Month: November 2020

ISRO to launch country’s latest all-weather earth observation satellite this afternoon

India’s latest all-weather earth observation satellite EOS-01 will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) this afternoon, using the workhorse rocket PSLV-C49. Nine other customer satellites will also be carried into space by the rocket, in its 51st flight. It will be ignited at 3.02 pm, from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in southern Andhra Pradesh, close to Chennai. The 26-hour countdown for the launch mission began  at 1.02 pm yesterday and is progressing smoothly.

This will be India’s first mission from her launch pad at Sriharikota this calendar year. The ISRO scientists say the sequence of preparations ahead of the launch, as part of the countdown, is progressing with precision. The earth observation satellite EOS-01 is equipped with the synthetic aperture radar that has an enviable resolution. Coincidentally, the launch of its peer RISAT-2BR1, is the previous mission that took place from the national spaceport in December last year. The intended applications of the satellite include in agriculture, forestry and disaster management support. Its operational life will be five years, providing crucial data, seamlessly. 

Country’s COVID-19 recovery rate reaches 92.41 per cent

The country’s COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 92.41 per cent. During the last 24 hours, more than 53 thousand COVID patients have recovered. The Health Ministry said, the total number of recoveries has gone up to over 78 lakh. The actual caseload currently comprises only 6.11 per cent of the total positive cases. Presently, the total number of active cases in the country is five lakh 16 thousand.

During the past 24 hours, 50 thousand 357 new cases were reported taking the total number of positive cases in the country to over 84 lakh. The Ministry said that effective implementation of the strategic and graded Test, Track and Treat approach has led to higher recoveries and lower fatality. Currently, India’s Case Fatality Rate is at 1.48 per cent, which is one of the lowest globally. During the last 24 hours, 577 deaths were reported taking the toll to one lakh 25 thousand 562.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research, more than 11 lakh 13 thousand tests were conducted during the last 24 hours. The total number of samples tested so far has reached 11 crore 65 lakh.

PM Modi to address 51st Annual Convocation Ceremony of IIT Delhi through video conferencing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 51st Annual Convocation Ceremony of IIT Delhi through video conferencing today. Degrees will be conferred on more than two thousand graduating students including Ph.D, M.Tech, Masters of Design, MBA and B.Tech students.

The Convocation will be conducted in a hybrid mode with a physical in-person ceremony with limited attendance in the Institute  and an online webcast reaching out to all graduating students, their parents, distinguished alumni and invited guests. The Institute will also award the President’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold Medal, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal, Perfect Ten Gold Medals and Institute Silver Medals to the graduating students.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister of State for Education Sanjay Dhotre will also be present on the occasion.

India and Italy sign 15 agreements in various sectors; Reaffirm commitment to strengthen cooperation against common global challenges

India and Italy signed 15 agreements in various sectors following a Virtual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte last evening. The agreements signed will provide for cooperation in a diverse range of areas including energy, green energy, shipbuilding and media sector.

The Summit provided an opportunity to the two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation against common global challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic. The leaders discussed a wide range of issues including political, economic, scientific & technological, space and defence cooperation.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi said that COVID-19 pandemic will remain a watershed moment in history like World War II. Mr Modi said, the world will have to adapt to the post-Corona scenario and be ready for the opportunities and challenges arising out of it.

Prime Minister Modi expressed his condolences on behalf of people in India, for the losses due to COVID19 in Italy. He said, Italy swiftly and successfully brought the situation under control. The Prime Minister said, like Mr Conte, he is also committed to deepening the relations between India and Italy. He expressed happiness that after the talks between both in 2018, there has been a lot of momentum in mutual exchanges.

Briefing Media after the Summit, Joint Secretary (Europe-West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sandeep Chakravorty said it was the fifth interaction between the two leaders in the last three years. He said, the whole focus of the discussion was on economic ties. The Joint Secretary said, the entire gamut of bilateral relationship was discussed along with regional and multilateral issues. He added that Italy is an important partner in New technologies and green technologies.

