PUNJAB
Punjab allocates Rs 3,445.14 cr for transforming rural sector
To ensure holistic development of villages under phase-II of Punjab Government’s ambitious Smart Village Campaign (SVC), an allocation of whopping Rs 3,445.14 crore has been made for as many as 13,265 panchayats in all the 22 districts across the state.
Out of this, Rs 1,603.83 crore have been released under the Campaign while Rs 1,539.91 crore have been allocated under the 14th Finance Commission with allocation of Rs 301.4 crore made under the 15th Finance Commission.
Giving the district-wise allocation of funds, the spokesperson said that Hoshiarpur district, having highest number of panchayats (1405), Rs 246.01 crore have been provided, followed by Rs 435.88 crore to Gurdaspur district which has 1,279 panchayats.
Likewise, in Patiala with 1038 panchayats, funds to the tune of Rs 150.39 crore have been made available, in Ludhiana with 941 panchayats Rs 231.58 crore have been allocated. In Jalandhar, having next highest number of panchayats at 898, funds to the tune of Rs 172.94 have been released; while in Amritsar, Rs 191.24 crore have been placed at the disposal of 860 panchayats, among others.
Notably, the second phase of Smart Village Campaign was launched by the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on October 17, 2020, after successful implementation of its first phase, which was launched in 2019 for the execution of 19,132 works at a cost of Rs 835 crore.
INTERNATIONAL
Joe Biden takes over as President, Kamala Harris as Vice President of US
Joe Biden took oath as the 46th President of the United States of America at a ceremony in the US Capitol building in Washington.
78 year old Biden has become the oldest US President in history.
His deputy Kamala Harris was also sworn in as 49th Vice-President of the country.
The daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, Kamala Harris made history as America’s first woman and first person with south Asian roots to take the office of the Vice President.
Mr Trump along with Melinia Trump left White House for Florida ahead of the oath taking ceremony, handing over the charge to the Biden administration.
NATIONAL
Union Cabinet approves MoU between India, Uzbekistan for cooperation in field of Solar Energy
The Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Uzbekistan for cooperation in the field of Solar Energy.
The main area of work under the MoU is to identify research, demonstration and initiation of pilot projects between the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India and the International Solar Energy Institute, Uzbekistan.
The research and cooperation will primarily focus in the areas of Solar Photovoltaic, Storage Technologies and Transfer of Technologies.
Based on mutual agreement, both parties would work for implementation and deployment of pilot projects in International Solar Alliance (ISA) member countries.
NITI Aayog releases 2nd edition of India Innovation Index-2020
The NITI Aayog released the second edition of the India Innovation Index-2020.
The index demonstrates the government’s continued commitment towards transforming the country into an innovation-driven economy.
In the India Innovation Index-2020, the States and Union Territories have been divided into 17 Major States, 10 North-East and Hill States and nine Union Territories and Small States for effectively comparing their performance.
In the 2020 ranking, Karnataka retained its first position in the Major States category.
Maharashtra moved one position higher and stood at 2nd spot while Tamil Nadu slid to 3rd position.
In the North East and Hill States category, Himachal Pradesh stands at first position followed by Uttarakhand and Manipur.
Delhi stands at the first position while Chandigarh retained its second spot in the Union Territories and small States category.
Cabinet approves Rs 5,282 cr investment for Ratle Hydro Power Project in J&K
The Cabinet has given its approval for the investment of over 5200 crore rupees for 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric (HE) Project located on river Chenab, in Kishtwar in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
This will be a new Joint Venture Company (JVC) of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Ltd (JKSPDC) with equity contribution of 51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively.
The Ratle Hydro Electric Project shall be commissioned within 60 months.
The Power generated from the Project will help in providing balancing of Grid and will improve the power supply position.
Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth to become the first Woman Fighter Pilot to take part in Republic Day Parade
Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth will create a historic moment when she will become the first woman fighter pilot to take part in the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2021.
She is one of the first women fighter pilots to be inducted in the IAF.
Kanth will be the part of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) tableau in the parade.
The IAF tableau will showcase mock-ups of the light combat aircraft, light combat helicopter and the Sukhoi-30 fighter plane.
Currently Kanth is posted at an airbase in Rajasthan where she flies the MiG-21 Bison fighter plane.
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