US author George Saunders wins 2017 Man Booker Prize
- The American author George Saunders (58-years) has won the ‘2017 Man Booker prize’ for his first full-length novel, ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’.
- The prize was announced at a ceremony in London.
- The book is based on a real event: the night in 1862 when Abraham Lincoln buried his 11-year-old son Willie in a Washington cemetery.
- In 2006, he was awarded both a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship, while in 2009 he received an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Note: The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the UK.
Eminent poet Prabha Varma Chosen for Padma Prabha Puraskaram
- A jury headed by ace novelist M Mukundan has selected Eminent poet 'Varma Prabha' for the Padma Prabha Puraskaram 2017 for his contribution to Malayalam literature.
- The award carrying a cash prize of Rs 75,000, a plaque and a citation, was instituted by the Padma Prabha Memorial Trust.
Indian-American attorney Ajay Raju gets American Bazaar Philanthropy award
- Noted Indian-American attorney Ajay Raju has been honored with the third American Bazaar Philanthropy award in recognition of his philanthropic activities in the US.
- Indian-American philanthropist Frank Islam and Suri Sehgal are previous recipients of the award.
Veteran British actor Roy Dotrice passes away
- Veteran British actor 'Roy Dotrice'(94-years) passed away in London.
- Dotrice was known for his role as Leopold Mozart in the Oscar-winning film Amadeus and his many theater and TV roles.
India signs pact to send interns to Japan for training
- India has signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) with Japan to send youngsters there as technical interns for on-the-job training for a period of three to five years.
- India is the third country with which Japan has signed the MoC.
- Around 2.3 lakh technical intern trainees from multiple countries are on training in the Japan, as per the Japan’s official data for 2016-end.
Mahindra launches 'Prerna' Project for Women Farmers
- Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a program, ‘Prerna’ to empower women working in the agriculture sector by promoting efficient and ergonomic farm tools and equipment.
- The project will be initially launched in the state of Odisha, with the intention to positively impact the lives of over 1,500 families across 30-plus villages.
- The first project under Prerna is a collaboration between Mahindra & Mahindra, the Central Institution for Women in Agriculture (CIWA), a department of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
AYUSH Festival of Stamps 2017 inaugurated in Panaji
- The AYUSH Festival of Stamps 2017 has been inaugurated the two days exhibition event at Maquinez Palace, Panaji.
- The event jointly organised by the Goa Postal Region, Indian postal department, and the ministry of AYUSH.
- The objective of the first-of-its-kind festival is to promote healthy hobbies such as stamp collection among students and healthy lifestyle habits.
- Stamps related to Ayurveda, yoga and related traditional practices from India and abroad are being displayed at the event.
Chhattisgarh govt reduces interest on loan under Saksham Yojna
- Chhattisgarh government has reduced the rate of interest on loan given to women and their self-help groups- under Saksham Yojna from 6.5% to 5%.
- The initiative will allow the women and SHGs to easily avail the loan facility for self-employment and thereby become self-dependent.
- The Chhattisgarh Mahila Kosh is operated by state's women and child development department to disburse easy term loans to women and SHGs.
Odisha govt hikes monthly remuneration of Anganwadi workers
- The Odisha govt. has enhanced monthly remuneration of Anganwadi workers by 50%.
- Now they will receive 6,000 rupees per month against 4,000 at present.
- Monthly remuneration of mini-Anganwadi workers has been increased to 4,125 rupees against the existing amount of 2,750 rupees.
- Anganwadi helpers will receive 3,000 rupees per month against current 2,000.
- Anganwadi workers will also be covered under the Chief Minister's Relief fund for treatment of critical diseases.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister launches 'Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana'
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has inaugurated the ambitious 'Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojna' for the farmers of the state.
- The objective scheme is to ensure reasonable prices to the farmers for their agriculture produces and thereby protecting them from losses suffered on account of distress sale.
- Madhya Pradesh is the first state to lend money to farmers at zero percent interest.
Hema Malini's biography 'Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl' launched
- Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has launched Hema Malini's biography 'Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl'.
- The biography has been penned by journalist turned writer Ram Kamal Mukherjee.
Note:
- Hema Malini debuted in 1968 with Raj Kapoor's Sapno Ka Saudagar.
- She is the star of films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Dream Girl and Satte Pe Satta and also an accomplished classical dancer.
