PUNJAB
Punjab lost Rs 607 crore in wheat damage during 2014-2018
The comptroller and auditor general (CAG) of India in its report presented in the Punjab legislative assembly on Thursday pointed out a loss of over Rs 607 crore due to damage to wheat between 2014 and 2018.
The CAG report for 2017-2018 highlighted that the Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation Limited and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation caused this loss to the state exchequer due to inadequate storage arrangements, improper storage conditions, poor preservation of stock and storage of fresh wheat with infested wheat.
The report presented up to March 2018 added that delay in disposal of damaged wheat resulted in expenditure of Rs 8.57 crore on rent and security of storage spaces where damaged wheat was kept.
The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) not only violated mandatory provisions of environmental law but also paid avoidable energy charges of Rs 961.71 crore on account of transportation of unwashed coal while purchasing 17,173.40 million units power between January 2015 and February 2018, says the audit report.
INTERNATIONAL
World NGO day: 27 February
World NGO Day is an international day annually observed on 27 February.
The purpose of World NGO Day is to encourage people to be actively involved in NGOs and encourage more synergy between NGOs and both the public and private sectors.
In 2010, 12 members of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum were officially recognized by the nations.
In 2014, the United Nations, European Union leaders and international organizations marked the day for the first time.
NATIONAL
Right To Protein declares February 27 as India’s first ‘Protein Day’
Right To Protein, a national-level public health initiative has launched India’s first ‘Protein Day’ on 27th February.
The day was observed to draw public attention, raise awareness, and educate India on the health benefits of protein.
Globally many countries recognize it as the Protein Day and from this year India will also join this movement.
The key objective through the day’s activities and beyond will be to spread more knowledge about protein and bring about a behavioral change by persuading Indians to eat adequate protein in every meal.
Theme : Protein Mein Kya Hai
India to conduct Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020 summit
The Government of India (GoI) has announced that it is to organize the mega event “Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020” (RAISE 2020). It will be India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) summit. The event will be held from 11-12 April in New Delhi.
RAISE 2020 will be organized by the Government in partnership with Industry & Academia.
The summit aims to exchange ideas and charter a course to use AI for social empowerment, inclusion, and transformation in key areas like Healthcare, Agriculture, Education and Smart Mobility amongst other sectors of great minds.
IGI Airport ranked highest in duty-free revenue per passenger
Knight Frank India reported that Delhi’s IGI Airport ranked highest in duty-free revenue per passenger at $10-11 per passenger.
The share non-aeronautical revenue of the joint venture airport in New Delhi is at 70%. The global average is 40%.
From this 70%, 34% comes from retail, food and beverage, and duty-free components.
Delhi is the only Indian city to feature in world’s top 10 business metro rails
Noida airport in Jewar will also add significant value and volume to Delhi’s transit retail market.
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog join hands with NASSCOM to roll out Artificial Intelligence Modules in Indian schools
With an imperative to empower the youngest minds of the country with the latest technologies, NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in collaboration with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) launched an AI based Module rolled out for students in Indian schools.
The AI-Base Module has been introduced with an objective for students to leverage the full potential of AIM’s Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) and further empowers them to innovate and create valuable solutions benefiting societies at large.
The module contains activities, videos and experiments that enable students to work through and learn the various concepts of AI.
Atal Innovation Mission housed at NITI Aayog is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
At the school level, AIM is establishing ATLs in all districts across India.
Centre lifts the ban on onion
The government decided to lift the ban on the export of onions as the price of onion has been stabilized. The move will protect the interests of farmers as prices are likely to fall sharply due to a bumper rabi crop. The decision was approved in a meeting of a Group of Ministers (GOM) headed by Home Minister Amit Shah. The lifting of ban on onion is expected to be effective. GOM will also discuss whether to reduce or scrap the Minimum Export Price (MEP) on onion to facilitate outbound shipments.
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