Former Governor of West Bengal and three-time Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Keshari Nath Tripathi died due to prolonged illness at his residence in Prayagraj on Sunday (8th January 2023). He was 88.

 

Apart from West Bengal, Tripathi had held additional charge as the Governor of Bihar, Meghalaya and Mizoram. “He was hospitalised a few days ago after he fractured his hand and for treatment of age-related ailments as well. However, he was discharged from the hospital three days back,” a BJP leader in Prayagraj said.

 

Born on November 10, 1934 in erstwhile Allahabad, Tripathi was also a senior advocate at the Allahabad High Court.

He joined RSS when he was just 12 and later switched to Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He was jailed in Naini Central Jail in 1953 for participating in the ‘Kashmir Andolan’ and again in 1990 for taking part in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

 

An active leader who was admired across ranks in the BJP, Tripathi was elected MLA for the first time in 1977 from Jhunsi assembly constituency in Prayagraj district.

He went on to win six more Assembly elections and his last victory was in 2002 from Allahabad South seat. He contested the 2007 and 2012 Assembly polls too but faced defeat both the times.

 

In a career spanning decades, Tripathi was elected as the Speaker of the UP Assembly under different chief ministers including Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav..

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday (3rd January 2023) virtually laid the foundation stone of state-owned energy firm SJVN’s 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

The event was done virtually by the President of India in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The project is being implemented by SJVN Limited through its owned subsidiary SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL).

 

The solar power project is being developed on 500 acres near the village of Banderwala, district Bikaner of Rajasthan. It is one of the highest solar yield areas in India.

 

* The development cost of the Bikaner Solar Power Project is ₹5492 crore and viability gap funding support of ₹44.72 lacks per megawatt.

* The project is scheduled to be commissioned by March 2024.

* After commissioning the project will generate 2454.55 million units in the first year and approximately 56838 MU would be generated on a cumulative basis over 25 years.

* The maximum usage charges have been fixed at Rs 2.57 per unit.

* This will help in providing cheaper electricity to the consumer.

* Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also attended the event.

* Commissioning of this project will help the government to achieve the renewable target of 500 GW by 2030.

* Usage of domestically manufactured Solar Photovoltaic cells and modules shall give a push to the Make in India drive.

* The project will also lead to a reduction in Carbon emissions of 27,85,077 tonnes...

Source : Mint

The United States Parliament has elected "Kevin McCarthy" of the Republican Party as the speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 rounds of voting on Saturday (January 7, 2023).

He is the 55th speaker of the US House of Representatives. He was serving as the House Minority Leader in the House. He has replaced Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.

 

After the midterm elections held on November 8, the number of members of former President Donald Trump’s Republican Party has increased to 222 in the 435-member House of Representatives.

With this, President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party has come in the minority in the House of Representatives. Kevin McCarthy has become thethird most senior US position after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

 

About Kevin McCarthy : Kevin McCarthy is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected as the House Minority Leader from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as the House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019 under Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan. McCarthy has been elected as a member of the US Parliament 9 times. He was born in Bakersfield, California.

 

* Throughout the negotiations, McCarthy made a series of concessions and promises

* On crucial conservative bills like the balanced budget amendment, congressional term limits, and border security – THe House will hold votes

* Call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair can be moved by any representative.

* Restore the Holman rule

* Align the nation’s debt ceiling with spending cuts.

* Increase in Freedom Caucus representation on committees.

* Provide a 72-hour review window for bills before they come to the floor of the House.

* Build a probe panel for the ‘weaponization’ of the federal govt..

Source : Indian Express

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur on Friday (6th January 2023) launched the themes of Y20 summit, logo, and website in the Curtain raiser event of Y20 Summit India in New Delhi.

 

Secretary Department of Youth Affairs, GoI Meeta R. Lochan, Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, Mentor, Y20 Secretariat, India, Anmol Sovit, Chair for the Youth 20 Engagement Group, and senior officers of the Ministry also graced the event.

 

India is hosting the Y20 summit for the first time. Panel Discussion on "How India can harness its youth population to be a superpower" was also held in the second session of today's event.

 

During his address, Anurag Singh Thakur said, "The G20 Summit in India will bring together, 43 Heads of Delegations - the largest ever in G20 who will be participating in the final Summit in New Delhi in September this year.

The G20 consists of two parallel tracks: the Finance Track and the Sherpa Track. The Sherpa Track oversees inputs from 13 Working Groups, 2 Initiatives - Research Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG) and G20 Empower, and various Engagement Groups.

The Engagement Groups of which Youth 20 or Y20 is a part, bring together civil societies, parliamentarians, think tanks, women, youth, labour, businesses, and researchers of the G20 countries."..

Source : Business Standard

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday (6th January 2023) said that we must recognise and accept the importance of quality to make India a developed nation.

 

* He was addressing the gathering on the occasion of 76th Foundation Day of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in New Delhi.

* Portal for mapping of Industrial Units and Laboratories was launched on the occasion on Friday (6th January 2023).

* This is a centralised platform for information on industrial units and laboratories across the country. This will enable analysis of test facilities in the country and help entrepreneurs in accessing information about testing facilities.

 

* “If we look at the history of developed nations, we find that those countries who adopted ‘Quality’ in early stages of their development cycles progressed faster,” said Goyal..

Source : Business Standard

National Council of Science Museums in association with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library organised Astro Tourism - A Sky Gazing event at Delhi's India Gate Friday (6th January 2023).

The event was inaugurated by Minister of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal.

 

The programme will continue till saturday (7th January 2023) with various activities. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Meghwal said, the programme will help in developing scientific temper among the people.

