• 03 Oct 2022

Swachh Survekshan 2022: Ghaziabad Got First Place in The State and 12th in The Country

Why In News?

• In the Swachh Survekshan 2022 ranking released on October 1, 2022, Ghaziabad has secured the first position in the state and 12th in the country, leaving behind Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh among cities with a population of more than one million.

Key Points

• This is Ghaziabad's best ranking till date. Earlier in the year 2021, Ghaziabad was ranked second in Uttar Pradesh and 18th in the country. Ghaziabad, with a population of more than 16 lakhs, has got a three-star rating and has been declared as ODF Plus.
• Ghaziabad is followed by Meerut, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra and Kanpur among cities with a population of more than 10 lakh.
• Only Ghaziabad and Meerut are included in the top 15 clean cities of the country in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Ghaziabad is at number 12 and Meerut is at number 15. At the same time, Indore remained at number one.
• Similarly, in the city with a population of one lakh to 10 lakh, Noida is fifth in the country and number one in the state. Aligarh is second, Mathura third, Firozabad fourth and Gonda fifth. Apart from Noida, Aligarh and Mathura, no city has been able to make it to the top 100 in the cities with a category of one lakh to 10 lakh.
• Uttar Pradesh's position in the overall ranking has worsened compared to last year. Up was ranked sixth in the 2021 survey, while Uttar Pradesh has been ranked 10th in the 2022 survey .
• Among cities with less than one lakh population, Bijnor got the first position in the best Ganga city, while Varanasi got the second place among ganga cities with a population of more than one lakh.
• Lucknow Cantonment Board has been selected in the Best City for Innovation and Best Practices.
• Principal Secretary Urban Development Amrit Abhijat said that the state has received a total of 13 awards this year. These include three municipal corporations, four municipal councils and three Nagar panchayats. These include Municipal Corporation Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar and Meerut.

Rajasthan Approves 32 Investment Proposals worth Rs 1.42 lakh Crore

Why In News?

• On October 2, 2022, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved a customized package to 32 projects to encourage investment of over Rs 1.42 lakh crore in the state at the third meeting of the Board of Investment at the Chief Minister's residence.

Key Points

• The Chief Minister directed the department to prepare for the Invest Rajasthan Summit and said that this summit will play an important role in the industrial development of the state. This will create employment opportunities for more than 32 thousand people in the state.
• Proposals approved in the meeting mainly include Azure Power Pvt Ltd in Renewable Energy Sector, Renew Power Pvt Ltd etc., Asahi India Glass Ltd in Plastic and Glass Manufacturing, Hero Electric Vehicles in Electric Vehicle Sector, Okaya EV Pvt Ltd in addition to Textiles, Mines. And the projects in Minerals, Pood & Beverages, Hospitality, Cement, Auto & Auto Components and Agriculture & Agro Processing have been approved by the Board.
• Chief Minister Gehlot said that the state government has implemented many important policies and programs to increase investment, such as MSME Policy-2022, Handicrafts Policy-2022, Tourism Promotion Policy-2022, Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS-2019), Rajasthan Industrial Development Policy-2019 And many facilities are being provided to the investors through the One Stop Shop System.
• Due to the industrial policies of the state government, proposals of big international companies to set up industrial units in the state are constantly being received. This will further strengthen the industrial development of Rajasthan.
• Chief Minister Shri Gehlot directed to study the possibilities of development of cement industry in Jaisalmer division. It is noteworthy that there are enough raw materials, such as limestone, etc. available for the cement industry in this area.

Establishment of Peace and Non-Violence Department in Rajasthan

Why In News?

• Governor Kalraj Mishra has approved the proposal for the formation of a department of peace and non-violence taken in the state cabinet on October 1, 2022, after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced that the directorate would be made a department.

Key Points

• Propagation of ideas of peace and non-violence through the Department of Peace and Non-Violence, various exhibitions related to The Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, various great men, brave martyrs, freedom fighters, peace and harmony, social unity, Competitions and events will be organized. A comprehensive plan will be prepared for organizing these programs and financial arrangements will be ensured.
• At the same time, the department will prepare proposals related to peace and non-violence, communal unity, social equality, universal brotherhood, untouchability, social reform based on the thoughts and principles of Mahatma Gandhi and take appropriate steps for their implementation.
• The department will also constitute a committee for proposals received for various awards like Gandhi Sadbhavana Samman.

