers belonging to Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS), Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) and Indian Railway Store Service (IRSS).
- This is important measure of enhancing professional management education in the specific railway fields to the Railway Probationary Officers.
20) Centre launches web portal for star rating of mines.
- The aim to promote sustainable mining, the Centre launched an online portal for star rating of mines.
- The Ministry of Mines through the Indian Bureau of Mines developed a template for star rating of mines. The main objective of this system is to bring all mines to a minimum standard of star rating as soon as possible to adopt sustainable practices.
- The scheme would be a vital step for ensuring compliance of environmental protection and social responsibility by the mining sector.
21) KVIC approves hike in wages of Khadi Artisans.
- The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) approved a wage hike that will take artisans wages to Rs. 190 a day from the earlier Rs. 90. The commission also approved development assistance to the artisans.
- KVIC has hiked wages of spinners from Rs. 4 per hank to Rs. 5.50 per hank with an additional 10 per cent Market Development Assistance (MDA), which will add to the wages. The assistance itself is 37.5 per cent higher.
22) Kerala Cabinet approves new debt relief scheme.
- The Kerala government approved a new debt relief scheme for low income and poor people who face the threat of revenue recovery proceedings after they fail to repay loans taken from various financial institutions under the government.
- The scheme, expected to cause an additional burden of Rs. 40 crore to the exchequer, will benefit more than 10,000 persons.
23) NLC Ltd to add 6,820 Mw of power at cost of Rs. 27,740 crore.
- Navaratna company NLC Ltd is planning to add over 6,821 megawatt (MW) of power, with an investment of over Rs. 27,740 crore in these projects.
- Projects for addition of around 6,821 Mw from thermal, wind and solar energy are either under construction or in the formulation stage. Work for coal-based power plants with cumulative power generation of 1,500 Mw, which will be part of this proposed addition, is ready by end of 2019.
- These include two plants – of 500 MW each – at Neyveli, which would be ready by October 2017 and April 2018, respectively. Further, the projects also include a 500 MW plant in Rajasthan, which would be ready by December 2019.
24) BSNL, Microsoft sign MoU to offer IT solutions.
- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and technology giant Microsoft signed a memorandum of understanding wherein the latter will provide complete suite of telecom and information technology solutions for enterprise business.
- Enterprise customers including government organizations need end-to-end solutions which also involve many allied services in the field of IT/ software as a service/ cloud computing/ servers/ transducers/ audio video solutions.