Headlines at a Glance – 8th February 2022
Central scheme for model villages: 7 Telangana GP figure in top 10 spots
According to the Union ministry of rural development 2021 rankings, seven Telangana villages ranked in the top 10 gram panchayats, across the country, in the implementation of the Centre’s Saansad Adarsh Gram Panchayat Yojana (SAGY). The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October, 2014. Under this scheme, “adarsh gram panchayats” (ideal gram panchayats) are adopted by local Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members for holistic development. The ministry ranks these gram panchayats based on their holistic development, including implementation of village development plan, improvement of basic amenities, provision of better livelihood opportunities and enriched social capital among other factors.
SOURCE: Hindustan Times
Iran nuclear talks to resume in Vienna
Talks to revive Iran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers are resuming on Tuesday after breaking off for a bit over a week for diplomats to return home for consultations. The European Union, which chairs the talks in Vienna, announced the resumption on Monday. The United States pulled out of the Vienna accord in 2018 under then President Donald Trump and reimposed heavy sanctions on Iran. Tehran has responded by increasing the purity and amounts of uranium it enriches and stockpiles, in breach of the accord. U.S. President Joe Biden has signalled that he wants to rejoin the deal. Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China are still parties to the accord with Iran and have been trying to salvage it.
SOURCE: Business Standard
Leaders around the globe meet for calm on Ukraine
International efforts to defuse the standoff over Ukraine intensified on Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron set to hold talks in Moscow and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington to coordinate policies as fears of a Russian invasion mount. The concentration of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fuelled Western worries that it heralds a possible offensive. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia can invade Ukraine “any day,” triggering a conflict that would come at an “enormous human cost.” Russia has denied any plans to attack its neighbour, but is urging the US and its allies to bar Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations from joining NATO, halt weapons deployments there and roll back NATO forces from Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO have rejected the demands.
SOURCE: The Hindu
India looks to integrate ASEAN power grid with Indian Subcontinent
India is looking to connect ASEAN Power Grid and expand this grid integration beyond the grouping to the Indian sub-continent in line with the “One Sun One World One Grid” initiative. Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Monday said India and ASEAN together can develop the entire ecosystem for renewable energy (RE) and explore the joint initiative for building RE manufacturing hubs in the region.
At the ASEAN-India High-Level Conference on Renewable Energy, in his keynote address, Singh said India and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) can work together to develop an entire ecosystem for renewables that promotes knowledge sharing, capacity building and technical assistance; and also explore joint initiatives for the development of renewable energy manufacturing hubs in the region.
SOURCE: Livemint
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