India’s 1st National Antimicrobial Resistance Hub set up in Kolkata

India’s first National Antimicrobial Resistance Hub was recently inaugurated in Kolkata. The Kolkata centre would be the hub for research on antibiotic resistance not only for the country but for the entire South Asia.

The centre was jointly inaugurated by the ICMR, in association with the U.S. Consulate of Kolkata and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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CAPITAL OF USA – WASHINGTON D.C

Neena Gupta wins two awards at Boston Film Festival

Bollywood actor Neena Gupta has won 2 awards at Indian International Film Festival of Boston. The actress won the Best Actress award for ‘Badhaai Ho‘ and her film ‘The Last Color‘ emerged victorious in Best Feature Film category.

‘The Last Color’ was directed by chef Vikas Khanna. The film deals with taboo surrounding widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi in India.

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DIRECTOR OF “BADHAI HO” – AMIT SHARMA

Agnes Kharshiing conferred the 11th International Hrant Dink Award

Meghalaya-based rights activist Agnes Kharshiing, who survived an assault by the coal mafia almost a year ago, received the 11th International Hrant Dink Award. She received the award along with Turkish activist against male violence, Nebahat Akkoc.

The two activists were presented the award that commemorates the memory of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was killed in 2007, in Istanbul. The Hrant Dink Award is presented every year to individuals, organisations or groups that work for a world free from discrimination, racism and violence.

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CM OF MEGHALAYA – CONRAD SANGAMA

Ramkumar Ramamoorthy appointed as CMD of Cognizant India

Cognizant Technology Solutions has appointed Ramkumar Ramamoorthy as Chairman and Managing Director of Cognizant India. Ramkumar Ramamoorthy has played a leading role marketing and communications, market research and intelligence, public affairs, and knowledge management in his 21 plus years of experience in the company.

Bangladesh School project wins Aga Khan Architecture Award

Arcadia Education Project which involves construction of floating school for marginalised children in South Kanarchor of Bangladesh, has been awarded the prestigious Aga Khan Architecture Award 2019. The award ceremony was held in Kazan, republic of Tatarastan.

The architect of the project Saif Ul Haque designed a school which remains on the ground during dry season and floats when the area is submerged in water during monsoon. He utilised only the local material-bamboo, used tyres and steel drums for constructing the amphibious structure for school.

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PM of Bangladesh – Sheikh Hasina

Capital of Bangladesh: Dhaka

Currency: Taka.

Former Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao passes away

Former speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly Kodela Siva Prasada Rao passed away. He was a 6-time MLA elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. He served as the Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly from 2014 to 2019. He also served as a minister in the NT Rama Rao and Chandrababu Naidu governments of Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed grief.

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Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

GSTN makes Aadhaar verification mandatory for new dealers from Jan 2020

The Goods and Services Tax Network has decided to make Aadhaar authentication or physical verification mandatory for new dealers from January 2020. Those who do not want Aadhaar authentication, physical verification will be carried out, which will be completed in three days.The step has been taken to check malpractices in Goods and Services Tax. In the first phase, Aadhaar authentication will be mandatory for new dealers. Afterwards, all those enrolled on GSTN would be asked to provide their Aadhaar numbers.

Trilateral Exercise “SITMEX” Commences at Port Blair

A maiden trilateral exercise SITMEX, involving Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Royal Thailand Navy (RTN) and Indian Navy (IN) started at Port Blair. The exercise aims to bolster the maritime inter-relationships among the Singapore Thailand and India, and contribute significantly to enhance the overall maritime security in the region. This would also strengthen the mutual confidence amongst three navies in terms of interoperability and development of a common understanding of procedures.

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Chief of the Naval Staff – Vice Admiral Karambir Singh

ECGC launches scheme “Nirvik” to ease the lending process

Ministry of Commerce & Industry through Export Credit Guarantee Corporation has introduced a new Export Credit Insurance Scheme called NIRVIK. The Niryat Rin Vikash Yojana has been launched to enhance loan availability to exporters and to ease the lending process. Under the new scheme NIRVIK, up to 90 per cent of the principal amount and interest will be covered through insurance.

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Union Minister of Commerce and Industry: Piyush Goyal

Bangladesh PM receives Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award 2019 in Dhaka. The award citation lauded Prime Minister Hasina for her vision of a peaceful and prosperous South Asia, free of tension, conflicts and terrorism.The award has been instituted in the memory of former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The award is given every year to honour statesmen or leaders who have shown excellence in respective fields to achieve the best for their countries.