1. Centre, Haryana Govt. ink pact to revive River Saraswati
The Centre and the Government of Haryana joined hands to revive the long lost River Saraswati and provide water to the drought-prone areas of India.
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge) Dharmendra Pradhan and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement.
2. FM formally launched Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana
The Union Minister for Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs has formally launched the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) in the national capital.
PMVVY is a Pension Scheme announced by the Government of India exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years and above which is available from 4th May, 2017 to 3rd May, 2018.
The Scheme can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this Scheme.
Scheme provides an assured return of 8% p.a. payable monthly (equivalent to 8.30% p.a. effective) for 10 years.
3. Telangana puts cap on school bag weight
Acting on proposals submitted by the Commissioner and Director of School Education, the Telangana School Education Department issued strict guidelines to reduce the weight of school bags for children in the State.
Schools including aided and un-aided private schools have to follow guidelines.
The guidelines limit the number and weight of books and notebooks students bring to the classroom.
4. Telangana: Janahitha launches to receive complaints from public
In Telangana, an innovative programme christened Janahitha was launched to receive complaints from public through a special portal.
The programme, kickstarted in Suryapet district on pilot basis is aimed at facilitating the public to submit their complaints on line and get speedy redressal.
5. ICICI Bank offers up to Rs. 15 lakh instant personal loan via ATMs
ICICI Bank has launched a facility whereby its existing salaried customers can avail personal loans at ATMs.
These customers can get pre-qualified personal loans up to 15 lakhs in their savings account instantly.
Through this offering, a customer can get personal loans of upto Rs. 15 lakh for a fixed tenure of 60 months.
6. ADB cuts India inflation outlook to 4% in 2017-18
India’s inflation is likely to average 4% in 2017-18, sharply lower than the estimate made at the beginning of the financial year of 5.2%, Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its outlook supplement.
ADB also said that India is expected to achieve its earlier April forecasts of 7.4% growth in 2017-18 and 7.6% in 2018-19, primarily due to strong consumption.
7. Ram Nath Kovind elected India’s 14th President
Ram Nath Kovind was declared elected as India’s 14th President polling 65.6% of the vote defeating the Opposition’s joint candidate, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who secured 34% of the vote.
Mr. Kovind will be the second Dalit President of India after late President K.R. Narayanan
Also, he will be first from Uttar Pradesh and the first person from the BJP to hold the office of President since Independence.
He entered politics in 1994 when he became a member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and served as an MP for two consecutive terms till 2006.
He had represented India in the United Nations in New York and addressed United Nations General Assembly in October 2002.
On August 8, 2015, Kovind was appointed governor of Bihar.
8. Lokmat Parliamentary Awards 2017
Lokmat newspaper has taken a step towards honouring best Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members for their achievements by introducing the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards 2017.
Lok Sabha:
Lifetime Achievement Award - LK Advani
Best Parliamentarian Award 2016 - NK Premachandran
Best Woman Parliamentarian Award 2016 - Kumari Sushmita Dev
Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian Award 2016 - Meenakshi Lekhi
Rajya Sabha:
Lifetime Achievement Award - Sharad Yadav
Best Parliamentarian Award 2016 - Sitaram Yechury
Best Woman Parliamentarian Award 2016- Jaya Bachchan
Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian Award 2016 - Rajani Patil
