NewBytes

Nestled in the heart of Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, the Chhattisgarh Tribal Museum has become a major attraction since it was inaugurated by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on May 14, with visitors getting to witness a vibrant and immersive window into the rich traditions, lifestyle, and cultural legacy of the state's indigenous communities. A large part of the visitors consist of youth seeking to connect with their roots, officials said on Monday. The lifestyle, costumes, folk art, customs, festivals and religious beliefs of various tribal communities, including intricate tribal artefacts and melodies of traditional instruments, are depicted through visual and digital mediums , they added. Sprawled across 10 acres, the museum is more than just a building, it is a living, breathing tribute to the traditions of 43 tribal groups of Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Sai said.

For the first time in the country, a special DigiLocker-based technology developed by the Karnataka State Nursing Council for the registration of nurses is being implemented, state Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil said. In a statement, he said the new technology, which facilitates the issuance of registration certificates through Aadhaar-based DigiLocker e-KYC, will be officially launched on July 15 by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. According to Patil, with this technology, the Karnataka State Nursing Council can directly retrieve personal data, address, photo and other details of nurses from the Aadhaar server through e-KYC. Previously, nursing candidates from various districts had to travel to the Council's central office in Bengaluru for registration.

India and New Zealand on Monday started the second round of negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement, aimed at boosting two-way commerce and investments, an official said. These talks will end on July 25. After a gap of about 10 years, the two countries on March 16 this year announced the resumption of negotiations for the trade pact. "The second round of negotiations started on July 14 here," the official said. India and New Zealand began negotiating the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in April 2010. However, after ten rounds of discussions, the talks stalled in February 2015. According to economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a major challenge in the renewed talks will be the disparity in tariff structures.

Over 40 bird species, including a critically endangered and two endangered ones, have been recorded in the first-ever grassland survey in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, a state minister said.  “Thrilled to share that @kaziranga_'s first-ever grassland survey has recorded 43 grassland bird species – including 1 Critically Endangered, 2 Endangered, and 6 Vulnerable species, plus several regional endemics,” Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said in a post on X. The Brahmaputra floodplain ecosystem boasts the highest diversity of grassland obligate birds in India, reflecting the habitat's robust health and effective protection, he said.