Mr Chakravorty said a lot of investment decisions have been made between private sector entities. The Joint Secretary said, both sides also decided to work closely on concluding at the earliest the migration and mobility partnership agreement. He said, there was discussion on India-EU FTA and Prime Minister Modi mentioned about 15th EU-India Summit which was held in July this year. He said, Prime Minister of Italy invited Prime Minister Modi to jointly participate and engage in the 700th birth anniversary of supreme poet Dante Alighieri.

The India-Italy virtual bilateral provided an opportunity to the two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship. Mr Modi and Mr Conte  reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation against common global challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic.

The leaders discussed a wide range of issues including political, economic, scientific and technological, space and defence cooperation. On regional and international issues, both sides agreed to coordinate closely at multilateral fora especially G-20. Italy will assume the Presidency of G-20 in December 2021 followed by India in 2022. Together, India and Italy will be part of the G20 Troika from December this year. India welcomed Italy’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance as soon as the ratification process is completed. 15 MoUs and  Agreements in various sectors such as energy, fisheries, ship building, design etc. were signed coinciding with the Summit.

Voting for seventy eight seats in third and final phase of Bihar assembly elections begins

In Bihar an estimated 7.69 percent of voters have exercised their right of franchise till 9 am in the third and last phase of polling of assembly election in the state. Around 7.33 percentage of voting was recorded in by polls of Valmikinagar Lok Sabha seat.

Chief Electoral Officer HR Srinivasa said people are casting votes enthusiastically and without any fear. He said the voting percentage will be more this time. Mr Srinivasa said minor hitches like non functioning of EVMs were reported from some places and they were immediately rectified.

BJP is contesting in 35 seats, Janata Dal (United)- 37, Vikassheel Insaan Party five seats and Hindustani Awam Morcha one seat in this phase. RJD is contesting in 46 seats, Congress in 25 and left parties in seven seats. On the other hand, LJP has fielded 42 candidates, RLSP-23, BSP-19 and NCP-31 candidates. The political fortunes of Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Chief of Vikassheel Insaan Party, Mukesh Sahni, will be decided in this phase. Twelve Ministers including Bijendra Yadav, Bima Bharati, Firoz and Ramesh Rishidev are also in the fray.

Elections are being held in three phases for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly. The first phase of polling was held on 28th of October and the second on the 3rd of November. Counting of votes will take place on the 10th of November.

Repolling in three booths in Hilsa assembly constituency in Nalanda district  is also being held today. The Election Commission has ordered repolling in booth numbers 52,52A and 55 in the constituency as the vehicle carrying EVMs and polling personnel had met with an accident on November 3rd, the day of the  second phase of polling. After inquiry ,the commission found that the EVMs were not functional due to technical reasons.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to vote in large numbers today in the 3rd and Final phase of Assembly polls in Bihar. In a tweet,  Mr Modi requested people to participate in the festival of democracy and set a new voting record. He also urged people to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

How to earn money through Blogging

How to earn money through Blogging 

 

Are you a passionate blogger who is incredibly enthusiastic about your work? Do you want to convert your hard work into money? Well, then you are in the right place. Here are the easiest ways to make money as a blogger:  

 

  1. Add banner advertisements to your website- Banner advertising is a visual way of promoting and advertising products. To earn money, yes! You can sell banner advertising space on your blog website. The advertisement space can be given to the brands that relate to your readers. The banner advertisements can be placed anywhere on your webpage. Commonly, you will find them across the top of websites or in the sidebar of the blog pages. You can earn money from these advertisements in one of two ways. Firstly, you can make money by CPC (cost per click). It means you’ll get a set amount of money for every reader who clicks on the banner advert. The second method is CPM (cost per thousand). It implies that you will have to negotiate a set amount of income for every 1,000 ‘impressions’ the advertisement gets. But there is a downside to it. The growth of AdBlocker plugins has led to low CPC and CPM. But we would say that there is no harm in trying this out. It does and is undoubtedly worth the try! You can begin doing this with the help of Google Adsense. Google AdSense is a program run by Google. Through this program, the website publishers in the Google Network of content sites serve interactive media advertisements. These advertisements are targeted to the site content as in escape rooms and the preferred audience.   

