President inaugurates 8th India Water Week

September 18, 2024

1 President inaugurates 8th India Water Week

President of India Smt. Draupadi Murmu inaugurated the 8th India Water Week in New Delhi . The theme of the event is “ Partnerships and Collaborations for Inclusive Water Development and Management ” and is in line with the commitment of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to promote sustainable water practices in rural India . The President said that only 2.5 per cent of the total water available on earth is fresh water. Out of that only one per cent is available for human use. India accounts for four per cent of the world’s water resources. About 80 per cent of the water available in our country is used in the agricultural sector. Apart from agriculture, availability of water is essential for power generation, industry and domestic needs. Water resources are limited. Supply of water to all is possible only through efficient use of water. The President said that in the year 2021, the Government has launched a campaign with the message of ‘Catch the Rain – Where it Falls When it Falls’. The aim of this campaign is to achieve other important goals of water conservation, rainwater harvesting and water management. Ministry of Panchayati Raj is participating as a partner in the 8th India Water Week and Exhibition.

2 PM Modi launched Odisha government’s ‘Subhadra Yojana’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17 launched the women-centric scheme ‘ Subhadra Yojana ‘ of the Odisha government . Apart from this, the PM unveiled railway and national highway projects worth more than Rs 3,800 crore in the state. Subhadra Yojana is named after Subhadra, the sister of Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra . Under this scheme, the state government will give Rs 50,000 to women aged 21-60 years during 5 years between 2024-25 and 2028-29 . Every year Rs 10,000 will be deposited directly into their accounts in two installments. More than 1 crore women are expected to be added to this scheme. After the Subhadra Yojana, PM Modi transferred funds to the bank accounts of more than 10 lakh women. Along with this, the foundation stone was also laid for railway projects worth Rs 2,800 crore across the country. He also laid the foundation stone of national highway projects worth more than Rs 1,000 crore. Modi also released the first installment of assistance amount to about 10 lakh beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin in 14 states. Apart from this, he handed over the keys of their houses to 26 lakh beneficiaries of PM Awas Yojana (Rural and Urban). Modi also launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas + 2024 app. Along with this, he also launched the Operation Guidelines for Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0.

3 Education Minister Atishi will be the new Chief Minister of Delhi

Atishi, the education minister in the Kejriwal government , will be the new Chief Minister of Delhi . Arvind Kejriwal proposed her name in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Legislature Party meeting on 17 September. The MLAs agreed to this. Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai announced Atishi’s name as the next Chief Minister. The new CM and cabinet will also be sworn in this week. A two-day assembly session has been called on 26 and 27 September. Atishi currently holds important ministries like Education, Tourism, PWD, Culture, Women and Child Development. After getting bail from the Supreme Court in the liquor policy case on 13 September, Kejriwal had announced to leave the post of Chief Minister on 15 September. The term of the Delhi Assembly is ending in February 2025. The Delhi government has only 5 months left for the elections.

4 IPS Manoj Kumar Verma will be the new Police Commissioner of Kolkata

Senior Indian Police Service officer Manoj Kumar Verma will be the new Kolkata Police Commissioner . Mamata government has taken this decision on 17 September amid doctors’ agitation in the Kolkata case . The government has removed Vineet Kumar Goyal from the post of Kolkata Police Commissioner . Vineet Goyal has been transferred and made ADG of STF. Manoj Verma, the new Kolkata Police Commissioner, is a 1998 batch IPS officer. Manoj is considered a sharp police officer. He is counted among CM Mamata Banerjee’s favorite police officers. Earlier, Manoj was on the post of ADG and IGP (Law and Order). Now this responsibility has been given to Javed Shamim, who is a 1995 batch IPS officer. At the same time, Vineet Goyal, who was removed from the post of Kolkata Police Commissioner, is a 1994 batch IPS officer.

5 Central Government’s big initiative, watching movies will be easier for the disabled, e-Cinepram module launched

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken an important step towards making cinema viewing more inclusive and accessible for persons with disabilities . Now films screened in movie theaters will have to be subtitled for the hearing impaired and visually impaired . Taking a step in this direction, the e-CineCert module has been released. Applicants can now apply and submit their films with the necessary accessibility features for the hearing and visually impaired as specified in the guidelines. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had set the effective date for the implementation of these guidelines as 15 September 2024. These guidelines apply to feature films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for public exhibition in cinema halls, movie theaters for commercial purposes which are to be certified in more than one language.

6 Project Cheetah completes 2 years in Kuno National Park

It has been 2 years since the launch of Project Cheetah in Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh , India . The process of re-establishing the extinct cheetahs on the country’s soil was started on 17 September 2022. On the occasion of his birthday , Prime Minister Narendra Modi released 8 cheetahs brought from Namibia in the National Park. These included 5 female and 3 male cheetahs. After this, 12 more cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023. Out of a total of 20 cheetahs, eight adult cheetahs (three female and five male) had died. In fact, the move by Prime Minister Modi to release wild cheetahs in Kuno National Park is part of his efforts to revive and diversify India’s wildlife and natural habitat, the cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952. It is worth noting that today the number of cheetahs has increased to 24 .

