Anjali is India’s first female military diplomat

Wing Commander Anjali Singh has become India’s first female military diplomat to be posted in any of the Indian missions abroad. Singh has joined the Indian Embassy in Russia as the Deputy Air Attache, the mission said in a tweet. Singh, who is trained on MiG-29 fighter aircraft, joined her new assignment on September 10. “Wing Commander Anjali Singh joined @IndEmbMoscow on September 10 as the Deputy Air Attache. She enjoys the distinction of being the first female Indian Armed Forces Officer to be posted as a military diplomat in any of the Indian missions abroad,” the embassy said in a tweet. An air attache is an IAF officer who is part of a diplomatic mission; this post is normally filled by a high-ranking officer. An air attache represents the chief of his home air force in the foreign country where he or she serves.

EPFO members to get 8.65 per cent interest

Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar has said that more than 6 crore EPFO members will get 8.65 per cent interest on their deposits for 2018-19. The Central Board of Trustees - the apex decision-making body of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) - had approved 8.65 per cent interest rate for the last fiscal in February. The proposal was then sent to the finance ministry for its stamp of approval. “Ahead of the festival season, over 6 crore EPFO subscribers would get 8.65 per cent interest for 2018-19,” Gangwar said. At present, the EPFO is settling provident fund withdrawal claims at 8.55 per cent interest rate, which was approved for 2017-18.

Pak to open Kartarpur corridor from Nov 9

Pakistan will allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Kartarpur Sahib shrine from November 9, a senior official announced. Project Director Atif Majid made the announcement during the maiden visit of Pakistani and foreign journalists to the proposed Kartarpur corridor in Narowal, some 125 km from Lahore. Majid said so far 86 per cent of the work on the corridor has been completed. The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev. Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, while the stretch from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district up to the border will be constructed by India.

TN unveils EV policy with a slew of sops

Seeking to promote electric vehicles, the Tamil Nadu government has announced its policy for the sector offering a slew of sops, including investment subsidy and waiver of various taxes and duties. “The Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicle Policy 2019 has been prepared to promote manufacturing of electric vehicles with a view to safeguard the environment and reduce air pollution,” an official release said. According to the policy, all EVs - two, three and four-wheelers, buses and light commercial vehicles - will be given 100 per cent Motor Vehicle Tax exemption till the end of 2022. Manufacturers of battery and charging infrastructure investing Rs 50 crore and employing a minimum of 50 people will be given special concessions including 15 per cent and 20 per cent capital subsidy for manufacturing EVs and batteries, respectively.

India to draw up digital map with drones, AI

India has initiated a project to digitally map the country with a resolution of 10 cm, using drones and technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, a senior government official said. The herculean task was taken up by the Survey of India, part of the Department of Science and Technology, a few months ago and is planned to be completed in two years, said department secretary Ashutosh Sharma. Once the project is completed, the data will be available to citizens and local bodies, empowering them to use it in decision-making and planning process. The survey is currently in progress in Karnataka, Haryana, Maharashtra and the Ganga basin. “The entire Ganga basin from the beginning to the end, 25 km from either sides of the banks is being mapped with an accuracy of 10 cm,” he said.

Is this the world’s biggest amphibian?

Researchers have identified two new species of giant salamander - one of which they suspect is the world’s biggest amphibian - using DNA from museum specimens collected in the early 20th century. Chinese giant salamanders, now classified as critically endangered, were once widespread throughout China. They have previously been considered a single species (Andrias davidianus). However, the new analysis by researchers from the Zoological Society of London and London’s Natural History Museum challenges this assumption. The research, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, found three distinct genetic lineages in salamanders from different river systems and mountain ranges. These lineages are sufficiently genetically different that they represent separate species: Andrias davidianus, Andrias sligoi and a third which has yet to be named, researchers said.