  

  1. Write content for brands- One of the best ways to monetize your blog is by offering sponsored content or advertorials. These sponsored posts are paid-for articles or blog posts. For example, if a makeup brand brings out a new line of lipsticks and you have a blog on the makeup industry, the brand might offer to pay you to write a good review article about their range. You may also be required to add some affiliated links to the article. Usually, these types of sponsored posts come via social media platforms like Instagram. You can again charge money to mention their product in your weekly/monthly newsletter only if you have one! Also, brands approach you when you have a grown a loyal readership audience. To develop a dedicated audience, you need to serve them with the best content and have a specific niche on which you base your blog!  

  

  

  1. Charge money for sponsored social media post- A strong social media presence is beautiful to brands who are trying to sell a promote product. Some bloggers make their real income via sponsored posts on various social media platforms. These bloggers charge per post/re-post. To get brands to notice you, you will have to build strong social media followers first. Your followers are proof for these brands that readers will like what you post about them as well. If you have a decent number of followers on social media and still no brand is approaching you, you can approach brands yourself. Showcase your work to them, win their trust, and they might want you to promote their product!  

  

  1. Write guest blog posts and articles- Very often, brands that have a blog of their own or the media outlets like the press will reach out to you if you’re an authority on a particular topic. They will ask you to make a cameo appearance on their website/ page/ new channel. If you’re exceptionally knowledgeable about the best travel destinations, then a traveling blog might ask you to contribute some budget-friendly traveling destinations for their blog. Again, don’t be shy to approach brands yourself. Email them and introduce yourself and your work. It will get your name out there!  

  

  

  1. Sell products and services via your blog- Now, this can be pretty tough to achieve, but we could still say it is worth a try. If you want this to work, the service or product that you are offering should be unique. It is because sometimes people on the internet think that everything should be free of cost. To convince them otherwise and make them buy your product is a tough nut to crack. For example, you can charge a fee for video dance tutorials or art workshops and courses. Sell your blog’s newsletter space.  

  

  1. Work under an agency: Blogging has become so popular in the advertising world that agencies whose job is to promote the blogger to big brands. It might sound a little unbelievable, but it is true! Working with an agency can be extremely beneficial to you. It is because agencies offer you security and get you somewhat regular brand deals. But the catch here is that you need to have a decent amount of following in the first place for the agency to notice you and work with you. The plus side here is that the agency’s fees are incredibly high, meaning that only the big brands will be able to afford to work with you. The smaller, independent brands that do not offer a lot of money for their posts will be scared off. Another negative side of this is that agency fees might prevent you from working with the small independent brands you want to promote. For example, if you are a fashion blogger who loved a small designer’s work, you might not be able to promote their work!  

Final words-  

 

A very famous saying states that nothing worth having comes without hard work and a few challenges. It stands true for your blogging career, as well. To monetize your blog, you need to work hard and give your hundred percent. Also, monetizing a blog takes time and depends on viewer traffic as well. Having traffic simply means that as many people should read your blog as possible. The more readers your blog has, the more attractive you will be to the advertisers.  

 

In the end, all we want to say is that if you’re going to be successful, then be patient and consistent with your work. Do put in a lot of effort to your webpage, and one day you will be able to make money out of it! 


Author Bio: 
Charlotte Lin is a content creator at escaperoom.com. She’s a passionate young woman, mother to an amazing nine-year-old, and an avid reader. Over the years, writing has helped her explore and understand the world as well as her own self. She loves to travel, meet new people, and spend quality time with her daughter. You can find her on LinkedIn.

 






 

 

Is Arnab Goswami Worse Than A Dreaded Criminal?

“The police forcibly shut off news cameras before barging into the residence of Mr Goswami and attacking and thrashing a reputed national TV news journalist. The police even went to levels of misbehaving with Mr Goswami’s elderly parents, in-laws and assaulting his son.”

–        Complaint filed with NHRC

                   Is Arnab Goswami some dreaded criminal or a terrorist or even worse than them? Why did 70 police personnel armed with weapons went to his house? Is his son who is just a 20 years old young boy also a dreaded criminal or has he got links with Dawood Ibrahim that police beat him up badly as Arnab alleges? How on earth can police beat up his son or even Arnab himself or misbehave with his wife, his in-laws and parents? 

