• 03 Mar 2022

Jaipur Literature Festival

Why in the news?

On March 2, 2022, Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh informed that the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), the Mahakumbh of Literature, will be organized at Hotel Clarks Amer from March 5 to 14 this year.

key points

• This 15^th edition of JLF, to be held at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur, will also be held on a digital platform this time.
• Writers from 15 Indian languages ​​will participate in this festival. Several special sessions based on Rajasthani heritage and culture will also be a part of the festival.
• In his message, the Tourism Minister said that this festival provides a platform to indigenous and foreign writers from where they share their ideas about literature, culture and heritage to the maximum number of listeners.
• It is noteworthy that JLF was not organized for the last two years due to the COVID pandemic. This year's program will have a special focus on various aspects of literature as well as climate change, new world order, art of fiction, poetry, travel, science, history.
• The Jaipur Literature Festival, which has made a grand presence in the city of Jaipur for the last 15 years, has led to a significant increase in tourism and employment opportunities.
• The organization of JLF will directly create new employment opportunities in the state in sectors like hotel industry, transport, airlines. Along with this, indirectly significant growth in clothing, jewelry, handicrafts, restaurants and other businesses will also be targeted.
• Many world-class litterateurs including the famous poet and great litterateur of Rajasthan language Chandra Prakash Deval, writer and poetess Anukreethy Upadhyay, writer Vandana Bhandari will be part of the festival.

State Level Workshop for 'Tobacco Free Rajasthan'

Why in the news?

On March 2, 2022, under the chairmanship of Dr. Jitendra Kumar Soni, Director of the National Health Mission, a state-level workshop was organized at the State Institute of Health Family Welfare for making 'Tobacco Free Rajasthan' and implementing a 100-day action plan.

key points

• While directing all the districts, the Mission Director said that a meeting should be organized under the chairmanship of the District Collector in all the districts regarding the Tobacco Free Rajasthan-100 Day Action Plan and ensure that the targets set by fixing department-wise responsibilities should be ensured.
• He said that for action under the COTPA Act from the level of the Police Department, a meeting with the District Superintendent of Police should be organized and discussion should be held in the monthly crime review meeting.
• Pledge letters should be filled by people who quit tobacco. Resolutions regarding tobacco control should be passed by all the districts in the meetings of Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad, so that the campaign can get momentum and effective implementation can be done till the village level.
• The Mission Director said that on April 30, 2022, action will be taken against the violations found under the COTPA Act in all the districts of the state up to the level of Gram Panchayat.
• Competitions will be organized for the school students on the topic of tobacco control at village level, block level and district level in all the districts. Similarly, slogan writing and other awareness activities should be organized through village level health, sanitation and nutrition committees and women health committees in urban areas.
• In the workshop, presentation of an action plan to make 46 gram panchayats of Nawalgarh block of Jhunjhunu district tobacco free gram panchayat was also given by Jhunjhunu District Tobacco Control Cell.

'E-Waste Collection Drive'

Why in the news?

On March 2, 2022, President of Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, Vinu Gupta, while launching the third phase of 'e-waste collection drive' from the headquarters of the division, flagged off the vehicles for e-waste collection drive.

key points

• In this campaign, 'e-waste collection drive' will be organized for various industrial areas and residential colonies of Ajmer, Pali, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar as well as the residential welfare associations, shopping malls and other commercial institutions.
• In this drive, which will run from March 2 to 15, 2022, e-waste will be collected from industrial units by the authorized dismantler or recyclers of e-waste in the state and they will also be given a suitable incentive amount and certificate for this.
• Continuous monitoring of this drive will be done at the level of the concerned Regional Office of the State Board.
• The e-waste will be collected from residential areas and residential welfare associations and other commercial institutions through 'mobile vans' operated by Godrej Appliances. Awareness regarding e-waste will also be brought through mobile vans through posters and banners.
• On this occasion, Veenu Gupta informed that in the budget announcements of the state for the year 2022-23, the government has announced to formulate an 'e-waste policy' and to develop a 'recycling park for e-waste'.
• In the past also, two phases of 'e-waste collection drive' have been successfully organized to ensure scientific disposal of e-waste and to make the public aware. In the first phase, 11 metric tonnes of e-waste was collected from the industrial units of Jaipur, Kota and Udaipur.
• In the second phase, 66 metric tonnes of e-waste was collected by driving mobile vans from residential and industrial areas in Alwar, Bhilwara, Bhiwadi and Jodhpur. In this phase, an amount of about Rs 20 lakh was provided to the consumers as fair value in lieu of e-waste.
• The Mandal has entered into an agreement with Environment Protection Training Research Institute (EPTRI), Hyderabad to provide accurate statistics of e-waste generation annually. This institute will conduct a study for e-waste inventing in five cities of the state and assess the amount of e-waste generated annually in the state. Similarly, the work of inventing plastic waste is also being done by an institute.

Para Fencing players of Madhya Pradesh won bronze medal

Why in news?

