chhath puja, covid-19 updates, organic farming, rupay card, microirrigation

20 November 2020

• Chhath Puja 2020: May 'Chhath Maiya' bless all the citizens with good health & prosperity, says President

  President Ramnath Kovind sends his greetings to fellow citizens on Chhath Puja. Kovind tweeted, “May 'Chhath Maiya' bless all the citizens with good health and prosperity.  On this auspicious occasion, let us resolve to preserve nature and environment and celebrate the festival keeping in mind the spread of COVID-19.” 

• PM Modi launches RuPay Card phase-2 in Bhutan 

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the phase two of RuPay card in Bhutan with his counterpart Lotay Tshering. Launching the card, PM Modi said that RuPay cards issued by the Bhutan National Bank can be used at ATMs for Rs 1 lakh and for Rs 20 lakh at point-of-sale terminals. 

  “This would make tourism, shopping and other transactions easier for Bhutanese tourists in India,” the Prime Minister said.  

• Organic farming to boost UP farmers' wealth 

  Organic farming will change the lives of crores of farmers in the state as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is eyeing to make it a hub for the same. In the first phase, organic crops will be planted in a total of 68,000-hectare land in 63 districts across the state. All districts along with the banks of river Ganges have been included in the scheme. Those districts which have been selected for the organic farming include 36 districts that follow conventional ways of farming while 27 are already included in the Namami Gange Project. For the better implementation of ideas, the government will emphasis on cluster farming. Each cluster will be of 50 acres. 

• PM Modi to lay foundation stone of rural drinking water supply projects in Vindhyachal region of UP on Nov 22 

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of rural drinking water supply projects in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts of Vindhyachal region of Uttar Pradesh on 22nd November at 11:30 AM via video conferencing. The Prime Minister will also interact with Village Water & Sanitation Committee/ Paani Samiti Members during the event. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the occasion. 

• Release of Interest Sub-vented Loan from Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF) 

  Micro Irrigation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crores created with NABARD was operationalised in 2019-20. The objective of the Fund is to facilitate the States in availing an interest subvented loan for expanding coverage of Micro Irrigation by taking up special and innovative projects and also for incentivising micro-irrigation beyond the provisions available under PMKSY-Per Drop More Crop to encourage farmers to install micro-irrigation systems. 

• 46th Dak Adalat for Goa region scheduled 

  Postal Services form an integral part of the socio-economic life of the country, touching the lives of virtually every citizen. While the Dept of posts strives its best to render the service to the fullest satisfaction of its customers, communication gaps and service faults do occasionally happen, giving rise to grievances and complaints. In order to redress such grievances/complaints in an effective manner, the Department periodically organizes Adalats where the functionaries of the Department meet the aggrieved customers, gather details about their complaints and try to settle them at the earliest. 

• Probably by 2024, every Indian will get vaccinated says Adar Poonawalla 

  Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla has said that every Indian will get vaccinated for Covid 19 probably by 2024. Speaking at a media event, Poonawalla said the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine should be available for healthcare workers and elderly people by February 2021 and by April for the general public. 

  He said it will be priced at a maximum of Rs 1,000 for two necessary doses for the public, depending on the final trial results and regulatory approvals. Probably by 2024, every Indian will get vaccinated, Poonawalla said. 

• To avoid Delhi pollution, Sonia arrives in Goa with Rahul  

  Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi arrived in Goa on Friday afternoon, after doctors advised her to move out of Delhi for some time owing to her chest infection to avoid severe pollution in the national capital, according to party sources. 

  After their arrival at the Dabolim International Airport, Sonia Gandhi and her son left for a south Goa resort, where she is expected to stay for a few days. 

• COVID-19 Updates: BMC orders Mumbai schools to remain shut till Dec 31 

  In a significant move, the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation on Friday ordered all schools to remain shut till December 31 as a precaution against the spread of Covid-19, an official said. The state government had earlier permitted schools to reopen in phases starting from November 23 for Class 9 to Class 12, and later for other lower classes. However, in view of the spurt in new Corona cases and deaths post-Diwali, the BMC has decided against implementing the order till December 31. Simultaneously, the state government has tasked local district administrations to take a decision on reopening of schools-colleges in their jurisdiction depending on the ground-level Covid-19 situation.