1. G20 Flower Festival begins in New Delhi
Tags: Festivals
From 11 March, the Flower Festival began at Delhi's Connaught Plaza with an aim to showcase the diversity of the G20 participants and invited nations.
News Overview
It was inaugurated by Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
Themain objective of the festival is to showcase the vibrancy and diversity of the G20 members and guest countries.
To achieve this objective, the festival will showcase a variety of flowering plants in various colours and arrangements, highlighting the richness of the Indian subcontinent.
Along with plants, paintings and photographs of flowers from G20 members and invited countries will be displayed.
The festival provides a unique opportunity to appreciate the beauty and diversity of flora and cultural heritage of the participating countries.
About the G20
It is an international forum of the world's leading economies established in 1999.
Its primary objective is to promote international financial stability and sustainable economic growth.
The G20 serves as a forum to discuss and coordinate policies related to a wide range of economic and financial issues such as trade, investment, employment, energy and climate change.
2. 'Divya Kala Mela' to be held at Bhopal Haat, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Tags: Festivals State News
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) is organizing ‘Divya Kala Mela’ from 12th to 21st March, 2023 at Bhopal Haat, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
An overview of the news
The event will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mangu Bhai Patel on 12Th March.
It is a unique event showcasing the products and craftsmanship of Divyang entrepreneurs/artisans from across the country.
The event will provide an exciting experience to the visitors of vibrant products from different parts of the country including Jammu & Kashmir, North Eastern States which will bring together handicrafts, handlooms, embroidery works and packaged food etc.
Around 150 Divyang artisans/artists and entrepreneurs from around 21 States/UTs will be showcasing their products and skills.
The wide range of products includes - home decor & lifestyle, clothing, stationery & eco-friendly products, packaged food & organic products, toys & gifts, personal accessories - jewelry, clutch bags etc.
It will be an opportunity for all to be 'Vocal for Local' and products made by Divyang artisans can be seen/purchased.
In December 2022, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities organized the Divya Kala Mela at the historic Kartavya Path in New Delhi.
3. National Youth Parliament Festival
Tags: Festivals
The 4th edition of the National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) began on 2 March 2023 at the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi.
An overview of the news
The fourth edition of the National Youth Parliament Festival, 2023 was launched with the theme "Ideas for a Better Tomorrow: India for the World".
Its objective is to strengthen democracy and enable the student community to understand the working of Parliament.
The event saw the participation of 87 state level winners competing for the top positions, wherein 29 finalists were presented before the National Jury for final selection.
Members of the jury also included Members of Parliament and Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
More than 2.01 lakh youth from 748 districts of all states and union territories participated in it at 150 locations across the country.
About National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF)
It is based on the idea given by the Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat Address.
The 1st edition was organized in 2019 with the theme “Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy”.
The second edition of the National Youth Parliament Festival 2021 was organized with the theme "YUVAAH- Utsah Naye Bharat Ka".
The 3rd edition of the Festival was organized in 2022 with the theme “Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy”.
The National Youth Parliament Festival is organized at three levels-
District Youth Parliament (DYP) - Preliminary round of screening is conducted for selection of youth to participate in DYP by Jury.
State Youth Parliament (SYP) - Youth selected by jury from District Youth Parliament participate in SYP at State level.
National Youth Parliament (NYP) - Youth selected by the jury from the State Youth Parliament participate at the National level in NYP at New Delhi.
4. Anurag Thakur launched Yuva Utsava - India@2047 from Ropar in Punjab
Tags: Festivals National News
Youth Affairs, Sports and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur launched the Youth Festival - India @ 2047 from Ropar in Punjab on 4th March.
An overview of the news
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports through its flagship youth organization Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) is organizing the “Yuva Utsav-India @2047” program in all districts across the country.
He also launched the Dashboard of Yuva Utsav during the event.
Yuva Utsava will be simultaneously hosted at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Haridwar in Uttrakhand, Dhar and Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, Saraikela in Jharkhand, Kapurthala in Punjab, Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Karimnagar in Telangana, Palakkad in Kerala and Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.
In the first phase, to celebrate youth power, youth festivals will be organized in 150 districts across the country till 31st of this month.
The district level winners will participate in the state level youth festival which is a two day event to be held in the state capitals during August to September 2023.
The winners of all the state level events will participate in the national level youth festival to be held in 3rd/4th week of October, 2023 at Delhi.
5. International Yoga Festival 2023 on the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh
Tags: Festivals
The International Yoga Festival 2023, organised by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council on March 1, 2023, was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh.
An overview of the news:
On March 1, 2023, a grand ceremony was organised for the International Yoga Festival at Yoga Ghat near GMVN Ganga Resort located at Muni Ki Reti. In which the famous Yogacharya of the country guided the Yoga seekers.
Renowned Yogacharya Padmashree Sivananda and Padmabhushan Rajinikanth were also present on the occasion.
Sages and sages acquired many methods of yoga on the banks of the Ganges and presented yoga for the welfare of mankind.
In the coming days this year, two G-20 conferences are to be held in Rishikesh.
Uttarakhand:
Capital: Dehradun in winter, Gairsain inehradun i summer.
Governor: Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh
Chief Minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami
6. Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela organised by IARI in Delhi
ThePusa Krishi Vigyan Mela, organised every year by theIndian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), will be organised inDelhi from 2 to 4 March 2023.
An Overview of the news:
Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela will be inaugurated by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.Narendra Singh Tomar is the chief guest in this event.
The theme of the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela is “Nutrition, Food and Environmental Protection with Shree Anna”.
The main attractions of the fair this year are- technical sessions on important and contemporary issues in agriculture, development of Shree Anna based value chain under International Shree Anna Varsh, smart farming / protected farming model, climate friendly and sustainable agriculture, agricultural marketing and export.
