UP: PM inaugurates Saryu Canal National Project at Balrampur district; provides irrigation to over 14 lakh hectares of land in 9 districts of eastern UP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Saryu Canal National Project which will provide assured water for irrigation to over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers, mainly in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya were among those present at the project inauguration programme. The Saryu canal project also involves interlinking of five rivers -- Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini -- to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region. The work on the project started in 1978 but due to lack of continuity of budgetary support, interdepartmental coordination and adequate monitoring, it got delayed and was not completed even after nearly four decades, according to an official statement. Consequently, in 2016, the project was brought under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana with the target of completing it in a time-bound manner. The renewed focus has resulted in the project being completed in only about four years, it said.
Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER) Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) test-fired.
One of the army’s most potent fire support systems, the Pinaka Extended Range (Pinaka-ER) Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), was successfully tested with rockets built by the private sector, announced the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Saturday.
The Pinaka MLRS has been successfully developed by two DRDO laboratories in Pune – Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) – in partnership with two private sector firms, L&T and Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL).
After validating the Pinaka MLRS’s performance, the DRDO transferred the technology to manufacture its rocket ammunition to a Nagpur-based “industry partner” called Economic Explosives.
A Pinaka regiment consists of 18 multi-barrelled launchers, each with 12 launcher tubes. These 216 tubes can bring down on the target seven tonnes of high explosive in just 44 seconds, catching enemy troops in the open without giving them time to take cover.
DRDO, IAF test Helicopter launched Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile from Pokhran ranges.
India successfully flight-tested the Helicopter launched Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile from the Pokhran range today, the Press Information Bureau said in a release.
The missile has been designed and developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), along with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is equipped with a MMW seeker which provides high precision strike capability from a safe distance. The SANT missile can hit targets at a distance of up to 10 kms.
The objectives of the Pokhran test included release mechanism, advanced guidance and tracking algorithms.
"The flight-test was successful in all its mission objectives. All avionics with integrated software, performed satisfactorily and tracking systems monitored all mission events," the PIB said in its statement.
Seventh edition of India International Science festival being held in Panaji, Goa from Dec 11 to 14.
The 7th edition of the four-day India International Science Festival (IISF) is scheduled to be held in Panaji, Goa, from December 10 to 13, 2021.
The festival theme in 2021 is “Celebrating Creativity in Science, Technology and Innovation for Prosperous India”.
The first IISF was held in New Delhi in 2015.
‘Swarnim Vijay Parv’ to be celebrated at India Gate, New Delhi on December 12-13 to commemorate 50 years of India’s victory in 1971 war.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Swarnim Vijay Parv, an event commemorating the valour & professionalism of the Armed Forces and their contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh in the Indo-Pak 1971 war, at India Gate Lawns in New Delhi on 12 December 2021.
The event marks the culmination of year-long celebrations of 50 years of India's victory in the war. Singh began his address by paying tributes to the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat who passed away in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on 8 December 2021, PIB reported.
Singh on Sunday said that India has contributed to the establishment of democracy in Bangladesh and in the last 50 years, Bangladesh has progressed rapidly on the path of development, which is an inspiration for the rest of the world, ANI reported.
US govt. official Catherine Russell appointed new Executive Director of UNICEF.
She will succeed Henrietta Fore, who said she was “delighted to hand over to someone with her knowledge, experience, and deep care for children and women”.
“Ms. Russell brings to the role decades of experience in developing innovative policy that empowers underserved communities around the world; delivering high-impact programmes that protect women and girls, including in humanitarian crises; building, elevating, and managing diverse workforces; and mobilizing resources and political support for a broad range of initiatives”, Mr. Guterres said in a statement.
Ms. Russell is currently Assistant to the President, and Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.
From 2013 to 2017, she served as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the US State Department. There, she integrated women’s issues across all elements of US foreign policy and was the principal architect of the ground-breaking “US Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls”.
International Mountain Day celebrated on Dec 11, theme: ‘Sustainable mountain tourism’.
The International Mountain Day is celebrated on December 11 every year. The day aims to encourage sustainable development in the mountains.
The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN to declare 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. The first international day was celebrated for the first time the following year, 2003.
International Mountain Day 2021: Theme
Sustainable mountain tourism is the theme of this year’s International Mountain Day. Sustainable tourism in mountains can contribute to creating additional and alternative livelihood options and promoting poverty alleviation, social inclusion, as well as landscape and biodiversity conservation.
G7 Foreign Ministers present a united front against Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
The Group of Seven richest democracies on Saturday sought to dissuade Russia from invading Ukraine, putting on a united front to warn of dire consequences for any incursion and urging Moscow to return to the negotiating table.
Led by British foreign minister Liz Truss, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the European Union and foreign ministers from France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada met in the northern English city of Liverpool.
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen defeats Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to win the 2021 World Chess Championship.
Reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway defended his title and won the FIDE World Championship.