Madhya Pradesh Got First Prize in West Zone in Swachh Survekshan Gramin-2022

Why In News?

• On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, 2022, President Draupadi Murmu presented the first prize to Madhya Pradesh among the states that have done outstanding work in the Western Zone in Swachh Survekshan Grameen-2022 under the Swachh Bharat Mission at an award ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Key Points

• Similarly, Bhopal and Indore bagged the first and third prizes in the districts doing excellent work in the western zone.
• Madhya Pradesh has got first prize for best work in Sujalam 1.0 campaign and fourth prize in Sujalam 2.0 campaign. These awards were presented by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
• Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh was honoured for declaring Har Ghar Jal certified district at Swachh Survekshan grameen-2022 award ceremony. In Burhanpur, all the villages organized gram sabhas to verify that all their houses, schools and anganwadis were getting safe drinking water regularly.

Madhya Pradesh Becomes Cleanest State in India, Indore Cleanest City for Sixth Time

Why In News?

• On October 1, 2022, President Draupadi Murmu presented Madhya Pradesh as the cleanest state in the category of states with more than 100 cities and Indore as the cleanest city in the country at a ceremony held in New Delhi.

Key Points

• Like every year in the Swachh Survekshan-2022 conducted by the Government of India, Madhya Pradesh once again set records of cleanliness. The state has received 16 national awards in Swachh Survekshan-2022. 99 urban bodies of the state have got star rating. In the year 2021, 27 cities got star rating.
• Bhopal also received the award of 5 star as well as clean sustainable capital of the country. Indore became the first 7 star rating certified city. Ujjain received the best citizen participation award in cities in the population category of more than one lakh.
• Chhindwara was awarded for the country's citizen feedback in cities of one lakh to 3 lakh population, Mungaoli in the west zone was awarded for self-sustainable city in the 15 thousand to 25 thousand population category, Khurai got the award for self-sustainable city in the 50 thousand to one lakh population category of west zone and Mhow Cantt got the award of the third cleanest cantonment in the country.
• Similarly, in the West Zone, the award for the fastest growing city in the population category of 15 thousand to 25 thousand goes to Obaidullaganj, the award for the fastest growing city in the category of population below 15 thousand goes to Phufkala, the best innovation in the category of population of 15 thousand to 25 thousand. Petlawad has got the award of and Badauni has got the highest citizen participation award in the country in cities with population of less than one lakh.
• Ujjain and Khajuraho received national awards for their outstanding performance in the Indian Cleanliness League.

Achievements of the State in Swachh Bharat Mission

• Garbage collection is being done in 100% urban areas of the state. For this, more than 5 thousand 423 motorized vehicles have been provided to the urban bodies. GPS and PA systems have been installed in these vehicles.
• Home composting is being encouraged for processing and execution of wet waste. Compost of wet waste stored in centralized composting units of bodies is made. This compost is used as manure in rural areas adjoining urban areas.
• For processing of dry waste, 275 material recovery facility units have been set up in 256 urban bodies.
• The aim is to completely eliminate legacy waste in the bodies. So far, 100% legacy waste of 50 bodies has been processed.
• 60 urban bodies in the state have been covered under 5 Integrated Solid Waste Management Clusters. Apart from this, action is being taken for implementation of stand-alone projects in 316 urban bodies.
• There are 354 FTPs operating in 18 bodies and 51 STPs in 18 bodies prioritizing execution of fecal sludge.

Madhya Pradesh Ranked First in the Country for Maximum Blood Donation

Why In News?

• On October 1, 2022, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya honored Madhya Pradesh with the award for securing the first position in the country in the Blood Donation Amrit Mahotsav in New Delhi.