      Nothing on this planet can be as shameful as with what has happened so brutally, so badly, so brashly and so brazenly with Arnab Goswami! Why has Mumbai police treated such a senior and eminent journalist with an impeccable reputation who is none other than the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV – Arnab Goswami like a dreaded criminal? Is this the way to treat such a senior and eminent journalist with an impeccable reputation who is none other than the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV – Arnab Goswami like a dreaded criminal? If he has done some crime then also he has to be arrested in a humane manner and the police has no right to physically assault him or his family members!  

                 Will it enhance India’s international image as a tolerant country in the world and give a boost to our reputation or will it tarnish our reputation all over? Will this boost the morale of Indian journalists to be fearless like Arnab or will it sag their spirits and demoralize them to a large extent? Why was Arnab roughed up by Mumbai police so horribly? Can it ever be justified under any circumstances?

 Why was arrest warrant not issued in proper manner? Why police showed undue haste in arresting him?  Why police did not even allow him to even wear his shoes properly? Is he a hard core dacoit or a robber or a terrorist or even worse than them? Could the arrest not have been made in a much more civilized manner after following all norms and procedure that are followed in effecting an arrest?

Why has Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission summoned the SP of Raigadh in Maharashtra on November 6 at 11:00 am in their office? It is because they have a lot of explaining to do on this horrible and unprofessional conduct of Mumbai police? Why should every human being no matter to which nation he/she belongs hang his/her head in shame to see what all happened with Arnab live on news channels?  

No doubt, Republic TV of which Arnab Goswami is Editor-in-Chief has a valid point when it says that, “Republic Media Network stands strongly against Maharashtra government and Mumbai police’s transparent abuse of power, butchery of rule of law, murderous assault on the free press of a democratic India.” The horrifying manner in which Arnab was dragged, caught by his belt that he was wearing, even his hairs on head were not spared and worst of all even his young 20 year old son was not spared and so too were others not spared is most reprehensible and is an unforgivable offence!         

     It is a consolation to some extent that a majority of Union Ministers in Centre have spoken out strongly, swiftly and suavely in favour of Arnab and have condemned the brutal manner in which he was roughed up for which they must be commended! Hats off to Kirit Somaiya who did not fear Mumbai police and had the guts, gall and gumption to face them boldly while Arnab was being taken away even though he too was manhandled by the Mumbai police! He very commendably, correctly and courageously said that, “I am deeply saddened to see how a journalist was picked up and forcibly taken by the police. The women of his house, who are shooting a video inside their own house, how does the police have the right to stop them? I came to Alibag to see what was happening to Arnab Goswami, and when I was watching him from afar, but the police came and picked me up as well. The way Journalists are being jailed in Maharashtra, social media activists are being jailed. This indicates an emergency situation by Congress and Thackeray government.”

              Even Union Law Minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad himself described the arrest of Arnab as “seriously reprehensible, unwarranted and worrisome”. He minced no words in saying it bluntly that, “The arrest of senior journalist Arnab Goswami is seriously reprehensible, unwarranted and worrisome. We had fought for freedoms of Press as well while opposing the draconian Emergency of 1975”. He also said that, “While Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have attacked the Modi government “through motivated charges of attack on institutions” yet they are completely silent when their own government in Maharashtra is “blatantly suppressing freedom of Press”. It is a “textbook case of hypocrisy”. One can differ, one can debate and one can ask questions too. However arresting a journalist of the stature of Arnab Goswami by abuse of police power is something which we all need to condemn.”

To be sure, Amit Shah who is Union Home Minister minced no words to state upstraight that, “Congress and its allies have shamed democracy once again. Blatant misuse of state power against Republic TV and Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the 4th pillar of democracy. It reminds us of the Emergency. This attack on free must be and WILL BE OPPOSED.” Another Union Minister Smriti Irani went to the extent of saying that, “If those in free press don’t stand up in support of him then they are tactically in support of fascism. You may not like him, you may not approve of him, you may despise his very existence but if you stay silent you support suppression. Who speaks if you are next?”  

