The Election Commission has appointed ex-Bihar chief electoral officer Ajay V Nayak as Special Observer for which state?

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Trivandrum, Kerala has awarded Intellectual Property Award 2019 on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day. The award was given under the category of "Top Indian R&D Institution and Organisation for Patents & Commercialisation". The award carries a citation, a memento and a cash award of Rs 1 lakh. The SCTIMST has transferred 54 technologies to different companies for the purpose of commercialisation. It has 97 Indian patent and another 127 patent applications are waiting for approval. It is also the applicant or co-applicant in 21 foreign patent applications. The institute also has 25 design registrations and one trademark as the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The institute promotes research and technology development of medical technologies and also provides high quality care to patients in cardiac and neuroscience.

The government of Tripura announced 'Notun Disha' (New Direction) for assessing the academic level of students in classes III-VIII and then improving their current level. It was launched by state Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath. Training will be provided by NGOs and educational institutions to 800 teachers. The duration of the project is 1 month. Rs. 28 crores have been allocated to the project.

The Meghalaya Cabinet approved the proposal for the creation of a new Directorate of Dairy Development to boost the milk production. The state government had launched the Meghalaya Milk Mission and sanctioned Rs 215 crore through the National Cooperative Development Corporation. For creating the post of director, the government would spend additionally Rs 12 lakh a year. The Cabinet has also approved a proposal for enhancing the grant-in-aid to 15 secondary schools in the state.

In order to avoid fluctuation in yarn prices, Ministry of Textiles started Yarn bank, a first of its kind in Karnataka, to help thousand of weavers at the Mysore Powerloom Silk Manufacturers Cooperative Society by ensuring steady supply of silk yarn and zari. The Centre aided bank will purchase yarn at the wholesale rate from producers, then it will be sold to the subscribing weavers at reasonable rates to sustain production.

Bihu is the main festival of Assam. It is celebrated three times a year. Rongali or Bohag Bihu is observed in April. Kongali or Kati Bihu observed in October. Bhogali or Magh Bihu observed in January. Rongali or Bohag Bihu is the Assamese new year and spring festival, which is celebrated from April 15 to April 21. The seven-day festival is celebrated in seven phases - Chot, Kutum, Mela, Raati, Goru, Manuh and Chera. It begins with goru bihu or cow bihu on April 15, where the cows are washed and worshipped. This is followed by manuh (human) bihu on 16 April, the New Year Day when people are seen in new dresses.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed six States to submit by April 30 action plans for bringing air quality standards within the prescribed norms, failing which they would be liable to pay environment compensation of Rs.1 crore each. A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered the Chief Secretaries of Assam, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Nagaland governments to submit their plan within the stipulated time.

The ISIS has claimed to have established its new province in India's Jammu and Kashmir, called "Wilayah of Hind". The first of its kind announcement comes after clashes between militants and security forces in Kashmir on May 10.

Former Union Minister V. Dhananjaya Kumar died in Mangalore, Karnataka. He was 68 and the reason of his death has been ascertained due to ailments. He is natively from Venur, Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. He had been a representative from Mangalore constituency for 4 continuous terms and served as the Union Minister in the 13-day rule of A.B. Vajpayee government. He was Cabinet Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism in 1996, Union Minister of State for Finance from 1999-2000, and Union Minister of State for Textiles from 2000-2003.

Ajoy Mehta (1984-batch I.A.S- Indian Administrative Officer), the municipal commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also known as Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary (CS) of Maharashtra. He holds the distinction of being the longest-serving BMC commissioner.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has laid the foundation stone for the Dehradun-Mussoorie ropeway project which is considered to be a tourist novelty. The Rs 300-crore ropeway project is expected to be completed in three years. Poma, a French company which manufactures cable-driven projects, will provide the technical support to the ropeway which will be built on the PPP mode.