DARPG collaboration with Government of Maharashtra on Administrative Reforms and Good Governance

On the invitation of Chairman Committee for Good Governance, Government of Maharashtra Shri Suresh Kumar IAS (retd), a 6 member DARPG delegation led by Secretary DARPG V.Srinivas visited Mumbai on December 1, 2022 to firm up the roadmap for collaboration between DARPG and Government of Maharashtra on Administrative Reforms and Good Governance. The DARPG delegation held meeting the 3 meetings (i) Meeting with the Chairman and Members of the Committee for Good Governance (ii) Meeting with the Chief Secretary Shri Manu Kumar Srivastava and Additional Chief Secretary GAD Smt. Sujata Saunak, and Senior Officials of Government of Maharashtra and (iii) Meeting with the Divisional Commissioners, District Collectors, CEO’s of Zilla Parishad and Municipal Commissioners of all Districts of Maharashtra.

The following roadmap for collaboration was drawn up:

Draw up a roadmap for time bound saturation of e-Services, e-Office and for replication of the Government of India’s Initiative for Increasing Efficiency in Decision Making in State Secretariat comprising of Delayering, Delegation, adoption of Desk Officer System and Digitization of Central Registration Units.
Regional Conference on e-Governance at Mumbai proposed for January 2023
Documentation of best practices and administrative innovations of Maharashtra’s districts uploaded on the Good Governance Portal and the PM’s Awards
Rewriting the Manual of Office Procedure 2023 for enabling the March to a Digital Maharashtra State Secretariat

The DARPG delegation called on Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra and appraised him on the deliberations and proposed roadmap for collaboration.

The DARPG delegation comprised of Secretary Shri V.Srinivas, Joint Secretary Shri N.B.S.Rajput, Director Shri K.Sanjayan, Deputy Secretaries Shri Parthasarathy Bhaskar, Smt Sarita Taneja and Under Secretary Shri Santosh Kumar.

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All India Radio to broadcast its Annual Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture

All India Radio will broadcast the annual Edition of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture on Saturday, December 3, 2022. Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla will deliver the address. It will be on air from 9.30pm onwards on Saturday, December 3, 2022 across the entire network of All India Radio. Listeners can tune into 100.1FM GOLD, 102.6 FM Rainbow, primary Channels of All India Radio, @airnewsalerts on Twitter, NewsOnAirOfficial YouTube Channel and NewsOnAir App to access the broadcast.

Doordarshan News will telecast Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture from 10.30pm onwards the same day.

The theme this year is “Amrit Kaal Mein Bhartiyata” to coincide with the 75 years of India’s independence.

About Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture:

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Le ture is organized by All lndia Radio in the memory of the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad who was an epitome of simplicity, a renowned scholar, President of the Constituent Assembly and a great visionary who had India and Indianness uppermost in his mind.

The lecture series by AIR in his memory has been an honoured tradition since 1969. Eminent personalities like the former President Dr. Shankardayal Sharma, former Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, firmer Vice President M.Venkaiah Naidu, doyens of Indian literature like Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Mahadevi Verma, Harivansh Rai Bachchan are among those who have delivered this prestigious memorial lecture in the past on wide ranging subjects on India’s cultural ethos and its strides.

The recording of the lecture, is broadcast across the entire network of All lndia Radio on 3rd December every year to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. The lecture series seeks to evaluate the nation’s political, cultural and social environment. The achievements and the future prospects of the country are also critically analysed through these lectures.

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Saurabh Singh

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change addresses Valedictory Session of National Youth Conference on Vayu

Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey addressed the valedictory session of National Youth Conference on Vayu: The Vital Life Force, in Odisha today.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Choubey laid emphasis on the role of panchmahabhoot, the five basic elements of creation in sustaining and nurturing life. Realizing the immense trove of knowledge left by ancient Indian civilizations, who lived in harmony with the planet and nature, he expressed that it is time India rediscovers the significance and relevance of Indian thought, and initiatives are taken to promote the Bharatiya world view at the global level.

He appreciated the dissemination of knowledge through technical sessions and paper presentations undertaken on various aspects of air quality management such as atmospheric sciences, thermal pollution, role of meteorology, composition of air, climate change, impact on agriculture, among others.

