ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Union Consumer Affairs Minister Shri Ram Vilas Paswan asserts Gold hallmarking being made mandatory to ensure consumers are not cheated, are better informed about purity and corruption is removed
(The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution today held a press conference regarding mandatory hallmarking of Gold jewelry & artefacts in India for which notification will be issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs providing a period of one year for implementation i.e. till January, 2021. Addressing the media, Shri Paswan said that the purpose of making hallmarking mandatory for Gold Jewelry and Artefacts is to ensure that consumers are not cheated while buying gold ornaments and get the purity as marked on the ornaments, they are better informed about the purity of Gold which will now be in only 3 caratage i.e. 14, 18 and 22 and corruption is removed.
Explaining the reasons for the one-year implementation period, Shri Paswan said that this will ensure that Jewelers registration process can be completed and jewelers/retailers get time for clearing their old/existing stock and also so that additional A&H centres can be set up by private entrepreneurs at various locations where demand arises and priority shall be given to districts where such centres are not present. As on 31st December 2019, there are 892 Assaying and Hallmarking centres spread in 234 District locations across the country and so far 28,849 jewelers have been registered by Bureau of Indian Standards .
BIS  Regulations, 2018 were notified w.e.f. 14.06.2018. BIS is running a hallmarking scheme for gold jewelry since April 2000. The BIS Act 2016 has enabling provisions under Section 14 & Section 16 for mandatory hallmarking of Gold jewellery & artefacts by the Central Government. This will make it compulsory for all the jewellers selling Gold jewellery and artefacts to register with BIS & sell only hallmarked Gold jewellery & artefacts. The draft Quality Control Order  for mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery and gold artefacts was hosted on WTO website on 10 October 2019 for comments for a period of 60 days. No comments have been received on the draft QCO.
The caratage is marked on jewelry in addition to fineness for convenience of consumers, e.g. for 22 carat jewelry, 22K will be marked in addition to 916, for 18 carat jewelry, 18K will be marked in addition to 750 and for 14 carat jewelry, 14K will be marked in addition to 585. Hallmark on Gold Jeweler now has following four marks:
Purity in carat and Assay centre’s Jewellers identification
BIS Mark Fineness  identification mark mark
An awareness campaign on mandatory hallmarking for jewellers and common consumers will be organized at various locations across the country. BIS is also planning to outreach the consumers through social media and other forms.
Ministry of Defence
IAF & JAPAN AIR SELF DEFENCE FORCE SET TO EXERCISE JOINTLY IN JAPAN
To promote Air Defence cooperation between the countries, India and Japan are all set to hold the joint Air Exercise, 'Veer Guardian-2023' involving the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self Defence Force  at Hyakuri Air Base, Japan from 12 January 2023 to 26 January 2023. The Indian contingent participating in the air exercise will include four Su-30 MKI, two C-17 & one IL-78 aircraft, while the JASDF will be participating with four F-2 & four F-15 aircraft.
During the second 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial meeting held in Tokyo, Japan on 08 September 2022, India and Japan agreed to step up bilateral defence cooperation and engage in more military exercises, including holding the first joint fighter jet drills, reflecting the growing security cooperation between the two sides. This exercise will thus be another step in deepening strategic ties and closer defence cooperation between the two countries.
The inaugural exercise will include the conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces. They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices. Experts from both sides will also hold discussions to share their expertise on varied operational aspects. Exercise 'Veer Guardian' will fortify the long standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces.
Ministry of Defence
Armed Forces working hand-in-hand with civilian authorities in fight against COVID-19;
Of 1,737 quarantined persons, 403 released after mandatory procedures
Armed Forces have been working round-the-clock to provide medical and logistics support to the needy to contain COVID-19 pandemic. Armed Forces Medical Services  has deployed its resources to aid the civilian authorities at this crucial time.
Armed Forces are running six quarantine facilities at Mumbai, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Hindon, Manesar and Chennai. One thousand seven hundred thirty seven persons have been handled at these centres, of which 403 have been released so far. Three positive COVID cases – two from Hindan and one from Manesar – were referred to Safdarjung Hospital in the national capital for further treatment. In addition, 15 other facilities are being kept ready as standby for use, if required.
Dedicated COVID-19 facilities including High Dependency Units, Intensive Care Unit beds are being prepared in 51 hospitals of the Armed Forces across the country. Some of these facilities are located at Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Dundigal near Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Jaisalmer, Jorhat and Gorakhpur.
