The Daily Brief – 4th November 2018

Union Ministry of Railways has launched Unreserved Mobile Ticketing facility (UTS on Mobile) to enable seamless booking of unreserved tickets including season tickets and also platform tickets all over Indian Railways. UTS on Mobile aims to promote three C’: Cashless transactions, Contact less ticketing, and Customer convenience and experience. The facility for booking unreserved tickets is available through ‘UTSONMOBILE’ app.

India and Japan signed Loan Agreement worth Rs. 1817 crore for construction of Turga Pumped Storage (I)’ Hydel Project. On completion, this project will contribute to Industrial Development and Living Standard Improvement in the West Bengal. The objective of project is to strengthen capability to respond to fluctuation in supply and demand of power. India and Japan have long and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation since 1958.

Odisha Government has launched Saura Jalnidhi scheme to encourage use of solar energy in irrigation by farmers. Under this scheme, farmers will be given 90% subsidy and 5,000 solar pumps. This will provide irrigation benefits in 2,500 acres of the state. For this scheme, state government has made a provision of Rs 27.18 crore in the financial year 2017-18. Under this scheme, farmers will be provided with a well-equipped solar pump irrigation system in convergence mode.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Support and Outreach Programme. As part of this programme, PM unveiled 12 key initiatives which will help the growth, expansion and facilitation of MSMEs across the country. There are five key aspects for facilitating the MSME sector. These include access to credit, access to market, technology up gradation, ease of doing business, and sense of security for employees. It will run for 100 days covering 100 Districts throughout the country.

Maharashtra state cabinet approved plan for conversion of Indian Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier INS Viraat, into India’s first-ever moored maritime museum-cum-marine adventure centre. At present, INS Viraat is at Mumbai’s naval dockyard after it was decommissioned (retired) in 2017. As per state government’s plan, INS Viraat’s conversion will be on public-private-partnership (PPP) basis. INS Viraat was built in 1943 during Second World War and was first commissioned as HMS Hermes into the British Royal Navy in November 1959.

India and Zimbabwe on 3 November, 2018 signed six signed agreements, including on mining, Information and communications technology (ICT), visa waiver and traditional medicine as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu met Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Kembo Mohadi. Mr. Naidu went Zimbabawe on the second leg of his six-day three-nation tour to Africa, which aims at deepening India’s strategic cooperation with Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Namrata Biji Ahuja, a senior journalist at The Week has been chosen for the International Press Institute-India award this year for her story on ‘Naga underground camps’ that explored the “parallel and secret” functioning of a ‘state within a state’. The IPI-India Award for Excellence in Journalism carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, a trophy and a citation. Founded in October 1950, the IPI has members in over 120 countries.