Sh. Choubey said that the Central Government has taken several measures for air quality management in the country such as developing National Clean Air Programme with air pollution reduction targets, augmenting air quality monitoring network (manual & real time), etc. This conference takes the efforts forward by bringing together all the important stakeholders and helping us broaden the discussion on air quality improvement. The conference strengthens the message that we need to adopt as per nature and treat nature and culture with respect.

Addressing a gathering of over 900 delegates, Sh. Choubey said that the youth of the country have an important role in building the future of India and such youth conferences provide further impetus to the government’s efforts to constructively engage the youth and give them a platform to present their innovative ideas to solve air quality challenges.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, along with Central Pollution Control Board, at Siksha O Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha commemorated the union of modern and traditional knowledge, to tackle air pollution in the country at the youth conference.

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students at Thrissur under the initiative NewIndia for YoungIndia

The Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be leaving for Thrissur, Kerala tomorrow on a day-long visit.

The Minister will be reaching Kochi in the morning and proceed to Thrissur where he will be visiting St. Paul’s School and its Senior Secondary wing and interact with students there. The Minister had studied in this school when he was five years old. The school authorities and the students look forward to the visit of their special alumnus who went on to become a chip designer in an MNC – Intel in the USA, after being hand-picked by Shri Vinod Dham (who is known as the Father of Pentium Chips). Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar after few years returned to India to build its earliest and largest cellular network and later exited the sector to join public service.

After his school visit, the Minister will leave for Panjal Road, where he will be addressing students at the Jyothi Engineering College, Jyothi Hills. He will be speaking about New India and the Techade of opportunities it offers for employment and entrepreneurship. He will be also making a presentation on India emerging as one of the top economies of the world and its technological capabilities.

The Minister has been engaging with young Indians under the initiative – New India for Young India: Techade of Opportunities. His interactions have been very well received by the students, startups and entrepreneurs. A case in point is Gujarat, where venture funds of Rs 1500 Crore have been set up by industry & business leaders and HNIs to support startups in their state.

Later the Minister will be visiting Mullurkara, about 25 kms from Thrissur and hold an interaction with the local leaders. He will also be offering his prayers at Thiruvanikavu (Mata Durga Devi) Temple in Mullurkara.

Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard being equipped with latest ships & weapons to protect country’s maritime borders

Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are being equipped with indigenous state-of-the-art ships and weapons to protect the maritime borders of the country. This was stated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh during the meeting of Consultative Committee for Ministry of Defence on ‘Defence Shipyards’ attended by a number of Members of Parliament in Mumbai on December 02, 2022. Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that all efforts are being to strengthen IN and ICG as ensuring national security is the Government’s top priority.

Commending the defence shipyards for playing a crucial role in this direction, the Raksha Mantri stated that they have ensured timely delivery and quality of products, which is pivotal for building a strong military, and are striving to realise Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. He listed out a number of initiatives taken by the Government to encourage indigenous manufacturing of weapons/ products and minimise imports by DPSUs. The initiatives include notification of Positive Indigenisation Lists comprising Major Line Replacement Units/Sub-systems and SRIJAN portal.

“The SRIJAN portal was launched on August 14, 2020 to promote indigenisation. As on September 30, 2022, there are 783 items of shipyards on the portal. These items were earlier imported and their indigenous vendors were not available. The shipyards have, so far, been able to successfully indigenise 73 items from the list. Indigenisation efforts for the remaining items are in progress in collaboration with industry partners,” Shri Rajnath Singh said.

The Raksha Mantri also lauded the defence shipyards for strengthening the country’s economy. “During 2021-22, the Value of Production of these shipyards was Rs 8,925 crore and Profit After Tax was Rs 928 crore. Presently, the order book position of these shipyards is Rs 81,777 crore,” he said.

Shri Rajnath Singh also appreciated the fact that procurement through Government e Marketplace (GeM) is increasing in the shipyards, which has not only provided a boost to domestic products, but has ensured transparency in procurement. The shipyards have been asked to increase procurement through GeM and a target has been to make 25 percent of the total procurement from MSMEs, he added.

