CHHATTISGARH

Chhattisgarh watershed project promises better income for small farmers
Eyeing economic gains through ecological work, non-profit organisation Pradan, along with Chhattisgarh government, has launched a watershed project in the state to enhance the income of 1 lakh small and marginal farmers, of whom over 40 per cent belong to Scheduled Tribes.
A watershed is a chunk of a land that drains out at a common point. The watershed development approach takes a comprehensive account of the people, land, water and forest resources in that area and makes planned interventions.
According to Pradan, the watershed project in the state will lead to year-round food security for about 76 per cent of the families and an increase in earning in the range of Rs 15,000-25,000 per annum.
For the project, a consortium of 13 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) will facilitate land and water treatment measures in 26 blocks of 12 districts in Chhattisgarh, that will lead to improvement in the cropping intensity in about 3,50,000 hectare of land.

The focus is on initiating a community-led mechanism to enhance the productivity of natural resources to meet demands for food, fodder and fuel wood within the watershed in a sustainable manner.

INTERNATIONAL

· Gandhi Peace Prize Conferred for Last 4 Years

Gandhi Peace Prizefor the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 has been conferred on the following:

For 2015: Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari for their contribution in Rural Development, Education, Development of natural resources.

For 2016: Jointly to Akshaya Patra Foundation for its contribution in providing mid-day meals to millions of children across India and Sulabh International for its contribution in improving the condition of sanitation in India and emancipation of manual scavengers.

For 2017: Ekal Abhiyan Trust for their contribution in providing Education for Rural and Tribal Children in remote areas pan India, Rural Empowerment, Gender, and Social Equality.
For 2018: Shri Yohei Sasakawa for his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world.

Yohei Sasakawa is the Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organization for Leprosy Elimination.

The award was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 during the commemoration of the 125th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The title winners would receive a cash prize of Rs.1 crore.

The Indian government had instituted the award in 1995 to honor individuals and institutions for their contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.

· India-Myanmar Joint Training Exercise Begins In Chandimandir

Second edition of the India-Myanmar bilateral army exercise, IMBEX 2018-19, commenced at Chandimandir Military Station, that houses the headquarters of the Western Command, Chandigarh.
The aim of this joint training programme, spread over six days, is to train the Myanmar delegation for participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations under the UN flag.

NATIONAL

· Prime Minister Narendra Modi Dedicates Kollam Bypass in Kerala to Nation

Prime MinisterNarendra Modi addressing a gathering at Kollam in Kerala after dedicating the Kollam Bypass to the Nation.
The last man in the queue is his Government’s concern. Prime Minister urged the Kerala Government to expedite implementation of various centrally-sponsored projects in the State.
He launched and laid the foundation stone of several development projects, worth over 1,500 crore rupees, at Balangir in Odisha.

· RBI injected 10,000 crore rupees into the system through the purchase of government securities

Reserve Bank of India announced that it will inject 10,000 crore rupees into the system to increase liquidity through open market operations (OMOs).
The offers have been instructed to be submitted in electronic format on the RBI Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) system.
It also plans to inject liquidity under OMOs for 50,000 crore rupees in January 2019.

10^th edition of the India Rubber Expo 2019 started in Mumbai

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the three-day 10th India Rubber Expo – 2019at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.
He announced that a National Rubber Policy would soon be put to place to improve the productivity of the sector enabling India’s efforts to become a 5 trillion-dollar economy.
The India Rubber Expo is Asia’s largest rubber expo.

· Vision 2040 document: Aviation

The Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu released the Vision 2040 document in the Global Aviation Summit 2019. The Global Aviation Summit 2019 is organized in Mumbai with the theme ‘Flying for All’.

The document estimates that India will need 200 airports and an investment of $40-50 billion to handle at least 1.1 billion passengers flying to, from and within the country.

It is estimated that passenger traffic (to, from and within India) for FY 2040 would be 1.1 billion, which is six times the 187 million traffic recorded in FY 2018.

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