Five viral testing labs at Armed Forces hospitals which can carry out COVID-19 test have been made part of national grid. These include Army Hospital , Delhi Cantt; Air Force Command Hospital, Bangalore and Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Command Hospital , Lucknow and Command Hospital , Udhampur. Six more hospitals are being equipped shortly with the resources to begin COVID-19 testing.
Special flights of Indian Air Force have evacuated people and carried medical supplies. A C-17 Globemaster III comprising of crew, medical team and support staff has carried 15 tonnes of medical supplies to China and airlifted 125 persons, including five children comprising Indian nationals and few citizens from friendly countries on its return. The C-17 Globemaster III has made another journey, this time to Iran and brought back 58 stranded Indians that included 31 women and two children. The aircraft has also brought 529 samples for COVID-19 investigation.
The C-130J Super Hercules aircraft has ferried around 6.2 tonnes of medicines to Maldives. An Army Medical Corps team consisted of five doctors, two nursing officers and seven paramedics was deployed in Maldives for capacity building measures and assist in setting up their own testing, treatment and quarantine facilities between March 13-21, 2020.
Transport fleet of IAF is being used to assist in transportation of essential supplies, medicines and medical equipment. So far, approximately 60 tonnes of stores have been airlifted to various parts of the country. Twenty eight fixed wing and 21 helicopters are on standby at various locations across the country.
Six naval ships are kept ready for assistance to neighbouring countries. Five medical teams are also on standby for deployment in Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan.
Ministry of Communications
Technical testing of 5G trial services in Gujarat by DoT
On 04.04.2022, senior officials of Department of Telecommunications , Gujarat LSA Smt. Gunjan Dave Sr. DDG, Shri Sumit Mishra and Shri Vikas Dadhich Director, with the technical team of Vodafone Idea Limited  and Nokia, visited the Mahatma Mandir 5G trial site of VIL in Gandhinagar, where technical testing of 5G is being carried out by a team of Gujarat LSA comprising of Shri Ankit Sharma and Shri Suryash Gautam ADG.
The testing is being in accordance with the schedule and procedure of the Telecom Engineering Center . TEC is the technical arm of DoT, which frames the specification of common standards with regard to Telecom network equipment and services. This test Schedule and test procedure aims at uniform assessment of the various use cases in 5G, which are being trialed by Telecom Service Providers  under DOT, through the measurement of comprehensive parameters related to performance and interoperability.
Recently, Hon’ble Minister of Communications Shri Devusinh Chauhan in replying to a supplementary question during question hour in the Rajya Sabha on 25.03.2022 had informed that “Spectrum auctions for 5G will be conducted very soon, and the next generation 5G services are expected to commence before the end of the year. The four companies have been allotted spectrum for conducting trials and added that the trials are expected to be completed soon.”
Department of Telecommunications  on 27.05.2021, for 5G testing in Gujarat, allotted license and spectrum to :
- Vodafone Idea Limited in Gandhinagar , Mansa  and Unava,  with Nokia as equipment supplier.
- Reliance Jio Infocomm in Jamnagar  with Samsung as equipment supplier.
The spectrum was initially allotted for six months which had been extended for further six months.
In the recent past on 11.11.2021, the DoT Gujarat LSA team had inspected and observed the peak data download speed of 4 Gbps at the Mahatma Mandir VIL 5G test site of Gandhinagar. On 22.12.2021, a 5G innovative solution, which was first of its kind to be tested by DoT in India for the rural broadband coverage, comprised of the 5G BTS installed at the Unava town of Mansa taluka in Gandhinagar district and the 5G outdoor customer premise equipment  in the Ajol village of Mansa taluka in Gandhinagar district. The aerial distance between the two locations was 17 KM and the peak data download speed of more than 105 Mbps was observed.
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Ministry of Home Affairs
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri G. Kishan Reddy leads the Indian delegation at ' No Money for Terror' Ministerial Conference in Melbourne, Australia
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri G.Kishan Reddy is leading a five-member delegation to the 'No Money For Terror' Ministerial Conference taking place in Melbourne, Australia. The delegation comprises of high ranking officials including DG NIA. 65 nations are represented at the conference. Shri Reddy announced at the conference that India would host the next 'No Money For Terror' Conference in 2020.
At the inaugural session, Shri Reddy stressed India's concern over the tacit support extended by certain nations to terror groups. He called for a united global effort against all those who support terror or help generate finances for terror. He emphasized India's zero-tolerance approach towards terror.
Shri Reddy noted that despite the killing of Osama Bin Laden in 2011, several active affiliates of Al Qaeda still exist in many parts of the world. He cautioned that despite recent elimination of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, there is no room to construe that the Caliphate would cease to survive.