    Going one step ahead, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too jumped in the fray and minced no words to state upfront that, “The treatment of senior journalist Arnab Goswami is a symbol of the totalitarian tendency to weaken the fourth pillar of democracy and suppress the tone of protest. The Congress should keep in mind the instances, including the Emergency, which show that the governments which oppress the press, suffer badly.”

                      While stating that an attack on the fourth estate without evidence shakes faith in good governance, a Delhi-based lawyer named Siddharth Nayak who is Managing Partner of Atharva Legal LLP has filed the complaint seeking to initiate action against the Mumbai Police and the Raigad Police. Advocate Siddharth Nayak states that Goswami was forcibly dragged by his hair into the police van before being arrested by Raigad police in Maharashtra. Even if police has to arrest someone who is as eminent as Arnab or even an ordinary person, it has to be done in a civilized and proper manner. What Mumbai police has done is most atrocious and must be strongly condemned! 

                          Be it noted, the complaint by Advocate Siddharth alleges that the police should be held responsible for the “blatant and brazenly illegitimate action of arresting Goswami under Section 306 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code 1860 with regard to a suicide case registered and closed in 2018”. On May 5, 2018 architect and interior designer Anvay Naik was found hanging at his farm house in Alibaug, Maharashtra and in his suicide note Naik who was MD of Concord Designs had blamed Arnab, Feroz Shaikh of icastX/Skimedia and Nitiesh Sarda of Smartworks for not paying dues amounting to Rs 5.4 crore. Naik said ARG Outlier had not paid Rs 83 lakh for the Bombay Dyeing studio project. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has further been informed that no summons were served by the police before arresting Goswami and that he was also denied all legal or medical assistance “despite his injuries in the physical assault perpetrated by the Police”. How can such a brutal assault be ever justified by anyone on earth? Even a person accused of any offence is arrested in a civilized manner and no one is assaulted in the manner that Arnab has been assaulted!

                   While levelling allegations against the police officer leading the team that arrested Goswami, Advocate Siddharth Nayak states that Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Hindurao Waze is an “infamous ‘encounter specialist’ who holds the blighted disrepute of as many as 63 extra-judicial murders”. If this is really true, why is Waze still in police and not in jail? Why no action taken against Sachin Hindurao Waze himself?

                                Why when the Mumbai police had itself investigated and closed the suicide case lodged against Goswami back in 2018 and filed closure report in April 2019 and had stated in a court of law that no case was made out was he suddenly arrested so horribly and in utter violation of all rules and norms? Why was his son assaulted and beaten? Why were his parents, in-laws and other members of his family assaulted?

                         As no case was being made out against Arnab, the complainant – Advocate Siddharth states, as per news sources, the Maharashtra Police Director General “did not approve with the CID Chief on Mr Goswami’s arrest”. Therefore, it is alleged that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh met over the issue and the Superintendent of Police, Raigad was directly given orders from the CM’s office for Goswami’s arrest. The complaint goes on to state that, “Attack on the Fourth Estate without any evidence or verifiable facts, on the basis of closed case being reopened with the sole aim to make an unwarranted illegitimate arrest of Goswami is extremely shocking to the point that it shakes India’s belief in good governance and policing.” No doubt, the manner in which such a senior journalist of the stature of Arnab Goswami has been arrested is most reprehensible and has to be condemned most strongly! 

                            What a terrible atrocity it is that when police went to arrest Arnab Goswami, he was not even allowed to wear his shoes and was dragged out like a dangerous dacoit or  a terrorist or a professional killer or a dreaded gangster! This is just unbelievable! Even hard core criminals are not treated in the callous manner in which Arnab was treated for which there cannot be any justification on earth!

                     For the sake of argument, even if we accept that Arnab was guilty of some crime, then also to barge into his house with police numbering 70 to 80 carrying weapons and assault and beat not just him but also his son and other family members cannot be justified under any circumstances! The most horrible and disgraceful conduct of the Mumbai police is inexplicable and has certainly sullied its reputation in the eyes of the people! 

