V. K. Srinivasan (76), the noted bureaucrat, columnist and director of the Institute of Economic Studies (IES), has recently passed away in Hyderabad. He was known for his candid views and uprightness in the Services, Srinivasan ruffled many feathers in the corridors of power during his career. It resulted in several transfers as well. He served as Collector in Karimnagar and Anantapur districts, and was known for his simple habits.

The International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed every year on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The 2017 theme is “Towards Sustainable Futures through Multilingual Education”.

The 13th edition of National Agriculture Science Congress (NASC)-2017 has started at the campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru (UAS-B) in Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 22, 2017. The 4-day congress is jointly organised by the UAS-B, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The theme of the Congress is ‘Climate-smart Agriculture’. The Congress will provide an intellectually stimulating platform for discussing key issues related to ‘Climate-smart Agriculture’ in all its facets, including socio-economic empowerment of marginal farmers through technology development and policy initiatives for sustainable farming, forestry and natural resource management in tune with global climate change.

India has become the world’s largest arms importer during 2012-16, according to the latest report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). As per the report, India accounted for 13% of the total global arms import between 2012–16 which is highest among all the countries. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Chinand Algeria are the next four biggest global importers. As per the SIPRI report, the five biggest exporters—the United States, Russia, China, France and Germany—together accounted for 74% of the total volume of arms exports.

The Ahmedabad-based Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) has won the prestigious International Mercury Awards for the year 2016-17 for the best overall presentation of its 2015-2016 annual report. The EDII is an autonomous and not-for-profit national resource institute for entrepreneurship education, research, training and institution-building. The Mercury Awards, founded in 1987, promote excellence, quality and performance in the various fields of public relations. The award entertains participation from agencies, associations, corporations, government agencies, nonprofit groups, and organizations from around 80 countries worldwide every year.