1.Over 120 countries celebrate World Breastfeeding Week; India plans online activities to sensitise citizens about its importance
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Over 120 countries around the world are celebrating the week-long World Breastfeeding Week from 1-7 August.In India, the Women and Child Development Ministry has planned to organise online activities to sensitise citizens about the importance of breastfeeding.The theme of World Breast-feeding Week this year is to support breastfeeding for a healthier planet and taking precautionary measures in light of the global pandemic.Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of child’s birth and continuing thereafter for at least 2 years is crucial to combat malnutrition.Mother’s Milk also known as ‘liquid gold’ is the protective shield a child receives in his early days.Mother’s milk acts as first immunization providing holistic nutrition and immunity against infections.
2.Atma Nirbhar Bharat Logo Design Contest by MyGov
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Government is looking to have a distinct identity for ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ by developing a logo based on creative and innovative inputs from the citizens of the country.MyGov.in platform has started the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Logo Design Contest on its website where Indian Citizens can submit their entries without any hassle through online medium.The last date of submission of entries is 5th of August 2020 till 11.45 PM.The winning logo will be awarded a cash prize of 25 thousand rupees.MyGov is a citizen engagement platform which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote active participation of Indian citizens in Nation’s governance and development. MyGov has crowdsourced many logos of various departments and initiatives including Swachh Bharat, DekhoApnaDesh, Lokpal and several others.
3.One Nation One Ration card scheme extended to four more states including J&K
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Ambitious One Nation One Ration card scheme has been extended to four more states. They are Manipur, Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.With this, now 24 states have the facility of ration card portability covering more than 65 crore beneficiaries of National Food Security Act.These beneficiaries can now lift their entitlement of ration from any Fair Price Shop across these states.By 31st March next year, all the states will be covered under One Nation One Ration card so that all 81 crore beneficiaries can avail benefit under this scheme.
4.Amit Shah inaugurates international webinar on ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-reliant India’ organized by ICCR
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a two-day international webinar on the theme of ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-reliant India’ organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.It was organised on the 100th death anniversary of the great freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak played a key role in the making of the Indian Independence movement complete in letter and spirit.The slogan of ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’ given by Lokmanya Tilak, will always be written in golden letters in the history of the Indian Independence Movement.
5.Dr Harsh Vardhan launches ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan 2020-21
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Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan, 2020-21.This initiative is a national programme for popularizing science among school students of Class 6th to 11th.It was designed to identify the bright minds with a scientific aptitude among the student community.This is a platform to identify the talent in the field of science and to promote the scientific acumen among the students.Students will help in creating New India and this initiative will play a leading role in it.
6.Free bus travel for women on Raksha Bandhan in UP
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In Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced free travel concession to women in government buses on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.This will give relief to poor and destitute women visiting their relatives.In the wake of covid-19, the CM has appealed to people to maintain social distancing norms while celebrating the festival.Like the previous three years, women can avail free travel in all categories of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation run buses in the state on the occasion of Rakshabandhan festival.
7.Tamil Nadu celebrates its monsoon festival ‘Aadi Perukku’
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Aadi Perukku, also known as the Aadi monsoon festival, is being celebrated in Tamil Nadu.The festival falls on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Adi (mid-July to mid-August) and is celebrated as a tribute to water’s life-sustaining properties.It takes the form of thanking Cauvery river for flowing in plenty, thus ensuring a good agricultural harvest during the year.The festival assumes added significance in the Cauvery Delta region, where farmers also pay homage to Mother nature in the form of the majestic Cauvery river.
8.Gujarat based dairy starts innovative project to produce CNG from animal dung
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Gujarat based and Asia’s largest Banas dairy had come up with an innovative project to produce CNG from animal dung.The Chairman of Banas dairy made an official announcement of the project which is claimed to be the country’s first such endeavour.Banas dairy started the country’s first CNG pump in which Gober gas is being produced, purified and converted into CNG.The dairy is collecting over 40 tonnes of cow dung from the farmers of around 25 villages.The sale of CNG will begin from the pump in the coming week.
9.Northern Railway runs first-ever Vyapar Mala Express train
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Northern Railway ran the first-ever Vyapar Mala Express train.This train destined for Jirania in Tripura has 46 wagons.Wheat was loaded in 34 wagons at Guniana station of Firozpur Division by Food Corporation of India and in the remaining Rice and Pulses have been loaded.Railways has earned more than 94 lakh rupees from this Vyapar Mala Express train.This is an express service where piece-meal stock will reach its destination in a shorter time.The train departed from Delhi Kishanganj for Jirania and it will cover a distance of two thousand 673 Kilometres from Punjab to Tripura.It will help small traders in moving their cargo through Railways, in a short time, cost effective, convenient and environment-friendly mode of transportation.
10.Walmart-owned Flipkart supports 6 lakh artisans in India through Samarth programme
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Walmart-owned Flipkart said it supports over six lakh artisans, weavers and craftsmen across the country through its Samarth programme and is working on onboarding more such sellers to the platform.The Samarth programme was launched last year, wherein the e-commerce major had partnered with five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help artisans use the online marketplace to sell their products.Samarth supports the livelihood of over six lakh artisans, weavers and craftsmen through partnerships with NGOs and government entities, and provides the artisans an access to a pan-India customer base of more than 200 million.With the help of government partnerships, Flipkart has been able to bring artisans online from the remotest parts of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab and Karnataka till now.
11.Air Marshal V R Chaudhari takes over as chief of IAF’s Western Air Command
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Air Marshal V. R. Chaudhari took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command of Indian Air Force.The Air Marshal took over command from Air Marshal B Suresh.Air Marshal V. R. Chaudhari was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in 1982 as a Fighter Pilot.During his career, he has flown a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft.He has a flying experience of MiG-21, MiG-23 MF, MiG 29 and Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.
12.Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh passes away
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Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, who was admitted to a hospital in Singapore, passed away.He was ailing for the past few months. He had earlier undergone a kidney transplant surgery.Amar Singh was born in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.A former General Secretary of the Samajwadi Party, was once known to be very close to the party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Brother Shivpal Yadav.However, in 2010, Amar Singh resigned from all party posts and was soon expelled from the party.He was later inducted in the party but his second stint with the SP came to an end after he was expelled from the Akhilesh Yadav-led party again in 2017.
