Both Boys, Girls teams win 5th IHAI National Ice Hockey Championship 2020

1.Pravasi Bhartiya Divas: 09 January

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community in the development of India.It also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915.

Established in 2003 the celebratory event is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs every year on this day.

On the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar interacted with Indian Diaspora across the globe through a digital video conference.

2.India continues to be top sourcing market for Sri Lankan tourism

India continued to be the top sourcing market for Sri Lankan tourism with Indian tourists constituting maximum 19 percent of total tourist arrivals to the island nation in 2019.The latest data released by Sri Lankan tourism revealed that 355,002 Indian tourists visited Sri Lanka last year against total arrival of around 1.91 million.

Sri Lankan tourism suffered a setback following Easter Sunday attacks last April and the annual tourist arrival dropped by 18 percent since 2018 figures.

India, the United Kingdom, China, Germany and Australia were Sri Lanka’s top five international tourist generating markets last year.

3.Art Exhibition inaugurated to mark 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Bangladesh

A ten-day-long art exhibition commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was inaugurated in Dhaka.The art exhibition has been organised by the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh in association with the Bangladesh Shilpkala Academy.

The two Gandhi Ashrams in Bangladesh are located at Jamalpur and Noakhali.

The exhibition also featured unique photographs of Mahatma Gandhi from his days in South Africa to various movements in India.

4.Cabinet approves India-Mongolia agreement on space cooperation

The Cabinet gave its approval for an Agreement between India and Mongolia on Cooperation in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for Peaceful and Civilian Purposes.The agreement was signed in New Delhi on 20th September last year during the visit of the President of Mongolia to India.

The Cabinet also gave its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department for International Development Government of the United Kingdom for Enabling Energy Self-Sufficiency for Indian Railways.

 5.‘Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020’ inaugurated

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the Advantage Maharashtra expo 2020 in Aurangabad.The four-day mega industrial exhibition has been organised by the Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA).

Growth of Marathwada industries in technology and innovation and the products produced and exported from the region will be showcased in this exhibition.

Over 450 exhibitors from within the state as well as outside the state are participating in this exhibition.

6.Institutions at Gujarat Ayurved University to get status of Institution of National Importance

The Cabinet approved conferring the status of Institution of National Importance to a cluster of Ayurvedic institutions at Gujarat Ayurved University campus in Jamnagar.The elevation of the status of institution will provide it with the autonomy to upgrade the standard of Ayurveda education, frame various courses in Ayurveda as per national and international demand.

It will help the institute to develop tertiary care in Ayurveda and to secure interdisciplinary collaborations to give a contemporary thrust to Ayurveda.

The status of National Importance will boost the role and importance of Ayurveda in Public Health.

7.Govt approves over Rs 5000 cr project for natural gas supplies in Northeast

The Government has approved the Viability Gap Funding, VGF of 5 thousand, 559 crore rupees to Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited to build Natural Gas Pipeline Grid covering 8 North Eastern states.This is the second such funding by the government for a gas pipeline project.

The total cost of the grid is 9 thousand 256 crore rupees and sanctioned VGF amount will cover 60 per cent cost of the project.

The 1,656-km pipeline will connect Guwahati in Assam to major cities in the region such as Itanagar, Dimapur, Kohima, Imphal, Aizawl and Agartala.

The project is critical towards implementing the government’s Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for the North-East.

8.CCEA approves strategic disinvestment of 49.78 per cent equity shareholding of MMTC

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA has given in-principle approval for the sale of equity held by four Central Public Sector Enterprises and two-state PSUs in Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited-NINL.It has approved strategic disinvestment of 49.78 per cent equity shareholding of Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation Limited and 10.10 per cent of National Mineral Development Corporation.

The CCEA gave approval for strategic disinvestment of 0.68 percent of MECON and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited each.

NINL is a Joint Venture company, in which these six companies are shareholders.

9.SBI announces ‘residential builder finance with buyer guarantee’ scheme

Country’s largest public sector bank, State Bank of India has announced a ‘residential builder finance with buyer guarantee’ (RBBG) scheme.It aims at giving a push to residential sales and improving home buyers’ confidence.

Under this scheme, the SBI will issue a guarantee for completion of select residential projects to customers who have availed home loans from it.

The scheme will focus on affordable housing projects priced up to 2.50 crore rupees in 10 cities initially.

10.Both Boys, Girls teams win 5th IHAI National Ice Hockey Championship 2020

In Leh-Ladakh, the home teams won the 5th Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice Hockey Championship -2020 in both Boys and Girls categories.Ladakh Scouts Regiment Centre (LSRC) won the bronze medal, in the Under-20 Boys category.

Maharashtra girls stood 3rd in the championship.

Ice Hockey National teams will be shortlisted from the Championship and teams will be selected after a coaching and conditioning camp.

The Under-20 boys will be playing in the Asia Challenge Cup between 10th and 15th of next month in Thailand.