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#G20 Finance Chiefs Meet: India's Bid To Ban Cryptocurrency Stopped At Consensus For Regulation

India's bid to come to a consensus within the Group of 20 (G20) nations to ban cryptocurrency hit a roadblock as the nations stopped short of going for an outright ban. They instead agreed to continue an international debate on cryptocurrency regulation, with the final outcome document citing a consideration towards "coordinated and comprehensive policy approach to crypto assets" from  "macroeconomic and regulatory perspectives, including the full range of risks posed by crypto assets."

The growing uproar against cryptocurrency is significant following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November shook crypto assets such as bitcoin worldwide.

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#PM Modi To Inaugurate Shivamogga Airport: From ATC Tower To Taxiway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Shivamogga airport on Monday. The airport is named after the 20th-century poet, Kuvempu. In the wake of the Prime Minister's visit to the district, security has been tightened. PM Modi will inaugurate the airport at Sogane around 15 km from the city.

The airport has been constructed at a cost of Rs 384. It has the second-longest runway in Karnataka after the Bengaluru airport. The airport will make air travel easier for the people of the Maknad region.

Initially, the airport is reported to be named after former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa. However, Yeddyurappa refused the proposal and then it was decided to name the airport after Kuvempu. Notably, the airport is going to be inaugurated on the 80th birthday of Yediyurappa.

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#Gujarat Assembly: Adani Group Has Sought 94,000 Sq Mt Land For SEZ, Township, Says CM

The Gautam Adani group has sought 94,000 square metres of 'gauchar' (grazing land) and non-arable land from the Gujarat government to build a township and special economic zone, the state Assembly was informed on Friday.

Responding to a query raised by Aam Aadmi Party's Jamjodhpur MLA Hemant Ahir, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who handles the revenue portfolio, said the group had sought 93,900 square metres of land in Khodiyar village in Ahmedabad and Dantali village in Gandhinagar.

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#India’s Covid Vaccination Drive Saved Over 35 Lakh Lives: Report

India was able to save more than 3.4 million lives by undertaking a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign at an unprecedented scale, according to a Stanford University report.

The campaign also yielded a positive economic impact by preventing a loss of $18.3 billion, the working paper by Stanford University and Institute for Competitiveness titled 'Healing the Economy: Estimating the Economic Impact on India's Vaccination and Related Issues' released by Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday suggested.

According to the Stanford report, the direct and total impact of vaccination varied from about $ 1.03 billion to $ 2.58 billion if minimum wages are considered within the age distribution category.

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#Maharashtra: Centre Approves Renaming of Aurangabad, Osmanabad; Devendra Fadnavis Thanks PM Modi

The Central government on Friday approved the renaming of Maharashtra’s Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities. Aurangabad has been renamed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad will be known as Dharashiv. The proposal to rename the cities was approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared the news on his official Twitter handle. He welcomed the Centre’s decision to approve the proposal. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Fadnavis also tweet a copy of the Centre’s letter. The Central government said that it had “no” objection to renaming both cities. Fadnavis said that the Maharashtra government headed by Eknath Shinde did what was promised.