ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI
National web portal for sharing R&D facilities I-STEM enters Phase-II, five years extension approved by the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to GOI
The Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map , the national web portal for sharing R&D facilities was formally launched in January 2020 by the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. I-STEM  is an initiative of Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India  under the aegis of Prime Minister Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council  mission. I-STEM project has been accorded extension for five years,until 2026 and enters its second phase with added features.
The goal of I-STEM is to strengthen the R&D ecosystem of the country by connecting researchers with resources, in part by promoting technologies and scientific equipment development indigenously, and providing necessary supplies and supports to researchers by enabling them an access to existing publicly funded R&D facilities in the country through the I-STEM web portal.
In the first phase, the portal is listed with more than 20,000 pieces of equipment from 1050 institutions across the country and has more than 20,000 Indian researchers. I-STEM portal facilitates researchers to access slots for the use of equipment, as well as to share the details of the outcomes, such as, patents, publications and technologies. Under Phase II, the portal will hostindigenous technology products listedthrough a digital catalogue. The portal will also provide a platform for the various City Knowledge and Innovation Clusters  supported by the Office of PSA to enhance effective use of R&D infrastructure through leveraging collaboration and partnershipbuilt on a shared STI ecosystem. It will also host and provide access to selected R&D software required to undertake research projects by students and scientists. The I-STEM portal in its new phase will be designed as a dynamic digital platform that will provide boost to research and innovation especially for 2 tier and 3 tier cities and also for the emerging start-up ecosystem.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs 
Cabinet approves Revised Cost of completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project in Bihar & Jharkhand
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval to a proposal of Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti to complete the balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project at a revised Cost of Rs. 2,430.76 crore  as against the balance cost of Rs.1,622.27 crore  approved earlier in August, 2017.
On completion of the balance works, project would provide additional annual irrigation to 42,301 ha in the four drought prone districts of Jharkhand and Bihar.
North Koel Reservoir Project is an inter-State major irrigation project with command area lying in the two States of Bihar and Jharkhand. The project comprises a dam on North Koel river near Kutku village , a barrage 96 km downstream of the dam , Right Main Canal  and Left Main Canal  taking off from the barrage. The Construction of dam and ancillary activities started in the year 1972 by Govt. of Bihar from its own resources. The work continued till 1993 and was stopped in that year by the Forest Department, Govt. of Bihar. Due to apprehension that water accumulated in the dam would threaten the Betla National Park and Palamu Tiger Reserve, the work on dam was at a standstill. The project subsequent to stoppage of work was providing annual irrigation to 71,720 hectares. After bifurcation of Bihar in November 2000, the head works i.e. Dam and Barrage lie in Jharkhand. Also the entire 11.89 km Left Main Canal  from Mohammadganj barrage lies in Jharkhand. However, out of 110.44 km of Right Main Canal , first 31.40 km lies in Jharkhand and the remaining 79.04 km lies in Bihar. In the year 2016, the Govt. of India decided to provide assistance for completion of balance works of the North Koel Reservoir Project in order to operationalise the project to realise the envisaged benefits. It was decided to reduce the reservoir level so as to save the core area of Palamu Tiger Reserve. The proposal to complete the balance works of the Project at an estimated expenditure of Rs.1622.27 crore was approved by Union Cabinet in August 2017.
Subsequently, at the request of both State Governments, certain other components were found necessary to be included in the project. Complete lining of RMC and LMC was also regarded essential from technical considerations to derive envisaged irrigation potential. Thus, the works of Gaya distribution system, lining of RMC and LMC, remodeling of enroute structures, construction of a few new structures and one time Special Package for R&R of Project Affected Families  were to be provided for in the updated cost estimate. Accordingly, Revised Cost Estimate of the project was prepared. Out of the cost of balance works of Rs.2430.76 crore, the Central would provide Rs.1836.41 crore.
Ministry of Electronics & IT
Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad to felicitate the winners of #OpenGovDataHack National Challenge
Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad in the august presence of Shri S.S. Ahluwalia, Union Minister of State, Electronics and IT, Shri Ajay Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & IT and Dr. Neeta Verma, Director General, National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, will felicitate the winners of the #OpenGovDataHack National Challenge, at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on Thursday, November 1, 2018.
Open Government Data  Platform India  India is at the forefront in promoting innovation in Open Data ecosystem in India. It has been set-up by National Informatics Centre  in compliance with the Open Data Policy whose objective is to provide a platform for proactive access to Government owned shareable data. These datasets are directly published on the platform by the Government Departments.
The Open Government Data Team, National Informatics Centre  in association with Internet & Mobile Association of India  & StartUp India had organized Hackathon - “#OpenGovDataHack“ for Students, Entrepreneurs, Innovators, Start-ups, Developers and Community to create unique and innovative service delivery Applications & Info-Graphics to foster innovation.
