• 02 Jan 2023

Agriculture Survey Will be Done in Uttar Pradesh on the Lines of Karnataka

Why In News?

• On January 1, 2023, Uttar Pradesh's Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi told that now agriculture survey will be done in the state on the lines of Karnataka. Till now, based on estimates in the state, the data related to the area of Rabi, Kharif and Zaid cultivation, production and loss due to natural calamity was collected.

Key Points

• Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said that if all goes well, then after one year it will be clear that which farmer of which district has how much farming. In rabi, kharif and Zaid, in how much area did he sow and how much. How much was produced. All these will now get accurate statistics. They will also be digitized.
• It is known that till now the agriculture and revenue department collects data on the agriculture and agriculture of the state based on estimates at the district level.
• He said that preparations are being made for satellite mapping in the agricultural sector in the state. The satellite will provide accurate information about the size of farmers' fields, sowing of crops, production, etc. in every village district-wise, block-wise. Accordingly, necessary fertilizers, chemicals etc. will be made available to the farmers and advisories will be given about the selection of crops.
• He said that till now all the details of agriculture in the state are compiled on the assessment of estimates. It is not clearly known in which farmer sowed which crop in how much area. Even during disasters like excessive rains, floods, frosts, fire incidents, there is a lot of difficulty in gathering accurate information.
• It is worth mentioning that recently, officials of the Agriculture and Revenue Department of Karnataka presented the model of satellite survey implemented in their state in Uttar Pradesh. Other senior officials of the department, including the Agriculture Minister, also liked this model. It was approved and now preparations are being made to operate it in Uttar Pradesh.

Rs 200 crores Approved for Country's First Ropeway Transport in Varanasi

Why In News?

• On January 1, 2023, Kaushal Raj Sharma, Divisional Commissioner of Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, said that tourists coming from all over the world in Banaras will now get the facility of ropeway for the journey from the crowded cantt station to Godaulia, for which a budget of Rs 200 crore has been approved to implement the country's first public transport ropeway on the ground.

Key Points

• Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said that the first installment of the budget will be released in the first week of January to shift the line of public amenities passing through the roadside between Varanasi Cantt and Godaulia in the state.
• After January 15, preparations are being made to shift the line of public facilities. The process of acquisition of identified land for the route will also start in the month of January itself.
• He said that a proposal of Rs 173 crore has been sent by the administration for land acquisition and Rs 28 crore for shifting the line of public amenities. The government has also taken the initiative to release the first installment by approving this budget proposal. After the release of the budget, the work of shifting the water, electricity and other lines passing under the road between Cantt and Godaulia will be started.
• The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey has identified the construction of Jal Kal, Smart City, GAIL, Jal Nigam, BSNL and Power Department. Apart from this, 1.59 hectares of land has been identified for acquisition for the construction of a 3.75 km ropeway from Cantt railway station to Godaulia intersection, out of which 0.96 hectare is private and 0.63 hectare is government. On the basis of compensation fixed at the circuit rate, Rs 72 crore will be spent on private land and Rs 101 crore on government land.
• Stations and 30 towers are to be built at Cantonment, Bharat Mata Temple, Besant Theosophical Society Rath Yatra, Church and Godaulia intersection. He informed that under the ropeway project, the ropeway work will start in the state in March.

Door-to-Door Parcel Product Scheme

Why In News?

• In a meeting of officials and businessmen of the Indian Railways and Postal Department (Bihar Circle) held in Patna, the capital of Bihar, on January 1, 2023, it was told that now businessmen of Patna will not have to travel to the railway station to send and receive their parcel (luggage) by train to any corner of the country. For this, the Department of Posts and Indian Railways are jointly starting door-to-door parcel product scheme.

