National
PM lays foundation stone and dedicates to nation various development projects in Raipur
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various development projects worth around Rs 7500 crores in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on 07 July 2023.
Various development projects:
» In a major push towards infrastructure development, the Prime Minister dedicated and laid the foundation stone for 5 National Highway projects worth around Rs 6,400 crores.
- The projects that will be dedicated to the nation include the 33 km long 4-laning of the Raipur to Kodebod section on the Jabalpur-Jagdalpur National Highway.
» The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the 53 km long 4-lane Bilaspur-Pathrapali stretch of Bilaspur to Ambikapur section of NH-130.
- It will help improve the connectivity of Chhattisgarh with Uttar Pradesh and will boost the movement of coal by providing connectivity to coal mines in adjoining areas.
» The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for 3 National Highway projects for the Chhattisgarh Section of the 6-lane Greenfield Raipur – Visakhapatnam corridor.
- These include the development of a 43 km long six-lane Jhanki-Sargi section on NH 130 CD; a 57 km long six-lane Sargi-Basanwahi section on NH 130 CD; and a 25 km long six-lane Basanwahi-Marangpuri section of NH-130 CD.
- A key component is a 6-Lane tunnel of 2.8 km in length which comprises 27 animal passes and 17 monkey canopies for unrestricted wildlife movement in the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary area.
» The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the doubling of 103 km long Raipur – Khariar Road Rail Line which has been completed at a cost of Rs 750 crores. It will ease transportation of coal, steel, fertilizers and other commodities from ports for industries in Chhattisgarh.
» PM also dedicated to the nation a 17 km long new railway line connecting Keoti – Antagarh developed at a cost of Rs 290 crores.
- The new railway line will provide connectivity to Bhilai Steel Plant with Iron Ore Mines of Dalli Rajhara and Rowghat areas and will link remote areas of southern Chhattisgarh passing through dense forests.
» The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation a bottling plant of the Indian Oil Corporation with a capacity of 60 thousand metric tons per annum at Korba, constructed at a cost of over Rs 130 crores.
» He also flagged off Antagarh – Raipur Train via video link.
» Further, the Prime Minister initiated the distribution of 75 lakh cards to the beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat.
NLC India Ltd bags GeM Award
⇒ NLC India Limited, a navratna company under the Ministry of Coal, bagged GeM award in the category “Timely Payments (CPSEs)” for the year 2023 for its outstanding contribution in improving the reliability of e-market practices in line with the vision of GeM.
- NLCIL registered and on-boarded in GeM portal in the year 2017. NLCIL’s growth in GeM procurement started from a small value of Rs 2.21 crore during the year 2018-19 and the company has registered an impressive growth of Rs 984.93 crore during the year FY 2022-23.
To promote the power market in line with GEM’s vision of transparent, inclusive and efficient public procurement in India, awards are being presented by the Government of India.
About GeM:
Government e-Marketplace GeM is a dedicated e-Market service platform, a National public procurement portal, governed by Government of India for marketing different goods and services.
“Bharat Internet Utsav- Celebrate the power of Internet”
⇒ To embrace the transformative role of Internet, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with MYGOV, celebrated “Bharat Internet Utsav”.
“Bharat Internet Utsav” was an initiative by the Ministry of Communications to work towards sharing of various empowering real-life stories on the transformation brought by Internet in the various aspects of life of citizens.
- Where citizens shared their videos upto 2 minutes on how internet has transformed lives of the people on any of the social media handles with #BharatInternetUtsav or upload in drive link, and the same link was submitted on MYGOV.
- The contest was conducted on MYGOV from 07July to 21 August, 2023.
Rewards: Prize money for the top 3 winners is as follows:
- First Prize: Rs 15,000
- Second Prize: Rs 10,000
- Third Prize: Rs 5,000
Important Day
National Fish Farmer’s Day 2023
⇒ National Fish Farmer’s Day is celebrated every year on 10 July in India.
- National Fish Farmer’s Day is celebrated to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions of fish farmers, aquaculture industry professionals and other stakeholders towards ensuring a sustainable and thriving fisheries sector.
National Fish Farmer’s Day 2023 is an opportunity for the entire nation to recognize the immense contributions of fish farmers and their commitment toward sustainable aquaculture.
History:
NFFD is celebrated to honour and commemorate the contribution of Professor Dr. Hiralal Chaudhury and his colleague Dr. K. H. Alikunhi, in Indian fisheries sector who had guided the induced breeding and reproduction in Indian Major Carps by Hypophysation technique, on this day 1957, which eventually lead to a revolution in Inland Aquaculture.
Significance:
- The intent of celebrating this day is to recognise the contributions made by fish farmers, aquapreneurs (businesspeople associated in aqua farming sector), and fishermen to the development of the nation’s fisheries sector and to create an ecosystem to collectively think and discuss the ways to sustainably manage our fisheries resources.
- National Fish Farmer’s Day serves as an important platform to acknowledge the significant role played by fish farmers in meeting the growing demand for fish protein, generating employment opportunities, and contributing to the country’s food security.
The Department of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Government of India, celebrated National Fish Farmer’s Day, commemorating the remarkable achievements of the Indian Fisheries sector.
- In light of this significant milestone, the Department organized the ‘Summer Meet 2023’ and the ‘Start-up Conclave’ in the beautiful city of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, on 10th – 11th July.
- The ‘Summer Meet 2023’ and the ‘Start-up Conclave’ serve as platforms to highlight the noteworthy accomplishments of the Indian fisheries sector and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the industry.
Fisheries Startup Grand Challenge winners awarded:
The Department of Fisheries launched the Fisheries Startup Grand Challenge in partnership with Startup India hub and DPIIT, to identify, reward and recognize startups creating exceptional impact in the fisheries ecosystem.
- The Fisheries Startup Grand Challenge sought applications across four problem statements. The challenge received applications from 121 startups across the problem statements.
- After a rigorous analysis, 12 startups have been selected as winners of the challenge. The selected startups were felicitated by Minister for Fisheries Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala on the occasion of National Fish Farmer’s Day on 10th July, 2023 at Mahabalipuram, Tamilnadu.
- Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, selected startups were provided with a cash grant of INR 2 lakhs to help them continue building their innovations.
World Bioproduct Day
⇒ World Bioproduct Day is celebrated on 07 July 2023.
World Bioproduct Day is celebrated with the objective of raising awareness about importance of bioproducts, promoting-facilitating & enabling bio-based responsible innovations and replacing or superseding non-renewable based industries, products, and services.
In India, to mark the ‘World Bioproduct Day’, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) social media campaign #IChooseLiFE to promote Biomanufacturing and making use of bioproducts.