               It cannot be lightly dismissed that Arnab Goswami had highlighted the inept and questionable handling of Palghar sadhu lynching case of 2 sadhus by mob right in front of police and its dubious role in handling the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide/murder case in which former CM of Maharashtra – Narayan Rane and his son had raised questions directly on CM Uddhav Thackeray’s son – Aditya Thackeray! Why is it that this same Arnab was earlier attacked by goons just outside his house and in which he was rescued just in time? All this can be interpreted as a vicious move by ‘vested elements’ and ‘powerful coterie’ to deter him from speaking the blunt truth on these two key issues as also on several other issues also!

                             No one is saying that Arnab should not be prosecuted or punished for any offence which police alleges he has committed. But this does not confer an unfettered licence to Mumbai police to assault him, beat him, pull him by his belt and drag him by his hairs!  He has an international reputation and he is not some thug or mafia but most unfortunately police has behaved with him most ruthlessly which is most despicable and condemnable! 

            Worst of all, even his son and family were not spared! This is really atrocious and those who are guilty of doing so must be made to face the strictest punishment! The dastardly arrest of Arnab could have been made in a more civilized manner and if this had been done, the criticism of Mumbai police actions would have been more muted! But most shamefully, the Mumbai police was found acutely wanting on this score also!

Sanjeev Sirohi, Advocate,

s/o Col BPS Sirohi,

A 82, Defence Enclave,

Sardhana Road, Kankerkhera,

Meerut – 250001, Uttar Pradesh

Virtual Internships Opportunities at EDUindex News

Competition for graduate and entry-level job openings has never been higher. To get your résumé/CV noticed you need to stand out from the crowd, that’s where Virtual Internships comes in.

We’ll provide you with a guaranteed internship in a career field of your choosing, allowing you to gain the professional skills and experience needed to advance your career. Whether it be human resources, engineering, finance, digital marketing or computer science – or any of the 18 career fields we provide – you’ll be given important projects that will bolster your professional portfolio. Also, you won’t be in this alone, you will be fully supported by your dedicated internship coach who will provide advice and guidance to you whenever needed.

In addition, your work schedule is completely up to you. We offer flexible programming options to enable you to manage your internship with any other major commitment you may have, whether that be university or a full-time job. We provide internships for durations of 1-4 months, with working hours varying from 10-30 per week. The choice is yours.

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China parries question regarding its stand on ‘Gilgit-Baltistan’

The Chinese double speak has come to the fore once again. At a press conference in Beijing, the foreign ministry spokesman parried a direct response to its stand on Pakistan granting provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
 
Using an oft repeated cliché, he said it is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan.
 
The seemingly quiet response of the Chinese establishment vis a vis Pakistan’s move in forcibly occupied Gilgit-Baltistan exposes its diatribe against India scrapping article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir in August last year.
It may be recalled that China had made protests at that time but now chose to remain quiet on Pakistan in its effort to make changes in Gilgit Baltistan.
 
India has firmly rejected attempts by Pakistan to bring material changes to a part of Indian territory, under its illegal and forcible occupation.
 
It has made clear that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the area of so-called “Gilgit-Baltistan”, are an integral part of India by virtue of the legal, complete and irrevocable accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union of India in 1947.
 
The so-called claims made by Beijing that countries have shown interest in joining China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have also fallen flat.
 
When asked to name which other country has shown interest, the Chinese foreign ministry even failed to mention the name of a single country and preferred to use the garb of trilateral or multilateral cooperation.

Bangladesh, US launch joint naval exercise ‘CARAT Bangladesh 2020’

The Bangladesh and US Navies launched the ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh-2020’ on Wednesday to expand relationships and broaden maritime awareness between the two countries.
 
According to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Dhaka, the exercise demonstrates US’s continuing commitment to work with the Bangladesh military to address shared maritime security concerns in the region and strengthen partnership to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
 
Speaking during the online inaugural programme, Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG-7) Rear Admiral Fred Kacher said that they will continue to operate with and learn from the Bangladesh Navy.
 
He further said that the US Navy stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Bangladesh in its commitment to a free and open maritime commons.
 