The Raksha Mantri exuded confidence that soon the shipyards will not only meet the domestic requirements, but also earn export orders on a competitive basis. He hoped that these shipyards will continue to adapt themselves to the changing environment and achieve the desired results. Friendly countries have appreciated the quality of the platforms manufactured by these shipyards, he added.

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Indian Navy &amp; Indian Coast Guard being equipped with latest ships &amp; weapons to protect country’s maritime borders

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OPERATIONAL DEMONSTRATION ON NAVY DAY AT VISAKHAPATNAM

India celebrates December 04 as Navy Day, every year, to acknowledge the role of the Indian Navy and commemorate its achievements in ‘Operation Trident’ during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

This year, as India ushers in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ with the commencement of the celebrations of 75 years of her independence, the Indian Navy is all set to demonstrate India’s combat prowess and capability through an ‘Operational Demonstration’ at Visakhapatnam on Sunday, December 04, 2022. The Hon’ble President of India and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Smt. Droupadi Murmu would witness the event as the Guest of Honour. Several dignitaries from the Central and State Governments are expected to attend the event, which will be hosted by Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff.

Traditionally, the Navy Day celebrations are conducted at New Delhi in the presence of the Hon’ble President and other dignitaries. This year, for the first time, Navy Day Celebrations are being conducted outside the National Capital. Indian Naval ships, submarines, aircraft and Special Forces from Eastern, Western and Southern Naval Command would showcase the capability and versatility of Indian Navy. The event will culminate with a sunset ceremony and illumination by ships at anchorage.

The Navy Day celebrations are aimed at fostering greater outreach, renewing maritime consciousness amongst our citizens and highlights the Navy’s contributions towards national security.

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VM/JSN

INDIAN NAVY SHIPS SHIVALIK AND KAMORTA VISIT HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

Indian Naval Ships, Shivalik and Kamorta which are forward deployed in the South China Sea are in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The ships would be undertaking numerous professional interactions with the Vietnam People’s Navy during the visit.

The visit is part of the bilateral defence cooperation activities to further enhance the robust ties between the two navies as also to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Vietnam. Earlier this year, two Indian Naval Ships, Sahyadri and Kadmatt had also visited Ho Chi Minh City.

The visiting Indian Naval ships Shivalik and Kamorta form part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam. The two ships, designed and constructed in India, are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors, carry multi-role helicopters and symbolise India’s advanced warship building capabilities.

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VM/JSN

“Swar Dharohar Festival”- to showcase the iconic art & culture, rich literary Art & Heritage of Indian States, at Central Vista

Ministry of Culture, Government of India in collaboration with “Swar Dharohar Foundation,” inaugurated three day “Swar Dharohar Festival” under Kalanjali. “Swar Dharohar Festival” is a Music, Art & Literature Festival to showcase the iconic art and culture of India and, the rich literary Art & Heritage of Indian States.

Swar Dharohar festival was Inaugurated today by Chief Guest Sh. Mehtab Ali (Sitar Player) and Pt. Lalit Prasad (Classical Vocal). On the first day Classical Performance, Ghazal, Kavi Sammelan, Mushaira, Sufi Performance were organised. Ghazal was performed by Sh. Diwakar Meena, Sh. Hamsar Hayat and Athar Hayat performed Sufi Music.

Under Kalanjali, cultural programmes are being organised at Central Vista every week. The 3 days festival will continue to be organized on 3rd and 4th of December 2022 at the Central Vista, India Gate, New Delhi, Delhi.

Swar Dharohar Utsav started in the morning with Ragaas, and many celebrities performed.

In this program the upcoming local Artists will perform with Legend Artist on the same platform to showcase their talents. The National as well as Local Poets will exhibit their artistry through Kavi Sammelan.

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“Swar Dharohar Festival”- to showcase the iconic art &amp; culture, rich literary Art &amp; Heritage of Indian States, at Central Vista

Swar Dharohar Utsav started in the morning with Ragaas, and many celebrities performed.