Key Points

• According to information received from officials, the door-to-door parcel product scheme will start in the second week of January on the Patna-Howrah and Patna-Pune routes under a pilot project. Under this, now the postman will deliver the parcel to the address given on it or will also go to take it.
• Under this scheme, the parcel will be delivered safely without wear and tear. For this, the Department of Posts has entered into an agreement with Bajaj Allianz Insurance Company, under which insurance can be done by paying 0.30 percent of the total cost of the parcel and GST premium.
• Under this, 100 percent insurance benefits will be given to businessmen. Apart from this, the parcel of the traders will reach the booking place between 24 and 36 hours. Under this scheme, parcels ranging from 35 to 100 kg will be booked.
• According to the information received from sources, a number will also be issued for the use of this facility. Apart from this, parcel booking and tracking facility will also be provided through app and website.
• Under the Joint Parcel Product System, parcels will be picked up from the homes of traders. After booking, it will be transported by railway and then transported to the designated address. The postal department will do the work of lifting and booking the parcel from the businessmen's house. Then the parcel will be delivered to the railway station near the designated address. After this, the postal worker will pick up the parcel from the local railway station and deliver the parcel to the booked address.

Approval of Rs 24.87 Crore for Super Specialty Services in Various Medical Colleges in the State

Why In News?

• On December 31, 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved an additional budget provision of Rs 24 crore 87 lakh 22 thousand for super specialty services in 6 medical colleges of the state in order to provide high-level medical facilities in the state.

Key Points

• With this decision of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, various medical equipment will be purchased for medical colleges of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Bikaner and Udaipur of the state. With this, super specialty medical services will be available to the common man in their city itself.
• It is noteworthy that in the budget for the year 2022-23, the announcement was made by the Chief Minister for expansion and strengthening of medical services. In this order, this approval has been given.

The Mountainous Region from Kalka to Kalesar will be developed as a Place of Pilgrimage

Why In News?

• On January 1, 2023, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar gave a New Year gift to the people of the state and said that along with the construction of a ropeway from Mata Mantra Devi Temple to Adi Badri in Himachal Pradesh, the mountainous area from Kalka to Kalesar of Shivalik Hills will be developed as pilgrimage.

Key Points

• Chief Minister Mr. Manohar Lal said that the hilly area from Kalka of Panchkula to Kalesar in Yamuna Nagar in Shivalik Hills in the state has been developed as pilgrimage. For this, the public works (building and roads) department will explore the possibility of constructing a 10-meter wide road.
• Apart from this, there are also plans to start adventure sports activities such as trekking in the region. These efforts of the government will promote tourism in the state, while local people will also get employment opportunities.
• He also laid the foundation stone of a memorial to revive the saga of bravery and sacrifice of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur at Lohgarh, Yamuna Nagar, the first capital of the Sikh Raj established by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. Lohgarh will be developed as a mini city.
• It is noteworthy that Baba Banda Singh Bahadur started the formation of the army by gathering youth from Khanda Sheri village of Sonipat district and toured the whole of Haryana with the youth and raised an army and made Lohgarh the first capital of The Sikh Raj. The area of Lohgarh, the capital of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, falls half in Haryana and half in Himachal.

Resolution Taken to Celebrate the Year 2023 as Antyodaya Arogya Varsh in Haryana

Why In News?

• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on December 31, 2023 has decided to celebrate the year 2023 as Antyodaya Arogya Varsh, taking forward the journey of his efforts for Antyodaya Utthan Year 2022.

Key Points

• It is noteworthy that according to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay's Antyodaya philosophy, it was resolved to celebrate the year 2022 as Antyodaya Utthan Varsh to bring the sections who have lagged behind in the society for some reason into the mainstream. Under the Antyodaya Utthan, emphasis has been laid on 5 S- education, health, security, self-respect and self-reliance while ensuring all-round development of the citizens.
• He said that under the Antyodaya Arogya Year, every citizen of the state will get better health facilities and the poor person will not have to face any kind of difficulty for treatment. With this vision, the state government has launched the Healthy Haryana Scheme, under which the health of Antyodaya families of the state will be checked in the first phase.
• The Chief Minister said that the year 2023 is going to be very thoughtful in another case as it has also been decided to celebrate the year 2023 as The International Year of Coarse Grains with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Haryana government will also make every effort to promote the use of coarse grains in the state following this call of the Prime Minister.
• He said that on the one hand, while the use of coarse grains will be encouraged, its cultivation will also be encouraged and the income of farmers will also increase. Coarse grains are known for their ability to nourish the body and cure diseases. They contain large amounts of fiber, minerals and protein. Therefore, coarse grains must be included in the food and thus this 'diet itself' will also work as a medicine.

