ASSAM

Centre will open up restricted northeast areas to foreigners

The ministries of home, defence and tourism have agreed, in principle, to open up restricted areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim for foreign tourists.

A formal announcement to this effect will come only after consultations with state governments involved that need to sign off on the plan.

At present, Arunachal Pradesh and some parts of Sikkim have restrictions on access and free movement of foreign tourists by way of permits such as Protected Areas Permit (PAP) and Restricted Areas Permit (RAP).

Tourism industry executives have hailed the government’s initiative and cited the examples of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland which have witnessed a surge in foreign tourist influx after the home ministry lifted restrictions on January 1, 2011.

INTERNATIONAL

· Indias Jagriti Yatra Wins Charity Award in United Kingdom

The Yatra, an Indian charity that organizes 15-day train journeys around Indiato understand and build the India of smaller towns and villages through enterprise has won an award in London.
Jagriti Yatra was among a series of worldwide charities and individuals recognized for their impact within their communities at the Asian Voice Charity Awards.
Jagriti Yatra organizes 15-day train journeys, covering 800 km for 400 young change-makers across India every year.
It has created some of India’s foremost social entrepreneurs and pioneers of enterprise-led development that cuts across socio-economic boundaries in India.

Guatemala opens embassy in Jerusalem after US

Guatemala officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusale, becoming the second country to do so after the U.S. inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem.

At the inaguration, which was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said his country is bringing a message of “love, peace and fraternity” to Israel.

Guatemala was one of seven countries to vote with the Trump administration and Israel on the Jerusalem embassy issue at the United Nations.

The others were Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo.

NATIONAL

· Union Minister Suresh Prabhu Launched Intellectual Property Mascot IP Nani

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu launched theIntellectual Property (IP) mascot ‘IP Nani’.
The mascot was launched during a conference on the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy in New Delhi.
On the same occasion, an anti-piracy video featuring the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was also launched.
The first and foremost objective of the Policy is “IPR Awareness: Outreach and Promotion”, aimed at raising awareness on IPR for school children to nurture creativity and the ability to innovate from a very young age.

· First Para-National Games To Be Held Under Khelo India Scheme

The inaugural National Para Games,on the lines of National Games for able-bodied athletes, will be held under the Khelo India Scheme in June-July 2018 in Bengaluru.
The Games will be held for the age group of 16 to 40 (men and women) in 10 disciplines namely para-athletics, badminton, chess, blind judo, para powerlifting, shooting para-sport, para-swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing.

· ‘AYUSH’ Finds A Place In English Language

The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology decided to adopt the word ‘AYUSH’in Hindi and English languages for scientific and technical purposes.
The“AYUSH” became popular as the acronym for five traditional and complementary systems of medicine, namely Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy and successfully adopted and used in all Government communications.
The decision follows a proposal from the Ministry of AYUSH in this regards.

Green Good Deeds’ Movement Launched by Dr Harsh Vardhan Gets Global Recognition

Green Good Deeds, the societal movement launched by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan, to protect environment and promote good living in the country, has found acceptance by the global community.
The ongoing BRICS Ministerial on Environment at Durban, South Africa, has agreed to include “Green Good Deeds” in its official agenda in the next Ministerial in Brazil and another meeting in Russia”.

· Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates 330-MW Kishenganga hydel power project in Srinagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 330-MW Kishenganga hydel power project in Srinagar.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Jitendra Singh were present on the occasion.
The project has been built by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. It has been constructed at a cost of 5200 crore rupees.
It is expected to generate 1,713 million units of electricity per annum. Jammu and Kashmir would get 12 percent of power from the project.
He also laid the foundation stone of the ring road project in Srinagar. This will boost connectivity with Bandipora, Uri, and Ganderbal.
Earlier, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of Zojila Tunnel, providing all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil, and Leh.
The Zojila pass will be Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel. It is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway which remains closed during winters.
Jammu and Kashmir is going to get development projects worth 25,000 crore rupees. He said these projects will have a positive impact on the people of the states.
There is great scope for agricultural growth across the state. He said Jammu and Kashmir can play a key role in holistic healthcare.

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