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All states should establish price monitoring centres in all districts: Centre

All states should establish price monitoring centres in all districts, urged Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary Department of Consumer Affairs during a day-long workshop in Guwahati, Assam today. He said that that the Centre intends to achieve target of having 750 price monitoring centres by March 31st 2023 for which financial support will be assured.

The Secretary explained that through Price Monitoring Division, the Centre is making all efforts to control prices of essential commodities thereby, keeping check over inflation. The Department of Consumer Affairs regularly generates data about price and has the system of collecting prices of 22 essential food commodities in the country.

The workshop was organised in association with Government of Assam to address the issues concerning consumer protection in North Eastern States.

The Secretary during his inaugural address informed how the Department, National Commission, State Commissions and District Commissions and the whole ecosystem in terms of quality, quantity, standards, testing and benchmarks through BIS, NTH, Legal Metrology and National Consumer Helpline are working together towards protection of consumer interests.

He further highlighted the role of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India, in developing Indian Standards and implementation of voluntary and mandatory standards such as Quality Control Orders and how through Legal Metrology and Weights and Measures consumers are assured that what is being offered, the quantity being offered is exactly same as claimed on the product.

Speaking about the domain of consumer protection he underlined that infrastructure of commissions, human resource in consumer commissions and use of technology are three verticals through which the whole eco system of consumer protection is made robust and responsible.

It was assured that Department will provide its complete support to all State and District Commissions for having necessary infrastructure for effective functioning of consumer commissions as per the policy which states that 50% will be funded by State government and 50% will be funded by Central Government and requested all the representative of the State Government to provide its Utilisation Certificates of previous year, if pending, without which centre cannot release the funds for subsequent year.

Talking about the appointment of Hon’ble President’s and Members and the issue of vacancies in Consumer Commissions, he proudly stated that position of North East is the best in the country in terms of less number of vacancies in consumer commissions.

Highlighting the facility of online filing of consumer complaints through e daakhil, he informed that, Department has recently finalised a format/template for the consumer to file a complaint which comprise of standard fields and once all the mandatory information is provided, commissions can easily admit the genuine cases. He assured that the template will be very soon deployed and proliferated in the system and thereby commissions may expect rise in number of cases being filed through e daakhil throughout the country.

Shri Singh further highlighted the change of paradigm in consumer protection with advent of e commerce and mentioned that with changing equation between consumer and supplier, especially through e commerce, there has been steep rise in consumer grievances registered in e commerce sector at National Consumer Helpline. Out of the 90,000 complaints registered in NCH every month, 45-50% of the total complaints pertain to e commerce, it was informed.

He further stressed that, as a required measure, Department is taking necessary action through Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) headed by Ms. Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs. However, it is upon consumers to be more aware and more assertive of their rights and challenge the actions of e commerce companies he urged.

Talking about the various recent initiatives of the Department, he informed about the launch of BIS standard IS 1900/2022 on fake reviews wherein e commerce companies need to adhere to these standards within their policy of generating and publishing reviews on their platform.

Highlighting the role of Consumer Commissions in reducing the pendency of cases, he informed that one third of the pending cases pertains to insurance sector and therefore, by participating in lok adalats and engaging intensively with Insurance companies, Department of Financial Services and IRDAI, department is endeavouring to target the genesis of complaints and requested commissions to function effectively in reducing pendency of cases.

The Chief Secretary, Government of Assam, Shri Paban Kumar Borthakur emphasized that effective functioning of consumer commissions are utmost necessary for protection of consumers and if consumer commissions are not functioning properly, instead of consumer being a king, they become king in exile. Further, stressing on the need for consumer awareness, he pointed out that, unless consumers are enlightened about their rights, they cannot ascertain it, therefore, awareness is vital. He further urged all the Consumer Commissions of North Eastern States to work harder, come together and active part in national campaign for reducing the pendency of cases.

Additional Secretary, Ms. Nidhi Khare welcomed the gathering and highlighted that the objective of the workshop is to throw light and discuss the importance of consumer affairs in the north-eastern part of India. Emphasising on the various initiatives taken, she stated that the Department of Consumer Affairs has taken numerous initiatives in the matters of consumers across National level, State level and District level, ranging from establishing mediation cells, conducting lok adalats, use of e-filing for hassle-free consumer grievance redressal and many more.