Key Points

• State Health Director Anurag Choudhary received this award and informed that Madhya Pradesh stood first in the whole country by donating proportionately maximum blood till October 1 on the last day of Blood Donation Amrit Mahotsav which started from September 17 across the country.
• On the first day of the state on September 17, 31 thousand 514 blood donors donated blood and made a new record in the Amrit Mahotsav. During the entire campaign period, 36 thousand 658 blood donors donated blood in a total of 903 camps.
• Blood donation camps were organized by conducting a special blood donation campaign in the Blood Donation Amrit Mahotsav. On the very first day of the campaign, blood donation camps were organized in all the districts of the state in collaboration with voluntary organizations, NGOs, Red Cross Society, Akhil Bharatiya Terapanth Yuvak Parishad, University and educational institutions.
• Special programs - workshops, rallies, street plays and blood donation camps - were organized by the blood centers of all the districts to increase awareness about blood donation at block and village level. A large number of voluntary organizations and dignitaries participated in these camps along with public representatives and administrative officials of the districts.
• In the Maha-Abhiyan, citizens interested in voluntarily donating blood were also registered so that someone close to them could get blood from the registered blood donor if they need blood.
• Madhya Pradesh has secured the first position in the country in the Blood Donation Amrit Mahotsav organized by the Union Health Ministry from September 17 to October 1, 2022, on the birth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Swachh Survekshan Gramin, Haryana Second in the Country in 2022

Why In News?

• On October 2, 2022, Haryana has secured the second position in the country on the basis of Swachh Survekshan Gramin, 2022 for its ODF sustainability and excellent implementation of various components of ODF Plus in 2021-22 under Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin.

Key Points

• Haryana has achieved this position in the category of states with a population of more than 30 lakh in the country.
• The award was received by Haryana Development and Panchayat Minister Devender Singh Babli from President Draupadi Murmu at a function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The Development and Panchayat Minister said that along with the officers of Development and Panchayat Development, sanitation soldiers, education department, women and child development department and people and institutions supporting community have also contributed significantly in this achievement.
• It is noteworthy that from September 17, the birthday of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi to October 2, the birthday of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Swachhta Pakhwada is celebrated every year across the country.
• During the same period, district level 'Swachhta Hi Sewa' program was also run in the state. Under this, cleanliness campaigns were conducted in every village and people were made aware about not using single use plastic and keeping their surroundings clean through rallies, prabhat pherios, signature campaigns, community support and other means.
• Devender Singh Babli said that Bhiwani district has come first in the rural cleanliness survey of the entire country. In 22 villages of Bhiwani district, special structures of rain and dirty water have been made and managed. Along with this, 24 ponds are being renovated and beautified under the Amrit Sarovar project in various villages of the district.
• He said that the Haryana government is also planning to collect garbage from every house in villages on the lines of cities.

President Awarded Rajat Kamal to Mandeep Singh Chauhan of Karnal at National Film Awards

Why In News?

• Mandeep Singh Chauhan of Karnal district of Haryana was honored with Rajat Kamal award by President Smt. Draupadi Murmu for documentary film produced by him at the 68th National Film Awards distribution ceremony on October 1, 2022.

Key Points

• Filmmaker Mandeep Singh Chauhan received the award for his short film "Justice Delayed But Delivered". In the non-feature film category, the film was selected as the best film nationally.
• Along with Mandeep Singh Chauhan, the director of the film, Kamakhya Narayan Singh, a resident of Mumbai, was also felicitated by the President.
• The 2020 National Film Awards were recently announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and were distributed at a glittering ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the country's best film industry award, was presented to eminent actress Asha Parekh at the same function.
• It is known that Mandeep Singh Chauhan, who received the National Film Award, originally belongs to Gondar village of Karnal district. Mandeep Singh Chauhan has been associated with several regional and national news channels to work as an assistant producer of many famous documentary films including 'Hindi in Bollywood'.
• Produced in Mandeep Singh Chauhan's documentary film Hindi, 'Justice Delayed But Delivered' is a story of decades of inhuman atrocities committed against the Valmiki community in Jammu and Kashmir due to the black provisions of the now-abolished Article 35-A of the Constitution.
• He was writing on Jammu and Kashmir affairs for years. Virendra Singh Chauhan points out that the amendment of Article 370 and the abolition of 35-A infused new light in the lives of millions like Radhika.
• He said that due to the secretly added Article 35-A, the Valmiki community there, including Radhika Gill, did not even have the right to apply for government jobs, let alone contest elections. This black article allowed them to become sanitation workers only and only.