Jharkhand will get the Gift of 3 New Airports

Why In News?

• According to information received from the media on January 1, 2023, Jharkhand will get airport facilities in Bokaro and Dumka in addition to Ranchi and Deoghar as gifts for three new airports in the new year. In this way, there will be a total of five airports in the state.

Key Points

• The airport official said that the airport is almost ready for the residents of Bokaro in the state. Air services are expected to start from here by June. A high-level meeting on airport operations will be held around January 15, 2023, in which the remaining work will be completed.
• Under the UDAN scheme, the first flight from Bokaro airport will start for Kolkata. For this, Spice Airways has held talks with the airport management. After this, there is a plan to start a Patna-Bokaro flight. There is also a plan to start flights from here to Bengaluru and Delhi on the demand of passengers.
• The process of land acquisition for the link road to Dhalbhumgarh Airport in East Singhbhum has started. Recently, Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato met Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and requested him to complete the construction work of this airport soon. Under this, preparations have started for its construction.
• The third new airport in Jharkhand will come up in Dumka. With this airport, people here will be able to go to Ranchi and Kolkata. In this regard, MP Sunil Soren met Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and requested him to start air service in Dumka.
• It is known that earlier PM Modi had talked about giving Dumka Airport to the people of the state. Dumka is also the deputy capital of Jharkhand.
• Many new facilities are about to start in Deoghar Airport of the state. The installation of DVOR (Very High Frequency Omni Range Doppler Radar) at Deoghar Airport has been completed. The DVOR is likely to be operational by January. With this, the facility of night landing will start at Deoghar Airport
• Apart from this, there is a plan to start air services from Deoghar Airport to Ranchi, Patna, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The Airports Authority of India is in talks with several airlines to start new flights.
• There is also a plan to start Deoghar Airport cargo air service in the new year, which will give industrial impetus to Bhagalpur, Banka and Jamui areas of Bihar including Santhal Pargana, Giridih.
• The Deoghar airport unit has also sent a proposal to the DGCA to start cargo service from Deoghar airport. There is a plan to develop Aerocity in the airport campus for the employees and officers working in the airport, which can be launched in the year 2023. Aerocity can also be given a commercial form.

Uttarakhand Street Children Policy

Why In News?

• On January 1, 2023, Uttarakhand Women Empowerment and Child Development Secretary Hari Chandra Semwal said that the state government is going to bring a street children's policy for children living on the streets in the state. The draft of this policy has been prepared in accordance with the instructions of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Key Points

• Women Empowerment and Child Development Secretary Hari Chandra Semwal said that now opinions are being taken from various departments including labour, police, food, health, education, social welfare regarding the state street children's policy. Soon the policy will be finalized and placed in the cabinet for approval. In this policy, along with taking the cooperation of the society for the rehabilitation of such children, steps will also be taken from the CSR of various companies and institutions.
• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had some time ago asked all states to formulate a policy for rehabilitation of street children. In this episode, it was also started in Uttarakhand.
• It is known that the number of such children is negligible in mountainous areas, while in urban areas like Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Haldwani, Nainital, Kotdwar it is more. Children with child labour, begging, destitute, destitute and garbage pickers were classified into different categories.
• After this, a draft street children policy was prepared for the rehabilitation of such children. In order to connect such children with the mainstream of society, effective steps have been emphasized in coordination with the departments in terms of education, skill development, food, health, rehabilitation, employment, security.
• Hari Chandra Semwal said that now opinions are being taken from the concerned departments in this regard. Suggestions are also being taken from various sections of the society, NGOs. The Street Children Policy will be finalized after receiving opinions from stakeholders.