Shri Anupam Mishra, Joint Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs delivered vote of thanks and expressed his gratitude to Chief Secretary, Government of Assam and his team for extending a huge support in making the even a grand success.

Inaugural session was followed by panel discussion on reducing the pendency of cases in consumer commissions, strengthening infrastructure, use of mediation for speedier resolution of consumer grievances, use of e-filing for hassle-free consumer grievance redressal etc., and separate technical sessions were held to discuss the use of National Test House, Guwahati in the material used in government projects, the utilisation of ISI quality mark products in projects of state governments, the implementation and enforcement of the Legal Metrology Act and Issues concerning monitoring of retail and wholesale prices of key commodities were discussed in the workshop.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ram Surat Ram Maurya, Member, NCDRC, Hon’ble Mr. Subhash Chandra, Member, NCDRC, Hon’ble Ms. Justice Deepa Sharma, Member, NCDRC, Hon’ble Dr. S. M. Kantikar, Member, NCDRC, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Arindam Lodh, President, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Tripura, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Prasanta Kumar Deka, President, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Assam, Th. Saimon Singh, Acting President, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Manipur, Ms. Ramdinliani, Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of Mizoram, Ms. Chubasangla Anar, Commissioner & Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of Nagaland and other senior officials of North Eastern States attended the workshop and presided over various panel discussions.

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Scheme for Intellectual Property (IP) protection revised to upgrade the professional charges of the facilitators

To protect and promote Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of Startups and to encourage innovation and creativity among them, Government of India had launched a Scheme for facilitating Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) in 2016. The scheme facilitated startups in filing and processing of their patent, design or trademark application through the assistance of IP Facilitators, whose fee was borne by the Office of the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India. After its successful implementation resulting in a significant increase in IP fillings by Startups the Scheme was extended for a period of three years till 31st March 2023.

To further encourage the IP facilitators to provide quality services to Startups in order to increase the number of IP Applications filed by startups, the scheme has now been revised and facilitation fees has been notably increased by at least 100%. The revised scheme is applicable from 02 November 2022 and revised fees structure vis-à-vis the old scheme is as under:

Stage of Payment		Patents		Trademarks		Designs
FEE (in INR)		2016	2022	2016	2022	2016	2022
At the time of filing of Application		10,000	15,000	2,000	3,000	2,000	3,000
At the time of final disposal of Applications	Without Opposition	10,000	25,000	2,000	5000	2,000	5,000
At the time of final disposal of Applications	With Opposition	15,000	35,000	4,000	10000	4,000	10,000

In addition to above scheme, IP filling by startups are also encouraged by providing with fee rebates under respective IP legislations. Startups are provided 80% fee rebate in filing patent applications and 50% fee rebate in filling trademark application. In addition, there are also provisions for fast-track examination of patent applications.

Resultantly, there has been a significant increase in IP activities by Startups in last 6 years:

Patent applications filed by Startups have increased from 179 in 2016-17 to 1500 in 2021-22;
Trade Mark applications filed by Startups have increased from 4 in 2016-17 to 8649 in 2021-22;
From 2016-17 to October 2022, 7430 patent applications and 28749 Trade mark applications have been filed by Startups.

As on 30 September 2022, INR 380.81 Lakhs have been disbursed as fees to the facilitators assisting the Startups in IP fillings. The revised fee structure will further augment the filing of IP applications by the Startups through the assistance of IP facilitators offering effective and quality service.

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Workshop-cum-Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) organized in Aizawl to promote organic agricultural products of Mizoram and North Eastern Region (NER)

As a part of its strategy to give a boost to the export of organic agricultural products of Mizoram and North Eastern Region (NER),Centre through Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) organized Workshop-cum-Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) at Mizoram University in Aizawl.

After the BSM, a consignment of Hatkora (local variety of citrus) sourced from farmers of Mamit district of Mizoram was exported to London and another consignment of Hatkora is being exported to Bangladesh.

APEDA, which is the apex agricultural products export promotion organization under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, organized the buyer seller meet in association with Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce & Industries, Govt of Mizoram and North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC).