Shri Reddy proposed four points for inclusion in the resolution:
- Terrorism is the single biggest threat to peace, security and development.
- Nations must expedite the finalisation of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism under the United Nations.
- FATF Standards must be effectively enforced and UN listings / FATF should not be politicised.
- Initiate discussion on Countering Financing of Radicalisation , which would prevent radicalisation - an essential prerequisite of terrorism.
Shri Reddy would also be leading a terror-focused bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart in Melbourne on Nov 8.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Dr. Harsh Vardhan visits LNJP Hospital to take stock of preparedness to overcome COVID-19
LNJP to function as dedicated COVID-19 hospital
The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan today visited Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan Hospital to take stock of preparedness to overcome COVID-19.
The Union Minister visited the fever ward, new surgical ward block, Dietary Department, Special Ward, Corona Screening Center, Corona Care Unit and I.C.U. After a detailed review and inspection of the various wards and premises of the Hospoital, the Health Minister expressed satisfaction & commended working of the departments and appreciated the dedication and hard work of the frontline health workers deployed there. ‘The country is grateful to you for your services in such times”, he stated. He further exhorted them for following proper infection control protocol in the hospital. Keeping in view the emerging requirement of isolation beds, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that the LNJP Hospital will function as dedicated COVID-19 hospital consisting of adequate isolation wards and beds.
Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that the Government has identified 1500 beds in LNJP and 500 in G.B. Pant hospital for COVID-19 patients. The doctors and health staff manning these wards are provided special facility for boarding and lodging in the nurses’ hostel in the campus itself and a hotel nearby to avoid the issues of transportation and prevent the exposure to their families. He also suggested to install a system of Tele-Medicine / Tele consultation for those patients who were availing of services in the hospital. The similar setup has already been commissioned at AIIMS, New Delhi, he added. He informed that the Government has already notified to facilitate digital prescription and medicine home delivery system.
On the availability of the PPEs, N95 Masks and ventilators the Health Minister stated, “We have already placed order for sufficient quantity in order to meet the increasing requirement of the country in future times if needed.” Various state governments already have enough numbers of PPEs – 4,66,057 & N95 – 25,28,996 masks – they are being supplied more PPEs – 1,54,250 & N95 – 1,53,300  in the next few days itself.
On the issue of stigma against doctors and the frontline health personnel, he stated that the Home Ministry has taken cognizance of such incidents and advised the authorities to take stringent action under National Security Act . He also appealed to the general public and family members of the patients not to assault those doctors and healthcare workers who have been devoting their precious life and time to protect the lives of corona affected persons.
He urged people to follow the social distancing guidelines and other Dos and Don’ts necessary for prevention and containment of spread of COVID-19 in the country.
President's Secretariat
President’s Greetings on the eve of Chaitra Sukladi, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Vaisakhi, Vishu, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in his message on the eve of Chaitra Sukladi, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Vaisakhi, Vishu, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba has said: -
“On the auspicious occasion of Chaitra Sukladi, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Vaisakhi, Vishu, Navreh and Sajibu Cheiraoba festivals, I extend my best wishes to all the fellow citizens.
These festivals, which mark the beginning of the New Year, are celebrated across the country in different ways, symbolising unity in diversity. They also exhibit the rich culture of our country which is apparent in the way these festivals are celebrated.
May these joyous festivals strengthen the spirit of prosperity, harmony and unity in our society and encourage goodwill and fraternity among the people”.
Please Click here to see the President message
Ministry of Home Affairs
27th Conference of DGPs and Heads of CPOs of the North East held in Agartala
The 27th Conference of DGPs and Heads of CPOs of the North East was organised at Agartala on November 22-23, 2022, jointly under the aegis of intelligence Bureau/Ministry of Home Affairs and Tripura Police. DGPs of the North Eastern States along with regional heads of 12 Central agencies and officials of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India participated in the Conference.
The Conference was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Tripura, Dr. Manik Saha who set the tone of the Conference by laying stress on greater coordination between the North East States in dealing with existing security challenges. Highlighting the focus of the Government of India on development in the North East, the Chief Minister noted that peace and security were imperative for development. The Governor of Tripura, Shri Satyadeo Narain Arya presided over the valediction proceedings and urged all agencies to work together in national interest.
Working with the mission objective of resolving all prevailing challenges in a discrete time frame, the participants deliberated on issues ranging from insurgency, capacity building of Police units to meet security challenges, disrupting drug trafficking networks, impact of developments in Myanmar and other border issues and security requirements of the Act East Policy of Government of India.