 

The Astro Tourism event includes various activities like Astro Talks by expert Astronomers, an Exhibition on Astronomy, Storytelling related to celestial objects, an Experience of using the telescope to see the craters of the Moon, Astronomy Activities, a Photographic Panel Exhibition, and Astro-Photography.

 

This three-day programme will be a great learning experience for children of all age groups...

Source : AIR

Home Minister Amit Shah’s programme in Manipur on Friday (6th January 2023) was the inauguration of a 122-foot-tall statue of a polo player astride a Manipur Pony in Imphal, a project that has been in the works for several years now.

 

“It is believed that Sagol Kangjei, the modern-day Polo game originated in Manipur. Today, inaugurated a 122 feet Marjing Polo Complex in Imphal. This will surely take the legacy forward and inspire more youngsters toward the game,” Shah tweeted on Friday afternoon.

 

Modern polo is said to have originated from Sagol Kangjei, a sport indigenous to Manipur, in which players ride horses, specifically the Manipur Ponies, which are referenced in records dating back to the 14th century.

 

The Manipur Pony is one of five recognised equine breeds of India, and has a powerful cultural significance for Manipuri society. The Marjing Polo Complex has been developed as a way to conserve the Manipur Pony.

 

 

* Sagol Kangjei is the name of the game of polo played in Manipur.

* Sagol means pony/horse, Kang means a ball or round object, and jei is a stick used for hitting.

* In the state of Manipur, it has always been a game for the common man. It is played by seven players on each side and the players are mounted on ponies.

* Manipuri polo symbolises the immense cultural heritage of the state, and great efforts have been put made to raise the standard of this popular game.

* The prominent patrons of the game were King Kyamba and King Khagemba ( 1597-1672 A.D.), and King Chandra Kirti ( 1850 - 1886 A.D.). The latter, especially, is to be credited with popularising the sport in other parts of the world

* There are no goalposts in this game. Goal lines determine the end of the two boundaries of the rectangular field. The ball ( hang drum ) is white. To score a goal the ball must cross the line.

* The polo stick is made of cane or wood, and is called Kang – hu and has a head of hardwood and the ball is made of bamboo root.

* The traditional attire consists of a chin - strap ( khadangchet ) and a turban, for protecting the head. Leg - guards ( khongyom ) are worn below the knee. Since no shoes are worn, the players use khumit - Khang. A leash of thick leather is held by the index finger of the left hand.

* This is a seasonal game and is played in the Manipuri month of September / October and in   June / July..

Source : Indian Express

India has surpassed Japan in terms of auto sales 2022 to become the 3rd largest auto market globally for the first time.

 

India's sales of new vehicles came in at least 4.25 million units, based on preliminary results, topping the 4.2 million sold in Japan.

 

Between January and November 2022, 4.13 million new cars were delivered in India, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

The number rises to almost 4.25 million units when the sales figure for December 2022, which Maruti Suzuki, the largest automaker in India, reported on 1st January 2023, is added.

 

Comparatively, in Japan, 4.20 million vehicles were sold last year (2022), down 5.6 percent from 2021, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association..

Source : Money Control

Gianluca Vialli, the former Italy and Chelsea striker, has died friday (6th January 2023) aged 58 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Gianluca Vialli was an Italian football player and manager who played as a striker. Vialli started his club career at Cremonese in 1980 in his native Italy where he made 105 league appearances scoring 23 goals.

His performances impressed Sampdoria who signed him in 1984, and with whom he scored 85 league goals, won three Italian cups, Serie A and the European Cup Winners Cup.

 

* Vialli played for Cremonese, Sampdoria and Juventus in the 1980s and 1990s before joining Chelsea in 1996.

* In 1998 he became player-manager of the Blues following the departure of Ruud Gullit and that year led the club to glory in the League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

* Vialli finished his playing career at the end of the 1998-99 season to focus on management and Chelsea would win the FA Cup and Charity Shield in 2000 under the Italian, before he was sacked early in the 2000-01 season.

* Vialli played 59 times for Italy, scoring 16 goals, and had most recently been the national side’s head of delegation. As part of Italy’s back-room staff, the Azzurri won Euro 2020 with victory over England at Wembley in July 2021.

* The Italian Football Federation said all this weekend’s matches under its jurisdiction will be preceded by a minute’s silence to honour Vialli’s life..

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying "Parshottam Rupala" on Thursday (5th Jan 2023) inaugurated 29 Mobile Veterinary Units (MVU) and centralised call center in Thiruvananthpuram in a major step for the benefit of the livestock farmers in Kerala.

 

The Minister highlighted that this intervention will boost the confidence of dairy farmers to rear high productive dairy animals as most of the breeders are reluctant to take their livestock to Veterinary Hospital for treatment and usually end calling quacks for doorstep delivery of services.

Each MVU will be manned by a qualified Veterinarian and a Paravet for providing specialized services to livestock farmers, he added.

 

The Minister underlined that the scheme is  promising and will transform the dairy sector from a subsistence-based farm livelihood to a commercially viable enterprise by giving gainful employment to the youth of the Kerala.

 

These MVUs will be operated through a centralised call centre with a uniform Helpline No. 1962. It will receive calls from livestock rearers / animal owners and Veterinarians will prioritize all cases on the basis of emergency nature and will transmit them to the nearest MVU for attending  at farmer’s doorstep.

 

Kerala is deploying 50 MVUs in different districts. These vehicles are equipped with state of art diagnostic tools, animal treatment and breeding accessories, audio visual aids and necessary medications..

Source : AIR