HARSH VARDHAN INAUGURATED 7TH MASCRADE 2021
The 7th edition of ‘MASCRADE 2021 – Movement against Smuggled & Counterfeit Trade’ was inaugurated by Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister of Health and Family welfare.
The two-day programme was organized by FICCI CASCADE (Committee against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy), to combat illicit trade, especially in a post COVID era.
The event provided a platform to deliberate and discuss actionable, innovative policy solutions that can reverse the rising incidences of counterfeit, smuggled and spurious products, causing significant damage to the economy of the nation, health and safety of people worldwide.
Ur’ KHAND INAUGURATED CHILD FRIENDLY POLICE STATION
Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat will inaugurate the first child-friendly police station of Uttarakhand, which is meant to provide a friendly environment to children associated with crimes.
The child-friendly police unit has been set up in the Dalanwala police station with a budget of about Rs 5 lakhs on the recommendation of the Child Protection Committee of Uttarakhand.
According to the chairperson of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) Usha Negi, the children who are either victims or need proper counselling or visit police station due to other reasons should be provided with a comfortable and unintimidating environment rather than keeping them in a dull and scary atmosphere.
To keep children at ease, the walls are painted in bright colours and cartoons and the police personnel will also be dressed in casual clothes rather than their uniforms.
ARJUN MUNDA INAUGURATED ‘SHRAMSHAKTI’ PORTAL
The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has launched a National Migration Support Portal “ShramShakti”, during a virtual programme organised at Panjim, Goa.
The portal will help the government in smooth formulation of state and national level programs for migrant workers.
Shram Shakti portal will address the data gap and empower migrant workers who generally migrate in search of employment and income generation.
The government would also be able to link the migrant population with existing Welfare Scheme- under Atam Nirbhar Bharat.
The minister also launched “ShramSaathi”, a training manual for migrant workers, to ensure that the process of livelihood migration is safe and productive.
Apart from this, a dedicated Migration cell was also launched in Goa to facilitate and support migrants who come from different States to Goa.
This makes Goa first destination state of India to set up a dedicated migration cell to address diverse issues of migrant workers.
INDIA’S LONGEST ROAD ARCH BRIDGE IN MEGHALAYA
Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma has inaugurated India’s longest road arch bridge “Wahrew Bridge” at Sohbar in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya on 22 January 2021.
The project was sanctioned in 2013 and, the work started in 2014. The construction of the bridge was completed in December 2018.
The arch bridge has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 49.395 crore under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) of the Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER).
The iconic structure is expected to boost the tourism sector in the State.
- Meghalaya Governor: Satya Pal Malik.
- Meghalaya Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma.
AMIT SHAH INAUGURATES NEW 4-LANE RAILWAY OVERBRIDGE
Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah has inaugurated the new 4-lane Thaltej-Shilaj-Rancharda railway overbridge in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat through video conferencing. The new overbridge has been built at a cost of Rs 55 crore.
There was a big problem of traffic on more than one lakh railway crossings in the country. Railway gates would open and close more than 100 times a day, due to which the costly fuel and precious time was wasted.
In view of this, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi decided and under the leadership of Railway Minister Shri Piyush Goyal, a huge campaign was started in which the work of constructing overbridges or underbridges at these one lakh railway crossings was started.
Today, this overbridge has been inaugurated under the same scheme.
ITBP WINS IHAI NATIONAL ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has won the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) 10th National Ice Hockey Championship trophy after a win over Ladakh in the finals in Gulmarg.
The match was held at Gulmarg Ice Rink. Ladakh has been considered as the capital of ice hockey in India where local men and women play this game with great enthusiasm.
The championship was held at an altitude of 8,694-feet and temperatures below freezing point. Top eight teams of ice hockey in India participated in the event.
Top teams of Ice Hockey in India participated in the Championship organized from January 16 to 22, 2021.
- ITBP Founded: 24 October 1962.
- ITBP Headquarters: New Delhi, India.
- ITBP Director General: S S Deswal.
STATEHOOD DAY OF MEGHALAYA, MANIPUR AND TRIPURA
Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura celebrated the anniversary of their Statehood Day on January 21. January 21, 2021 is the 49th anniversary of the establishment of North-eastern states of Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura.
In October 1949, the former princely states of Tripura and Prince Manipur merged into the Federation of India and became official states on January 21, 1972.
Meghalaya is part of Assam and has obtained full statehood under the Northeast Region (Reorganization) Act of 1971.
Before the north-eastern area transformed into seven sisters with statehood of Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, the territorial creation of the North East involved Assam plains from the Old Assam Province, hill regions, and the North Eastern Frontier Tracts (NEFT) of North-Eastern border land.
Manipur and Tripura were merged into India in 1949 (as part C states) and were granted joint status of Union Territories in 1956.
According to the sixth timetable of the Indian Constitution, in Assam, Meghalaya obtained the status of an autonomous state through the Assam State Reorganization (Meghalaya) Act 1969.
Finally, in 1972, the Northeast Reorganization Act of 1971 granted Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur were granted full statehood.
BUSINESS STANDARD BANKER OF THE YEAR 2019-20
Shyam Srinivasan, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Federal Bank, is the Business Standard Banker of the Year for 2019-20.
The award was given for his bank’s consistent healthy performance at a time when most of its peers witnessed large stress on asset quality, registered losses, or even invited regulatory actions.
The unanimous decision was taken by a high-profile jury of five, chaired by former RBI deputy governor S S Mundra.
He was chosen for his bank’s consistent healthy performance at a time when most of its peers witnessed losses or other issues.
- Federal Bank Founder: K.P Hormis.
- Federal Bank Founded: 23 April 1931.
DRDO SUCCESSFULLY TEST FLIGHTS ‘SAAW’
The DRDO successfully conducted captive and release trial of indigenously developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from Hawk-I aircraft of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) off the Odisha coast.
This was the 9th successful mission of SAAW conducted by DRDO till now and the first test conducted from the Hawk-i aircraft.
About Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW):
The 125 Kg class smart weapon SAAW was successfully test-fired from Indian Hawk-Mk132 of HAL. SAAW is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) Hyderabad.
It is capable of engaging ground enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxi tracks, and runways among others, up to a range of 100 km.
PARAKRAM DIWAS CELEBRATED ON 23RD JANUARY
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s, 125th birth anniversary on 23 January 2021 is observed as Parakram Diwas. The day is celebrated to honour and remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation.
Netaji’ was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack in Odisha. He graduated from Kolkata and proved his mettle by becoming an Indian Civil Services (ICS) officer. But he left the comfort and amenities that came with his job and decided to be part of the freedom struggle.
With the slogan “Give me blood and I will give you freedom”, he awakened the country towards fighting against the British.
Netaji built a force known as the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) giving the slogan of “Dilli Chalo”. Thousands of soldiers of his 60,000-strong army sacrificed their lives for the country.
At the time of India’s Independence, Clement Attlee the British Prime Minister said that the loyalty of the Indian army and navy to the British state was declining due to the increasing military activities of Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj and this was one of the major reasons that nudged Britishers into leaving India.