Nikkie Purchasing managers index
Nikkie Purchasing managers index has 100 points with a value above 50 indicates expansion in manufacturing activity and below 50 points indicates contraction in manufacturing activity. The PMI is based on five major indicators: new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries and the employment environment. The purpose of the PMI is to provide information about current business conditions to company decision makers, analysts and purchasing managers.
Agriculture workers
65% of Agriculture workers are women and 74% of rural agriculture labor is women. However only 12% of women own the lands and hence are recognized as farmers. The government doesn’t recognize people who don’t have a claim on the land in official records. Since land is a state subject it is governed not by constitution and there doesn’t exist a single uniform law but multiple state specific laws or personal religious laws which discriminate against women.
No detention policy
No detention policy under the Right to Education Act was scrapped as there were complaints that the policy led to high failures and dropouts in class X and IX. The reason for the NDP was to prevent the economically and socially disadvantaged from dropping out early. The measure failed due to a large number of reasons such as poor infrastructure in schools, lack of teaching aids outside schools, poor training given to teachers etc.
The Continuous and comprehensive education system was a failure as the teachers were not trained and so did not do the CCE. This led to a project based approach to teaching which was resented by parents and students. Thus the NDP alone can’t be blamed for the mess in the education system.
National Energy Policy - Draft
Though the National energy policy draft does well in highlighting the problems and solutions but it fails to define the roles, responsibilities and accountability for implementation. The reports Vision 2040 is for affordable energy, high per capita energy consumption, access to clean cooking energy, low emissions, security of supply and universal coverage. The pathway for achieving this is using a mixture of clean and non clean fuels (coal, oil and gas).
However questions related to increase in the use of clean energy by removing obstacles such as agriculture problems were not addressed. Such as biofuels which shall need use of agricultural products for manufacturing and might lead to diversion of food crops. The second problem was that the vision does not have a mechanism of increasing reliance of non conventional energy at the cost of conventional energy with passage of time. Third, the integration of several government departments and center and state level bodies is also not mentioned. The projects for energy security shall need a steering committee with all stakeholders to make it a success. All these are absent from the draft report.
ICAR
ICAR was the autonomous body under the control of Ministry of Agriculture however post the green revolution it has remained as an extension of a government department. It is no longer functioning as a truly autonomous govt dept. The mandate of the ICAR is farmer education, research and farm extension. But it cannot continue the farm extension services and these need to be delegated to the state governments. The State agriculture universities are out of the ambit of central government and rely on states for funding. This leads to a perennial paucity of funds and so the institutes have to demand funding under central schemes.
This has lead to loss of focus on research in problems faced by the states. The private institutes that have emerged in India function without any regulation and so the degrees given by them are of no use. Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s are created by the center and are mandated with technology refinement, transfer and farm extension but are not fully staffed. There is also a lack of convergence between the center and state agriculture agencies. The budget allocation to agriculture R&D is less than 1% at present and needs to be increased to 2% of GDP.
Lateral entry into the civil service
Lateral entry into the civil service is a reform that is talked about both on and off in the government but implementation has not taken place. The I.A.S. has been created in the spirit of a pre-independence India and so needs to be reformed to make it more responsive to the current era of globalization. This will happen when individuals are brought in from outside who have experienced the work of the government. Civil service aspirants are recruited at a stage where their capabilities aren't tested adequately and so many of the good administrators are left out as well as many of the less qualified are taken in.
Mid level entry has the advantage of removing this lacunae. Currently the serving I.A.S. officers see themselves are chosen based on objective criteria and they have worked at diverse posting for years and so deserve the dominant status in policy making. They view the lateral entrants as a product of nepotism, favors and favoring private enterprises. The lateral recruits are usually adhoc appointees and see the regular IAS as unfriendly to them. Thus there is a gap between both sides. This could be resolved if the lateral entrants were recruited by a fair transparent process and given a chance to work in the field for a long time to prove themselves before being allowed in the policy making spheres. Such an arrangement might remove the conflict between the regular I.A.S. officers and the lateral entrants.
