 Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) initiative in New Delhi. The initiative was launched during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare. The initiative aims to assure dignified, respectful and quality health care at no cost for every woman and newborn visiting the public health facility in order to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths. It also provides a positive birth experience to both mother and infant. With the initiative, the government is committed to achieve the target of reducing the maternal mortality and child mortality. |
| Source: The DD News |
 The Export-Import (Exim) Bank has provided a USD 30 million (about Rs 210 crore) line of credit to Ghana for a potable water project in the country. Under the arrangement, financing of export of eligible goods, works and services from India would be allowed subject to their being eligible for export under the Foreign Trade Policy of India and whose purchase may be agreed to be financed by the Exim Bank. As per the agreement, the terminal utilisation time is 60 months period after the scheduled completion date of the project. |
| Source: The Business Standard |
 The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) tested its efficiency and preparedness during the Regional Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise 2019 (ReSAREX- 19) conducted off the Goa coast. ICG participation: 5 ships of ICG, 2 Chetak helicopters were used for the workshop while resources from State Marine Police, Indian Mission Control Centre (IMCC) in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Captain of Ports, state administration of Goa, Goa medical college and Goa’s Mormugao Port Trust were used in the service. |
| Source: The Business Standard |
 The American financial service company Moody’s has downgraded India’s economic outlook to “Negative” from “Stable”. This downgrade was due to slow growth in the economy. It also predicted that slow growth would be prolonged and would also have debt rises. Moody’s has also predicted a budget deficit of 3.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the year through March 2020, which is a breach in the govt’s target of 3.3%. This was due to corporate tax rate cuts, slow growth etc. The long term foreign currency bond and bank deposit ceilings were unchanged at Baa1 and Baa2(both being 2nd lowest investment-grade score), respectively. |
| Source: The Economic Times |
 Sahitya Akademi awardee writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen passed away. A poet, novelist and short-story writer, Dev Sen won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1999 for her book ‘Naba-Nita’. She was also the recipient of the Padma Shri in 2000. She is the founder and president of the West Bengal Women Writers’ Association. Nabaneeta Dev Sen’s 1978 book on ‘Naxal movement in Bengal’ was published in English. |
| Source: The News18 |
 According to ‘India Justice Report 2019’, Maharashtra is the top state in delivering justice to its citizens followed by Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana in the first-ever ranking of states on their capacity to deliver justice to citizens. The list of seven small states (population less than one crore each) was topped by Goa, followed by Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh. In this classification, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are at the bottom. The ranking is part of the India Justice Report (IJR) 2019, an initiative of Tata Trusts in collaboration with Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS- Prayas and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. The India Justice Report brings together, in the first such exercise, otherwise soiled statistics, from authoritative government sources, on the four pillars of justice delivery – police, judiciary, prisons and legal aid. |
| Source: The Economic Times |
 This year, at the Golden Jubilee of International Film Festival of India (IFFI), will have the screening of Accessible India Films. This is a collaboration between IFFI, Saksham Bharat and UNESCO with the aim to promote the creation of inclusive spaces for the differently-abled to access the joy of cinema through Audio Deion. Audio Deion is an additional narration that translates images, visual information or non-dialogue portions of film into spoken words so that visually-impaired people can access, enjoy and learn from works of popular films. This unique film section will witness the screening of three films, two in Hindi – Lage Raho Munna Bhai and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story and one in Konkani- Questao De Confusao in Konkani. |
| Source: The News on AIR |
 India is jointly exercising its anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kamorta along with Indonesian warship KRI Usman Harun, a multi-role corvette, in the Bay of Bengal as part of an ongoing bilateral exercise ”Samudra Shakti”. The aim of the exercise is to strengthen bilateral relations, expand maritime co-operation, enhance interoperability and exchange best practices. The joint exercises include manoeuvres, surface warfare exercises, air defence exercises, weapon firing drills, helicopter operations and boarding operations. |
| Source: The NDTV |
 The British Broadcasting Corporation announced a list of ‘100 Novels That Shaped Our World’. A panel of leading writers, curators and critics compiled the list for the network. The list contains ten categories including identity, love, sex and romance, politics, power and protest, and class and society. The BBC’s novel list is to mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Daniel Defoe’s novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’. Renowned Indian authors like R K Narayan ( Swami and Friends), Arundhati Roy (The God of small things), Salman Rushdie (The Moor’s Last Sigh), Vikram Seth (A Suitable Boy) and S. Naipaul (A House for Mr Biswas) are among 100 writers who have featured on a list of the most inspiring novels chosen by a panel of experts and revealed by the BBC. |
| Source: The BBC |
 Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) delivered Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS Annie Besant, the second in the series of five such ships, to the Indian Coast Guard. A medium-range vessel with a length of 50 metres, a width of 7.5 metres and displacement of around 308 tonnes, the FPV is capable of operations in the maritime zones of the country. These powerful, fuel-efficient platforms are designed to perform multipurpose operations like patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching and rescue operations. ICGS Annie Besant is designed for a maximum speed of 34 knots with an endurance of more than 1,500 nautical miles. |
| Source: The Business Standard |
You need to login to perform this action.
You will be redirected in
3 sec
