Due to increased tensions at the borders India has increased its strategic siege against China. After restricting the imports from China, Indian oil companies have now decided that they will stop buying crude oil from China. Bharat petroleum, Indian oil, Hindustan petroleum and Mangalore refinery are some of the companies which according to the new rules have revised that terms of import from China. Before this Aramco, a Saudi Arab company had broken its contract of words of few thousand crore dollars with China.

The Chinese companies from which Indian companies will stop buying crude oil include Petrochina and Unipec. Last month India had revised many rules relating to import. According to the new rules the government has made strict rules when it comes to the import from the neighbouring countries. although it is to be kept in mind that none of the Indian oil companies have made any official announcement regarding the same.

Creativity, what exactly does it mean? It’s something which happens when people get motivated by certain things and make effective use of it. One does not have to get motivated only by his/her ideals or any kind of super heroes. They can get motivated and inspired by their surroundings, by friends, families or any other things. There is no limitation on creativity, it can flow easily.

Now the question arises, whether technology limits creativity? It can be considered as a common question among the people. Most people point that technology affects and limits creativity. Technology is introduced by people themselves and it also completely depends upon them how effectively they can make use of it. When technology itself is formed by the creativity of the person, how can it limit creativity? At present, people have started misusing their own creation because of which it can limit creativity and thinking of the person.

Earlier only s few people knew about technology and most of the work used to be done manually. But now the situation is completely different, as technology went on advancing, it created many useful machines yo help people know their workplace do as to save time. It has also made advancement in terms of communication from Pager to mobile Phones, laptop: from B&W T.V. to LED T.V. etc,. Technology is still advancing and launching new products to fascinate people are something that I’d impossible without creativity. But here we have one great disadvantage. Though these new technologies seem fascinating, it had resulted in many people becoming lazy.

Nowadays people totally rely upon advancing technology. They don’t want to come up with their own creation. Mobile phones are one of the greatest invention with advanced facilities like WhatsAppp, Facebook, etc,. Even money transaction can be done through these phones. One can get news from all over the world by simply browsing. Because of the these facilities people are completely engrossed in their mobile phones and neglect other work. Overusr of these technologies is not good for people. It can make people stressed, can affect their eyesight and also lead to lack of concentration in their work.

Technologies have also created various types of video games, mobile games etc,. which attract the interest of small kids. This makes the kids so involved in these games that they lose interest in their studies. They also lost interest in playing games physically. So it is very important to keep a control on the usage of these technological inventions.

Although technology helps ease the work of people, one should not completely rely upon it. They should also try to come up with their own creations and try to make use of those creations effectively. One should not forget that each and every one is gifted with certain talents and they should identify it. Technology itself is a creativity of some person: it can never limit creativity of any other person. It all depends on people, how they look at technology: a motivation or just a helping hand.

Many of must have felt lack of motivation in some or other point in life,we humans need some sort of motivation to achieve our goals in life, and if goals are pretty hard to achieve we need to put extra effort along with motivation,but most of us lack in motivation.We humans have the tendency when we first think of goals we are full of motivation and energy but with time we lost the motivation and don’t feel like to continue to work in order to achieve our goals.

So how we must feel motivated all the time.The very basic thing we need to understand is that “Nothing comes for free”.In order to achieve something in life we need put our 100% and for feeling motivated all the time we need to understand how our brain works, human brains are responsible for the functioning of body, for making important decision.Our mind is like an Horse which desires for fun thing is actually lazy don’t want to do anything.

So the idea here is to train our brain to focus on important things such as goal do not let your mind control you rather than u must control it.For training our brain in right direction.The very first thing you need to do is Talk to yourself i know this sounds little silly but this is important start talking to yourself. Talk about the problems you are having in life and about fulfilling some sort of goal.If you will talk your brain will start thinking about it and will work to find the solution’s.Secondly Think about the consequences if you wont be able to fulfill the goal.Suppose your goal is to get a job then think about the if you will not get it,some sort of fear is necessary for felling motivated.Read or watch about successful people take inspiration for them. If you get fail at some point of life do not loose hope instead take it as some form of motivation try to understand why you failed fix it and again try. Make a schedule of constantly working on things which are important and in some time it will become your habit Your mind will be trained to focus on important thing rather than wasting time.

More or less motivation will only come when you will think about achieving your goals keeping all kind of excuses aside and working for it.Deep inside we all know if one is intended to achieve something he/she will naturally feel motivated.There is shortcut in life if you intend to do something just do it whether you feel motivated or not just start doing it in sometime it will become interesting.

India is always known to be a land of believes and miracles, its culture and heritage is one of the most renowned which furnish it a very valuable position amidst all other countries in the world.The Ministry of Culture has a crucial role to play in the preservation and propagation of art and culture. The goal is to establish ways and means by which basic cultural and esthetic values and expectations remain active and diverse among people. It also undertakes projects to encourage diverse forms of modern art. The Department is a nodal body for the commemoration of global events and the celebration of the centenary of great artists. Prahlad Singh Patel is the new Minister for Education. The Government has recently founded the National Library Project of India under this Ministry.

The history and culture of India is diverse, going back to the dawn of human society. It starts with a strange community along the Indus River and in agricultural societies in the southern region of India. India ‘s history is characterized by the relentless convergence of migrants with the different communities that surround India. Accessible data indicates that the use of iron, copper and other metals was common in the Indian sub-continent at a relatively early point, which is representative of the development that this region of the world has made. By the end of the fourth millennium BC, India had arisen as a area with highly evolved culture.

According to a consensus in modern biology, anatomically modern humans first arrived from Africa in the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. However, the oldest recorded human remains in South Asia date back to 30,000 years ago. Settled life, which includes the transition from foraging to farming and pastoralism, started around 7,000 BCE in South Asia. The presence of wheat and barley domestication can be recorded at the site of Mehrgarh, Balochistan, Pakistan, accompanied immediately by the presence of goats, sheep and cattle.

By 4500 A.D., urban culture had spread more widely, and eventually started to develop into the Indus Valley Civilization, the early civilization of the Old World, which was contemporaneous with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. This civilisation existed between 2500 B.C. and 1900 B.C. in what is now Pakistan and Northwest India, and was known for its town planning, baked brick buildings, extensive irrigation and water supply.

The actual history of India begins with the founding of the Indus Valley Civilization, known more specifically as the Harappan Civilization. It flourished about 2,500 BC, in the western part of South Asia, what is now Pakistan and Western India. The Indus Valley was home to the oldest of the four ancient metropolitan civilizations in Egypt , Mesopotamia, India and China. Nothing was known about this civilization until the 1920s, when the Indian Archeological Department carried out excavations in the Indus Valley, in the remains of the two ancient cities, viz. Mohenjodaro and Harappa were revealed.

The Indus Valley Civilization was largely an agricultural civilization, and people lived in well-planned and well-built settlements, which were also centres of commerce. The ruins of Mohenjodaro and Harappa indicate that these were splendid trading cities — well built, scientifically organized, and well looked after. They had large roads and well-developed irrigation networks. The buildings were built of bricks and had two or three storeys.

A lot of monarchs invaded India afterwards, a lot of civilizations came into existence. Some important time periods in Indian History are The vedic civilization, the Buddhist era, Gupta Dynasty, Alexander’s Invasion, Gupta Dynasty, and Harshavardhana. All these rulers contributed in the enhancement of the history and culture in their own ways tho they had also got a lot from the country also.

Chadwick Boseman, who played the iconic role of Black Panther in Marvel Cinematic Universe, died on Friday because of cancer. He was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family stated. He was just 43 when he left the world.

Chadwick was born in South Carolina, United States and was graduated from Howard University in year 2000. Boseman got his first television role in 2003, in an episode of Third Watch. That same year, he portrayed Reggie Montgomery in the daytime soap opera All My Children, but stated that he was fired after voicing concerns to producers about racist stereotypes in the script.

