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.

To commemorate the ‘Poshan Maah’ organised by Ministry of Women and Child Development, a meeting was taken today by Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution with CMD, Food Corporation of India, MD, CWC and senior officers of the department.

The Poshan Maah is observed every year in the month of September.  As part of this, the DoFPD through its organisations have decided to organise activities as suggested by M/o Women and Child Development, in various parts of the country to sensitize the target groups on the merits of nutritional security.

Secretary, Food & Public Distribution today chaired the meeting of  Empowered Committee of the Department on schemes for PDS Reforms with CEO (UIDAI), DG (NIC), Food Secretaries of 4 States as members and representatives of MeitY and FCI,  to review and approve extension of Integrated Management of Public Distribution Scheme (IM-PDS) under which  the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ (ONORC) plan is being implemented all over India. With a view to ensuring that work done under the IMPDS is continued and further strengthened, it is being considered for extension beyond March 2021.

The Empowered Committee also reviewed the progress of FPS Automation, ONORC plan, Aadhaar generation/seeding and development of mobile application aimed to help migrant NFSA beneficiaries to register themselves and take the full benefit of ONORC.  The Department is also planning to implement national help line number in various States/UT to help the migrant NFSA beneficiaries availing portability under ONORC.

During the proposed extended period of IMPDS, funding requirements of States/UTs would also be met.

The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind will virtually confer the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2020 on the occasion of National Sports Day tomorrow. Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri. Kiren Rijiju, President of the Indian Olympic Association Shri Narendra Dhruv Batra and several other dignitaries will attend the ceremony from Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. 65 awardees are expected to attend the ceremony. The awardees will attend the ceremony from various places across the country – Bengaluru, Pune, Sonepat, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Hyderabad and Itanagar. The Ceremony will be launched at 11 AM on 29 August 2020. The event will be telecast live on Doordarshan and streamed live on https://webcast.gov.in/myas/sportsawards/.

Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is given for the spectacular and outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years preceding the award ; Arjuna Award is given for consistent outstanding performance for four years; Dronacharya Award goes to the coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events; Dhyan Chand Award is for life time contribution to sports development and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar is given to the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development. Overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments is given Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy. In addition to these Sports Awards, the spirit of adventure among the people of the country is recognized by bestowing the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award. In a first-ever endeavour, the first National Sports and Adventure Award 2020 is being conducted virtually on 29 August 2020.

The sports personalities are pleased that the awards ceremony is taking place amid the pandemic, in this virtual way.

“I am very happy that the awards ceremony is taking place during the National Sports Day in spite of the Covid situation. The Sports Authority of India has taken a very positive decision to host the ceremony virtually despite all odds,” mentioned para-athlete Sandeep Chaudhary, one of the Arjuna Award recipients.

Table Tennis player Manika Batra will receive the prestigious Khel Ratna Award, two years after receiving the Arjuna from the President. “We have to accept the fact that the pandemic has brought life to a standstill but I am no less excited about this ceremony,” said the star paddler.

Kuldeep Handoo, National Wushu team coach and a recipient of the Dronacharya award praised the organizers for conducting the ceremony with finesse. “I salute Kiren Rijiju sir that even during such a time, a well-arranged function is being conducted. When I was in the dress rehearsal, it seemed very simple but it definitely is not easy to organize with such technical accuracy. Connecting all the awards winners online from various States of the country with the President is definitely a tedious work. Hats off to the team working behind it!” the J&K based coach stated.

Assam pugilist and upcoming superstar of Indian boxing, Lovlina Borgohain, meanwhile is looking forward to getting a photo clicked with the President of India after the situation becomes normal. “I’m looking forward to winning a medal at the Olympics and this will definitely fulfill my aim of getting a photo clicked with the President of India!” Lovlina mentioned.

Every year on August 29, India celebrates its National sports day. The day is celebrated to honour the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand.The YAS Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju will offer tributes to Major Dhyan Chand at Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi tomorrow in the morning before the awards function.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi shall inaugurate the College and Administration Buildings of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University  through remote video conference at 1230 tomorrow.

The RLB Central Agriculture University is located in Jhansi and is a prominent institute of the Bundelkhand region. 

The University has started its first academic session in 2014-15 and is offering Under Graduate and Post Graduate courses in Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry. 

