12,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine so far

Government has invited applications for National Startup Awards 2022 across 17 sectors and 7 special categories. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has launched the third edition of the National Startup Awards. In line with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Awards will acknowledge startups and enablers who have been instrumental in revolutionising the development story of India. The 17 sectors include Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Construction, Drinking Water, Education and Skill Development, Energy, Enterprise Technology, Environment, and FinTech. A cash prize of 5 lakh rupees will be awarded to each winning startup. The winners and runners-up will also be given opportunities to present their solutions to relevant public authorities and corporates for potential pilot projects and work orders and pitching opportunities with investors. They will also be given priority for participation in various national and international startup events.A cash prize of 15 lakh rupees each will be awarded to one winning incubator and one winning accelerator. The applications for the National Startup Awards 2022 are open till 15th March.

-Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday said 12 thousand Indian nationals have left Ukraine so far. Of the remaining 8 thousand, 4000 are in conflict zone and the others have either reached the western borders of Ukraine or are heading there. Briefing the media in New Delhi on Tuesday, he said there were an estimated 20 thousand Indians in Ukraine at the time of the release of the first advisory. He said the third meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Ukraine issue this evening began with an expression of deep regret and condolences at the death of the Indian student in Ukraine. The Prime Minister conveyed his deep anguish at the loss of life of an Indian national. Mr. Shringla said India remains very concerned about the situation in the conflict zones in Ukraine. Earlier, the Foreign Secretary called in the Ambassadors of Ukraine and Russia and reiterated the demand for urgent safe passage for Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and other cities in conflict areas. External Affairs Ministry had sent a team of officers from Indian Mission in Moscow to border region of Russia adjoining Ukraine. This team is currently in a city called Belgorod which is not far from Kharkiv. The function of the team is to examine all the options in terms of route out, accommodation, and the transportation options to extract Indian nationals. Mr Shringla said evacuation from Kharkiv is the top priority.

-Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said that about 8,600 Jan Aushadhi centres are running in India to provide affordable medicines to everyone. In a tweet, Mandaviya said that to promote this, Jan Aushadhi week is being celebrated from March1 to 7. He added, a padyatra is also being taken out at 75 places across the country to spread awareness about Jan Aushadhi Project and generic medicines. The Health Minister said that lakhs of people buy medicines from these centers at cheap rates. He assured people that the government is committed to ensure that everyone gets the best and affordable medicines under this scheme.

-Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Narayan Rane has announced that 350 acre area of land has been sanctioned for the proposed IT hub in Nasik district of Maharashtra. Speaking at an IT conclave in Nasik on Tuesday, the Minister Union said, the Central Government is planning many investment projects for Nashik. On behalf of Nashik Municipal corporation, an IT Park will build at Adgaon Shivar in the city. It will be built through Public-Private partnership, he added.  Rane said, Nashik Municipal Corporation is the first in the country to take such initiative, which will change the economy of Nashik. He also said, the IT hub will increase direct and indirect employment and will give boost to the economy.

-In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Department of Posts, J&K Postal Circle is bringing its 1695 post offices under the Core Banking System by March 2023. These Offices including 263 Post Offices in Urban/Semi urban areas and 1432 Branch Post Offices in rural peripheries spread across the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will be made available for interoperability between the post office accounts and the bank accounts. This follows the announcement made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a webinar held recently.