Privatization of Public hospitals
NITI Aayog has proposed letting out a portion of well functioning public hospitals in tier 2 and tier 3 cities to private company for 30 years for treatment of cardiology, pulmonary and cancer related diseases. The government will give land, ensure availability of power, water and other services, it shall also provide back-end services such as clerical, accountancy etc.
The patients shall be referred to the private company and the viability gap funding shall ensure that and shortfall in revenue is addressed. The private provider shall levy user charges, have his own staff and submit annual reports to the government for compliance. The private party thus has the benefit of earning profits while the government has to bear the responsibility. The PPP in healthcare sector are important as the private sector controls 3/4th of the health care services and beds. However PPP are complicated as the government needs to balance between patient needs and avoid additional revenue burden.
The NITI Aayog policy is silent on how the staff of private and public hospitals shall coexist and how to resolve the conflicts that shall arise between them. If this partnership shall lead to cost escalation then will it lead to diversion of funds from other sources of the health budget. Will the private sector shift from profit making to service oriented approach. Will the government increase expenditure on health care as 2% of the GDP. Such are the issues that need to be addressed.
‘Gaj Yatra’ to mark World Elephant Day 2017
Environment Minister launches ‘Gaj Yatra’ to mark World Elephant Day 2017 - August 12. The Environment Minister released the All India Census 2017 Report on elephants as also the Agreed Points of Action on Trans-Boundary Conservation of Elephants by India and Bangladesh and a document titled ‘Right of Passage’ on elephant corridors in India. A nation-wide population census exercise for elephants is conducted every five years, this is the first time than an all-India synchronized elephant census was carried out. World Elephant Day was conceived in 2011 by Canadian filmmakers.
Reserve Bank of India
RBI is mandated with managing the monetary systems, target inflation, regulate banking and non banking financial institutions and also manage the borrowings of the state and the central governments. It also holds foreign currency assets in the form of treasury bills in foreign central banks and securities abroad. In these functions it makes a profit and this surplus minus the expenditure is transferred to the government. The government classifies it under the head of non tax revenues.
Flooding in the North east
Flooding in the North east is caused due to reasons of terrain as well as manmade causes. The floods are a result of river water entering into the floodplains from the high altitude terrain in Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan to lower terrains in Assam and other states. As the water enters these areas with force it gushes out of the normal areas inundating adjoining regions. The sediments brought by these regions also is deposited into the floodplains and lowers the depth of the rivers, man made factors lead to deforestation and accelerate the flooding. The resilience of the people is also important and they should be provided facilities during the flood prone days to overcome their problems.
The agriculture is affected by flooding, access to medical facilities, schools, veterinary facilities is affected, all this harms the livelihoods and increases vulnerability. To reduce the effects of flooding on life, research must be done on flood resilient crops, crops with smaller life cycles, floating vegetable gardens. Toilets built on elevated platforms, boats provided to villages, alert systems driven by community will increase flood tolerance amongst the people in these areas. The agencies too should be empowered to assess the environmental impact of development projects in these regions and should be staffed with scientists from varying disciplines.
India’s New Metro Policy
India’s New Metro Policy has made it mandatory to have private participation in the project. This is an essential requirement for central assistance for such ventures. The policy ignores the failures from the PPP model as seen in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
Metro is an important mass transit system in urban areas as it has the potential to replace private cars as preferred mode of transport, low carbon footprint and cheap. However it is a capital intensive industry and gestation period is high and returns are low. Private players may not find it fruitful to invest in such ventures and hence the experiments of private participation's have seen failures. It was believed that involving private sector might bring in efficiency but it has only lead to increase in delays and expenditures. Hence such a policy might have negative consequences.
‘Swasth Bachche, Swasth Bharat’
‘Swasth Bachche, Swasth Bharat’ Programme, an initiative of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan to prepare a physical Health and Fitness Profile Card for more than 12 lakhs of Kendriya Vidyalaya students was launched by HRD Minisrty. Swasth Bachche, Swasth Bharat programme will provide a comprehensive and inclusive report card for children covering all age groups and children of different abilities.
India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)
India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) - India and Israel will make an contribution of four million US Dollars each for the Fund, both equivalent amount, annually for five years. This is for promotion of bilateral Industrial R&D and Innovation cooperation in the fields of science and technology by extending support to joint projects for innovative or technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes.
