KERALA

Union minister of state for tourism K J Alphons Kannanthanam assured rubber farmers in the state that the National Rubber Policy will be announced soon.
Addressing a gathering of farmers and representatives of various organizations in the rubber sector, at the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), Kannanthanam said that Union commerce minister Suresh Prabhu will hold a similar meeting here soon to hear the worries of the farmers before taking steps to announce the Rubber Policy. He also said that it was the minister who had asked him to convene such a meeting after he briefed the minister about the plight of rubber farmers.

The majority of participants were apprehensive about the move and urged the Government to withdraw form the move which will ruin the natural rubber farming in the country. Other issues raised in the meeting include distribution of subsidy for rubber planting and re-planting, exempting Rubber Producer Societies from GST, restriction of import, making rubber an agricultural product.

INTERNATIONAL

· Jacob Zuma Resigns As South Africa’s President

South Africa’s embattled President Jacob Zuma. He announced the decision in a televised address to the nation after the ruling African National Congress (ANC)party threatened to eject him from office via a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
The 75-year-old, who was the country’s President for the last 9 years, has been under increasing pressure to give way to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, ANC’s new leader. Mr. Zuma’s resignation followed weeks of intense public pressure to step down amid long-standing corruption allegations.

· India to Host 8th Theatre Olympics

In an effort to put India firmly among the top nations in the world theatre map, the country will play host to the 8th Theatre Olympics, the greatest carnival of the pianist.
The 51-day theatreextravaganza which will be inaugurated at Red Fort will see 450 shows including 65 shows by international artists, 600 ambient performances, and 250 youth forum shows.

NATIONAL

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the international conference ‘Agricon 2018’ and ‘Agriexpo 2018’ at Chandrashekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology (CSAUT), Kanpur on February 14, 2018.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that in a country as vast as India, problems of farmers in different regions are different.

We will have to find solutions according to their needs. Water is a common concern.

In this regard, the Government has promoted the concept of “per drop, more crop” and this message should reach every farmer in the country.

President Ram Nath Kovind hosted an‘LPG Panchayat at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
It was organized by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY).

The LPG Panchayat aims to provide a platform for LPG consumers to interact with each other, promote mutual learning and share experiences.

LPG Panchayat serves as an interactive platform for those who received LPG cylinders under MUY. One panchayat has around 100 LPG customers in nearby areas.

The panchayats discuss issues such as safe practices, quality of service provided by distributors and availability of refill cylinders.

India’s first radio festival was held at the UNESCO House in New Delhi to mark World Radio Day (February 13). It was organised by International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) in partnership with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The festival aimed to bring together radio professionals, podcasters and other digital audio programmers. It included discussions of expert panels, exhibition and live performances. Its discussions were based on the theme for World Radio Day 2018 – Radio and Sports. It examined potential of sports as a platform for social change, ways to make it more creative and trace journey of music on radio.

International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) – IAWRT is global organization of women in broadcasting industry. It was established in 1949 by professional women working in electronic and allied media. Its mission is to strengthen initiatives towards ensuring women’s views and values are integral part of programming and advance impact of women in media. It is in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad has inaugurated the “Friendship Gate” constructed with an aim to have a Wagah-like beating retreat ceremony for the Indian and Bangladesh border guards.
The Friendship Gate has been constructed near Integrated Check post, 90 km South of capital Shillong on border with Bangladesh.

The West Bengal government already enrolled 50 lakh people under its own Swasthya Sathi programme, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced the decision to opt out of Centre’s ‘Modicare’ scheme.
This makes West Bengal the first state to withdraw from the ambitious programme. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced the NHPS on February 1, making it the biggest global plan to provide quality health coverage to a population larger than the combined citizenry of the US, UK, Germany, and France.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)bagged an order worth Rs 560 crore from NTPC for setting up a system for emission control.
BHEL has secured the order for “supply and installation of the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systemfrom NTPC for 2×490 MW National Capital Power Station at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh.

TheUnion Governmentextended the anti-narcotics scheme for 3 more years to combat illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substance.
The purpose of the scheme is to assist states and Union Territories, which are contributing in controlling the inter-state and cross-border drug trafficking.

The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs is planning to introduce a ranking system for National Sports Federations (NSFs).
This will be for the first time the Sports Ministry will have a system by which sports federations will be ranked or rated according to set parameters Key.
The rankings will be based on federations’ administrative capability, transparency, talent-spotting ability, and medal count of athletes.
The sports ministry will set up a committee for this purpose.