In year 2008, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting as a career. In the same year, he played recurring role in the television series Lincoln Heights. He had his first starring role in 2013 film 42. After that, he did many films and played many different characters in them. But the fame he got the most was because of the character of Black Panther/T’Challa, which was first seen in 2016 movie Captain America: Civil War. He headlined Black Panther in 2018 which was focused on his character and his home country Wakanda. He was then visible in the movies Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame portraying the same character, which were released in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Both films were the highest grossing of the year they were released, with Endgame going on to become the highest-grossing film of all time. The sequel of the film Black Panther was also announced to be released next year.

Because of his epic role in these movies, Boseman has a huge fan following from all over the world. Many of his fans are from India who are feeling sorrow for the dismissal of one of their favourite characters and are giving condolences to his family and friends for the same.

Election Commission of India today bade a warm farewell to outgoing Election Commissioner Sh Ashok Lavasa who is moving on to take up the prestigious assignment as Vice-President, Asian Development Bank at Manila, Philippines. Sh Ashok Lavasa had joined ECI as Election Commissioner on the 23rd of January 2018 and would hold the office of the Election Commission till 31st August 2020.

Bidding him farewell, CEC Sh Sunil Arora wished Sh Ashok Lavasa the very best ahead for meeting bigger challenges and achieving more milestones. He mentioned that ECI’s loss is ADB’s gain where Sh. Lavasa’s competence would now be available at the wider multilateral platform for the daunting task of restructuring economies in post-Covid scenario.

            On the occasion, Election Commissioner Sh. Sushil Chandra in his speech appreciated the  working of Sh. Ashok Lavasa in Ministry of Finance earlier. He specially applauded Sh Lavasa for his guidance in framing of broad guidelines for elections to be held in Covid times.

            Sh. Ashok Lavasa said he would remember his two and a half year stint at the Commission as a memorable experience. He acknowledged that it was a difficult choice for him whether to continue in ECI or move on to the global canvas of ADB.

            The Commission also bid farewell to outgoing Director Sh Vikram Batra, Director Election Expenditure as he returns to his cadre after completing his term at Election Commission of India.

            Volume VI of Landmark Judgments, a compendium of judgments delivered by Hon’ble Supreme Court and various High Courts from January 2017 to May 2019, that is, till the conclusion of Lok Sabha General Election 2019, was also released today. Commission released its e-version also https://eci.gov.in/ebooks/landmark-judgment/index.html for wider reach. It consists of 29 significant judgments covering various aspects of electoral process like nomination, affidavit, EVM VVPAT, Model Code of Conduct, corrupt practices and other related matters. This volume also lists the judgments already published by ECI in previous five volumes of Landmark Judgments. Additionally, the volume also lists 632 cases filed in the Hon’ble Supreme Court and Hon’ble High Courts during the period leading to General Election, 2019.

            Chief Election Commissioner Shri Sunil Arora in his message said “I harbour the sanguine hope that this publication would further illuminate us about the domain of election law and embolden the officials concerned to execute the gigantic exercise by taking solace in the fact that their actions have consistently earned the approbation of judiciary.”

            Sh. Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner, in his message said “This volume will broaden understanding of the laws governing the vast electoral exercise of our country.”

            Sh. Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioner, in his remarks hoped that thisvolume will benefit all citizens of the country in understanding the election process.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare along with Sh. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh digitally inaugurated the Super Speciality Block (SSB) in Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College, Indore in the presence of Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare. The Medical College was also the nodal agency for a NCDC sero-survey. The report was released today.

The SSB is built with an investment of Rs 237 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). It has departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic surgery, Nephrology, Urology, Medical Gastroenterology, Surgical Gastroenterology, Plastic & Reconstructive surgery and an Organ Transplant unit. The new Block has 10 Operation Theaters, 327 Super Specialty Beds, 92 ICU Beds and has a training capacity of 30 DM/MCh and 28 PG students.

