WHO applauds India's Fitness campaign

The clarion call made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to all Indians of Fitness Ka Dose Aadha Ghanta Roz has received praise from the World Health Organisation. In a tweet, WHO said, it applauds India's initiative on promoting physical activity through this  fitness campaign.The campaign launched as part of the nation-wide Fit India Movement by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports  Kiren Rijiju has gained the support of celebrities from different fields including Bollywood, sportspersons, writers, doctors and fitness influences. They have enthusiastically urged Indians to follow the basic mantra of 30 minutes of fitness every day.

-Just within a year of operationalising NEFT 24x7, the Reserve Bank has announced that the Real Time Gross Settlement System or the RTGS facility will now be available for round the clock transactions, with effect from 12:30 AM on Monday December 14. In a statement, RBI has informed that round the clock availability of RTGS will provide extended flexibility to businesses for effecting payments. It added that the system can also be leveraged to enhance operations of Indian financial markets and cross-border payments.RTGS, which began its operations on 26th March, 2004 with a soft launch involving four banks, presently handles 6.35 lakh transactions daily for a value of 4.17 lakh crore rupees across 237 participant banks. RBI has informed that RTGS uses ISO 20022 format which is the best-in-class messaging standard for financial transactions. The feature of positive confirmation for credit to beneficiary accounts is also available in RTGS.

-India and Nepal have decided to open flights under a bilateral bubble arrangement, as India has done with several countries. Sources said, India had proposed this to Nepal some time back and Nepal has cleared it now after Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla highlighted the importance of people to people connectivity during recent visits.The arrangement is being started with Indians, Nepalese, OCI/PIO card holders of all nationalities and all valid Indian visa holders. Initially, there will be one flight daily from each side between Delhi and Kathmandu. Air bubble arrangement will follow medical protocols as is being done with other countries which includes RT PCR test report of 72 hours prior to travel.

-High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami has expressed India’s willingness to contribute in enhancing the service delivery capacity of Bangladeshi professionals for the COVID 19 vaccine, During meeting with the prime minister Sheikh Hasina, expressed India’s willingness to contribute in enhancing the service delivery capacity of Bangladeshi professionals for the COVID 19 vaccine, Prime Minister Hasina recalled the contribution of India in the liberation war of Bangladesh and the post war reconstruction of Bangladesh. Referring to the Land Boarder Agreement (LBA) ratified by Indian Parliament, the Prime Minister said that all Indians are united in their voice, as far as Bangladesh is concerned.

-Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur virtually inaugurated the second edition of Ladakh Literature Festival, 2020, in Leh on Thursday. The three Day festival will host  a series of talks, importance of the region, ancient knowledge of Ladakh, Folk music, cultural Dance, geology and wildlife of Himalayas and several interesting topics on YouTube and Facebook streaming.On this occasion, Mathur said, Ladakh and its rich culture have generated a vast and reassuring interest among the literature enthusiasts all over the world. He said that Ladakh having an amalgamation of different cultural influences from India, Central Asia and Tibet gives the region and its people a unique cultural identity. Lieutenant Governor appealed to the students to participate in the Literature Festival. He said that the knowledge of the different worlds will bring a new perspective which is useful for the local youth to develop a sense of cultural rootedness and identity.

- NGO HelpAge India received the "2020 UN Population Award" in the institutional category on Thursday for its contribution towards serving disadvantaged elderly people and raising awareness on their cause.The UN Population Award, established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1981, recognises contributions in the fields of population and reproductive health. The award ceremony was held virtually in the UN's New York office.Bhutan's Queen Mother Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck was given the 2020 United Nations Population Award in the individual category for her work on sexual health and gender violence.The much-coveted award consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize.