Ministry of Human Resource Development (M/HRD) has invited recommendations/nominations for Presidential Award of Certificates of Honours to distinguished scholars of Sanskrit, Oriya, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. The Scheme for the Award of the Certificates of Honours was introduced in the year 1958 to honour the scholars of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian languages. The Scheme was extended to cover Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam from the year 2016. Under this Scheme, a Certificate of Honour along with a onetime monetary grant of Rs.5,00,000/- each is awarded to Scholars of eminence over 60 years of age with outstanding contribution in the field of each of these languages. The scheme also provides for one International Award of Certificate of Honour to a Non-resident Indian or person of non-Indian origin with outstanding contributions in the field of Sanskrit and Two International Awards (one each for person of Indian and Non-Indian Origin) in each of the languages of Classical Oriya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam. These prestigious Awards are presented by the Hon'ble President of India and need to be widely circulated and made known at the International level. pplications by eligible scholars should be submitted to the Embassy latest 15 May 2017. For application form and more details, please contact hoc.muscat[at]mea.gov.in LAST DATE FOR CONVERSION OF PIO CARDS INTO OCI CARDS: ALL PIO CARD HOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO CONVERT THEIR PIO CARDS INTO OCI CARDS BEFORE THE EXPIRY OF THE EXTENDED DATE I.E. 30.06.2017 At 0928 hrs IST on 15th February 2017, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched 104 satellites on board its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C37) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. At 0928 hrs IST on 15th February 2017, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched 104 satellites on board its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C37) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. It is the highest number of satellites launched in one single mission by any space organization. An Indian CARTOSAT-2 series satellite, weighing 727 kgs, was launched along with 2 Indian nano satellites – INS -1 and INS-2. CARTOSAT-2 series satellites are designed for high-resolution earth observation. They have advanced cameras for cartographic applications. The total number of Indian satellites launched by PSLV now stands at 46. In addition to 3 Indian satellites, 101 foreign nano satellites from six countries were also launched, each weighing between 1.1 kg to 4.7 kg. Of these, 96 satellites were from the United States, and 1 each from Israel, Kazakhstan, UAE, the Netherlands and Switzerland. With this successful launch, the total number of non-Indian satellites launched by India’s PSLV has reached 180. The above launch mission involved many technical challenges such as realizing the launch of a large number of satellites during a single mission within stipulated time frame. Besides, ensuring adequate separation between all the 104 satellites during their orbital injection as well as during their subsequent orbital life was yet another challenge. With this launch, ISRO has further bolstered its impeccable scientific prowess and reinforced its credentials as a reliable partner for cooperation space applications including building and launch of satellites. As the entire nation rejoiced over the achievement of ISRO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the space scientific community and the nation for this proud feat. All NRIs & PIOs from Oman, who have registered for their participation at the 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) Convention 2017 are hereby informed that an online Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Government (B2G) meeting programme has been made available at https://pbdindia.gov.in. It can be accessed directly at http://pbdb2b.in. The interactive web application will enable the registered users to pre-schedule appointments online with registered Delegates, Exhibitors, Govt. Officials and Foreign Dignitaries. Please use the facility to arrange your meetings with other delegates or Government officials. Those who have so far not registered are requested to register as it would give you an opportunity to participate in the discussions on the Government of India’s policies for promoting the welfare of NRIs as well as various ways and means for participation of NRIs in development of India Embassy of India Muscat cordially invites all the members of Indian community in Oman with their families to join the Flag Hoisting Ceremony to celebrate the â€ï¿½"70th Independence Day of India" on Monday, August 15, 2016 at 09:00 a.m. at Indian Embassy Premises, Al Khuwair. Please confirm your participation through mail amb.secy@indemb-oman.org or telephone (24684514). You are advised to reach the Embassy latest by 0850 A.M.