AISNEWS

New Delhi, August 31 Immediate plans to bolster the firepower of the Indian Air Force (IAF) along the northern borders include upgrade of airbases, Sukhoi-30 MKI jets and Mi 17 copters, besides induction of fighter jets, new radars, surveillance planes and armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). What’s in the offing . IAF looking at landing grounds, one in Eastern Ladakh . Planning multiple helipads along the Himalayas . More planes for intelligence           surveillance, reconnaissance . Specialised surface-to-air guided        weapons for high altitude. The IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, while speaking at United Services Institution, a think tank, yesterday listed out the priorities, threats and how the force was adapting to these. As part of the upgrade, sources said, the IAF was looking at landing grounds, including one in Eastern Ladakh and multiple helipads along the Himalayas. More planes were needed for in...

  Bhubaneswar:   Odisha government will provide financial assistance of Rs 2000 to 41 lakh farmers of the state under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) Yojana on the occasion of Nuakhai today. It is noteworthy that, each farmer will receive financial assistance of Rs 2000. The amount will be credited to the farmers’ bank accounts directly through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. A sum total of Rs. 869 Crore will be distributed to the farmers. Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) Scheme . The financial assistance is being provided to the eligible farmers’ account under KALIA Yojana twice a year on the occasions of Akshaya Tritiya and Nuakhai, added reports. Through the implementation of KALIA Scheme, the State Government aims to lend farmers with an all-inclusive and flexible support system, ensuring accelerated agricultural prosperity. At the heart of a progressive scheme like KALIA lies the motivation to ...

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) saw a double-digit growth of 13.5% in the first quarter of current financial year at a time when major global economies are struggling and the mammoth Chinese economy is heading for a slowdown. Credit goes to the carefully calibrated doses of fiscal and monetary measures announced by the Narendra Modi government after the pandemic hit the country in March 2020. India has been able to perform well due to the Modi government’s focus on shielding the poor through PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana, easy credit to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), enhanced public funding to capital expenditure and stimulating private investments, government officials and experts said. “Modi government’s capital expenditure during Q1 of FY23 stands at  ₹ 1.75 lakh crore, which is equivalent to capital expenditure in the whole financial year of 2013-14 during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) era,” one of them said. India’s Private Final Consumption E...

New Delhi:  The  Serum Institute of India (SII)  and the Department of Biotechnology(DBT) are set to launch India’s first indigenously developed Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) against  Cervical Cancer  on September 1, official sources told  ANI. The most awaited vaccine will be launched by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Jitendra Singh on Thursday. According to Dr N K Arora, Chairperson of the COVID working group,  National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation  (NTAGI) said it is an exciting experience to launch a made-in- India  vaccine. “It is very exciting and I must say it makes us very happy that our daughters and granddaughters will now be able to get this much-awaited vaccine.” “In fact, this is one of the last major vaccines to be introduced. In fact, this is one of the last vaccines that will be launched in the programme. Now, Indian vaccines will be available and we hop...

  The BJP-led Union Government has been on a self-proclaimed crusade against corruption since coming to power in 2014. Critics of the government have said that this so-called anti-corruption drive is merely a way for the ruling party to hound and intimidate the opposition. Binod Bihari Singh, the Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, has replied to a Right to Information Filing (RTI), saying that not so much as a single rupee is spent from the government budget on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's food, adding that the PM himself bears its cost. This is presumably meant to draw a contrast between the PM and other Members of Parliament (MPs), who are provided various facilities and allowances, which includes covering the cost of their victuals. In addition to the query relating to food-related expenses, the RTI also sought to know about the PM's protection costs, vehicle costs and his salary. The Secretary's reply stated that the Prime Minister's residence is protec...

  HIGHLIGHTS Portugal health minister Marta Temido resigned after an Indian pregnant tourist died The woman, who was turned away from a maternity ward, suffered a cardiac arrest Marta Temido became the health minister of Portugal in 2018 Portugal's health minister Marta Temido resigned from her post hours after an Indian woman died while being shifted between hospitals in Lisbon. The 34-year-old pregnant Indian tourist died after suffering a cardiac arrest during an ambulance transfer from Santa Maria hospital, which had no vacancies in the neonatology service, to another hospital in the capital, news agency Reuters reported. Her baby was delivered following an emergency caesarean section and an investigation has been launched into the woman's death. Marta Temido, who has been credited with successfully handling the country's vaccine rollout during the Covid-19 pandemic, faced heavy backlash for her decision to temporarily close emergency obstetric services over lack of doc...

Patna:  The BJP lashed out today as Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao landed in Bihar to visit Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, setting in motion what is seen as a big effort to gather together the opposition with an eye on the 2024 general elections. Party MP Sushil Modi, who earlier was Mr Kumar's deputy, ripped into the two opposition leaders, invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and challenging them to contest from BJP strongholds in the coming round of state elections. "Nitishji, you may ally with anyone, but in 2024 you won't even remain the Chief Minister, forget about the post of the Prime Minister," said Sushil Modi. "If KCR and Nitish-ji have the guts, let them contest the elections from Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Then they will understand what is the situation," he added. He also slammed Mr Kumar's criticism of the BJP earlier today -- "excessive prachaar-prasaar (publicity)" -- saying if PM Modi was only dependent on publ...

