National
Prime Minister visits Gujarat
⇒ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Gujarat from 18 to 20 April, 2022.
PM at Banas Dairy Sankul in Diyodar, Banaskantha:
» Prime Minister dedicated to the nation a new dairy complex and potato processing plant at Diyodar, Banaskantha district, built at a cost of over Rs.600 crores on 19th April.
- The new dairy complex is a greenfield project. It will enable the processing of about 30 lakh litres of milk, produce about 80 tonnes of butter, one lakh litres of ice cream, 20 tonnes of condensed milk (Khoya) and 6 tonnes of chocolate daily.
- The potato processing plant will produce different types of processed potato products like french fries, potato chips, aloo tikki, patties etc, many of which will be exported in other countries.
» Prime Minister also dedicated the Banas Community Radio Station to the nation.
- This Community Radio Station has been established to provide farmers key scientific information related to agriculture and animal husbandry.
- It is expected that the radio station will connect with over 5 lakh farmers of about 1700 villages.
» Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of four gobar gas plants of 100 tonnes capacity to be established at Khimana, Ratanpura – Bhildi, Radhanpur and Thawar.
» Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar on 19th April.
» The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Global AYUSH Investment & Innovation Summit 2022 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 20 April.
Adijati Maha Sammelan in Dahod
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi attended the Adijati Maha Sammelan in Dahod on 20 April 2022.
- He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth around Rs 22,000 crore.
Projects:
» The Prime Minister inaugurated projects worth over Rs 1400 crore.
- He inaugurated Dahod District Southern Area Regional Water Supply Scheme, constructed on Narmada River Basin, worth around Rs 840 crore. It will cater to the water supply needs of around 280 villages in Dahod District and Devgadh Baria city.
» Prime Minister also inaugurated five projects of Dahod Smart City worth around Rs 335 crore.
- These projects include Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC) Building, Storm water drainage system, Sewerage works, Solid Waste Management System and Rain Water Harvesting System.
- Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, benefits worth Rs.120 crore were provided to 10,000 tribal of Panchmahal and Dahod districts
» Prime Minister also inaugurated 66 KV Ghodia substation, Panchayat Houses, Anganwadis, among others.
» Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for manufacturing of 9000 HP Electric Locomotives at the Production Unit in Dahod.
- The cost of the project is around Rs.20,000 crore.
- Dahod workshop, established in 1926 for periodic overhaul of steam locomotives, will be upgraded to electric locomotive manufacturing unit with infrastructural improvements.
» Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of various projects of the State government worth around Rs 550 crore.
- This includes water supply related projects worth about Rs.300 crore, Dahod Smart City projects worth around Rs.175 crores, works related to Dudhimati river project, GETCO Substation at Ghodia, among others.
International
UK Prime Minister on India visit
⇒ Hon’ble Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, visited to India from 21-22 April 2022 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. This was his first visit to India as Prime Minister of UK.
- Prime Minister Modi held bilateral consultations with the visiting Prime Minister at Hyderabad House.
Highlights:
» Both leaders agreed to transform defence and security cooperation as a key element of India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed opportunities for defence collaboration including on co-development and co-production for meeting the needs of Armed Forces of both the countries.
- Both sides issued a Joint Statement for further intensifying cooperation on Cyber Security particularly in the areas of cyber governance, cyber deterrence and safeguarding critical national infrastructure.
- They also agreed to closely cooperate on countering the persistent threat of terrorism and radical extremism.
» Two MoUs on implementation of India-UK Global Innovation Partnership and on the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) were exchanged during the visit.
- Through the Global Innovation Partnership, India and UK have agreed to co-finance up to £ 75 million to support the transfer and scale up of climate smart sustainable innovations to third countries.
- The novel GIP Fund created under this Partnership will also aim to raise additional £ 100 million from the market to support Indian innovations.
» The following announcements were also made –
- Strategic Tech Dialogue – Ministerial-level dialogue on new and emerging communication technologies such as 5G, AI etc.
- Collaboration on Integrated Electric Propulsion – Co-development of technology between the two Navies.
» Both reiterated commitment to ambitious climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and in implementing the Glasgow Climate Pact.
- They agreed to enhance cooperation on rapid deployment of clean energy including off-shore wind energy and green hydrogen and work closely for early operationalisation of the Global Green Grids-One Sun One World One Grid Initiative (OSOWOG) under ISA and the IRIS platform under CDRI which were jointly launched by India and UK at COP26.
» Both Prime Ministers also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Afghanistan, UNSC, G20 and Commonwealth.
» The two leaders also discussed the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.
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Important Day
Civil Services Day 2022
⇒ The Government of India celebrates 21st April every year as ‘Civil Services day’.
‘Civil Services day’ is observed as an occasion for the civil servants to rededicate themselves to the cause of citizen and renew their commitments to public service and excellence in work.
» This year the 15th ‘Civil Services day’ was celebrated.
Theme:
The theme for Civil Services Day 2022 was “Vision India@2047 – Bringing Citizens and Government closer”.
Background:
- This date is chosen to commemorate the day when first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House, Delhi, he referred to civil servants as the ‘steel frame of India’.
- The first ‘Civil Services day’ was held in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 21 April 2006.