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1. Delhi Declaration of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to mark the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations

WE, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of India, gathered in New Delhi, India, on 25 January 2018 to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations under the theme of "Shared Values, Common Destiny”;

REAFFIRMING our commitment to guide ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations by the principles, purposes, shared values and norms enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations, and the Vision Statement adopted at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to mark the 20th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations on 20 December 2012; and supporting the ASEAN Charter;

NOTING the cross-cultural exchanges and civilisational linkages between Southeast Asia and India over several millennia as a strong foundation for cooperation between ASEAN and India in an increasingly inter-connected world;

RECOGNISING with appreciation the achievements made over the past 25 years of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations across the three ASEAN Community pillars, namely political-security, economic and socio-cultural;

NOTING with satisfaction the progress in the implementation of the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity (2016-2020) and the List of Priorities for 2016-2018 to Implement the ASEAN-India Plan of Action;

APPRECIATING India’s support for ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture and its continued contribution to regional peace, security, and prosperity and to ASEAN integration and the ASEAN Community building process, including through the support for implementation of ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together, Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan III;

COMMENDING various commemorative activities held in ASEAN Member States and India throughout 2017 and the beginning of 2018, which brought the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership to our communities, including the youth through hosting of the ASEAN-India Youth Summit, the ASEAN-India Youth Awards and Youth Leadership Programme, and ASEAN-India Music Festival.

2. Padma Awards 2018 announced

Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President of India has approved conferment of 85 Padma Awards including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one) as per list below. The list comprises 3 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 73 Padma Shri Awards. 14 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 16 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 3 Posthumous awardees.

3. Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks to offer Atal Pension Yojana; To provide a boost to the outreach of subscribers under APY

Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is a Government of India's Old Age Pension Scheme being implemented through all Banks across the country as per the mandate received from the Ministry of Finance and monitored periodically at PMO. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi had launched the Social Security Scheme on 9th May 2015 and dedicated the First Ever Guaranteed Pension Product to the people of the country.

Payments Banks and Small Finance Banks are a New Model of banks conceptualized by theReserve Bank of India (RBI). 11 Payment Banks and 10 Small Finance Banks have received license from Reserve Bank of India to start banking operations in India. Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks are new age banks and given the strength of the bank, expertise and it reach, Small Finance Bank and Payment Bank can play a pivotal role in outreach of subscribers under APY.

To strengthen the existing channels of APY distribution, it is felt that these new Payments Banks and Small Finance Banks will provide a boost to the outreach of subscribers under APY . Participation in APY not only builds a pensioned society but also adds sustainable fee income to Banks by way of attractive incentive for mobilizing APY @ Rs 120-150 for each Account.

4. Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange Programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’ concludes

The closing ceremony of Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’ was held at National Bal Bhawan here today. The Student Exchange Programme organized by Ministry of Human Resource development provides a good opportunity for the youth of J&K to be acquainted with culture, language and development story of different parts of the country. Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar was the chief guest for the function. Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr. Satya Pal Singh and Shri Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Education Minister for Jammu & Kashmir also graced the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Javadekar said the objective of this programme was to integrate the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country and to promote brotherhood and harmony. He applauded the efforts of the students from both the states for actively participating, learning and sharing knowledge with each other. He further congratulated the students of National Bal Bhawan who vacated their rooms for their Kashmiri friends and stayed in their classrooms proving the real spirit of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’.

He added that the government is making a system that will provide equal opportunity to all the students that can contribute to the development of the country. He further assured that 500 children from Delhi Schools will be visiting J&K during summer months.

5. ‘Bharat Parv’ event begins Today at Red Fort, Delhi

The prime objective of organizing the event is to generate a patriotic mood, promote the rich cultural diversity of the country and to ensure wider participation of the general public.

The Ministry of Tourism has been designated as the nodal Ministry for the event, the highlights of which include Display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, Performances by the Armed Forces Bands (Static as well as dynamic), a Multi-Cuisine Food Court, Crafts Mela, Cultural Performances from different regions of the country and Photo Exhibition by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP).

The Cultural Performances include choreographed Folk/ Tribal Dances and Music arranged through the North Zonal Cultural Centre as well as performances by cultural troupes from the different States / UTs of the country. The Food Court has stalls set up by the States/ UTs, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) showcasing street food from different regions as well as by the Institutes of Hotel Managements and ITDC.