Notes:
The Maharashtra government has recently increased financial aid to families of jawans martyred in war or war-like situations or conflict related to national security from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Personnel wounded in conflict will get monetary compensation ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 60 lakh each, depending on the severity of their injury. The rule will be applicable retrospectively from January 1, 2019.

Notes:
Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands in Oceania, has become the 76th signatory country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement. The ISA is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India. The organisation was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. It is a major global initiative for contributing to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement through rapid and massive deployment of solar energy. Palau will host the 2020 edition of the ‘Our Oceans conference’, which will focus on issues such as climate change, sustainable fisheries and marine pollution.

Notes:
Star Indian sprinter Hima Das clinched gold in the 200m race in 23.25 seconds creditable timing in the Tabor Athletics Meet in Czech Republic. Hima’s compatriot VK Vismaya was second with a season of best 23.43 seconds. Hima has a 200m personal best of 23.10 seconds.This was Hima’s fourth gold since 2nd July 2019 when she ran her first competitive race in Europe.

Notes:
The Incredible India campaign – Find the Incredible You – has won the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award 2019 in the “Marketing – Primary Government Destination” category. The campaign was released globally by the Union Ministry of Tourism during 2018-19. The campaign focuses on digital and social media and the promotion of Niche Tourism products of the country. The campaign strategy was to shift the focus from the external experience of tourist destinations to the internal experience of travellers themselves. This series of transformative experiences was brought alive through unique storytelling in the format of autobiographies of travellers, with the tagline “Find the Incredible You.PATA Gold Awards are given to tourism industry organizations and individuals making an outstanding contribution towards the successful promotion of the travel industry throughout the Asia Pacific Region. The winners of the awards set industry standards for excellence and innovation and serve as examples for others to follow.

Notes:
The book titled “Kargil: Untold stories from the War” has been authored by Rachna Bisht Rawat. The book is based on author’s interviews with war survivors and martyrs’ families. It will take the readers to the treacherous Himalayan mountains where some of the Indian Army’s bloodiest battles were fought. The war, which lasted for nearly three months, initiated in the May of 1999 in an effort to displace Pakistani soldiers from the peaks they had occupied on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC). India won the war, but lost over 500 soldiers. The book is a tribute to their courage and to that of their families, who have faced their loss with such dignity.