CHHATTISGARH

Chhattisgarh Government has given administrative sanction of Rs 34.12 crore for reconstruction of miners, lining and other construction works of distributaries- 15 and 16 of Mahanadi main canal in Raipur district.
These works will provide additional irrigation facility for 663 hectare area and total area of irrigation will expand to 12, 922 hectare area.
Water Resources Minister Brijmohan Agrawal has directed the department officials to complete the work within given time-limit.
The State Government has provided administrative approval of Rs 16.52 lakh for development of a total of four small irrigation projects in Bijapur, Bastar and Raipur districts, officials informed.
The Chhattisgarh Government has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NABARD with the latter agreeing to provide loan worth nearly Rs 715 crore for completion of three incomplete major irrigation schemes under Prime Minister Agriculture Irrigation Scheme.
These schemes include– Kelo Major Irrigation Project, Kharang Canal Lining Project and Maniyari Canal Lining, which are to be completed by year 2019 to meet the target. The completion of these projects will expand irrigation facility in 47,685 hectares, officials informed.
Notably, Chhattisgarh is also among 13 states which had been mentioned in the Economic Survey report 2015-16 as a success story on use of drip irrigation by farmers on their lands.

INTERNATIONAL

· UNESCO Enters Turkey’s Endangered ‘Bird Language’ in Intangible Cultural Heritage List

The unusual and very efficient whistle language commonly called “bird language”used as a means of communication by villagers in remote northern Turkey entered the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
UNESCO accepted the “bird language” of Black Sea villagers as an endangered part of world heritage in need of urgent protection.

· Pakistan State Bank Allows use of Chinese Currency Yuan for Bilateral Trade & Investment Activities

Pakistan allowed Chinese currency Yuan for exports and financing transactions.
According to Pakistan, external affairs ministry, both public and private sector enterprises of Pakistan and China are free to choose Yuan for bilateral trade and investment activities.
As per current foreign exchange regulations, Chinese Yuan is an approved foreign currency for denominating foreign currency transactions in Pakistan.

NATIONAL

The Government is implementing a Scheme, namely the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) that provides grant-in-aid to non-governmental organizations for various projects relating to rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
The objective of the scheme is to enable persons with disabilities to reach and maintain their optimal, physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric or social functional levels.

According to the Finance Ministry, RBI Bonds Schemeclosed but the interest rate on such papers lowered to 7.75 percent.
The 8 percent Savings Bonds Scheme, also known as RBI Bonds Scheme, is not being closed but is being replaced by 7.75 percent Savings Bonds Scheme.
These taxable bonds are meant for individual other than Non-Resident Indians with no maximum limit for investment.

India an attractive cruise tourist destination the central government has exempted cruise tourists arriving with e-visa from the requirement of biometric enrolment for a period of three years i.e. till 31.12.2020.
The decision was taken by Ministry of Home Affairs on request of the Ministry of Shipping.
This will make immigration clearance of such passengers faster, leaving them with more time to spend on shore.
This is also an important factor that helps cruise lines decide whether or not to include a destination in their itinerary.
The Ministry of Shipping has been working towards simplifying the immigration clearance procedure and providing passengers with a customer friendly and hassle-free logistics process when they embark on or disembark from their cruise at the Indian ports. E-Visa has been in place in the five major ports of Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, and Chennai.
Till now biometrics of passengers were required at a port of the first arrival for immigration clearance.

The citizen of Assam witnessed the release of the first draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC)containing the first batch of 19 million names of genuine Indian citizens in compliance with the Supreme Court ‘s orders.
Registrar General of India Sailesh released the document.
The first draft has listed 19 million people out of the 32.9 million applicants from within the state as legal Indian citizens.

The Hindus from all over the world reach the confluence of the Ganges at Sagar Sangamsituated in southern part of West Bengal in India during Gangasagar Mela.
It is often said that one visit to Gangasagar is worth lifetime.
To control the rush of pilgrimages to Gangasagar, Eastern Railway announced 13 special trains.
The island of Gangasagar is among the most popular Hindu pilgrimage places in the country.
Each year on Makar Sankranti (mid-January), the large number of devotees from all over the nation, congregate at Gangasagar for a sacred dip at the convergence of the river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.
After the sacred dip, the pilgrims offer ‘Puja’ at the Kapil Muni Temple or Ashram.

G Sathiyan becomes India’s highest-ranked player in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
He surpasses his compatriot the legendary Sharath Kamal.
The current ranking of Sathiyan is 49, pushing Kamal to the second spot at 51.
As for the women, Manika Batra is topping the world chart among Indians at 62th.