• 03 Sep 2022

Uttar Pradesh Ranks Second in Bajra Production

Why in News?

• On September 2, 2022, the Official Spokesperson of Uttar Pradesh informed that Uttar Pradesh stood at the second place in terms of Bajra production in the country. About 50 lakh metric tonnes of bajra is produced in the state, which is 19.69 percent of the total millet production in the country.

Key Points

• It is worth mentioning that the United Nations (UN), acting on India's proposal, has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to organize several programs to popularize bajra and other nutritious cereals in the state. The Action Plan for the International Millet Year 2023 focuses on strategies to increase production, consumption, exports and branding, among others.
• In the proposed action plan, the government will focus on increasing the cultivation area, production and productivity of bajra. The area under bajra cultivation, which is 9.80 lakh hectare in 2022, will be increased to 10.19 lakh hectare. The productivity will be increased from the present 24.55 quintal per hectare to 25.53 quintal per hectare.
• Similarly, the government aims to increase the area under jowar cultivation to 2.24 lakh hectares from the current 2.15 lakh hectares. Similarly, the area, production and productivity of Kodo and Sanva will also increase.
• To boost the production of millet, the government is planning to organize cluster demonstrations, area expansion through shared seed distribution and free seed minikit distribution.
• Bajra is the best suited for water scarcity and drought conditions. It consumes at least 70 percent less water than other crops and requires minimal inputs and almost no pesticides. For farmers, Bajra/millet is a low-risk crop for climate change. Therefore, the government plans to promote the cultivation of nutritious cereals in rainfed areas.
• In addition, the government is planning to promote coarse cereals under the Public Distribution System. The government will also give complete information about coarse cereals in cropping method based training. The focus will be on development of varieties rich in specific nutrients including protein, zinc, iron and vitamins.
• To create awareness among the people, information will be disseminated through road shows, hoardings, wall paintings etc. Apart from this, National Coarse Grains Day will also be organized at the state, district and block level.
• The Government of Uttar Pradesh will encourage and promote the production of not only millet, but also processed, millet products for the national and global market. Biscuit factory, bread factory and other food processing units will be set up.

DPS Ranchi Becomes National Champion in Fit India Quiz

Why in News?

• DPS Ranchi has become the 'National Champion' in the National Round of the first edition of Fit India Quiz 2021 held recently in Mumbai. Representing the state of Jharkhand, Shakeb Arsalan and Vaishnav Garodia of DPS Ranchi emerged as the winners at the national level.

Key Points

• The school got a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh for becoming the champion. At the same time, the participants were given a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh. Union Minister Anurag Thakur felicitated the winners.
• Fit India Quiz-2021 was organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
• In the final round, the students of DPS Ranchi defeated teams from Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh. Earlier in the semi-final round, the teams of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were defeated.
• Launched with an aim to create awareness among students about India's rich sporting history, the Fit India Quiz saw the participation of 36,299 students in the preliminary round, where 13,500 schools across the country participated in a test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
• Selected 360 schools participated in the state round. Finalists from 36 States/UTs were identified to participate in the National Finals after a series of State Level Quarter Finals and Semi Final Rounds.

Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki Becomes 29th District of Chhattisgarh

Why in News?

• On September 2, 2022, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated the newly formed district Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki as the 29th district of the state. He also unveiled the map of the district on the occasion.

Key Points

• In the district inauguration program, he performed bhoomi-pujan and dedicated work worth Rs.106 crore 27 lakh 95 thousand. In this, Bhoomi-Poojan of 42 works worth Rs 52 crore 16 lakh 8 thousand and inaugration of 12 works worth Rs 54 crore 11 lakh 87 thousand are included.
• Chief Minister Baghel congratulated the people of the district on this occasion and announced three crore rupees for the development of all the three blocks of the district.
• The newly formed district Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki has been carved out of Rajnandgaon district and created as a new administrative unit. The new district will be under Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki Durg division.
• A day before the inauguration of the district, a collector was also posted in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district. S Jayavardhan, a 2014 batch IAS officer, has been made the first collector, while Yeduvalli Akshay Kumar will be the first SP of the newly formed district.
• There are three tehsils in the newly formed district – Ambagarh Chowki, Mohala and Manpur and three development blocks and Janpad Panchayat – Ambagarh Chowki, Mohala and Manpur.
• The geographical area of the new district is 2 lakh 14 thousand 667 hectares. The total population here is 2 lakh 83 thousand 947, in which the total population of scheduled tribes is 1 lakh 79 thousand 662, which is 63.27 percent of the total population of the district.
• The number of Revenue Inspector Circle in the district is 13, the total number of Patwari Halka is 89, the number of Gram Panchayat is 185. The total number of police stations in the district is 9, Vidhan Sabha constituency is 2 and total polling stations are 497. The total number of villages in Naveen district is 499.
• Significantly, on August 15, 2021, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had announced the formation of four new districts and 18 new tehsils. These include Mohla-Manpur, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Sakti and Manendragarh. After this, during the Khairagarh by-election, he announced the formation of another new district, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai.