The University Grants Commission (UGC) on April 12 announced that students will now be able to simultaneously pursue two-full time academic programmes, which will help expand their knowledge and skill-set.

This provides flexibility to a student to pursue any combination of a diploma programme and an undergraduate (UG) degree, two master's programmes or even two bachelor's programmes, not only in physical or online mode but in combination mode too. They can do it at the same university or from different universities.

The guidelines in this regard will be uploaded on the UGC website on April 13.

This is the first time such a programme has been envisaged. Earlier, the UGC regulations did not allow students to pursue two full-time programmes.

The guidelines will apply to all the programmes available across the country and universities can implement it only after the approval of the universities' statutory bodies. However, it will not be mandatory for them.

In a virtual meeting, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said under the National Education Policy (NEP), the latest move aims to offer flexibility and personalisation of higher education and even allow multidisciplinary education across various domains for students.

State owned airline Alliance Air on April 12 operated its newly purchased 17-seater Dornier aircraft that was manufactured in India.

The sector this flight operated on was Dibrugarh-Pasighat-Lilabari. Alliance Air at present has 19 aircraft out of which 18 are ATR 72 and the 19th is the newly inducted Dornier.

The Dornier 228 turboprop has been manufactured by Hindustan Aeronauticals Limited (HAL).

Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of AI Assets Holding Limited, had signed an MOU with HAL on 5th February 2021 at AERO INDIA 2021 for operating the civilian Dornier 228.

Ali Kashif Jan, the Pakistani handler of the 2016 terror attack on Pathankot air base, has been designated as a terrorist by the government.

Jan alias Jan Ali Kashif is the third terrorist to have been designated as a terrorist by the central government in last five days.

The Union home ministry said in a notification than Jan was the handler of Punjab's Pathankot air force station terror attack in January 2016 in which seven security personnel and one civilian were killed.

Jan is also accused in various cases registered and being investigated by the National Investigation Agency. He had been declared proclaimed offender in these cases.

Jan continues to operate from the Jaish-e-Mohammed launching pads located in Pakistan and is involved in recruitment of cadres for their training and coordinate attack plans at targets in India, the home ministry said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 12  said during his talk with US President Joe Biden, he offered to supply India's food stock to the world if the World Trade Organisation (WTO) accords permission.

Food stock in different parts of the world is dwindling due to the war (in Ukraine), Modi said after inaugurating a boys' hostel and education complex of Shree Annapurna Dham Trust in Adalaj near Ahmedabad in Gujarat via video link.

He said the world is amazed to learn that India is providing free ration to nearly 80 crore of its people for over two years following the emergence of COVID-19.

Today, the world is facing an uncertain situation as nobody is getting what they want. Petrol, oil and fertilizers are hard to procure as all the doors are getting closed.

Everybody wants to secure their stocks after this (Russia-Ukraine) war began, Modi said.

On the occasion, the PM also performed a virtual ground breaking ceremony for a hospital coming up at Adalaj village near Ahmedabad.

He said the Indian government recently got back an idol of Goddess Annapurna, which was stolen many decades back, from Canada and installed it back at a temple in Kashi.

The Indian Air Force has set a record by executing the longest sortie by helicopter in the country on April 11.

The Indian Air Force in a tweet said, “An IAF Chinook undertook the longest non-stop helicopter sortie in India, flying from Chandigarh to Jorhat (Assam). The 1910 km route was completed in 7 hrs 30 min and made possible by the capabilities of Chinook along with operational planning and execution by the IAF.”

The Chinook is a multi-role, vertical lift platform, used for transporting men and material. It also plays an important role in HADR operations. Rapid mobility will allow the IAF to employ this asset optimally as required.

The IAF has two squadrons of Chinook helicopters, one each in the Western and Eastern sectors.

India had finalised a contract in September 2015 to procure 22 Apache helicopters and 15 Chinook choppers from the US at a cost of around Rs 8,000 crore ($3 billion).

The helicopter can lift about 10 tons of load which include troops, artillery guns, light armoured vehicles, ammunition, supplies and battlefield equipment.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED)  has examined Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in connection with a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper.

Kharge was summoned to appear before the economic intelligence agency with regard to the high-profile probe. His statement was recorded under sections related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as the agency wants to understand some issues in the investigation

Bilateral relations between India and Pakistan cannot be normalised till the Kashmir issue is resolved, said Shehbaz Sharif in his Parliament address after being sworn in as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan.

He said that neighbours are not a matter of choice, it is something we have to live with and unfortunately Pakistan's ties with India were never good since its inception.

He attacked Khan for not making "serious and diplomatic efforts" when India abrogated the Article 370 in August 2019.

Shehbaz also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come forward to address the Kashmir issue so that the two countries could concentrate on tackling poverty, unemployment, shortage of medicines and other issues.

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country.

Subsequent attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.

The relationship deteriorated after India announced withdrawing the special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

India's move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 outraged Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad.

It also snapped all air and land links with India and suspended trade and railway services.

India has said that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility, and violence.

India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

Hours later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while congratulating Sharif, said: “India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror, so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people.” Sharif’s reference to India came towards the end of his address after praising China and other friends of Pakistan.

Exuding confidence of the trust they will continue to have with Beijing, he said, “Our friendship with China is forever, it will never change.” He said his government will speed up projects carried out under the $60-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

He also spoke highly of ties with Saudi Arabia, where he said he and his brother Nawaz Sharif felt safe even when they were in exile. Other countries with which Sharif hoped ties would strengthen included Turkey, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Afghanistan, US and EU.

Since he is a part of the coalition that includes Pakistan People’s Party, Sharif announced the reintroduction of Benazir Income Support Programme.Just before voting began, Imran submitted his resignation as PM and his membership of Parliament. Other members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, too, resigned en masse.

Meanwhile, the White House said that the US values its long-standing cooperation with Islamabad and has always viewed that a prosperous and democratic Pakistan is critical to the American interests in the region, as Sharif was sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The Indian aviation Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) recently signed a contract with the Nigerian Army for imparting Phase-II flying training on Chetak Helicopter for six officers of Nigerian Army Aviation.

The contract was signed by BK Tripathy, General Manager, Helicopter Division and Commodore Anthony Victor Kujoh, Defence Adviser, High Commission of Nigeria in India at a programme held at Helicopter Division, Bengaluru recently.

This marks the continuation of a contract signed in April 2021 for imparting Phase-I flying training to six Nigerian Army aviation officers, which was successfully executed in December 2021.