Newsletter_National Portal of India


September is here and the festive season continues. Major religious festivals like Janmashtami, Id-ul-Fitr and Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated with great zest and fervor during this month. National Portal of India too brings you engrossing and informative feature articles and updates. Hope you find plenty to interest you. Our constant endeavour is to make your visit to the site a more fulfilling experience. Do write to us if you have any suggestions or feedback. Thank you for your continued support and patronage.

In our latest edition of Spotlight, we focus on Special Economic Zones in the country. If you have any suggestions for a particular topic, do write in to us.

Special Economic Zones: Get in-depth information on Special Economic Zones set-up to specifically promote trade, manufacturing and other business activities. This feature will be particularly useful to the business community, especially those who are in the business of exports.

National Portal of India is constantly enriching and updating its website to make it more relevant and useful for you.

Government: Gazetteers is the latest addition to the Government section of NPI. This module provides a one-stop source for all Gazetteers pan-India. This section is constantly updated, with new Gazetteers getting added, month on month.

Know India: New topics and updates based on India Book 2010, have been added to the Know India module.

Two new topics have been introduced; the first Justice and Law, which gives an overview on Indian judiciary; and secondly India and the World, that offers a fresh perspective on India and its international relations.

The Culture and Heritage section has been restructured to make it more comprehensive. Detailed information on National Academies for Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Literature has been given. Also information about cultural organizations has been added, along with updates about scholarships and fellowships in the area of Arts and Culture.

My India My Pride: This section focuses on India's main features and achievements. It has been updated with this year's Independence Day police awardees of various states and forces, for distinguished services, gallantry, meritorious services and correctional services. Complete text of the President's address to the Nation and the Prime Minister's speech is also online. Besides, you can view latest pictures, audio-videos, live webcast and more.

Independence Day Celebrations: This August, India celebrated the 63rd anniversary of its Independence. We bring you a special feature providing a complete overview of the celebrations:

Publications: The Publications Division publishes a number of books every month. Its main aim is to make available a wide variety of books to everyone at an affordable price. This month's special publications are:

Abul Kalam Azad (BMI): The book presents the life history of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who was one of the foremost leaders of the Indian freedom struggle. He became independent India's first Education Minister. For his invaluable contribution to the nation, the great leader was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1992.

Rajendra Prasad (BMI): A scholar, a humanist, a national hero, deeply religious and a devoted follower of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, left a legacy of inspiration for generations to come. His brilliant career, described in this book, in many respects illuminates the history of our country.

Celebrations become dearer when we share our heartfelt wishes with our loved ones; so share and celebrate with our E-cards.

Janmashtami: Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. Men and women fast and pray on this occasion. Temples and homes are beautifully decorated and lit. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration all over Northern India. The temples of Vrindavan, in Uttar Pradesh witness an extravagant and colourful celebration on this occasion.

Id-ul-Fitr: Id-ul-Fitr is celebrated as soon as the new moon is sighted at the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. It is an occasion of feasting and rejoicing. Muslims wear new clothes on this day and gather in mosques to pray. Friends and relatives meet and exchange greetings. Prayers, family get-togethers and feasts are the major highlights of this festival.

Ganesh Chaturthi: A major festival in Maharashtra and Goa, this 10-day festival celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesh, the God of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. Ganesh idols are installed in homes and at public places, and are worshipped daily. On the 10th day, serpentine processions carrying idols of Ganesh fill the streets, accompanied by drumbeats and music. These idols of Ganesh are finally immersed in water accompanied by chants of 'Ganapati Bappa Morya'.

	Latest Government Press Releases Get information about the latest government press releases in Hindi as well as English on our press releases page. View photographs of the latest events and functions held by the government in Photo Gallery. You can also subscribe to the PIB press releases of selected Government Departments.

	Did You Know? You can now check your application status online at the Land and Development Office. Browse through our How Do I? section for more details on this and other e-facilities that have been brought online by the Government to make lives of citizens much easier.

Newly Launched/Revamped Government Websites

NSTFDC website: Website for the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), which is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has donned a fresh new look.

NSTFDC provides financial assistance towards economic development of Scheduled Tribes. Ranging from latest news and details about different types of loans, schemes, programmes, etc. to downloadable application forms, the website provides up-to-date information on all measures taken for development of Scheduled Tribes. The site also showcases success stories for its beneficiaries. For further information, please visit www.nstfdc.nic.in.

Other Government websites that have been launched/ revamped recently are:-

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Do write to us about other features that you would like to see introduced on this portal. We always welcome views and suggestions of our readers.

Hope your visit to the National Portal of India is an engaging and useful experience.