The BSM was organized to promote the exports of the potential agri-horti products from Mizoram and provide market linkage to farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Farmer Producer Companies from the north-eastern state.

The potential crops for the export from Mizoram are pineapple, hatkora (citrus), dragon fruit, oranges, passion fruit, squash, anthurium flower, Mizo Ginger, Mizo chilli and grape wine.

Seventeen exporters and 58 FPOs participated in the BSM while 14 exhibitors representing the state government, coffee board, spices board, NABARD and NERAMAC attended the meet.

The exclusive BSM provided an opportunity to the producers and processors of Mizoram to showcase their products and promote the exports as well as their wholesale and retail sales.

The workshop-cum-buyer seller meet was inaugurated by Hon’ble Agriculture Minister Pu C Lalrinsanga of Mizoram.

With the intervention of APEDA, there is a tremendous increase in the export of agricultural produce from NE states like Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. NE region witnessed an 85.34 percent growth in the export of agricultural products in the last six years as it increased from USD 2.52 million in 2016-17 to USD 17.2 million in 2021-22.

The major destination of export has been Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Middle East, the UK and Europe.

To provide potential market linkages, APEDA organised field visits of importers to have first hand information about the qualitative cultivation practices being followed by farmers by inviting the importers from the neighbouring countries, the Middle East, far Eastern countries, European nations and Australia, etc. The field visits were carried out in all eight states of NER.

APEDA, in association with the Department of Commerce and Industry, Government of Assam, organised an export promotion conference-cum-buyer seller meet at Aizawl, Mizoram in March 2021.

Besides, APEDA organized international buyer seller meet (BSM) in Guwahati, Assam on March 10, 2022 wherein exhibitors from across the state displayed a wide range of agri-horti products, including GI products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, processed food products, black rice, red rice, joha rice, spices, tea, coffee, honey, processed meat, spices & organic products. Importers from Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bangladesh, Oman, Netherlands, Singapore and Greece participated along with exporters from NER and other states.

A national buyer-seller meet was organized by APEDA in Guwahati on June 24, 2022, to promote the export of organic products grown in Assam. APEDA also signed an MoU with Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat to conduct various training programmes on pre-harvest and post-harvest management and other research activities for the promotion of export from the region.

Even during the Covid-19 period, APEDA continued to push its export plans through Virtual Buyer Seller Meet in association with the Embassy of India located in different countries with exporters and FPOs/FPCs from NER regarding the sourcing of pineapple, ginger, lemon, orange, etc. APEDA also organised Virtual Trade Fairs during the pandemic and facilitated the export to foreign countries.

APEDA has also planned to undertake several other projects like capacity building of 80 budding entrepreneurs and exporters from the region, the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and the state govt. officials, organize skill development and training in food processing, value addition on horticultural produce, etc.

APEDA also extended its support to NER to undertake branding and promotion of North East products such as KIWI Wine, processed foods, carrying out a wet sampling of Joha Rice Pulao, Black Rice kheer, etc.

As a part of capacity building, APEDA organised skill development programmes for manufacturers, exporters and entrepreneurs to utilise the local produce for value addition and export. Training programmes are being held in different states of the Northeast in association with the Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore (CFTRI) and Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT), for five days.

APEDA, in association with the Industries and Commerce Department, Govt of Assam, organised an Export Conclave on February 19, 2021, in Guwahati.

With the APEDA’s intervention, Tripura’s Jack fruit was exported to London, and Nagaland’s King Chilli to London through a local exporter for the first time. Also, Assam’s local fruit called Leteku (Burmese Grape) was exported to Dubai and Assam’s Betel leaves have been regularly exported to London.

APEDA under its Agricultural Export Policy is encouraging states to harness the potential of Agri produce exports. APEDA aims to create a platform for the buyers to get the products directly from the producer group and the processors.

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Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurates direct international flight from Pune to Singapore

Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated a direct international flight from Pune to Singapore on 1st December 2022.