Such projects will lead to affordable technological innovations in focus areas of mutual interest such as water, agriculture, energy and digital technologies. Institutional support in building up consortia including private industry, enterprises and R&D institutions from India and Israel will be enabled through these collaborative projects.
National Nutrition Strategy
NITI Aayog has drafted the National Nutrition Strategy that lays down a roadmap for effective action, among both implementers and practitioners, in achieving our nutrition objectives.
The nutrition strategy envisages four determinants of nutrition – uptake of health services, food, drinking water & sanitation and income & livelihoods
The Nutrition Strategy framework envisages a Kuposhan Mukt Bharat - linked to Swachh Bharat and Swasth Bharat. The aim is ensure that States create customized State/ District Action Plans to address local needs and challenges. This is especially relevant in view of enhanced resources available with the States, to prioritise focussed interventions with agreater role for panchayats and urban local bodies.
The strategy enables states to make strategic choices, through decentralized planning and local innovation, with accountability for nutrition outcomes.
Coal mining Commercialization
India is the third largest coal producer in the world and also the third largest importer. The opening of coal mining to commercialization by allowing private players to participate in the bidding process is a welcome move. This shall end the monopoly of Coal India over mining and help reap the dividend of vast coal reserves.
The quality of Indian coal is poor due to high percentage of ash (45%) compared to the ideal value needed for efficient use in thermal power plants (25%). Coal washing technology is a solution to this but Coal India has not invested adequately in this technology. Complaints have been received regarding the quality of such coal which increases operational cost of thermal plants. Opening up the sector shall boost the industry and enable reforms in the long term.
Brahmaputra Biodiversity and Biology Boat (B4)
Brahmaputra Biodiversity and Biology Boat (B4) will establish a large barge on the river Brahmaputra with a well-equipped laboratory for analysis of all components of the entire ecosystem of the river and surroundings. The B4 will link to all the local research institutions along the river, as well as national and international laboratories.
B4 will have capability to analyze soil, water, environment, plant and animal life, human health and agriculture and an equal component that involves local citizens in the experimental process of science in data generation and management. B4 will also have a teaching laboratory for school/college children. It is also proposed to have mobile satellite boat labs which will run along the tributaries of Brahmaputra to feed in data to the main B4.
Sustainable development goals
India is a signatory to the “Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” resolution (2030 Agenda) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. This 2030 Agenda consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 Targets.
International Seabed Authority (ISA)
International Seabed Authority (ISA) is a UN body set up to regulate the exploration and exploitation of marine non-living resources of oceans in international waters. India’s exclusive rights to explore polymetallic nodules from seabed in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) have been extended by five years. These rights are over 75000 sq. km of area in international waters allocated by International Seabed Authority for developmental activities for polymetallic nodules.
India is the first country to have received the status of a pioneer investor in 1987 and was allocated an exclusive area in Central Indian Ocean Basin by United Nations (UN) for exploration and utilization of nodules. India is one among the top 8-countries/ contractors and is implementing a long–term programme on exploration and utilization of Polymetallic Nodules through Ministry of Earth Sciences.
BRICS Summit and Myanmar visit
Prime Minister will be attending 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China. He will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries. His visit to Myanmar will include the famed heritage city of Bagan, where the Archaeological Survey of India has done renovating of the Ananda Temple.
Chakmas and Hajongs: Citizenship issues
Chakmas are Buddhists and Hajongs are Hindus who were residents of East Pakistan and had fled to India to escape from religious persecution. In India they were settled in Arunachal Pradesh. The indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh have agitated against granting them citizenship as it would affect the demography of Arunachal Pradesh. The growing population of Chakmas is more than that of many native tribes of Arunachal hence granting them citizenship shall create unrest in the state.
UN Human Rights Council
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has called off the agitation that it started for a separate state from West Bengal. The Gorkhas are a nepali speaking community and their demand for separate statehood emerged from the sense of alienation created from the feeling that a majority bengali speaking state would not recognize the identity of the gorkhas.
The Gorkhaland territorial administration was a body created to meet this demand halfway. The body however failed to meet public aspirations as the state government could not devolve power to it. State government has also hurt the linguistic sentiments of the people by imposing bengali in schools and not recognised the cultural and ethnic sentiments of the people. Future agitations can be prevented by meeting such demands.
FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017
FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017 to be held in India from 6th to 28th October, 2017. Mission 11 Million (MXIM) program - MXIM is the joint program of FIFA, AIFF and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to promote football among 11 million school children in India.
Grameen Khel Mahotsav
The first edition of Rural Games or Grameen Khel Mahotsav will kick-start from Delhi. The Rural Games will aim at popularising the indigenous games like wrestling, athletics etc. and will also have fun games like Matka Race, Tug of War for senior citizens to add the fun element in the games.
Sankalp Se Siddhi Programme
Ministry of Culture organizes Sankalp Se Siddhi Programme in Coimbatore. New India movement from 2017 - 2022, a Sankalp Se Siddhi (Attainment through Resolve) Programme was organized at Coimbatore. The New India Movement 2017-2022 envisages an India free of Poverty, Corruption, Terrorism, Communalism, Casteism and Un-cleanliness.
Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad
NITI Aayog and the Government of the United States of America, is hosting the eighth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad in November. This is the first time the Global Entrepreneurship Summit is being held in South Asia. The theme for this year’s Summit - Women First, Prosperity for All - will celebrate entrepreneurship in all its strength, diversity and entirety. The four primary focus areas of GES 2017 are Healthcare and Life Sciences, Digital Economy and Financial Technology, Energy and Infrastructure, and Media and Entertainment.
DNA Fingerprinting Bill 2017
The proposal is to regulate and standardise DNA testing with the bill named DNA Based Technology, Bill. The bill aims to setup a regulatory body for creating standards for DNA testing and supervise activities of all labs allowed to carry out such tests. DNA analysis gives an accurate information about the person and so is used increasingly in crime detection or establish parentage. It can also be used to find out susceptibility to diseases and allergies. Thus such data needs to be collected and stored carefully to prevent misuse.
The bill seeks to establish two bodies: DNA Data bank and DNA Proiling board. The board shall have 11 members and is supposed to be a regulatory authority who can grant accreditation to labs, lay standards for labs and advise governments on DNA related matters. The DNA databank shall be setup at Hyderabad and there shall be state level databanks who are mandated to share their data with the national databank.
The databanks can store DNA details of crime scenes, missing persons, dead bodies (unidentified) or suspects. The law has provisions for stopping misuse and imprisonments for offenders also. One concern with DNA analysis is that there is room for errors and if a person is convicted on the basis of DNA evidence alone he may have no other recourse.
Smart Agriculture Conclave in New Delhi
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, convened the Smart Agriculture Conclave in New Delhi in partnership with the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Research Councils UK (RCUK) India. The objective was to set the stage for “FarmerZone” - a collective open-source data platform for smart agriculture which will use biological research and data to improve the lives of small and marginal farmers for dealing with climate change, weather predictions and soil, water, seed requirements and providing market intelligence.
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016
Surrogacy is an arrangement where an intending couple commissions a surrogate mother to carry their child. The intending couple must be Indian citizens and married for at least five years with at least one of them being infertile. The surrogate mother has to be a close relative who has been married and has had a child of her own.
No payment other than reasonable medical expenses can be made to the surrogate mother. The surrogate child will be deemed to be the biological child of the intending couple.
Central and state governments will appoint appropriate authorities to grant eligibility certificates to the intending couple and the surrogate mother. These authorities will also regulate surrogacy clinics. Undertaking surrogacy for a fee, advertising it or exploiting the surrogate mother will be punishable with imprisonment for 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh.
Key Issues and Analysis
The Bill permits surrogacy only for couples who cannot conceive a child. This procedure is not allowed in case of any other medical conditions which could prevent a woman from giving birth to a child.
The Bill specifies eligibility conditions that need to be fulfilled by the intending couple in order to commission surrogacy. Further, it allows additional conditions to be prescribed by regulations. This may be excessive delegation of legislative powers.
The surrogate mother and the intending couple need eligibility certificates from the appropriate authority. The Bill does not specify a time limit within which such certificates will be granted. It also does not specify an appeal process in case the application is rejected.
