28 FEBRUARY 2014

Ø  Though the ageing, 1988-commissioned INS Sindhuratna had undergone a refit earlier this year, investigators have found that the batteries that powered it underwater had not been replaced because of delay in contracting. Admiral D.K. Joshi, who resigned as Navy Chief hours after the tragedy, made a closed-door speech to 40-odd flag officers who assembled at naval headquarters. Admiral Joshi said he felt compelled to resign because, even as he cracked down hard on officers responsible for errors, he had been unable to push the Defence Ministry to take adequate supportive measures.

Ø  Lodging a complaint about a lost article will no longer mean going to the nearest police station and spending hours there, all thanks to the new mobile and web application — Delhi Police Lost Report. The application is currently available on Android phones. It will be made available on Windows and Apple phones soon.

Ø  The Centre on Thursday extended the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana , a cashless health insurance scheme for the poor, to autorickshaw and taxi drivers.

Ø  The Union government launched a new scheme for empowerment of adolescent boys. Saksham is aimed at all-round development of adolescent boys to make them self-reliant, gender-sensitive and good citizens as they grow up. This will help to address gender violence and channelise their energies for nation-building, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath has said. The scheme will cover all adolescent boys (both school-going and out of school) in the age-group of 11-18, subdivided into the categories of 11-14 and 14-18. In the first phase, Saksham will be implemented in 20 districts in seven States, on a pilot basis, for the benefit of nearly six lakh adolescent boys a year. A budget allocation of Rs. 100 crore has been made during the 12th Five Year Plan. During 2014-15, Rs. 25 crore has been allocated for the scheme.