It is currently operating from the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi as the main buildings were getting ready.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi shall also interact with various students of the university during the event.

During our weight loss journey, when we workout, we tend to feel hunger pangs and how we deal with those will decide how well our journey will be and how we will be able to continue our work-outs. There are many people who are in the category of feeling unabated hunger right after workout and many studies prove that it happens because of improper diet schedule and lack of nutrition in our diet. Not drinking enough fluids also leads to dehydration which depletes our glycogen stores.

We should not ignore our hunger pangs and need to substitute our regular food habits with healthier food habits. As unmindful and unhealthy snacking or food habits will destroy all the hard work we have done earlier. The food we eat after exercise or hard work should contain proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats which can be incorporated in our diet by including, fresh fruits, seeds, nuts and fat-free milk.

Some other food options we can include in our diet are: Multigrain toast, scrambled egg and toast, mashed sweet potato and sprouts bowl, yogurt and peanut butter. We should pre-prepare our meal which we want to munch on after work out as pre-preparation can save us from overeating due to hunger and manages our mindful eating as well.

The limited roll-out of the service began in selected cities in 2018, and 5 G began to appear in cities around the U.S. in 2019, with much more comprehensive launches expected throughout 2020. Mobile 5G service from Verizon began in early April 2019 and is currently available in limited areas, with more expected throughout 2020. Parts of these cities are where you can get Verizon’s mobile 5G service right now: Chicago IL, Minneapolis MN, Denver CO, Providence RI, St.

But in last few months people got mislead by a lot of news in US which the government has to pull out from the public’s mind and after proping and doing efforts they have took an action. Considerable study has been carried out on the health effects of electromagnetic signals, and the bandwidth utilized by 5 G networks deemed to be beyond acceptable limits for people. However, over the past few months, 5 G conspiratories have gained momentum on social networking sites, including rumors that the coronavirus outbreak might somehow be connected to modern networks. Misinformation circulated rapidly and contributed to several reports of citizens vandalizing 5 G masts about their grievances. Youtube was also pressured to take steps by cracking down on the production making unsubstantiated statements.

The information booklet, ‘5G Mobile Technology: A Guide,’ describes how 5G operates and notes that watchdog Ofcom finds that wave emission readings taken from masts are “a small fraction” of the level approved by the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Safety (ICNIRP).

The guide, published on Thursday and available online, says: “FiveG companies have been operating in the UK since 2019. However, some people have raised concerns that the introduction of 5 G could affect human health and even link it to the coronavirus pandemic.

Philip Marnick, Director of the Offcom Spectrum Group, said: “The UK has a fantastic chance to be a global leader in 5 G, make the best of the opportunities that this new technology provides to individuals and companies.

“It is crucial that public bodies work together to resolve some of the 5 G misconceptions and confusion and ensure decisions are made on sound proof.”

Labor shadow technology minister Chi Onwurah said the laws needed to be updated to better defend against 5 G misinformation: “We applaud the Government’s attempts to counter the harmful disinformation around 5 G and coronavirus the puts lives at risk.”Unfortunately, this recommendation will not fix the issue until the government does what it wants to do on the cyber risks bill to counter social media disinformation.”

The verdict which every final year student was waiting for since days came out today. The bench of judges- Justice Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy, M R Shah gave the ruling. The Supreme Court had announced that final year students could not be promoted without exams but the State/Union Territory Government could demand for extension of the deadline from UGC (University Grants Commission) for the commencement of examinations.

This came into view when many students and organizations went against UGC’s regulation of July 6 in the wake of the prevalent pandemic. One of the petitioners was a COVID-19 patient himself. Along with then Shiv Sena’s youth wing Yuva Sena also joined the hands against the UGC guidelines. They have been demanding full scrapping of final year exams online or offline, both and also the declaration of results based on previous academic performances or internal assessment. 

On April 29, UGC had published regulations for universities and colleges to follow to hold exams by July, 2020. It was regulated by an expert committee headed by Chairperson of Central University of Haryana, R C Kuhad. According to the guideline’s universities had the authorization of administering exams either in online or offline mode by following social-distancing measures.