The Union Health Minister expressed deep gratitude for then Prime Minister Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision of a healthy nation. Reminding the audience of Sh. Vajpayee’s announcement in his Independence Day speech on 15^th August 2003 to correct the imbalances in the availability of affordable healthcare facilities in different parts of the country and augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the existing ones, Dr. Harsh Vardhan elaborated on vision of Shri Vajpayee of “setting up of six AIIMS Institutions and up-gradation of existing Government Medical Colleges and Institutions. Since 2014, this scheme was pursued with renewed vigour and saw the setting up of 22 new AIIMS and projects for up-gradation of 75 Government Medical Colleges.” Eight Medical Colleges are set up in Madhya Pradesh while the government is committed to building another six in the aspirational districts of Rajgarh, Mandla, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Sheopur and Singrauli, he added. He also expressed confidence that the NCDC regional centre being built in Bhopal will be completed by the end of the year.

The Union Health Minister stated that the Centre has provided 13.99 lakh N95 masks, 7.97 lakh PPEs, 54 lakh HCQ and 679 ventilators to Madhya Pradesh to strengthen it efforts to fight COVID-19. This is supplemented by 2,32,620 RNA extraction kits,  5,87,140 RT-PCR kits, and 2,55,850 VTM kits provided by the Central Government.

Informing everyone of the massive development work undertaken in the health sector by Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “We are poised and determined to eliminate TB by 2025, five years before the entire global deadline. Also, the innovative Mission Indradhanush aims to immunize every child against 12 diseases and replicate the success of Polio eradication campaign. The government hopes to push maternal mortality, infant mortality and under-five mortality to near zero.”

Elaborating on the Ayushman Bharat Yojana -HWC and the recently launched National Digital Health Mission, he said, “National Digital Health Mission has already been launched in 6 Union territories and will be rolled out in other states in the coming three to six months. This combined with telemedicine facilities available in the HWCs will be very helpful for big states like Madhya Pradesh to achieve the stated goal.” He impressed upon the State leadership present to personally supervise these schemes for their effective implementation.

Remembering the contribution of Ex-Speaker of Lok Sabha Smt. Sumitra Mahajan and former Health and Family Welfare Minister Sh. Jagat Prakash Nadda in this project, Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey expressed his happiness that “the hospital was completed one year before its schedule.”

Sh. Shivraj Singh Chouhan thanked the Union Government for its proactive role in strengthening the health infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh. He mentioned that the Central Health Ministry oversaw the installation of COVID testing facilities in 76 government labs after the State was forced to airlift swab-samples to other cities during the onset of the COVID Pandemic.

Ms. Usha Thakur, Cabinet Minister for Tourism, Culture, Adhyatm, Madhya Pradesh, Sh. Tulsiram Silawat, Cabinet Minister for Water Resources, Fisheries Welfare and Fisheries Development, Madhya Pradesh, Sh.Vishvash Sarang, Cabinet Minister for Medical Education, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Madhya Pradesh, Sh. Kailash Vijayvargiya, Ex-Cabinet Minister, Madhya Pradesh, Sh. Shankar Lalwani, Member of Lok Sabha from Indore and Sh. Akash Vijayvargiya, MLA, Indore were present at the event.

On mission mode, Indian Railways has taken a number of initiatives to boost  Freight Operations inspite of COVID 19 related challenges. Because of these initiatives, the freight loading in the month of August 2020(till 27th August 2020) is 4.3% higher, compare to last year for the same month. In the month of August 2020 (till 27th August 2020) the total freight loading was 81.33 million tonnes which is higher than last year for the same month (77.97 million tonnes).

Indian Railways has taken a series of  initiatives  in Tariff and  Non-Tariff  field.

Utilizing Covid period as an opportunity Indian Railways substantially increase the speed of Freight Trains. 72 % increase in average speed of Freight Trains in the year 2020-21 as compared to last year.  94 % increase took place in speed of Freight Trains in August 2020 compared to August 2019.  

Following are the latest Tariff Rationalisation  initiatives (measures) taken by Indian Railways to boost  Freight Operations:

1. 5% discount on loaded containers ( addition to 25% on empty ) for Containers from 03.08.2020.

2. Discount for Pond ash/ Moisturised ash – Open wagon – 40% for  Power plants, Cement from 03.08.2020.

3. Revision in classification of Industrial salt from 120 to 100A for Chemical Industry from 03.08.2020.

4. Stabling charges for private Container and Automobile trains waived off till 31st October 2020 for Containers and Automobile from 03.08.2020.