Haryana is Among the Top 5 States of the Country in the Overall Progress in the Cleanliness Survey 2022

Why In News?

• Haryana has joined the top 5 states of the country in the overall progress in the cleanliness survey 2022 released under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on October 1, 2022.

Key Points

• Gurugram, Rohtak, Karnal, Panchkula and Ambala are among the top 100 cities in the Cleanliness Survey 2022. Dharuhera (25,000-50,000 population) and Bawani Khera (15,000-25,000 population) have won the fast moving city award. Haryana's Ambala Cantt is ranked 25th in the Cantonment Board-based rankings.
• It is known that Haryana's performance has improved significantly compared to 2021. Haryana was ranked 8th in the last cleanliness survey.
• It is noteworthy that awareness programs are being run by the Haryana Government from time to time and continuous monitoring of cleanliness is being done in various government offices, municipal corporation and municipal areas. As a result of this, the level of cleanliness in the state is constantly improving.

Jharkhand Becomes Second Topper in Swachh Survekshan 2022

Why In News?

• On September 30, 2022, in the presence of President Draupadi Murmu at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri conferred the Swachh Survekshan 2022 award to Jharkhand as the second topper state in the country among the states with 100 urban bodies.

Key Points

• On behalf of the state government, Amit Kumar, director of the State Urban Development Agency under the Urban Development and Housing Department, received the honor.
• Along with the second topper award to Jharkhand in Swachh Survekshan 2022, some other cities have also been honored in various categories, which are as follows:
  • Chaibasa was awarded for Best Citizen Feedback in the Municipal Bodies having population of 50000 to 100000 of Eastern Zone.
  • Bundu was awarded for best citizen feedback among the municipal bodies with a population of 15000 to 25000 in the eastern zone.
• Three municipal bodies of Jharkhand were also honored in the Indian Sanitation League organized by the Central Government on September 17, 2022 in cities across the country. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri felicitated Jamshedpur notified area, Mango and Medninagar for their outstanding performance in the Indian Sanitation League.
• It is worth mentioning that the situation of Jharkhand was not very appreciable in Swachh Survekshan 2016, but in the continuous Swachh Survekshan 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, the state has received many honors in the field of cleanliness with the cooperation of the people of the state and the efficient guidance of urban bodies and the state government.
• The Jharkhand government and its bodies have so far won several awards in the Swachh Survekshan. In the Swachh Survekshan 2022, the department and bodies had taken several important steps-
  • Before Swachh Survekshan 2022, meetings, workshops and campaigns were organized in all the bodies.
  • Programmes were organized to ensure participation of every section of the society.
  • Door-to-door waste collection was ensured in cities and bodies.
  • Segregation and Processing of Waste was given priority.
  • Municipal bodies and citizens were encouraged for peat composting and onsite composting.
  • Recyclers were linked with the civic bodies.
  • Carry bags made of plastic were banned and the use of single-use plastic was reduced.
  • Problems related to cleanliness were quickly diagnosed through the Cleanliness App.

CM Announces Two New Awards on the Occasion of Gandhi Jayanti

Why In News?

• On October 2, 2022, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced the award of awards in the name of the country's eminent theater artist, playwright and director Late Habib Tanveer and litterateur and environmentalist Late Anupam Mishra.

Key Points

• Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel announced this award in the name of both the personalities at a program organized on Gandhi, Youth and Challenges of New India at Shaheed Smarak Bhawan in Raipur.
• Late Habib Tanvir was born on September 1, 1923 in Raipur. After getting education, he moved to Mumbai in 1945 and started a job in All India Radio as a producer. While there, he wrote songs for Hindi films. He also acted in a few films. Composed many plays.
• Habib Tanveer received many awards and the Pt Vibhushan Samman in the year 2002. He was also a Rajya Sabha MP from 1972 to 1978. His play Charandas Chor was the first Indian play to be awarded at the Edinburgh International Drama Festival (1982). His major works include Agra Bazaar (1954), Charandas Chor (1975).
• Renowned writer, editor, cinematographer and Gandhian environmentalist late Anupam Mishra was born in Wardha, Maharashtra to Sarla Mishra and famous Hindi poet Bhawani Prasad Mishra in 1948.
• He did his post-graduation in Sanskrit from Delhi University in 1969 and after that he joined The Gandhi Peace Foundation in Delhi. He was working for the environment since then no department of environment was opened in the country. With his efforts, the work of water conservation started in drought-hit Alwar, which was seen and appreciated by the world.
• He was awarded the Chandrashekhar Azad National Award by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in the year 2007-2008. In the year 2011, he was awarded the country's prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Award. In the year 1996, he was also honored with the Indira Gandhi Environment Award.

