Amit Shah approves release of Rs 6,194 crore disaster relief fund to 19 states
New Delhi, Jun 30: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday approved the release of Rs 6,194.40 crore to 19 states under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
The amount includes Rs 1,209.60 crore as central share of the State Disaster Response Fund to four states -- Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh -- for 2022-23, according to an official statement.
The statement added that Rs 4,984.80 crore will also be given to 15 states -- Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Tripura -- for 2023-24.
The release of funds will help states undertake relief measures during the current monsoon season.
The central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has already approved the release of Rs 3,649.40 crore as central share of SDRF to nine states during 2023-24.
Based on the 15th Finance Commission's recommendations, the central government has allocated Rs 1,28,122.40 crore for SDRF for years 2021-22 to 2025-26, the release stated.
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Chinese astronauts return to earth safely after six-month stint in space station
Beijing, Nov 4: Three Chinese astronauts who spent six months developing China’s low orbit space station returned to Earth safely early Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The capsule of the spaceship Shenzhou-18' carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:24 am (Beijing Time).
The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.
Ye, the Shenzhou-18 mission commander, has become the first Chinese astronaut with an accumulative spaceflight time of more than a year, setting a new record for the longest duration of stay in orbit by a Chinese astronaut.
He served as a crew member in the Shenzhou-13 mission from October 2021 to April 2022.
"Chinese astronauts have flown to space in successive missions. I believe that the record of the duration in orbit will be broken in the near future," Ye said.
Another astronaut Li Guangsu said that they grew two types of plants -- cherry tomatoes and lettuce -- and they had harvested some lettuce leaves for food.
"Being able to eat fresh vegetables in space is truly a blessing. These green plants have also brought a touch of green and good cheer to our busy work," Li was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency.
China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship in April this year.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew utilised the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out dozens of experiments in the fields of basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology, Xinhua report said.
The three were relieved by another set of three Chinese astronauts, including a woman who docked with the orbiting space station on October 30.
China changes crew for the station every six months.
China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army, (PLA).
The two robotic arms of the station, especially the long one which has the ability to grab objects including satellites from space, drew international concerns.
Early this month China announced its plans for the further development of space programmes which included launching a manned lunar mission, construction of a lunar space station, exploration of habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.