Deepak Sharma, Arvind Rajak and Sanjeev Kotia of Madhya Pradesh won bronze medals in the 14^th National Para fencing Championship (Wheelchair Fencing) held recently in Bhubaneswar (Odisha).

key points

• Deepak Sharma of Guna district won the bronze medal in the individual EP event. Deepak Sharma has also earned a bronze medal in the past. He has also made the state proud by representing the country in the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup.
• Deepak Sharma, Arvind Rajak and Sanjeev Kotia from Gwalior won joint bronze medal in EP team event.

Jharkhand Economic Survey 2021-22

Why in the news?

Jharkhand Economic Survey 2021-22 tabled in the assembly by the state government on March 2, 2022, has projected 8.8 per cent GSDP growth in FY 2021-22 as compared to the year 2020-21 GSDP.

key points

• The Economic Survey states that the average annual growth rate of the state's economy was 6.2 percent between the period 2011-12 and 2018-19.
• The economy of Jharkhand grew by 6.6 percent during the financial years 2004-05 and 2011-12 and by 8 percent during the financial years 1999-2000 and 2004-05.
• The Gross State Domestic Product of Jharkhand in the year 2018-19 was Rs 2,29,274 lakh crore at 2011-12 prices. The per capita income (NSDP per capita) for the year 2019-20 is estimated to be Rs 79,873 at current prices and Rs 57,863 at constant prices.
• The growth rate has decelerated during the last two years (2019-20 and 2020-21). These two years were not normal years, as the country's economy was in the grip of recession in the year 2019-20, which did not leave the state's economy untouched. The Indian economy and the state economy both registered a growth of only 4 per cent.
• The year 2020-21 was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic and the ensuing lockdown affected all economic activity and disrupted the supply chain of both consumers and producers. As a result, the state's GSDP is expected to shrink by 4.7 per cent in the financial year.
• Among the three major sectors (primary, secondary and tertiary) of the state's economy, the tertiary sector grew at the fastest rate between 2011-12 and 2019-20. The primary sector grew at an average annual rate (CAGR) of 9.1 percent and the secondary sector at 6.3 per cent, with the tertiary sector growing at 7.7 per cent during this period.
• The tertiary sector is not only a major sector in the state's economy, but its share in the GSVA has also increased over the years. In 2011-12, at the start of the current round of (SNA), its contribution to GSVA was 38.5 per cent, which increased to around 46 per cent by 2019-20.
• During this period (2011-12 to 2019-20), the share of the primary sector has come down from about 28 percent to about 20 percent.
• The share of the secondary sector has remained almost constant over the years. Its contribution to GSVA was 38.8 per cent in 2011-12 and 2019-20.
• After remaining above 6 per cent for more than a year, the inflation rate in Jharkhand started declining from December 2020. From 6.36 per cent in November, 2020, it declined to 5.94 per cent in December, 2020. Since then, it has remained below 6 per cent (the mark set by the RBI in its new monetary policy framework).
• According to the recently released 'National Multidimensional Poverty Index Baseline Report' of NITI Aayog, 46.16 percent of the people in the state are poor (headcount poverty). The percentage of multidimensional poor in rural areas is 50.93 percent and in urban areas it is 15.26 percent.

Biodiversity Park to be built in Mainpat

Why in the news?

Recently, the state government has given approval to build a 'Biodiversity Park' in Mainpat, famous as 'Shimla of Chhattisgarh', to attract tourists.

key points

• One crore rupees have also been approved by the state government for the Biodiversity Park. After getting the approval of the government, the forest department has started the process of its construction.
• 160 hectares of land has been identified in Ropakhar forest for Biodiversity Park. Biodiversity park will be established in compartment number P 2344 of the forest area.
• The environment of this park will be completely natural and it will be followed if there should be minimum concrete constructions.
• Apart from planting various species of trees, plants and herbs found in the area, information about the natural environment, forest wealth, fauna and local culture will also be made available to the tourists.
• Tents will be set up in the middle of the forest for the night stay of the tourists and facilities for trekking and adventure sports will also be made available for their entertainment.
• In the initial phase, attractive herbal gardens will be set up at different places. Regional trees and plants will be planted in different parts of the garden.

International Dhrupad Mela 2022

Why in the news?

On March 2, 2022, the 48^th edition of the five-day International Dhrupad Mela held at Tulsighat, Varanasi concluded.

key points

• Mahant Prof. Vishwambharnath Mishra and President of Uttar Pradesh Natak Akademi Padmashree Dr. Rajeshwar Acharya did it by lighting the lamp.
• This fair was organized under the aegis of Maharaja Banaras Vidyanyas and Dhrupad Samiti.
• Dhrupad Mela is a five-day music festival held every year in the months of February and March, in which eminent music artists from all over India come to participate and show their performances.
• It is noteworthy that the dhrupad is one of the oldest forms in Hindustani classical music, the important feature of which is the emphasis on maintaining the purity of the raga.
• Traditionally, the Dhrupad style of singing was performed with tanpura and pakhawaj.
• Baiju Bawra was a prominent Dhrupad musician in medieval India.