1) Jharkhand Assembly Passes Religious Freedom Bill
•Jharkhand Assembly has passed Religious Freedom Bill 2017. It aims to stop the forced conversions in the state. The bill will now be sent to the governor, following whose approval it would go to the President for assent.
•The Bill has provision for the imprisonment of three years and fine of 50,000 rupees or both, and four-year imprisonment and 1 lakh rupee fine, or both, if the person converted is a minor, woman or a member of Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
2) Finance Ministry issues norms for Central offices to retrofit energy efficient appliances
•The Union Finance Ministry has issued guidelines for mandatory installation of energy efficient appliances in all Central Government buildings across India. It has directed that usage of LED based lightings and energy efficient cooling equipment such as fans and air conditioners in government buildings will lead to savings in the long run through reduction in energy consumption.
•Under the programme, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) intends to bring in investment of around Rs. 1000 crore covering more than 10,000 large government/private buildings by 2020.
3) Gujarat Government to Give ‘Namo’ Tablets
•Around 3.5 lakh college students in Gujarat will get tablets at a subsidised rate of Rs 1,000 each under a state government scheme launched by chief minister Vijay Rupani in Ahmedabad. Under this scheme, the first year college students in the state will get 7-inch ‘NAMO E-Tab’ tablets, which have a market value of Rs 8,000 each, by just paying Rs 1,000.
•Several students, who had already registered for the scheme, received the tablets from the chief minister at the launch ceremony in Ahmedabad.
4) Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurates Inclusive Independence Day Celebrations
•Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot has inaugurated Inclusive Independence Daycelebrations organized by the National Trust. Around 2500 people from all walks of life participated in the event along with 500 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
•On the occasion, Mr Gehlot administered New India Pledge "Sankalp se Siddhi" to participants. The Initiative aims to provide equal access to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, by means of Inclusive Education,Inclusive Employment and Inclusive Community Life.
5) The Obelisk Gate' wins Best Novel 2017
•The Hugo Award for Best Novel 2017 was given to Nora K. Jemisin, an American speculative fiction writer for her work 'The Obelisk Gate'. The award was presented at the 75th World Science Fiction Convention in Helsinki.
•The awarded book was the second in the trilogy that started with 'The Fifth Season', which was New York Times Notable Book of 2015 and won Jemisin the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2016.
6) Aishwarya becomes first woman to raise Indian flag at IFFM 2017
•Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has become the first female actor ever to hoist the Indian National Flag at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), Australia’s annual celebration of film from India and the subcontinent.
•The official Twitter handle of IFFM posted a picture of the 43-year-old actress.