Following are some other Tariff Rationalisation initiatives (measures) taken by Indian Railways to boost  Freight Operations:

1. Withdrawal of Busy Season charge  – 15% for All sectors Except Coal, Iron ore and containers from 1.10.2019.

2. Withdrawal of 5 % surcharge of two point/mini rakes  for Cement, Iron and steel, Food grains, Fertilizers, Bulk BOG from 1.10.2019.

3. Discount for Fly ash – Bagged in open wagon – 40% for Power  plants, Cement  from 10.05.2020.

4. Alternate terminal scheme – Rs 56,000 to Rs 80,000 per rake for All sector from 27.06.2020.

5. Round trip Traffic (RTT) policy – charging of lower class for All sectors from 01.07.2020.

6. Long lead concession – 15 to 20% for Coal, Iron ore and Iron and steel from 01.07.2020.

7. Short lead concession – 10 to 50 %  for All sector (except coal and iron ore ) from 01.07.2020.

Following are latest Non-Tariff initiatives (measures) taken by Indian Railways to boost  Freight Operations:

1. Two point unloading permitted for Automobile traffic for Automobiles sector from 05.08.2020.

2. Limit on number of Co-users in Private siding removed for All sectors from 18.08.2020.

3. All private sidings / Good sheds / Private freight terminals opened up for Parcel traffic for Parcels from 18.08.2020.

4. Reduced composition for Indented parcels extended till 31.03.202 for Parcels from 18.08.2020.

5. Extension of time tabled parcel express till 31.12.2020 for Parcels from 19.06.2020.

6. Application fee for Greenfield PFT reduced from Rs 10 Lakh to Rs 20,000 and completely waived off for conversion of siding to Brownfield PFT for All Sectors from 24.08.2020.

7. 23 more two point combinations opened for steel traffic  for Steel sector from 25.08.2020.

8. Freight and parcel helpline through 13 for All sectors from 26.08.2020.

9. Distance restriction on Mini rakes of 1500 km removed with a small surcharge for Cement, Iron and steel , Food grains , Fertilizers, Bulk BOG from 27.08.2020.

Other Measures taken by Indian Railways to boost  Freight Operations are as follows:

1. Business Development Units (BDUs) set up  – Divisions, Zones and Board level.

2. Restrictions on co-use of private sidings removed – 1,079 private sidings allowed to become private freight terminals effectively.

3. 405 Major Good sheds being improved – Concrete surface, bright LED lighting, better roads & labour facilities – To enable 3 shift operations.

4. Time tabled parcel trains.

5. Opening up of export traffic to Bangladesh for Parcels, Containers & Automobile.  

6. Kisan rail introduced from Devlali (Nashik) to Danapur (Patna) on 07.08.2020– Multiple stoppages, Multiple commodities, Multiple parties – Now extended to Muzaffarpur. Link train from Kolhapur to Manmad also added. Now Bi-weekly from 24.08.2020. Total 04 trips have been completed till Now.

Utilizing Covid period as an opportunity Indian Railways substantially increase the speed of Freight Trains. 72 % increase in average speed of Freight Trains in the year 2020-21 as compared to last year.  94 % increase took place in speed of Freight Trains in August 2020 compared to August 2019.  

Online nominations/recommendations for the Padma Awards to be announced on the occasion of Republic Day, 2021 have started from 1^st May, 2020. The last date for nominations for Padma Awards is 15^th September, 2020. The nominations/recommendations for Padma Awards will be received online only on the Padma Awards portal https://padmaawards.gov.in . Already 8035 registrations have been made on the portal against which 6361 nominations/recommendations have been completed.

The Padma Awards, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, are amongst the highest civilian awards of the country. Instituted in 1954, these Awards are announced on the occasion of the Republic Day every year. The award seeks to recognize ‘work of distinction’ and is given for distinguished and exceptional achievements/service in all fields/disciplines, such as, Art, Literature and Education, Sports, Medicine, Social Work, Science and Engineering, Public Affairs, Civil Service, Trade and Industry etc. All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these Awards. Government servants including those working with PSUs, except Doctors and Scientists, are not eligible for Padma Awards.

