North East Festival 2022 Concludes With Great Enthusiasm & Public Participation in Guwahati
North East Festival 2022
Concludes With Great Enthusiasm & Public Participation in Guwahati
President Shri Ram Nath Kovind attended the closing ceremony of North East
Festival
Discussion and deliberation sessions also held in North East Festival
2022 to enhance the development in the North Eastern region
President
Shri Ramnath Kovind attended the Valedictory Ceremony along with eminent
dignitaries such as Minister for Law & Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju,
Shipping Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, CM of Assam Shri Himanta Biswa
Sarma, MoS, MDoNER, Shri B.L. Verma & Governor of Assam &
Nagaland, Shri Jagdish Mukhi.
Why is it in news?
Welcoming all the Chief Ministers
and dignitaries to the grand event, Minister for Development of North East
Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy said that he was really proud and honoured
that President had participated in the event.
Highlights
·
Calling it as a 'New Beginning and
Dawn of Development' Shri Reddy said that such assemblage of thought, vision,
expertise & efforts under the visionary leadership of PM Shri
Narendra Modi will give further momentum to growth and development in the North
Eastern Region.
·
Shri Reddy said that this
Amrit Mahotsav Celebrations in North Eastern States is the testimony of the
fact that both Central and State are working together with wholehearted
cooperation and passionate commitment to the welfare of people.
·
Minister Shri Reddy said that Sports
has been very close to the heart of every person in the region. In Sikkim, we
organized a Futsal Tournament that is based on the theme of a 'Drug Free
Society'.
·
In Manipur, a week long Regional
Sports meet has been organized. With activities ranging from football,
badminton, archery and boxing, the event has recieved wide popularity
especially among the YuvaShakti.
·
President Shri Ramnath Kovind
highlighted in ceremony that key areas like Agriculture, employment
generation, skill development, connectivity and infrastructure, social services
including health and education and Tourism development in the NER along with
infrastructural development have gone a significant change.
Ministry of Civil Aviation invites applications for Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components
Ministry of Civil Aviation invites applications for
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components
Companies who have crossed the PLI eligibility threshold for FY 2021- 2022 can
apply
Last date for submitting the application form is 20th May 2022
The
Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has opened the application window for those
manufacturers of drones and drone components, who may have crossed the PLI eligibility
threshold for the full financial year (1st April 2021 to 31st March
2022).
Why is it in news?
Earlier on 20th April 2022,
MoCA has published a provisional list of 14 PLI beneficiaries based on the
financial results submitted by PLI applicants for the ten-month period (1st
April 2021 to 31st January 2022).These include five drone manufacturers and
nine drone component manufacturers.
Highlights
·
The deadline for submitting the
application form is 23.59 hours on 20th May 2022.The final list of PLI
beneficiaries is expected to be released by 30th June 2022 after detailed
scrutiny of their financial results and other specified documents.
·
The eligibility criteria for the PLI
scheme for drones and drone components includes an annual sales turnover of INR
2 crore for drone companies and INR 50 lacs for drone components manufacturers;
and value addition of over 40% of sales turnover.
·
The PLI scheme for drones and drone
components was notified on 30th September 2021. Under the scheme, a total
incentive of INR 120 crore is spread over three financial year which is nearly
double the combined turnover of all domestic drone manufacturers in FY 2020-21.
The PLI rate is 20% of the value addition which is one of the highest among
other PLI scheme.
·
Apart from the PLIScheme, Government
of India has carried series of reforms to make India a global drone hub by
2030. This includes notification of the liberalized Drone Rules, 2021;
publishing of Drone Airspace Map 2021 which opens nearly 90% of Indian airspace
as a green zone, UAS Traffic Management (UTM) policy framework 2021; Drone
Certification Scheme 2022 which makes it easier for drone manufacturers to
obtain a type certificate; Drone Import Policy, 2022 which bans import of
foreign-made drones; and the Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 which abolishes the
requirement of a drone pilot license for drone operations.
Indians to benefit as US announces 1.5-year extension of work permits
Indians to benefit as US
announces 1.5-year extension of work permits
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant
visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality
occupations
Why is it in news?
The extension period of up to 180
days will automatically be extended to up to 540 days from the expiration date
stated on the current Employment Authorisation Cards
Highlights
·
The United States government has
decided to extend the tenure of work permits by an additional 18 months for
certain categories of immigrants, including those seeking green cards and
spouses of H-1B visa holders.
·
According to the department of
homeland security, the extension period of up to 180 days will automatically be
extended to up to 540 days from the expiration date stated on the current
Employment Authorisation Cards (EADs).
·
"As USCIS (US Citizenship and
Immigration Services) works to address the pending EAD caseloads, the agency
has determined that the current 180-day automatic extension for employment authorisation is currently insufficient," said USCIS director
Ur M Jaddou.
·
"This temporary rule will
provide those non-citizens, otherwise eligible for the automatic extension, an
opportunity to maintain employment and provide critical support for their
families, while avoiding further disruption for US employers," he
added.
·
Non-citizens with a pending renewal
application still covered under the 180-day automatic extension will be granted
an additional extension of up to 360 days, for a total of up to 540 days past
the expiration of the current EAD.
·
In addition to this, non-citizens
with a pending renewal application and a valid EAD on 4 May 2022, or who timely
file an EAD renewal application before 27 October 2023 will be granted an
automatic extension of up to 540 days if their EAD expires before the renewal
application is processed.
·
The policy is meant to address the
unprecedented backlog of 1.5 million work permit applications at the nation's
legal immigration agency, leaving tens of thousands unable to work legally and
exacerbating labour shortages.
·
Further, it is expected to offer a
reprieve to thousands of Indians working in the country and prevent further
disruption for US employers.
·
"The change will immediately
help about 87,000 immigrants whose work authorisation has lapsed or is set to
in the next 30 days. Overall, the government estimates that as many as 4,20,000
immigrants renewing work permits will be protected from losing their ability to
work for the duration of the policy," Indian-American community leader
Ajay Jain Bhutoria was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
·
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant
visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality
occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology
companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from
countries like India and China.
·
The H-1B visa programme is the most
sought-after work visa among foreign professionals, including Indians.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports invites suggestions on draft National Youth Policy
Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports invites suggestions on draft National Youth Policy
The Government has reviewed the
existing draft National Youth Policy,
2014 and prepared a new draft National
Youth Policy (NYP).
Why is it in news?
The draft NYP envisages a ten-year
vision for youth development that India seeks to achieve by 2030. It is
aligned with the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) and serves to ‘unlock
the potential of the youth to advance India’.
Highlights
·
The draft NYP seeks to catalyse widespread action on youth development across
five priority areas viz. education; employment & entrepreneurship; youth
leadership & development; health, fitness & sports; and social justice.
Each priority area is underpinned by the principle of social inclusion keeping
in view the interests of the marginalized sections.
·
The Department of Youth Affairs seek
comments/views/suggestions on the draft NYP from all stakeholders.