As COVID-19 was not abating, UGC issued a new guideline in June, reassessing it by holding an expert’s meeting again and in the fresh guideline issued on July 6, it was mentioned that examinations should be commenced by the end of September. States where the COVID situation was worse, their universities took a step of not conducting examinations, which were – Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. The Disaster Management Act of 2005 was invoked by Delhi and Maharashtra governments to cancel the exams as they didn’t see it fit for students to undertake examinations. This law renders central and state governments to act and take stronger actions to attenuate disaster situations.    

The cells in our body get affected when there is nutritional deficiency and infection. Along with that free radicals also pose a threat by affecting the youth of the skin. The antioxidants present naturally in our body help reduce this effect. But there are also many fruits which have antioxidant qualities which make us immune. Antioxidants are the molecules which prevent oxidation from other molecules. These are found in good quantity in fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are also known as scavenger because they help diminish the free radicals from our body and clean the blood.

Some fruits and vegetables which contain antioxidants are carrots, tomato, berries, garlic, red grapes, and cauliflower. Carrots contain beta carotene which is a very strong antioxidant. This is also present in sweet potatoes and turnips. Tomatoes have lycopene. This protects our lungs, heart and breasts from cancer. Berries, plum and raspberry have proanthocyanidin antioxidant which is very good for our heart and skin. Garlic fights free radicals, stops blood clot to protect our heart. Dry fruits and fish also have antioxidants in plenty. Red grapes have resveratrol and quercetin which prevent platelets from sticking to each other. They help in keeping blood vessels open. It also lessens the threat of Cancer, gastric ulcer and stroke. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage have indole carbonell which protects from many types of cancers.

This book written by Abhijeeth Bhattacharjee (published in the year 2020 by Penman Books, Delhi) under the title of  “Event Management: A Zero Investment Start-up Business”, is a pioneering effort from a maven in the field of Event Management with little more than  4000 plus events to his credit. There are altogether 15 chapters including two case studies in this volume. The author was motivated in this area when present Hon’ble Prime Minister addressed the youths ‘Job Creators’ and ‘Not Job Seekers’. The author spent 25 years in developing the business, with zero capital, undoubtedly a praiseworthy concept. Because the author by quitting Government job has initiated the venture and subsequently has proved that “where there is a will there is a way”. During the course of developing his business, he has coined a new word ‘Eventpreneur ‘by combining two words – Event and Entrepreneur.
  The book presents a practical way of thinking about strategy and competition and addressing the issues on aspiring ‘Eventpreneurs’ and also presented with facts and figures dos and don’ts of  the existing Event Managers.  The author feels that every entrepreneur has the opportunity to shape their own destiny.
Keeping in mind of this, the volume covers the various facets of Event Management and elucidates how one can start their business journey in Event Management with Zero Capital. The book emphasises that money as a resource, is not much of a constraint but the entrepreneurial zeal to take risks and have a passion for the business, in that case an entrepreneur will be successful ‘Eventpreneur’.
 The volume deals with all the practical aspects of the business starting from conceptualisation and design of the event to actual execution. It is a road map to success through some important tips, tools, techniques, and pragmatic approach towards making a successful career in Event Management. The author has reiterated that one should not take the easy path and rather than to take the difficult and arduous path, and face challenges all the time.  According to the author, Event Management is an amazing business which gives absolute delight of achieving success, not only money-wise but also satisfaction. As an example, the author has cited the case of a propriety firm which can be started with zero investment and gradually it can be scaled up to a Private limited company later on may be  in the next 3-4 years.

 Also in social life, according to the author, ‘Events’ are the celebrations that provide an opportunity to meet and share happy moments with family members, relatives, colleagues, and friends. A family event is envisaged as an opportunity to meet old friends and relatives and develop new relationships through matrimonial alliances.

 Before winding up in nutshell, I wish to mention few lines. At the outset, I congratulate the author Abhijeeth Bhattacharjee for lucidly presenting important tips, tools, techniques, and pragmatic approach towards making a successful career in Event Management. In this book, he has narrated how one can start his/her journey in Event Management with Zero Investment which is really praiseworthy information. The book has added special flavour as two cases, one on – Event Designing of Factory Inauguration and Unveiling of the Foundation Stone and other one on Event Designing of a Social Event (Wedding Event), are stimulating.

Dr. Shankar Chatterjee

 Former Professor& Head (CPME)

NIRD &PR (Govt. of India),

Hyderabad-500 030

Telangana, India

Email <shankarjagu@gmail.com>