PM MODI DEDICATED ARJUN MK-1A TO ARMY
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handed over the indigenous main battle tank Arjun Mk-1A to the Army in a function at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane received the model of the tank, designed and developed by Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE), a unit of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
A tank made in Tamil Nadu will be used in our northern borders to keep the nation safe.
This showcases India’s united spirit — Bharat’s Ekta Darshan,”. The indent for 118 of these tanks would be placed shortly with the Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) at Avadi near Chennai.
WORLD BANK SIGNS 100 MILLION USD FOR CHIRAAG
Indian Govt and Chhattisgarh Govt has signed a $100 million for CHIRAAG (Chhattisgarh Inclusive Rural and Accelerated Agriculture Growth) project with the World bank.
The main purpose is to develop sustainable production systems that allow tribal households in remote areas of Chhattisgarh to practice round-the-year production of diversified and nutritious food.
The project will be implemented in the southern tribal-majority region of the state where a large population is undernourished and poor.
Over 180,000 households from about 1,000 villages in eight districts of Chhattisgarh, will be benefited from this project.
- World Bank Headquarters: Washington DC, United States.
- World Bank President: David Malpass.
- World Bank Founded: July 1944.
- Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh: Bhupesh Baghel
- Governor: Anusuiya Uikey.
NITIN GADKARI LAUNCH INDIA’S FIRST CNG TRACTOR
Union road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari has launched India’s first-ever diesel tractor, converted to a much cleaner (compressed natural gas) CNG variant.
With this, farmers will be able to save more than ₹1 trillion annually on fuel cost, which will help them to improve their livelihood.
This conversion is jointly done by Rawmatt Techno Solutions and Tomasetto Achille India. The CNG tractor will help farmers to increase their income, by lowering costs and help to create job opportunities in rural India.
The farmers can save up to 50 per cent on the fuel cost as the current Diesel prices are around 77 rupees per litre whereas CNG is only 42 rupees per kilogram.
The conversion from diesel to CNG will be beneficial as it is a clean fuel with the lowest carbon and pollutant content. It is also economical as it has zero lead and is non-corrosive, non-dilutive and non-contaminating which helps in increasing the life of the engine.
MANDU FESTIVAL BEGINS IN MADHYA PRADESH
The three-day famous “Mandu Festival” began at the historic town of Mandu in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh on February 13, 2021. The festival will culminate on February 15, 2021.
The festival is organised by the state government of Madhya Pradesh to showcase each and every aspect of the ancient Mandu city, ranging from food, music, history & heritage, art & craft etc.
During the festival, the state culture and tourism minister Usha Thakur inaugurated the newly constructed Dino Adventure Park and Fossils Museum in Mandu and construction of Astro Park building at a cost of Rs 59 lakh.
The Dinosaur Park is the first modern fossil park in India which has 24 eggs and other fossils of dinosaurs on display.
SERB WOMEN EXCELLENCE AWARD 2021
The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has announced the SERB Women Excellence Award for the year 2021, on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Four young women fellows of National Science Academies have been awarded SERB Women Excellence Award 2021.
The winners include:
Dr Shobhna Kapoor – Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, working in the area of Chemical Biology with expertise in ‘Host-Pathogen Interactions and Membrane Biology, Chemical Biology and Biophysics.
Dr Antara Banerjee – Scientist B National Institute For Research In Reproductive Health, Mumbai, Maharashtra from the Health Sciences area with expertise in Signal Transduction, Biology of Reproduction and Endocrinology.
Dr Sonu Gandhi – Scientist D from National Institute Of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad from Bionanotechnology area focusing on Nanosensors, Design and Fabrication of Label-free Biosensors.
Dr Ritu Gupta – Assistant Professor at Indian Institute Of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan working on Nanotechnology with expertise in Materials Science, Nanodevices and Sensors, Health & Energy.
It is a one-time award being presented by SERB to women scientists since 2013 to support basic research in the frontier areas of science and engineering. The women scientists should be below 40 years of age.
She must have received recognition from any one or more of the National Academies such as Young Scientist Medal, Young Associateship, etc. The award provides a grant of Rs. 15 lakhs for a period of three years to the awardees to pursue their research ideas.
PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS PENS MEMOIR ‘UNFINISHED’
Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas officially turned author with the release of her first book, “Unfinished: A Memoir”, which she described as “honest, raw and vulnerable”.
The end result is a book, published by the Michael Joseph imprint, which covers her dual-continent 20-year-long career as an actor and producer and her work as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador.
The memoir promises to offer insights into Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ childhood in India, her formative teenage years in the US.
Her return to India resulted in the newcomer to the pageant world, against all odds, winning the national and international beauty competitions – Miss India and Miss World – that launched her global acting career.
WORLD RADIO DAY: 13TH FEBRUARY
World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February each year to recognize radio as a powerful medium, which brings people together from every corner of the globe, to promote diversity and help build a more peaceful and inclusive world.
The theme of World Radio Day 2021 is “New World, New Radio”. On the occasion of World Radio Day 2021 (WRD 2021), UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate this event’s 10th anniversary and the more than 110 years of radio through three sub-themes.
Evolution: The world changes, radio evolves – radio is resilient and sustainable, Innovation: The world changes, radio adapts and innovates- radio adapts to new technologies and remains the go-to medium of mobility, accessible everywhere and to everyone.
Connection: The world changes, radio connects – radio services our society during natural disasters, socio-economic crises, epidemics, etc.
The day was Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).
- UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
- UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.