The sectors selected for the Hackathon are Water & Sanitation, Transport, Education, Crime and Health. The Hackathon was conducted successfully in 2 phases. The National screening committee shortlisted 20 Apps for final presentation out of which 3  apps and 7 other excellence apps will be felicitated in an award event on 1st November, 2018 by the Hon’ble Union Minister.
Vice President's Secretariat
Culture is a way of life and Religion is a way of worship: Vice President
Dream high, Aim high and work hard to achieve it;
Interacts with members of ‘Youth for Bharat’
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the Culture is a way of life and Religion is a way of worship. He was interacting with the members of ‘Youth For Bharat’, who called on him, here today.
The Vice President said that one should remember five things in their life – Mother, Mother tongue, Birth place, Motherland and Teacher who gave knowledge. One should try to talk in mother tongue at home. A public leader should be familiar with as many languages as possible, he added.
The Vice President advised the Students to dream high, aim high and work hard to achieve them. He further said that to achieve those dreams, you can afford to do some sacrifices. Everyone must have some aim in their lives, he added.
The Vice President said that India was once known as “Vishwa Guru” with all those seeking knowledge from across the globe flocking to our ancient seats of learning like Nalanda and Takshashila Universities. Following various invasions and colonisation, India lost its pre-eminent position. Now the time has come for India to regain its position as a “Vishwa Guru”, the centre of educational excellence, he added.
The Vice President said that people should be judged, should be selected, and should be elected on the basis of character, calibre, capacity and conduct but not on the basis of caste, cash, community and criminality. He advised the students to spare some of their time towards social activities, particularly towards downtrodden and underprivileged sections of the society. Sharing and caring should be the core philosophy of our life, he added.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Science Research Institutions in Northeast States
Department of Science & Technology has established the Institute of Advanced Study in Science & Technology  at Guwahati and the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach  at Shillong. Department of Biotechnology has established the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development  at Imphal. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research  has one of its constituent laboratories namely CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology  at Jorhat, Assam. Its branch laboratories are located in Lamphel Pat, Imphal, Manipur and Naharlagun, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. The project office of CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute , Hyderabad is located in Tezpur, Assam. A unit of CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute , Durgapur, namely CSIR Centre For Post - Harvest Processing & Research is located at Tuirial, Mizoram'.
This information was given by Minister of State  for Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Shri Jitendra Singh in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
DRDO and Central University of Jammu sign MoU to set up Kalam Centre for Science and Technology
Defence Research & Development Organisation , Ministry of Defence and Central University of Jammu  have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding  for the establishment of Kalam Centre for Science and Technology  at the university. The MoU signing ceremony was held in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh here today.
The main objective of the MoU is to undertake and facilitate multidisciplinary directed basic and applied research and technology development in the identified research verticals namely; Computational System Security and Sensors. The centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment leading to increase in research scholars in these areas.
Shri Rajnath Singh conveyed his best wishes and said that the centre will be a national asset and contribute in making India stronger and prosperous. Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy hoped that in a very short time a world class centre will come up in CUJ and develop state-of-the-art systems.
The CUJ is a Central Government funded University, established under Central Universities Act 2009, with the vision to contribute knowledge and technology innovation to the country and the world.
Chancellor of CUJ Ambassador G Parthasarthi appreciated DRDO for establishing a high-end research centre to promote quality research which in long run will create a pool of scientists from this region.
Vice Chancellor of CUJ Prof Ashok Aima and Director General  DRDO Shri Sudhir Gupta were also present on the occasion.
ABB/Nampi/DK/Savvy/ADA/Anand
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Ministry of Defence
INDIAN NAVY EXERCISES WITH ROYAL NAVY CARRIER STRIKE GROUP
Indian Navy participated in a two-day bilateral Passage Exercise  with Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group -21 led by HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Bay of Bengal from 21 to 22 Jul 21. The bilateral Maritime Exercise was designed to hone the ability of the two navies to operate together in the maritime domain.
The maiden exercise between Indian Navy and the Royal Navy’s latest Aircraft Carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth included participation of CSG-21 comprising Type 23 Frigates and an Astute-class submarine in addition to the other surface combatants. Indian Navy was represented by IN Ships Satpura, Ranvir, Jyoti,Kavaratti, Kulish and a submarine. Anti-Submarine Warfare capable Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft P8I also participated in the exercise.
With the presence of the CSG-21 in the Indian Ocean, the ongoing exercise has afforded excellent opportunity to engage over the entire spectrum of maritime operations including ASW, Anti-Air and Anti-Surface warfare. The exercise also witnessed the maiden participation of the F 35 B Lightning which operate from the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth.