The Conference stressed on enhanced coordination between various States as well with Central agencies. Deliberations at the Conference led to a range of specific recommendations on these issues. Participants will pursue these recommendations for implementation in their respective States.
NW/RK/AY
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs
More than 171.76 Crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs
More than 11.41 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States/UTs
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply  75% of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
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VACCINE DOSES
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SUPPLIED
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1,71,76,39,430
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BALANCE AVAILABLE
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11,41,57,231
More than 171.76 crore  vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India  and through direct state procurement category.
More than 11.41 Cr  balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.
Special Service and Features
Dak Adalat on 30th December
Kerala Postal Circle will organize Dak Adalat on 30th December 2022 to redress grievances related to postal services. Adalat will start at 11 am through Google Meet platform. Those who wish to file cases can send application/complaint including mobile number to pg.kl@indiapost.gov.in or cpmg_ker@indiapost.gov.in, with the subject line “CIRCLE DAK ADALAT – QE December 2022”. The last date for sending applications is 26th December 2022. Google Meet ID and password will be intimated directly to the applicant.
--NS--
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Ministry of Defence
DRDO takes part in ‘Vigyan Sarvatra Pujayate’, organising exhibitions in 16 cities across the country
Defence Research and Development Organisation  is participating in ‘Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate’ being held across the country on the occasion of 75th year of India’s Independence, ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. ‘Vigyan Sarvatra Pujayate’ is a pan-India programme to showcase science, technology & innovation from every part of the country during February 22-28, 2022.
The DRDO is also organising exhibitions on the theme ‘Amrit Mahotsav Science Showcase: Roadmap to 2047’ at 16 cities throughout the country. The cities where these science & technology mega expositions are being held by DRDO are Agra, Almora, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Leh, Mumbai, Mysuru, Pune, Tezpur, Eranakulam, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. Participation of DRDO in the ‘Mahotsav’ is an opportunity to highlight the work being done by R&D organisations and showcasing ideas and technology efforts on the road to 2047.
Various DRDO products pertaining to different technologies are going to be exhibited. This include models of Nag, Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile , Akash, BrahMos, Astra, Pralay, Mission Shakti, Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle , Mareech, 3D Central Acquisition Radar , Electronic Warfare System, Bridge Layer Tank , etc. Technologies on display are retromotor, booster motor, composite rocket motor casing, drop tank, break disk, etc.
The week will also be marked by the lectures of eminent scientists on various science and technology developments at various centres throughout the country. The DRDO scientists are also delivering lectures at 33 centres throughout the country on different themes and topics in 11 different Indian languages.
The Government of India  is holding a year-long programme, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, to pay homage to freedom fighters and showcase the achievements of the country in various fields in the 75th year of Independence. Various science and technology organisations of the Government, in close partnership with agencies at the level of the states, are celebrating S&T achievements.
The ‘Amrit Mahotsav Science’ also titled ‘Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate’ will put on display our scientific legacy and technology prowess that have helped find solutions to problems in defence, space, health, agriculture, astronomy, and other areas. The event is jointly organised by DRDO, Department of Science & Technology , Department of Biotechnology , Council of Scientific & Industrial Research , Ministry of Earth Sciences , Department of Atomic Energy , Department of Space, Indian Council of Medical Research  and All India Council for Technical Education  under the aegis of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the GoI and the Ministry of Culture.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Cabinet approves inclusion of Common Services Centres under MEITY as Enrolment Agency for PM-SYM
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved inclusion of Common Service Centres  under MeitY as an enrolment agency, and permitting bulk deposits by other Ministries / Departments / Welfare Boards / other agencies of Central and State Governments in lieu subscriber’s share.
Benefits:
The approval will enable workers in the Unorganized Sector, to get social security in the form of monthly pension of Rs. 3,000/- on attaining the age of 60 years.
Ministry of Railways
Regular run of Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani Express
Started regular service with Tejas Rakes instead of earlier LHB Coaches
Changed its name as Tejas Rajdhani Express
Rajdhani Express with Tejas Coaches provideing upgraded amenities for the new era of train travel experience with enhanced comfort started its regular service from Bhjubaneswar Railway Station, today. The first Tejas Rake has been introduced from today  via Sambalpur route. Other Rakes will be introduced very soon one after the other with a gap of few days in between.
Hon’ble Union Ministers Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off this train recently on its inaugural run from Bhubaneswar Railway Station which had an inaugural Special Train.
The regular service of this train has been commenced from today via Sambalpur City and Rourkela only. Officials from Khurda Road Division led by Additional Divisional Railway Manager Shri Kalyan Patnaik inspected the train before its departure towards New Delhi.
RoM
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