7 Aishwarya Rai wins Best Actress Award at SIIMA 2024

South Indian International Movie Awards i.e. SIIMA 2024 was held in Dubai on 16 September . During this, Aishwarya Rai won the Critics Award for Best Actress at SIIMA 2024. Aishwarya Rai has been awarded for her brilliant role in ‘ Ponniyin Selvan: II ‘. Mani Ratnam has directed the film Ponniyin Selvan: II. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan played dual roles in ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’, in which she played both Nandini and Mandakini Devi. This two-part film, directed by Mani Ratnam, is an adaptation of Kalki Krishnamurthy ‘s famous Tamil novel ‘ Ponniyin Selvan ‘.

Best Film : J.L.L.A.
Best Actor: Chiyaan Vikram , Ponniyan Selvan II
Best Actress: Nayanthara , Annapoornani
Best Director: Nelson Dilip Kumar , Jailer

8 First container school opens in remote forest area of Telangana

A container school was inaugurated in Telangana ‘s Mulugu district on September 17. The first container school was inaugurated by Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) . This is the first instance of a government school being set up in a container in the state. It aims to address the infrastructure challenges faced by educational institutions in forest areas. A school is currently running in a hut in Bangarupalli, a tribal settlement in the Kanthanapalli forest. The authorities could not obtain permission to build a traditional school due to the ban on construction of permanent buildings in forest areas. To overcome these challenges, Minister Seethakka, who represents the Mulugu Assembly constituency, took the initiative to set up a container school, providing a sustainable and practical solution for the education of children in the area. The container school has been set up at a cost of around Rs 3 lakh.

9 Joint commemorative stamp issued to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Romania

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar released the India-Romania joint commemorative stamp in Delhi along with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Romanian Ambassador to India Daniela-Mariana Sezonov . In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar said that these stamps reflect the deep bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Romania. He said that these stamps have been released to mark the completion of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

10 Cleanliness is service campaign 2024 started across the country

Swachhta Hi Seva Abhiyan is starting. It will run till October 2. The theme of this year is Swabhaav Swachhta – Sanskar Swachhta . During this time, cleanliness campaign will be run at various places like tourist places, public buildings, commercial areas, water bodies, zoos, sanctuaries and community and public toilets through Shramdaan and collective cooperation. On this occasion, all the ministries of the central government and various states are organizing many activities across the country. This year the cleanliness campaign will be based on three major pillars – Shramdaan activity for cleanliness , public participation in cleanliness and Safai Mitra Suraksha Camp . Apart from citizens, industries, non-governmental organizations, development organizations, urban local bodies, panchayats and various stakeholders will be involved in the campaign. All states, union territories, Chief Ministers, central ministries and local bodies will participate in ensuring nationwide cleanliness campaign.

11 Gati Shakti University and Monash University sign MoU to promote railway engineering research and education

Gati Shakti University (GSV) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Monash University, Australia in New Delhi . The agreement aims to facilitate collaboration in joint research, education and executive training in railway engineering through the Monash Institute of Railway Technology (IRT) . The establishment of a joint research laboratory focused on advanced technical railway engineering as well as opportunities for collaboration on future industrial projects will be explored that will provide mutual benefits to both parties and advance the Australian and Indian railway systems. Joint educational programs and executive training will be another important cooperation area.

12 Indian Hockey team won the Asian Champions Trophy title for the 5th time

On 17 September, the Indian hockey team defeated China 1-0 in the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 final . At the beginning of this match, no one was able to score a goal from both the teams. Then a few minutes before the end of the match, defender Jugraj Singh scored a goal for India. Due to this goal, the Indian hockey team was successful in winning the title. This final match took place in Hulunbuir, China . Earlier, the Indian team made it to the final by defeating South Korea 4-1 in the second semi-final. On the other hand, the Chinese hockey team reached the final of the Asian Champions Trophy for the first time, but they missed out on winning the title. The Indian team has won the Asian Champions Trophy title the most number of times in history, 5 times (including the current season) . The first season of the Men’s Hockey Asian Champions Trophy was played in 2011. Then the Indian team won the title by defeating Pakistan. After this, the Indian team has also won the 2013, 2018 and 2023 seasons. In 2018, the Indian team was joint winner with Pakistan. So far, 8 seasons (including the current one) have been held in the Asian Champions Trophy in which India has won the title 4 times, Pakistan 3 times and South Korea once.

13 India won 16 medals at World Skills Competition in France

India has won 16 medals at the World Skills Competition in Lyon, France . The Indian delegation has won 12 medals of excellence due to exceptional skills and good performance in various trades. India has won four bronze medals in Patisserie and Confectionery, Industry 4.0, Hotel Reception and Renewable Energy. More than 1400 participants from more than 70 countries competed in various skill categories in the event.