- Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award
The sixth prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for contribution in the field of agriculture was given to R.R. Hanchinal, Chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, government of India. He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties.
- Indian engineer Trupti Jain wins ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative award’
An Indian environmental engineer has won this year’s prestigious ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards’ for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash floods. Trupti Jain, 46, was one among the six winners chosen for the Asia-Pacific laureate from a pool of nearly 1,900 applicants from over 120 countries and were selected by an independent international jury.
- PM launches Government projects in Dadra and Nagar Haveli
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated several Government projects at Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. These include Government buildings, solar PV systems, Jan Aushadhi Kendras and a Passport Seva Kendra. He also distributed Aids and Assistive Devices to Divyangjans, and other benefits under existing Government schemes. The Prime Minister emphasized that the Union Government will never allow the poor and the middle class to be looted. He urged the assembled people to download the BHIM App for cashless transactions.
- PM inaugurates Cattle Feed Plant, launches irrigation and water supply schemes at Bajipura, Gujarat
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has inaugurated the SUMUL cattle feed plant at Bajipura in southern Gujarat. He also laid the Foundation Stone for three Lift Irrigation Schemes, and inaugurated the Drinking Water Supply Scheme for Vyara Town and Jesinhpur-Dolvan Groups of Tapi district. The Prime Minister said that Tapi district is one of the newer districts of Gujarat, and he is happy to see it achieve remarkable progress. The Prime Minister called for value addition in the agriculture sector, and focus on increasing per capita milk production.
- NDMA to conduct mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will conduct its first-ever mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand on April 20, 2017 to help improve the preparedness and response mechanism in the event of a forest fire. The mock exercise will be conducted on the principle of Incident Response System (IRS), which identifies stakeholders and clearly attributes roles and responsibilities to each one of them. It will enhance preparedness and ensure a swift response by reducing confusion and chaos.
- Manipur CM launches web applications to check corruption
Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh has launched two web applications to check corruption and keep track of government activities. The two web applications were Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation (DARPAN). The two web applications would monitor all government funded projects and ensure transparency and accountability, Biren said launching the applications. DARPAN would upload details of projects right from the initial stage till sanction of fund, progress of work and photos the work sites
- Himachal celebrating 70th ‘Himachal Day’
Himachal Pradesh is celebrating 70th “Himachal Day” function. The hill state came into existence after the merger of 30 odd princely states in 1948. This time state level function would be held in Chamba which would be attended by chief minister Virbhadra Singh. Virbhadra Singh said that it is a huge achievement that Himachal Pradesh has progressed a lot since 1948. He said that Himachal Pradesh is also the leader of hill area development in India and also one of the fastest growing economies.
- Turkish President Erdoğan wins executive power in referendum
President Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in a referendum to grant him sweeping powers in the biggest overhaul of modern Turkish politics, but opponents said the vote was marred by irregularities and they would challenge its result. Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast and its three main cities, including the capital Ankara and the largest city Istanbul, looked set to vote “No” after a bitter and divisive campaign.
Erdogan said 25 million people had supported the proposal, which will replace Turkey’s parliamentary system with an all-powerful presidency and abolish the office of prime minister, giving the “Yes” camp 51.5 percent of the vote.
- China to launch first cargo spacecraft
China’s first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 is to be launched into space between April 20 and 24 to dock with the orbiting experimental space station. The cargo spacecraft was transferred with a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket from the testing centre to the launch zone in Wenchang, southern China’s Hainan Province. China currently is in the process of building permanent station by 2022 to rival Russia’s International Space Station (ISS). Tianzhou-1 is the first cargo ship independently developed by the country.
- Internet pioneer Robert Taylor passes away
Robert W Taylor, who was instrumental in creating the internet and the modern personal computer, has died. He was 85. In 1961, Taylor was a project manager for NASA when he directed funding to Douglas Engelbart at the Stanford Research Institute, who helped develop the modern computer mouse. Taylor was working for the Pentagon’s Advanced Research Projects Agency in 1966 when he shepherded the creation of a single computer network to link ARPA-sponsored researchers at companies and institutions around the country. ARPANET, as it was known, evolved into the internet.
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