1. Odisha CM Launches Mukhyamantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana.

Odisha govt. has launched Mukhyamantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana (MMKSY) for artists. Subsequently, artists will receive a financial assistance of Rs. 1200 per month. Under this scheme, male artists with minimum 50 years of age and female artists with minimum 40 years of age can avail the financial assistance under this scheme. This scheme will benefit around 50,000 artists across the state.

MMKSY is essential to keep culture and heritage intact. Accordingly, state govt. lifts previous age limits of 60 years for men and 50 years for women artists. Moreover the assistance amount has been increased from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 1200 p.m. In addition to this, state govt. will now provide allowance to 4000 beneficiaries as compared to 50,000 previously.

Odisha govt. has assigned the responsibility of identification of beneficiaries to the District Cultural Councils. This council will select the beneficiaries from all districts for MMKSY. Odisha govt. has made an announcement and launched this scheme on 15 January 2018.

2. Vijay Kumar appointed as MD and CEO of NCDEX.

 Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has approved appointment of Vijay Kumar as managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the country’s largest agri-commodity bourse NCDEX, a top official of the exchange said.

Kumar, a former chief business officer at NCDEX, is likely to assume the office next week. The exchange’s selection committee had picked his name for the MD and CEO’s post from a list of 11 candidates.

He is an agro-industry veteran, having worked for Cargill and National Bulk Handling Corporation. “Last Friday, the Sebi gave approval for Vijay Kumar’s appointment as MD and CEO of the exchange,” outgoing MD and CEO of NCDEX Samir Shah told PTI.

Shah, whose more than four years tenure comes to end this month, said that he will join a Chennai-based firm. Shah was appointed in 2013 as per the regulatory framework of the erstwhile Forward Markets Commission (FMC) for three years till 2016.

Later, his tenure was extended for another year till August 20, 2017 and then again for six months till January 2018.

3. Israel PM Addresses India-Israel Business Summit in Mumbai.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Mumbai before his six-day visit to the country wraps up. During his stay in India’s financial capital, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet top business leaders for a power breakfast, and address the India-Israel Business Summit. Thereafter, the Israeli PM is scheduled to visit the memorial for the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks and also go to the nearby Nariman House, where he will meet 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg, who has especially come from Israel to join the event. Later in the day, Netanyahu will attend the ‘Shalom Bollywood’ event. Netanyahu will leave for Israel in early hours tomorrow.

Here are the latest updates and developments from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Mumbai visit

4. President Ram Nath Kovind Unveils Book on Self-Development in Delhi.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday unveiled a book on heartfulness techniques and principles titled `The Heartfulness Way`.

 

Authored by Kamlesh Patel, widely known as Daaji, the fourth Global Guide of Heartfulness, and Joshua Pollock, a heartfulness trainer and practitioner, the book promises to be a treat for those who are curious about what is heartfulness and how it can change our day-to-day lives. It was launched by Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu.

 

Speaking after the launch, Master, Daaji said, "The Heartfulness Way encapsulates a seeker`s journey while examining the nature of spiritual search within and around us. The books reflects the essence of prayer and yogic transmission aimed at deconstructing and demystifying the act of meditation based on meditation tips. To feel, be a part of and practice Heartfulness is an experience, which aims to seek the essence beyond the form and the reality behind the mere ritual."

 

With over a million practitioners worldwide, heartfulness meditation (www.heartfulness.org) is a set of practices for self-development that help us find inner calm and stillness in our extremely fast-paced world. Heartfulness is offered at no cost. There is no dogma. The easily adopted practices are appropriate for people from all walks of life, cultures, religious beliefs and economic status over the age of 15.

 

Heartfulness is an approach to the Raja Yoga system of meditation called Sahaj Marg or the Natural Path, founded at the turn of the twentieth century and formalised into the Shri Ram Chandra Mission in 1945 in India.

 

Ongoing heartfulness meditation training can be found at thousands of schools and colleges, and over 100,000 professionals are meditating in corporations, non-governmental and government bodies worldwide. More than 5,000 Heartfulness Centres, known as HeartSpots, are supported by many thousands of certified volunteer trainers in 130 countries. The meditation practice is offered free across the globe.

 

The Heartfulness Way has already achieved the Number One Best-Seller Status on Amazon with pre-orders flooding the website.

 

Reading this book will enable us to live beyond the filters of our sensory limitations and discover unity within ourselves. To practise heartfulness is to seek the essence beyond the form, the reality behind the ritual. It is to centre oneself at the core of one`s heart and find true meaning and contentment there.

 

 

5. S Selvakumar appointed as CMD Of SPMCIL.

The government today appointed senior IAS officer S Selvakumar as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL).

 

The state-owned SPMCIL produces bank notes, coins, postage stamps, non-judicial stamps and other official documents.

 

In an order issued today, the governmnt said S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance has been assigned additional charge of the post of CMD, SPMCIL with effect from January 16, 2018.

 

Selvakumar replaces Anurag Agarwal who was appointed to the post on September 27, 2017.

 

The decision also comes days after the SPMCIL issued a notice on January 8 to all the four mints in Kolkata, Noida, Hyderabad and Mumbai to stop minting of circulation coins owing to an inventory pile up.

 

The decision, however, was revoked on January 11.

 

6. Iconic Cartoonist Chandi Lahiri Passes Away.

Eminent cartoonist Chandi Lahiri passed away due to cardiac arrest at a government hospital in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon.

 

He was 88 years old and is survived by his wife Tapati Lahiri and daughter Trina Lahiri, who is a well-known paper filigree artist.

 

Chandi Lahiri was not keeping well over the past few days and was taken to the hospital on January 16 after he complained of uneasiness.

 

After battling for two days, he passed away at 1.50 pm on Thursday.

 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences in a tweet: “Saddened at the passing away of eminent artist and cartoonist Chandi Lahiri. May his work continue to engage and entertain. My heartfelt condolences to his family.”

 

He was born on March 13, 1931 in Nadia. During his college days Lahiri took to active politics.

 

In 1952, he started his career at the Dainik Loksevak newspaper as a reporter and in 1961 he decided to pursue his career as a cartoonist and joined the Anandabazaar Patrika (ABP) in 1962. He continued to work with ABP for 50 years.

 

The noted cartoonist’s work was featured in some of the popular children’s books like Michke, Nengti, Bideshider Chokhe Bangla, Chandir Chandipath and Bangalar Cartoon Itihash etc.

 

Speaking to News18, his wife Tapati said, “It is not my loss, but the entire state’s. He lived for others and left us earning loads of respect and repute.”

 

She narrates, “A few days ago, he called me and asked me to hand over Rs 2,000 to Orphanage Home at Ramkrishna Mission. I think he had this intuition that it was a matter of a few more days for him.”