RegularIN-RN interactions over the years have augmented their professional content, interoperability and adaptability in the ever-changing security scenarios. The inter-operability achieved over the years has ensured a quantum jump in the complexity and scale of professional exchanges which is being further enhanced by the presence of the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group in the Indian Ocean.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Union Labour Ministry denies reports in a section of media appearing under the caption “Government Employees set to get more DA”
Union Ministry of Labour & Employment has denied reports appearing in a section of Media under the caption “Govt. employees set to get more DA” published on 16-10-2020 In this regard it may be stated that Union Ministry of Labour & Employment has denied the report saying that it has never said that the new index would lead to a hike in salaries of industrial workers and Govt. employees. Following is the clarification of the Ministry :
“While it is a fact that Labour Bureau, an attached office of Ministry of Labour and Employment is going to release new series of Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers  with 2016 as base year on 21st October, 2020. This index is used for revision of dearness allowance payable to Govt. employees and workers in the organized sector. However, the Labour ministry has never said that the new index would lead to a hike in salaries of industrial workers and Govt. employees. It will depend on the behaviour of new series which is too early to predict at this stage.”
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Institute of Company Secretaries of India and Institute of Cost Accountants of India contribute Rs 28.80 crore towards PM CARES Fund to combat COVID-19 outbreak
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Institute of Company Secretaries of India and Institute of Cost Accountants of India, the three Professional Institutes under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, have come forward to donate an amount of Rs 28.80 crore to PM-CARES Fund for providing assistance to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund  was created on 28th March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. This dedicated national fund has been set up with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation as posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected people.
The details of donations are as below: -

|
|
S.No.
|
|
ORGANIZATION
|
|
CONTRIBUTION FROM INSTITUTE
|
|
MEMBERS/STAFF CONTRIBUTION
|
|
TOTAL
|
|
1
|
|
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
|
|
15.00
|
|
6.00
|
|
21.00
|
|
2
|
|
Institute of Company Secretaries of India
|
|
5.00
|
|
0.25
|
|
5.25
|
|
3
|
|
Institute of Cost Accountants of India
|
|
2.50
|
|
0.05
|
|
2.55
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
22.50
|
|
6.30
|
|
28.80
Ministry of Finance
PFRDA pledges to contribute to PM-CARES Fund to help fight COVID-19 outbreak
The pension sector regulator Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority  has pledged to contribute a part of the employee’s salary to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations  Fund, instituted recently under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to assist and provide relief measures to the citizens of the country following the global outbreak of novel Coronavirus .
Alike other Government institutions, industry leaders, celebrities, individuals, PFRDA employees have decided to contribute part of their salary and PFRDA is committed to assist the government in its fight against the pandemic in India.
Shri Supratim Bandyopadhyay, Chairman PFRDA said “This is one of the most challenging period that our country is facing today. At this moment what matters most is sharing the responsibility of fight against coronavirus  in every way possible. The PFRDA is perceptive of the implications of this pandemic situation and would like to contribute towards the fight of this crisis”.
About PFRDA
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority  is the statutory Authority established by an enactment of the Parliament, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the National Pension System  and pension schemes to which this Act applies. NPS was initially notified for central government employees joining service on or after 1st Jan 2004 and subsequently adopted by almost all State Governments for its employees. NPS was extended to all Indian citizens  on a voluntary basis and to corporates for its employees.
As on 31st March 2020, the total number of subscribers under NPS and Atal Pension Yojana has crossed 3.45 crores and the Asset under Management  has grown to Rs 4,17,478 crores. More than 68 lakhs government employees have been enrolled under NPS and 22 lakhs subscribers have subscribed to NPS in the private sector with 7,568 entities registered as corporates. More than 2.11 crores subscribers are presently covered under the GoI guaranteed pension scheme - Atal Pension Yojana.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Union Minister Piyush Goyal asks entrepreneurs to focus on world class quality for success
Sikkim should work to maintain its status of 100 percent organic state: Shri Goyal
Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal has exhorted entrepreneurs to focus on maintaining world-class quality, unique selling proposition or USP of their products and minimise their dependence on the government, to achieve long-term success of their businesses.
Shri Goyal was interacting with Startup founders and students during the North East Entrepreneurs Dialogue-Accelerating the Startup Growth Engine at Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology in Majhitar, Sikkim today.
Shri Goyal shared the IT sector’s success story in India without any significant government intervention as well as his own entrepreneurship experience to establish his points. He also pointed out that following the removal of subsidies, the LED bulb industry in India expanded from selling 6 lakh units annually before 2014 to selling around 6 lakh units on a daily basis, besides reducing per unit costs drastically. Citing this example, he also urged entrepreneurs to focus on the scale of production.