Chhattisgarh Tops East Zone in Swachh Survekshan Gramin

Why In News?

• President Draupadi Murmu presented four awards in Swachh Survekshan Gramin to Chhattisgarh at an award ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on October 2, 2022, at the Swachh Bharat Diwas 2022 event held on Gandhi Jayanti.

Key Points

• Chhattisgarh has emerged as the top performing state in the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) survey conducted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. Along with this, Chhattisgarh has also received national awards in 3 other categories.
• Among the best performing districts in the East Zone, Durg and Balod have bagged the second and third positions respectively.
• Along with this, Chhattisgarh has got the third position in the Central Zone in the wall writing competition on ODF Plus.

CM Launched State-Wide 'Mahatma Gandhi Rural Industrial Park Scheme'

Why In News?

• On October 2, 2022, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, while launching the ambitious 'Mahatma Gandhi Rural Industrial Park Scheme' statewide, laid the foundation stone of 300 rural industrial parks in different districts of the state. Also released the 'Logo' of Rural Industrial Park 'RIPA'.

Key Points

• It is worth mentioning that on the initiative of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, village Gauthans are being developed as Rural Industrial Parks to provide employment and income sources to the rural poor families. For this various livelihood activities are being conducted here. These parks are being developed as rural production and service centres.
• Addressing the program, the Chief Minister said that rural industrial parks will play an important role in realizing Mahatma Gandhi's dream of self-reliant and self-reliant villages. Through this scheme, steps have been taken strongly towards making the villages self-reliant.
• The Chief Minister said that 300 rural industrial parks are being developed in the first phase. For this, one to three acres of land in Gauthans has been reserved for the park. In the first phase, two Gauthans in each development block are being developed as rural industrial parks.
• In the budget of the current financial year, a provision of Rs 600 crore has been made for Mahatma Gandhi Rural Industrial Park. An amount of Rs 1 crore each has been provided to all the approved rural industrial parks. With this amount, arrangements are being made for training of youth along with construction of working sheds and approach roads in these parks along with providing electricity and water facilities.
• Units for the manufacture of vermi compost, poultry, goat rearing, agricultural and horticultural crops and processing of minor forest produce are being set up in the Gauthans developed under the 'Suraji Gaon Yojana'. Along with this, flourmill, pulse mill, oil mill is also being established.
• In these activities, a large number of women and youth of self-help groups in rural areas are getting good means of income along with employment, which is improving their economic condition. Panchayat and Rural Development Department has been made the nodal department for this scheme.

Dehradun Municipal Corporation Ranked 69th in the Country in Swachh Survekshan-2022

Why In News?

• On October 2, 2022, Dehradun Mayor Sunil Uniyal Gama, while giving information about the results of Swachh Survekshan 2022, informed that the Dehradun Municipal Corporation has secured the 69^th rank in the country, performing better than last time in the bodies of Uttarakhand.

Key Points

• Mayor Sunil Uniyal Gama said that the performance of Municipal Corporation Dehradun in cleanliness ranking is improving year after year. Despite very limited resources, Dehradun Municipal Corporation is also in the first place among the cities of Uttarakhand, jumping 13 points compared to the last time.
• It is known that in the year 2021, Dehradun had the 82nd rank across the country. This time he did better by jumping 13 points. Dehradun Municipal Corporation is consistently performing better since the year 2019. Dehradun Municipal Corporation was ranked 384th in the country in 2019, 124^th in the year 2020, 84th in 2021 and 69^th in the year 2022.
• Dehradun Municipal Corporation remained the only city in the country to have a Garage Free City in the Himalayan states. Doon city is the only city in the entire Himalayan states, which has been included in the Garage City cities across the country. Dehradun has got three stars in this.