Tejas MK2 development gets a boost  Headed by the Prime Minister, Cabinet committee on security (#CCS) cleared Rupees 6,500 crore for the development and testing of Tejas MK2 project. This is in addition to the 2,500 crore rupees previously sanctioned. 

NuaKhai festival is being celebrated in Odisha. Many dignitaries including the union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan greets people on the occasion. This festival, celebrated particularly in western Odisha, the new rice of the season is offered to the deities even before the crop is harvested. People take the 'new rice' so offered to the goddess as 'Prasad', thereby symbolising their gratitude to the divine for blessing them with 'Anna' or food. In

Yamini Reddy (born in 1982) is a Kuchipudi dancer, teacher, choreographer, and the Director of Natya Tarangini, a school dedicated to the teaching of Kuchipudi. She has performed widely in India and abroad. Born to Kuchipudi exponents, Dr. Raja and Radha Reddy, she was initiated into the dance form at an early age. She trained in the art form under her parents. She began her career as a young star of the Kuchipudi firmament, performing at the age of 3. Since then, she has been travelling widely for her performances. She holds a bachelor's degree in commerce (Hons) from Lady Sriram College, New Delhi, and is a postgraduate in International Business from Fore School, New Delhi. Natya Tarangini. Established in 1976 by Padmabhushan awardees Raja and Radha Reddy, Natya Tarangini was started to popularize the Kuchipudi style of classical dance in Northern India. It has since evolved into a unique arts institute encompassing all activities involved in the formation of Arts. In...

New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that Narendra Modi is the only leader after Mahatma Gandhi who understood the people of India, their aspirations, and sentiments; thus he connects directly with the people, who in turn trust him.  Speaking during the release of a book, “The Architect of the New BJP: How Narendra Modi Transformed the Party,” written by seasoned journalist Ajay Singh who is currently the press secretary to the President, the Defence Minister on Sunday praised the Prime Minister`s governance and organisational strengths. He said that Prime Minister has "no parallel in contemporary politics". "He (Modi) has made the BJP a `poll-winning machine` with his innovations, without compromising on ideology," Singh added. The BJP's ideology and political events may have contributed to the party's "invincible" journey in the last eight years but Modi's strategy in taking this concept to people and winning t...

The Life insurance Corporation of India was established on 1 September 1956, when the  Parliament of India  passed the Life Insurance of India Act that nationalized the insurance industry in India. Over 245 insurance companies and provident societies were merged to create the state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Noida Metro: NMRC intends to make the journey of commuters waiting for the metro more exciting by delivering uninterrupted infotainment. People travelling through Aqua Line will once again get to listen to music while waiting at the metro stations from September 1, the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) announced on Wednesday. The daily dose of entertainment for in-transit passengers will be brought through private FM channel Radio City, the NMRC said. To mark resumption of the service, all prominent RJs of Radio City will do a live show Thursday at the Noida Sector-51 metro station of the Aqua Line. This collaboration was first announced in February 2020 but the services were discontinued in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, according to officials. "This partnership is set to enhance rich commuting experience with convenient and affordable transport mode provided by NMRC. Radio City will play curated music and content at NMRC stations and depot," NMRC ...

A short-service programme for entry at lower levels could help us bridge our wide governance gap. At the heart of India’s inability to deliver basic public services is its chronic inability to address the shortfall in administrative capacity. In the past two decades, political leaders and policy analysts have chosen to side-step the complex problem of administrative reform and instead used innovative methods like privatization, public-private partnerships and technology to deliver public services. At the same time, philanthropy, corporate social responsibility funds and non-governmental organizations have stepped in to provide a variety of public services—schooling, healthcare, nutrition and skill development—that the state ought to have provided, but is unable to. This mixed model of public service delivery has been successful, but has come at a high cost. The civil service, in general, does not face the pressure to upgrade its numbers and capabilities. It does not face sy...

New Delhi: The launch of altruistic start-up Goodfellows, which employs young graduates to provide companionship to senior citizens, made headlines last week largely because of its celebrity investor — Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons. The company is not the only one, though. With increase in life expectancy, more young Indians choosing to settle abroad, and the first generation of nuclear families now past their retirement age, the business of eldercare — not just healthcare but also hand-holding senior citizens living on their own in their twilight years — has emerged as a burgeoning service sector across cities. From well-funded celebrity-backed initiatives to small companies set up to meet a demand that is emerging and ever increasing, eldercare as a sector looks all set to expand exponentially in the coming years. The initial players are in all sizes. A fledgling firm in Kolkata has been doing it for the last two years, while heavyweight Max India’s initiativ...