Agri-startups, especially Shree Anna based startups will set up their stalls. This will motivate the youth to start startups as a source of livelihood.
Live demonstrations of important varieties of wheat, mustard, gram, vegetables, flowers and fruits will be held at the fair.
Farmers counselling stalls will help in solving the problems of the farmers.
Awards will be given by the institute to encourage the farmers.
During this, the Innovative Farmers' Conference will facilitate exchange of information among the farmers.
7. PM inaugurates ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’, Amrit Mahotsav of Delhi-Karnataka Sangha
Tags: Festivals National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’ cultural festival at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on 25 February.
An overview of the news
The festival is organised under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and celebrates the culture, traditions and history of Karnataka.
In line with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', the 'Barisu Kannada Dim Dimva' cultural festival is being organized to celebrate the culture, traditions and history of Karnataka.
Held under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the festival will provide an opportunity to hundreds of artistes to showcase the cultural heritage of Karnataka through dance, music, drama, poetry etc.
Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme was launched by the Prime Minister Modi on 31st October, 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
This programme is a unique initiative by the Government to promote the spirit of national integration and to strengthen the fabric of emotional bonds between the people of our country.
Every State and UT in the country would be paired with another State/UT for a time period, during which they would carry out a structured engagement with one another in the spheres of language, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, tourism etc.
8. Ellora -Ajanta International Festival 2023 begins in Maharashtra
Tags: Festivals State News
After a gap of seven years, the three-day Ellora-Ajanta International Festival began on February 25 at the historic Sonari Palace, located on the campus of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.
An overview of the news
Soneri Mahal is decorated with attractive replicas of Ellora and Ajanta. It reflects the rich tradition of Aurangabad.
The program started with Kathak dance by Mayur Vaidya and Mrinmoyee Deshpande.
Sitar player Ustad Sujat Hussain, tabla player Amit Choubey and Mukesh Jadhav performed.
Drum player Padamshri Shiv Mani, Sitar player Ravi Chari, Piano player Sangeet Haldipur, Khanjira player Selva Ganesh, bass guitar player Sheldon DeSilva and Aditi Bhagwat will also perform on kathak dance.
Union Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Karad inaugurated this festival.
About Ellora -Ajanta International Festival
Ellora Ajanta Festival An annual festival, where singers and dancers from across the country gather to showcase their talents.
Indian classical art forms, especially Kathak and Odissi are performed by popular artistes.
Earlier, all the shows were held at Ellora, in recent times the venue has been changed to Soneri Mahal in Aurangabad.
The festival is not only for the dance shows but also serves as a platform for many local artists to promote their handicrafts and other amazing art pieces created by them.
The festival showcases the rich history of India and its cultural traditions to the world in the best possible way.
Other Festivals of Maharashtra
Gudi Padwa
This festival is generally celebrated by Maharashtrians as Hindu New Year celebrations.
Pola Festival
It is a harvest festival and is celebrated all over the state of Maharashtra, especially in the rural areas.
Elephanta Festival
Elephanta festival is held every year in February. Elephanta is a small island near Mumbai.
Kalidas Mahotsav
The Kalidas Samaroh is held annually in the month of November in Nagpur's Ramtek area, in honour of the famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidas.
9. Khajuraho Dance Festival begin in Madhya Pradesh
Tags: Festivals State News
The 49th Khajuraho Dance Festival began on February 20 in Khajuraho.
An overview of the news
Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel inaugurated 'Khajuraho Dance Festival-2023'. The festival will end on February 26.
Madhya Pradesh State Rupankar Art Award will be given at the function and an exhibition of artefacts has also been organised at the venue.
Under the Department of Culture, this festival is being organised with the joint efforts of Ustad Alladin Khan Academy of Music and Arts, Department of Tourism, Archaeological Survey of India, World Dance Alliance and Chhatarpur District Administration.
The first meeting of the Culture Working Group under the chairmanship of India in G-20 is also being held in Khajuraho from 23 to 25 February.
Other festivals of Madhya Pradesh
Lokrang Festival, Bhopal
Akhil Bhartiya Kalidas Samaroh, Ujjain
Bhagoria Haat Festival, West Nimar (Khargon) and Jhabua
Ujjain Kumbh Mela, Ujjain
Malwa Utsav, Indore & Ujjain
Chethiyagiri Vihara Festival, Sanchi
Tansen Sangeet Samaroh, Gwalior
10. First state-level ‘shrimp mela’ in Punjab
Tags: Festivals State News
Punjab's first state level 'Prawn Fair' began on February 17 at Enakheda village in Muktsar district.
An overview of the news
This mela is an effort of the state government to create more awareness about shrimp farming.
This fair is being organised to make farmers aware of various schemes for fish farming and to encourage more and more people to participate in it.
In this, experts will help farmers understand about aquaculture.
Shrimp farming began in the state in 2016-17.
What is shrimp farming?
It is an aquaculture-based activity in marine or freshwater to produce shrimp for human consumption.
Five south-western districts of Punjab, Muktsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Bathinda and Faridkot are known for shrimp farming.
Why was shrimp farming introduced in Punjab?
South-west Punjab has saline groundwater which is not suitable for agriculture. Waterlogging is a perennial problem in this belt.
Therefore, shrimp farming was proposed as a solution for farmers whose land was lying unutilized.
Shrimp cultivation was started in 2016-17 on a one acre plot in Ratta Kheda village of Muktsar district.
The project was a success, with a one-acre pond producing four tons of shrimp.
The project was funded jointly by the central and state government.
By 2022-23, a total of 1,212 acres of land has been taken up for shrimp farming in southwest Punjab, with a total production of 2,413 tonnes of shrimp.