The surrogate mother must be a ‘close relative’ of the intending couple. The Bill does not define the term ‘close relative’. Further, the surrogate mother (close relative) may donate her own egg for the pregnancy. This may lead to negative health consequences for the surrogate baby.
For an abortion the approval of the appropriate authority and the consent of the surrogate mother is required. The Bill does not specify a time limit for granting such an approval. Further, the intending couple has no say in the consent to abort.
Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, or Saubhagya, at New Delhi. The aim of this scheme is to provide power to all homes. The Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) will remain the nodal agency for the operationalisation of the scheme throughout the country.
The expected outcome of the Scheme is as follows:
Environmental upgradation by substitution of Kerosene for lighting purposes
Improvement education services
Better health services
Enhanced connectivity through radio, television, mobiles, etc.
Increased economic activities and jobs
Improved quality of life especially for women
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
A Grant Agreement from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) of the World Bank of USD 24.64 million for “Ecosystem Service Improvement Project” was signed. The objective of the Project is to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Departments of Forestry and Community Organisations to enhance forest ecosystem services and improve the livelihoods of forest dependent communities in Central Indian Highlands.
Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF)
Union Finance Minister, during his Budget speech 2016-17, announced creation of dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) in NABARD with an initial corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore for funding of Central and State share for the identified ongoing projects under PMKSY i.e Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP)command area development (CAD)
Wetlands
Wetlands are known as the “kidneys of nature” as they have a role in purifying the system by water assimilation, purification, erosion control and micro-climate regulation. They absorb excess waters during floods and release waters during droughts. In 1982 India became signatory to the Ramsar convention on wetlands , 1971. It is an intergovernmental treaty to promote wise use of wetlands and conserve them. Wetlands consist of manmade wetlands, reefs, lagoons, rivers and lakes. 5% of India’s area is occupied by wetlands and yet not one has been notified by Environment ministry.
World Honey Bee Day (WHBD) - 19 August
TRIFED is an apex organisation at National Level and functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs. TRIFED is serving the interests of Tribals, who are engaged in collection of forest produce and making of Tribal Art & Handicraft Products for their livelihoodso as to ensure better remunerative price for their products as well as for the socio-economic betterment through Self Help Groups, Empanelled NGOs, State level Tribal Development Corporations, Forest Development Corporations for undertaking marketing development of the tribal products.
Honey, being an important Minor Forest Produce, TRIFED is playing and lead role in protecting, promoting and multiplication of Honey Bees by Scientific, Non-destructive collection practices, thereby increasing the livelihood of tribal people living in various forest areas of the country, contributing to the growth of Honey Bees population and reducing the mortality rate of Honey Bees drastically. About 90% of the Scheduled Tribes of the country live in and around forest areas and the forests provide 60% of the food & medicinal needs of tribals and 40% of their income from Minor Forest Produce (MFP) mostly of which come from Honey.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)
A watershed is an area that separates water flowing into rivers or basins. Management of a watershed involves the rational utilisation of land and water resources, through preventing soil run-off, increasing the productivity of crops, rain water harvesting and recharging of groundwater tables.
The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched in 2015, and is being jointly implemented by three ministries. The Ministry of Rural Development undertakes water conservation activities, the Ministry of Water Resources undertakes measures for creation of irrigation sources, and the Ministry of Agriculture promotes efficient water utilisation.
53% of the net sown area in the country, accounting for 74 million hectares is rain fed. The Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), now part of PMKSY, has been under implementation since 2009.
Arvind Panagariya resigns from post of Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog. He is set to return to Columbia university as the Professor of economics.
e-RaKam a portal to sell agricultural produce was started by joint initiative between MSTC and Central Warehouse Corporation.
Institute of Eminence Deemed to be Universities regulations is aimed at creating an enabling architecture for 10 public and 10 private institutions to emerge as world class institutions.
Artificial Intelligence refers to computer systems that are capable of doing tasks that would require a human intelligence.
Devendra Jhajharia becomes India’s first para-athlete (Javelin Throwing) to win the Khel Ratna. Sardar Singh , hockey player also wins award.
Bharat 22 an exchange traded fund was launched. ETF offer investment in a diversified portfolio and so are less risky than other financial instruments.