The minister urged all present to work towards maintaining the sanctity of Sikkim’s 100 per cent organic state status, stressing on increasing the state’s organic product exports from $1 million to $1 billion. He also reiterated that the centre is ready to set up extension campuses of the National Institute of Design and The Indian Institute of Packaging to help entrepreneurs. Addressing issues faced by entrepreneurs in Sikkim, he assured to take up challenges related to air and road connectivity with his cabinet colleagues. He also appreciated the idea of setting up IT hubs in the Northeast region, which would be a win-win situation for IT companies as well as the local talent base.
Earlier, Shri Goyal visited stalls showcasing products developed by startups from across the northeast region at the Atal Incubation Centre, SMU Technology Business Incubation Foundation at the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology. Sikkim Power Minister Shri MN Sherpa, Soreng MLA Shri Aditya Golay and Dr.  Rajan S Grewal Vice Chancellor Sikkim Manipal University were also present, among others.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs 
Cabinet approves strategic disinvestment of 100% Govt. of India’s equity in the Dredging Corporation of India Ltd. 
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given ‘in principle’ approval for strategic disinvestment of 100% Government of India's shares in DCIL to consortium of four ports namely, Vishakhapatnam Port Trust, Paradeep Port Trust, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust and Kandla Port Trust.
Presently the Government of India holds 73.44% shares in Dredging Corporation of India Limited. The approval will further facilitate the linkage of dredging activities with the ports, keeping in view the role of the DCIL in expansion of dredging activity in the country as well as potential scope for diversification of ports into third party dredging. The co-sharing of facilities between the company as well as ports shall lead to savings for ports. This would further provide opportunities for larger investment in DCIL as integration with ports shall help ineffective vertical linkage in the value chain.
The strategic disinvestment of DCIL shall be undertaken after conducting due diligence exercise by both the entities with the help of Advisors, appointed for the transaction.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
m-KISAN PORTAL
Information and services available on mkisan portal i.e. https://mkisan.gov.in are crop specific advisories to farmers through SMS and Voice; Pull SMS service for farmers to register themselves and give feedback on the service; Interactive Voice Response System service and extreme weather alert for farmers. 24,62,37,10,138 SMSs have been sent to the farmers since launch of this portal on 25.05.2013 till 28.06.2019. Advisories to the farmers registered on this portal, can be sent in 12 languages viz., Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English.
|
|
STATE WISE REGISTERED FARMERS 
|
|
Sl. No
|
|
STATE NAME
|
|
FARMER COUNT
|
|
1
|
|
A AND N ISLANDS
|
|
11989
|
|
2
|
|
ANDHRA PRADESH
|
|
5313689
|
|
3
|
|
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
|
|
1257
|
|
4
|
|
ASSAM
|
|
78249
|
|
5
|
|
BIHAR
|
|
1032234
|
|
6
|
|
CHANDIGARH
|
|
640
|
|
7
|
|
CHHATTISGARH
|
|
1527476
|
|
8
|
|
DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI
|
|
1235
|
|
9
|
|
DAMAN AND DIU
|
|
74
|
|
10
|
|
DELHI
|
|
48906
|
|
11
|
|
GOA
|
|
23755
|
|
12
|
|
GUJARAT
|
|
1224048
|
|
13
|
|
HARYANA
|
|
1311885
|
|
14
|
|
HIMACHAL PRADESH
|
|
733962
|
|
15
|
|
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
|
|
256018
|
|
16
|
|
JHARKAND
|
|
810946
|
|
17
|
|
KARNATAKA
|
|
763898
|
|
18
|
|
KERALA
|
|
1050629
|
|
19
|
|
LAKSHADWEEP
|
|
26
|
|
20
|
|
MADHYA PRADESH
|
|
2321973
|
|
21
|
|
MAHARASHTRA
|
|
6369389
|
|
22
|
|
MANIPUR
|
|
4241
|
|
23
|
|
MEGHALAYA
|
|
5042
|
|
24
|
|
MIZORAM
|
|
4541
|
|
25
|
|
NAGALAND
|
|
27657
|
|
26
|
|
ODISHA
|
|
3008725
|
|
27
|
|
PUDUCHERRY
|
|
11202
|
|
28
|
|
PUNJAB
|
|
724908
|
|
29
|
|
RAJASTHAN
|
|
3200755
|
|
30
|
|
SIKKIM
|
|
26244
|
|
31
|
|
TAMIL NADU
|
|
1232068
|
|
32
|
|
TELANGANA
|
|
2782294
|
|
34
|
|
TRIPURA
|
|
40993
|
|
35
|
|
UTTAR PRADESH
|
|
14123357
|
|
36
|
|
UTTARAKHAND
|
|
199109
|
|
37
|
|
WEST BENGAL
|
|
1790872
|
||
|
TOTAL
|
|
50064286
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha today.