The flight will operate from 2nd December, 2022 as per the following schedule:

Flight No.	Sector	Departure	Arrival	Frequency	Aircraft
UK 111	PNQ – SIN	2:10	10:30	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun	Airbus A321neo
UK 112	SIN – PNQ	11:50	15:10	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun	Airbus A321neo

In his inaugural address, Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the city of Pune, with its rich historical and cultural heritage, is constantly growing to become a hub for innovation, education, and development. He added that giving an impetus to this growth, the government has planned a gamut of activities to increase Pune’s connectivity, such as enhancing connectivity to domestic and international locations, developing a new terminal, and providing infrastructural support to the city by providing a separate cargo terminal.

The Minister further added that the initiation of the Pune – Singapore flight is an important landmark in the history of Pune. He also mentioned about the newly launched flight route between Pune and Bangkok and said that these two routes will not just connect the city to important global destinations but also provide an edge to the development of the city by linking it to a wide range of opportunities related to employment, education, trade, and business.

Looking at its increasing capacity, the new terminal is being built with a cost of Rs. 475.39 Cr and will expand its current area from 22,500 square meters to 48,500 square meters. To boost exports from Pune, a new International Air Cargo Terminal is also being built which will be completed by December 2024. A newly built multi-level parking facility worth Rs. 120 crores was recently launched on 25th November, 2022 at the Pune Airport.

The inauguration was graced by the presence of H.E. Gavin Roch, Vice Consul, Consul General of the Republic of Singapore, Shri Prashant Girbane, Director General, MCCIA, Shri Deepak Karandikar, President, MCCIA, Shri Sunil Tingre, MLA, Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale, Chairperson & Director, MCCIA, Dr. Sudhir Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director, Pinnacle Industries Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Vinod Kannan, CEO, Vistara. Mr. Moinuddin Wasil, Head – Regulatory Affairs, Vistara, and other dignitaries from Vistara.

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ECI felicitates Indian Deaf Cricket team ‘T20 Champions Trophy winners’ to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities

On the eve of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Election Commission of India, felicitated the Indian Deaf Cricket Team, today at Nirvachan Sadan. Welcoming the team, CEC Shri Rajiv Kumar said that the Election Commission salutes the resilience and tenacity demonstrated by the players. The team has brought laurels to the country by winning the T20 Champions Trophy held in UAE by Deaf International Cricket Council. Sh Kumar said it’s important to accord due publicity and visibility to the winners. ECI will explore the possibility of sponsoring a match of the Indian Deaf Cricket Association team with mainstream cricket teams.

The Commission also organised a sensitization training workshop for officers of the Commission on ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ by Padma Shri awardee Dr. Niru Kumar, ECI National Icon to mark the International Day of PwDs.

Speaking on the occasion Sh Kumar said that ECI is committed to mainstream and deeply embed the concept and practice of accessibility in ensuring a new normal of enabling environment in the entire election process ecosystem from registration to voting.

Shri Kumar elaborated that with administrative and technological innovations ECI has developed a one stop solution in the form of an APP – Saksham App – for enabling and facilitating the PwDs from enrolment to poll day facilities. The PwD electors can avail various services provided by the ECI enabling their participation in the election process, thus making them Saksham. The App can be downloaded from Google Play Store and Apple store.

ECI has been implementing several measures to ensure accessible facilitation at the polling stations, making them conducive for Persons with Disabilities to cast their vote without any hassles. Notified checklist for provisions such as polling stations on ground floor, standardised ramps, wheelchairs, volunteers, EVM with braille and ballot paper, braille EPIC, accessible toilets, tactile signage, sign language interpreters and pick up drop facility are made available in polling stations. The Commission has also provided the option of postal ballot facility to PwDs with 40% benchmarked disability to vote from the comfort of their homes.

The Commission has carried out milestone initiatives such as:

1. Setting up of the National Advisory Committee on Accessible Elections.
2. A module on sensitization of election personnel.
3. Deploying Accessibility Observers during elections
4. Appointing achievers with disabilities as election ambassadors/icons
5. Developing awareness films on inclusive elections starring achievers with disabilities

The Commission is dedicated to the goal of inclusive and accessible elections and shall endeavour to increase the participation of PwDs in the electoral process for a truly representative and robust democracy. So far, over 83 lakhs electorate have been mapped as PwDs in the electoral roll across the country.

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