 Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that GST on Haj has been reduced from 18% to 5% and this will significantly lower the airfare thus saving Haj pilgrims’ 113 crore rupees this year. Mr. Naqvi also stated that for the first time since the independence 2,340 women from India will go on 2019 Haj without Mehram. |
| Source: News on AIR |
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated Kochi Refinery project and IOCL LPG Bottling Plant to the Nation in Kochi, Kerala. Prime Minister also laid a foundation stone for Petrochemical Complex. PM also laid the foundation stone for Skill Development Institute at Ettumanoor. He laid the foundation stone of AIIMS in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai. |
| Source- DD News |
 The all-women Assam Rifles contingent created history this year by participating for the first time in a Republic Day (26th January) parade. Contingents of the Navy, India Army Service Corps and a unit of Corps of Signals were all led by women officers. Capt Shikha Surabhi from the Corps of Signals became the first woman to perform bike stunts, alongside her male teammates as part of daredevils. Lt. Bhavana Kasturi, a lady officer, for the first time led a contingent of the India Army Service Corps and Capt Bhavna Syal, a third-generation officer in the armed forces, led the transportable satellite terminal’s contingent. |
| Source- The Hindu |
 The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s premier container port got listed amongst the top 30 container ports globally, as per the latest Lloyds Report. JNPT notched up five spots, to be 28th on the list, compared to its previous ranking. This is a validation of all the efforts and strategic initiatives being implemented at JNPT in order to enhance overall port efficiency. |
| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
 The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Convention at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. For the first time, the three day long convention is being organized in Varanasi from 21-23 January, 2019. The theme of PBD Convention 2019 is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India”. |
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| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
 The Department of Science and Technology (DST) along with Doordarshan (DD), Prasar Bharati launched two science communication initiatives, DD Science and India Science. The initiatives were inaugurated by Union Science & Technology Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan. While DD Science is an one-hour slot on Doordarshan National channel, which will be telecast Monday to Saturday from 5 pm to 6 pm, India Science is a internet-based channel, which is available on any internet-enabled device, and will offer live, scheduled play and video-on-demand services. |
| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
 Government e Marketplace (GeM) has launched “Womaniya on GeM”, an initiative to enable women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups (WSHGs) to sell handicrafts and handloom, accessories and many other products. The initiative seeks to develop women entrepreneurship on the margins of society to achieve gender-inclusive economic growth. Government e-Marketplace is a 100% government owned company set up under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry. |
| Source: Press Information Bureau |
 The Environment Ministry launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)aimed at reducing toxic particulate matter in 102 Indian cities by 2024. The NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year plan with 2019 as the first year, while 2017 will be the base year for comparison of concentration. An amount of INR300 crore has been sanctioned for this purpose. |
| Source: The New Indian Express |
 India’s longest 300-meter single lane steel cable suspension bridge was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. He also laid the foundation stone for a district secretariat building. The bridge across the Siang river at Yingkiong in Upper Siang district has been named Byorung Bridge. It is built at a cost of ?48.43-crore provided by the DONER (Department for Development of North Eastern Region) Ministry. The Bridge will reduce the distance from Yinkiong to Tuting by almost 40 km. The Centre had sanctioned 268 road projects worth ?3,800-crore under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Mr. Khandu also announced ?10-crore for a project to check river erosion at Yingkiong and Tuting. |
| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
 The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved a list of journals, in that the UGC has decided to establish a Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (CARE). The good quality Research Journals in disciplines under Social Sciences, Humanities, Languages, Arts, Culture, Indian Knowledge Systems etc., will be maintained by CARE and referred to as ‘CARE Reference List of Quality Journals’. This will be used for all academic purposes. UGC has constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Prof. P. Balram, to review its quality mandate relating to promotion of Research and to review the existing M.Phil/ Ph.D Regulations. |
| Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB) |
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