Daily News

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Pattiseema will help revive Krishna delta, says CM

The Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme will help revive the Krishna delta to its past glory and infuse life back into the Krishna that has dried up completely.

The project has one of the largest pump house in Asia with 24 pumping units spread across an area of 7,476 sq m.

These pumps deliver water drawn from the river Godavari in Pattiseema into the Polavaram Project Right Main Canal for the benefit of farmers in the Krishna river delta.

Did you Know

Andhra Pradesh
Chief minister: N. Chandrababu Naidu
Capitals: Hyderabad, Amaravati
AP is known as Egg bowl of Asia.

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Maharashtra scores poorly in water management: Niti Aayog report

According to the latest Niti Aayog report, Maharashtra’s water management efforts has dropped very low in overall rankings.

Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) reflects not only poor planning at the ground level but also policy omissions resulting in low irrigation potential, poor restoration of water bodies, average access to drinking water and treatment of waste.

Report is likely to be a setback to Maharashtra’s government plans to present state as a leader in water management. Government has also launched flagship Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan promising to make the State drought-free by 2019. The Abhiyan was launched in 2016 with an aim to make 5,000 villages free of water scarcity every year.

The report ranks Gujarat as number one followed by Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Did you Know

CWMI has been developed by NITI Aayog comprising 9 broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of ground water, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance.

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18,000 bank branches, post offices have Aadhaar facility now: UIDAI

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had in July last year asked private as well as public sector banks to set up Aadhaar facility in at least one out of 10 branches.

18,000 centres have come up for enrolment and updation of the biometric ID at such locations.

Overall, about 26,000 centres are slated to come up at banks and post offices.

The 'Bank Aadhaar Kendras' are being set up with a view to making the Aadhaar verification process of bank accounts convenient.

Did you Know

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (“Aadhaar Act 2016”) on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

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Online shopping may get costlier, thanks to Maharashtra plastic ban

Maharashtra government has banned the use of plastic in the state and this may make online shopping expensive.

Due to plastic ban, the e-commerce industry has started using corrugated box particles and paper softeners to package products shipped inside and outside Maharashtra, which may lead to rise in packaging cost and ultimately delivery cost.

Paper packing costs higher than plastic and thermacoal packing by as much as 50 to 70 per cent.

Did you Know

Maharashtra’s CM: Devendra Fadnavis
Capital: Mumbai
Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao

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Surat Smart City Selected for ‘City Award’

Nine awards in three categories, i.e., Project Award, Innovative Idea Award and City Award have been announced under the India Smart Cities Awards, which was launched on June 25, 2017.

The city award is being given to Surat for showing great momentum in implementation of projects especially in the categories of urban environment, transport and mobility and sustainable integrated development.

The Innovative Idea award is being given to Bhopal for their Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and Ahmedabad for Safe and Secure Ahmedabad (SASA) Project.

The Project awards are being given to most innovative and successful projects in seven categories that have been completed by April 1, 2018. In this separate award for each of the 7 (Seven) Urban themes was given.

Did you Know

India Smart Cities Award were launched on 25 June 2017 with an objective to reward cities, projects and innovative ideas, promoting sustainable development in cities

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4 Tamil Nadu dams in Kerala to come under national safety panel

The Union government has decided to bring the policy, guidelines and standards for safety of four dams located in Kerala but owned, operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu under the proposed National Dam Safety Authority.

The dams are Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam, Thunakadavu and Peruvaripallam.

Under the amended draft Bill, the state that maintains and operates a dam will own it.

Did you Know

The objective of Dam Safety Bill, 2018 is to help develop uniform, countrywide procedures for ensuring the safety of dams.

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Delhi govt schools to have ‘Happiness curriculum’

Delhi government school students from nursery to Class VIII will be taught a ‘happiness curriculum’, which will be launched by the Dalai Lama.

The curriculum focuses on meditation, moral teachings, and mental exercises, with the aim of turning students into good human beings.

Did you Know

India stands at an abysmally low at 122 out of 155 countries evaluated in the 2017 World Happiness Report.
The motive behind the launch of Happiness Curriculum is to educate people that the purpose of education is not just to push students continuously to get good marks but it is also to create an environment where a student is happy, confident and self-aware.

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AR Rahman appointed Sikkim's brand ambassador for a year

Famed Indian composer and singer-songwriter A.R. Rahman has been appointed the first brand ambassador of the Sikkim government.

Earlier this year, Rahman had been made Sikkim's brand ambassador of tourism and business.

In 2010, Rahman was conferred the country's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan.

Did you Know

A R Rahman started his journey in the film industry with "Roja" in 1992, and went on to establish his signature of fusing various musical elements in his compositions which include classical and contemporary to very earthy sounds of nature.
He has earned tags like "music maestro" and "Mozart of Madras".

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Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian resigns due to personal reasons

Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian will be leaving the finance ministry because of "pressing family commitments" and will shift base to the US.

Subramanian took charge as the CEA on October 16, 2014 for a period of three years. In 2017, his term was extended for a year.

Did you Know

Arvind Subramanian conceptualised JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile) as a data base for availing public benefits.
He launched the Government’s online education platform “Swayam”, which became one of the most followed courses in India.
He conducted the first online course on Indian economy for the benefits of students and teachers across the country.

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RuPay takes small finance bank route for network expansion

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is using its network of small finance banks (SFBs) and payments banks to expand its RuPay card network to low income and rural individuals.

Both SFBs and payments banks were licensed by the RBI to drive greater financial inclusion.

RuPay plans extensive incentive-based promotions to promote usage of cards, at both point-of-sale terminals and e-commerce portals.

Did you Know

RuPay is an Indian domestic card scheme conceived and launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on 26 March 2012.
Headquarters- Mumbai, India