Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated 22 bamboo clusters in nine states by virtual mode. Indian Forest Act 1927 was amended in 2017 to remove bamboo for the category of trees so that anyone can undertake cultivation and business in bamboo.
A logo for the National Bamboo Mission was also released.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved Asset Monetization of subsidiaries of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited through Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT). It will undertake monetization of its Tariff Based Competitive Bidding assets.
InvIT facilitates investment in the infrastructure sector.
The Delhi government will once again launch a mass awareness campaign "10 hafte 10 baje 10 din" aimed at preventing dengue as well as other vector-borne diseases. The government’s campaign will continue every Sunday for the next 10 weeks.
The campaign was first launched in 2019.
To provide robust support to innovators and entrepreneurs, Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog has partnered with Freshworks to increase the efficacy of the institutions and start-ups in the AIM portfolio and foster innovation among innovators.
Freshworks - A cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) company.
Tata Consultancy Services partnered with Transnet Port Terminals, state-owned freight transport and handling company to help develop an integrated online marketplace platform by bringing together cargo owners, shipping lines, and road/rail haulers.
A new platform named Cargo Connected will also be created.
ISA signed an MoU with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and World Bank to design a plan for implementing ‘One Solar One World and One Grid’. It also signed an MoU with NTPC Ltd, for implementing solar energy projects in 47 member countries of ISA.
Currently, 121 countries have agreed to be members of ISA.
India and the ADB signed a 500 million US dollar loan for Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor. This is the first tranche of a total one-billion-dollar facility. The 82-km long corridor will reduce the journey time to one hour.
Asian Development Bank HQ: Mandaluyong, Philippines.
Radha Nair’s 'Breaking The Cocoon @ 40' is a delightful collection of select events from her life, which also holds a mirror to the time the incidents are set in. The book ends with a moving poem written on the eve of her husband’s first death anniversary.
Book by Nair & her friend -The God Who Rules A Kingdom.
India’s agriculture technology sector has the potential to grow manifold to $24.1 billion in the next five years, according to a report by Ernst and Young. The report also forecasts startups expanding horizontally to service end-to-end needs of farmers.
Ernst & Young HQ; London, UK.
CEO: Carmine Di Sibio.
The 3- day long Indo-Russian young scholars International Conference 2020 was organized by Eurasian Foundation in collaboration with Indian Centre under Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences and Russian Centre for Science and Culture.
2020 Conference "India-Russia domestic & bilateral developments"
Mahindra Insurance Brokers (MIBL) has launched a digital insurance portal, PayBima to help customers directly buy insurance policies online providing end-to-end services. Customers will be able to buy car, two-wheeler, health and life insurance products.
Mahindra Insurance Brokers Limited – Jaideep Devare.
To automate the process of interpretation of growing seismic data to explore causes of earthquake, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology(WIHG) under Dept of Science & Tech developed a neural-based approach for automatic interpretation of 3D seismic data.
It is the first approach developed by computing meta-attribute.
Former England batsman Ian Bell has announced his retirement from professional cricket. Bell, who won six trophies with Warwickshire intends to pursue a coaching career. He is the last player to retire out of all those who featured in 2005 Ashes series.
Bell also played 161 one-day internationals and eight Twenty20s.
International Day to Protect Education from Attack to be celebrated for the first time in 2020. It draws attention to the plight of more than 75 million 3-to-18-year-olds living in 35 crisis-affected countries & to their urgent need of educational support.
Theme for 2020: "Protect Education, Save a Generation".
Oscar-winning Czech director Jiri Menzel has died aged 82. He won an Academy Award in 1968 for the best foreign-language film for World War Two drama Closely Watched Trains. Menzel received a second Oscar nomination for his film My Sweet Little Village.
Closely Watched Trains was based on a novel by Bohumil Hrabal.
The seer, known as Srimad Jagadguru Sri Sri Sankaracharya Thotakacharya Kesavananda Bharati Sripadaganlavaru, headed the mutt since 1961. He was a petitioner of the historic judgement of the Supreme Court on a Fundamental Rights case.
Edneer Mutt is located at Kasaragod in Kerala.
South actor Jaya Prakash Reddy, who was best-known for his comic and villainous roles in Telugu films, died. Jaya Prakash Reddy featured in a number of Telugu and Tamil films like Brahma Puthrudu, Samarasimha Reddy, Uthamaputhiran, Aaru, etc.,
Telegu Cinema is also known as Tollywood.