Kusum Yojana, Weather Alert, Dhanteras 2020, Diwali Greetings, PM Modi

13 November 2020

• Weather Alert! Moderate to heavy snowfall likely in Jammu and Kashmir 

  Moderate to heavy snowfall is expected in Jammu and Kashmir in the next few days as per the local weather office. An advisory issued by the local weather office said, "Scattered to fairly widespread precipitation is very likely to occur over J&K and Ladakh, between November 14 - 15". 

  The advisory said air and surface traffic was likely to get disrupted during this period. The traffic disruption is likely to hit the Srinagar-Jammu, Srinagar-Leh highways and the Mughal Road that connects the valley with the Jammu division. 

• PM Modi greets nation on Dhanteras, prays for prosperity and good health 

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted the nation on the auspicious occasion of "Dhanteras". In a tweet, he said: "May Lord Dhanwantari bring happiness, prosperity, good fortune and good health in everyone's life." In view of the festive days, the Prime Minister has urged the people to take precautions in the COVID-19 times and adhere to norms.  

• MNRE expands scope of PM-KUSUM Scheme to enable greater solar energy generation in farm sector 

  MNRE has amended the implementation Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme based on the learnings from the implementation of the Scheme during the first year. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had approved PM-KUSUM scheme in its meeting held on 19.2.2019. The Scheme consists of three components. The Component-A includes installation of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants, Component-B includes installation of standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps and Component-C includes Solarisation of Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps. 

• COVID-19 Updates:  1,120 new cases take Gujarat's COVID-19 tally to 1,84,964 

  Gujarat on Thursday reported 1,120 new COVID-19 cases out of the 52,624 samples tested within the last 24 hours, taking the state's coronavirus tally to 1,84,964. The death toll also climbed to 3,785 with the addition of six casualties on Thursday. The number of COVID-19 cases is witnessing a spike in the state, especially in Ahmedabad, which reported 199 new cases on November 12. 

• NTPC develops Geo-polymer aggregate from fly ash 

  NTPC Ltd, India's largest power producer, has successfully developed Geo-polymer coarse aggregate from fly ash, which can help in replacing natural aggregates reducing the impact on the environment. NTPC's research project on production of Geopolymer coarse aggregate from fly ash has met the statutory parameters of Indian Standards and confirmed by the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM). NTPC has developed Geo-polymer coarse aggregates as a replacement to natural aggregates. 

   

• Elon Musk tests positive and negative for COVID-19 on same day 

  Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said that he tested positive for COVID-19 and then negative on the same day. Musk, who is having symptoms of a "typical cold" and "nothing unusual so far," did four tests on Thursday. "Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for Covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse. Rapid antigen test from BD," Musk tweeted.  

   

• Ayurveda is not just an alternative but key basis of country’s health says PM Modi 

  Prime Minister, Narendra Modi dedicated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions to the nation on the 5th Ayurveda Day today via video conferencing. These are the Institute of Teaching & Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur. Both the Institutes are premier institutions of Ayurveda in the nation.   

  The former has been conferred the status of an Institution of National Importance (INI) by an Act of the Parliament, and the latter is an Institution Deemed to be University by the University Grants Commission. The Ministry of AYUSH, since 2016, has been observing ‘Ayurveda Day’ every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras). 

• Actor Arjun Rampal at NCB office for drugs-related case 

  Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal today arrived at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for questioning in connection with a drug-related case. Rampal, who was summoned for questioning during a drugs case, received at the NCB office around 11.10 am on November 13 

• His Life Story, from Poverty to Prime Minister, Reflects India's Dynamism: Obama  

  Former US President Barack Obama, in his newly published political memoir "A Promised Land", has drawn sketches of several leaders of the US and other nations which include Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and even present PM Narendra Modi according to a report in the New York Times.  

  "As a boy, Narendra Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. Today, he’s the leader of the world’s largest democracy, and his life story—from poverty to Prime Minister—reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise," Obama had said.