Presiding over the opening ceremony, Commander, Bangladesh Navy Fleet Rear Admiral M. Mahbub-Ul Islam said that CARAT has become a unique forum to work with US Navy.
 
He said that mutual cooperation and partnership is essential to make the maritime domain safe.
 
Historically, the CARAT exercises involve people to people interactions and a variety of professional exchanges.
 
These will take place online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The sea-phase of the exercise will take place in the Bay of Bengal with ships from both countries.
 
The events are designed to enhance interoperability between the two navies.
 
US and Bangladesh will work through coordinated deployment of surface ships, to include tactical maneuvers among other activities.

Nearly 12.10 lakh COVID samples tested in last 24 hrs across country

The country has crossed another milestone in terms of COVID testing. 

With nearly 12 lakh 10 thousand COVID samples tested in the last 24 hours, the cumulative testing figure has reached over 11 crore 42 lakh mark. 

The Union Government and Indian Council of Medical Research have scaled up the testing infrastructure in a calibrated manner. 

India’s testing capacity has touched 15 lakh per day ensuring easily accessible COVID-19 tests for all.

 Health Ministry has said that very high levels of testing lead to early identification, prompt isolation and effective treatment of COVID-19 cases. It said, this also leads to low Fatality Rate.

Starting from just one testing lab at National Institute of Virology, Pune, in January this year, the country today has two thousand 51 labs for testing COVID samples which includes one thousand 134 government and 917 private labs.

Paddy procurement during current Kharif Season goes up by more than 20% over last year

Procurement of paddy in the current Kharif Marketing Season has showed an increase of 20.18 per cent over last year.

Agriculture Ministry said, government has purchased over 224 lakh tonnes of paddy against the last year’s corresponding purchase of around 186 lakh tonnes.

About 18 lakh 91 thousand farmers have  benefitted from the ongoing procurement operations with Minimum Support Price value of over Rs. 42,422 Crore.

The paddy procurement is progressing at a good pace in the procuring States and Union Territories of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

The Ministry said, out of the total purchase of paddy, Punjab alone has contributed over 158 lakh tonnes which is 70.52 per cent of total procurement.

The Ministry said, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh for procurement of over 45 lakh tonnes of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 under Price Support Scheme.

2nd batch of three Rafale aircraft lands at Jamnagar Air Base in Gujarat

The second batch of three Rafale aircraft landed at Jamnagar Air Base in Gujarat last evening.
 
The aircrafts got airborne from Istres airbase in France and flew non-stop for over eight hours.
 
They covered a distance of over 3700 nautical miles with three in-flight refuellings.
 
These jets are expected to reach Ambala after a day-long break at Jamnagar Air base.
 
The IAF is expecting three to four Rafale jets being delivered every two months.
 
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated Indian Air Force for successfully accomplishing a highly complex mission in a professional and safe manner.
 
The aircraft arrived in India at 8:14 pm after flying non-stop from France.

India takes several measures to cut carbon emission: Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar

Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that India has taken several measures to cut the carbon emission by focusing on renewable energy and increasing the green cover.
 
He said, the country has performed tremendously well on all parameters.
 
Addressing the India CEO forum of Climate Change in New Delhi today, he said, India has set the ambitious target to achieve the production of 450 gigawatt of renewable energy by the year 2030.
 
Mr. Javadekar said, the country has also announced the Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement to reduce the carbon emission.
 
He said, India’s per capita carbon emission is very low and historically the country has contributed very less in comparison to the developed nations.
 
The Minister said, climate change is important matter and coordinated effort by all the countries are needed to tackle this problem.
 
He said, India is walking the talk and world leader should also walk the talk and be compliant of the Paris Climate Agreement.
 
He urged the developed countries to provide climate friendly technology at an affordable cost to fight effectively with climate change. 
 
On this occasion, Mr. Javadekar released the declaration of the private sector on Climate Change.
 
Mr. Javadekar also appreciated the India’s efforts in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic saying that country will show the way to the world in dealing with pandemic.
 
He mentioned that India’s economic activity is returning to normalency and several economic parameters are improving day by day.