Noted Economist Rajiv Kumar is the new Vice Chairman Appointee of the NITI Aayog
NOTA shall be used for the first time in the Gujarat polls for Rajya Sabha.
Pandita Ramabai was the pioneer for education of child widow and women’s rights in India.
HADR Operation by Indian Air Force, In response to assistance requested by Civil administration for flood relief operations in Bihar.
India - USA decide to elevate the talks between the countries to strategic levels and have decided a new format for dialogue known as “ 2 by 2” just as the “2 + 2” format between the Indian and Japanese governments.
Six women officers of the Indian Navy are due to circumnavigate the globe on the sailing vessel, INSV Tarini. This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew.
Mentor India campaign will be launched by NITI Aayog to connect leaders to nurture and guide students in an Atal Tinkering Lab.
Champions of Change event organised by NITI where 200 CEO’s met the PM to suggest strategies for combating top problems faced by the nation.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is going to establish National Sports Museum, first of its kind, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
NPCI, launched its Aadhaar Enabled Payment service ‘Digi Pay’ to address need for financial services of rural people. Now on August 22, 2017, its cash deposit service will also be launched under Digi Pay, enabling citizens to deposit cash in their Aadhaar seeded account of any bank.
Right to Privacy was recognised as a fundamental right under Right to Life and liberty (Article 21) included in Part III of the constitution.
PRAGATI - is the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is ICT based tool for government procurements.
‘Swachhta Samiksha” is the portal of Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
Centre for Development of Telematics C-DOT’s latest innovation, “WiDHWAN” has been exclusively designed to cater to the recurring call drop issues in no-signal and low-signal network scenarios in places such as offices and homes
Green corridors are dedicated transport corridors created during emergencies for speedy reach of services to affected sites. They are used usually during disaster relief or transport of life saving organs.
NaVIC is India’s Global positioning system consisting of 7 IRNSS satellites. It was started after the Kargil War where US GPS couldn’t be used for locating soldiers. IRNSS shall provide two services: Standard GPS and Restricted GPS for the army.
Kuno Palpur national park in Madhya pradesh wants to be the second home of the Asiatic Lion that is currently found only in Gir , Gujarat.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat became the first city in India to get the World Heritage City status from UNESCO.
Environment Ministry to Launch ‘Prakriti Khoj’ – An Environment Quiz on Teachers’ Day
DIKSHA portal, a national digital infrastructure for teachers. DIKSHA will enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education.Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s (Second President of India) birth anniversary is celebrated as Teachers day in India.
“North East Calling” - event to promote the art, culture, heritage, cuisine, handicrafts, business and tourism of North East India. The event will showcase all activities and products of North-East and it coincides with the 16th Anniversary of Ministry of DoNER.
International Literacy Day – September 8
India's first greenfield SMART city project inaugurated in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Cassini mission was jointly between NASA and European Space agency for exploration of Saturn.
Dr. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi also known as Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi, was a Carnatic vocalist born in Madaras Presidency. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, often considered as Asia’s Noble Prize in 1974.
Shri Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran (M.G. Ramachandran) was an Indian actor, director, producer and politician who worked primarily in Tamil films and also served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu successively for three terms. In 1977 he became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. In 1988, he was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously
Marshall Arjan Singh, the sole Marshall of the Indian Airforce passed away.
Yudh Abhyas - 2017, a joint military exercise between Indian and US armies
Operation Insaaniyat - Humanitarian Assistance to Bangladesh on Account of Influx of Refugees from Rohingya of Myanmar.
International textile and apparel fair, 'VASTRA' will be organized in Jaipur.
Rural Skills Division, Ministry of Rural Development has organized 'Bharat ke Kaushalzaade', an event honouring beneficiaries of its key skilling programmes, on the eve of Antyodaya Diwas 2017. The event also witnessed the mobilization platform launch, branded 'Kaushal Panjee' (Skill Register). It aims to be citizen centric end-to-end solution to aid mobilization of candidates.
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said here that Ministry of Minority Affairs is working to establish "Hunar Hub" across the country to provide a platform to master artisans and craftsmen to display as well sell their products.
Operation Smile was launched in Dec 2015 by the Ministry of Home Affairs to help