The Government is committed to transform Padma Awards into “People’s Padma”. All citizens are therefore requested to make nominations/recommendations including self-nomination.

The nominations/recommendations should contain all relevant details specified in the format available on the above said Padma Portal, including a citation in narrative form (maximum 800 words), clearly bringing out the distinguished and exceptional achievements/service of the person recommended in her/his respective field/discipline.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has requested all Central Ministries/Departments, States/UT Governments, Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan awardees, Institutes of Excellence that concerted efforts may be made to identify talented persons whose excellence and achievements really deserve to be recognized from amongst women, weaker sections of the society, SCs & STs, divyang persons and persons who are doing selfless service to the society.

Further details in this regard are available under the heading ‘Awards and Medals’ on the website of Ministry of Home Affairs (www.mha.gov.in ). The statutes and rules relating to these awards are available on the website with the link https://padmaawards.gov.in/AboutAwards.aspx . 

Union Minister for Science &Technology, Earth Sciences, Health& Family Welfare Dr.Harsh Vardhan today invited stakeholders and the public at large in the country and abroad to participate in formulating an evidence-driven, inclusive Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020) for the country. He said that it would bring about technology indigenization to become self-reliant, mainstream traditional knowledge systems with conventional R&D, strengthen industry-academia, government interconnectedness and promote equity.

 Dr. Harsh Vardhan was speaking at the inauguration of ‘In Conversation With’ – a series of exclusive interactions with thought leaders from across the country and Indian Diaspora on STIP 2020, which is being formulated. He also launched the ‘STIP 2020 Page on MyGov Portal’ along with ‘popularization Quiz for school children’ on 28th August 2020 in a virtual event here.

In his address, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that the entire STI ecosystem has undergone rapid transformation in terms of relevance, scope, and scale in the recent years. These must be captured into a policy to develop a long development trajectory and vision for the country. Moreover, COVID-19 has introduced some new learning and added dimensions to the STI system, he added. 

 Stating that “Achieving an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ would need greater focus on the development of indigenous technologies and encouragement to grass root level innovation”, the Minister emphasized that “There is an emergence of disruptive and impactful technologies and the country must take advantage of this”.

 Dr. Harsh Vardhan outlined, “The proposed STI policy is expected to leverage the astounding progress that the STI system has witnessed in recent years and build a long term pathway which must be able to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of millions of young Indian scientists and students”. “This can be done only when we make policy formulation totally inclusive and participatory”, he stressed.

 Elucidating the policy formulation process, the Minister pointed out that “The STIP-2020 process has been divided into 4 interlinked tracks of actions. Track-I involves extended public and expert consultation with 6 activities which aim to reach out to India’s every citizen living in any part of the country to get their ideas, suggestions, or comments for the policy. Track-II action relates to expert consultation, Track-III is for consultation with Ministries and States/UTs, and Track-IV comprises of apex level consultation and advice.”

 DST Secretary Professor Ashutosh Sharma highlighted, “As India and the world reorient in the present context of the COVID-19 crisis, a landmark policy initiative STIP 2020 has been initiated at this crucial juncture”. “The formulation process, by design, is envisioned as an inclusive and participative model with interconnectedness among different tracks of activities”, he added.

 Later, in a discussion moderated by DST Secretary Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Dr. Harsh Vardhan took up a host of questions on STI ecosystem and STI Policy related issues. The participants too asked questions through live webex platform. He took innovative suggestions from them. Suggestions emerging from these discussions will serve as inputs to the STIP2020 policy process.

Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Head – Policy Planning;  Mr. Abhishek Singh, CEO, MyGov; Mr. Aditya Kaushik, Co-Founder, Science Policy Forum; Dr. Rabindra Panigrahy, DST Scientist; Dr. Nimita Pandey, DST – STI Policy Fellow; Dr. ChagunBasha, Senior Technical Specialist, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt of India; were among various dignitaries who joined the function virtually.