• 04 May 2023

Former UP DGP Made Director of UPCA

Why in News?

On 3 May 2023, Former UP Director General of Police (DGP) Devendra Singh Chauhan was inducted into the panel of directors of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA).

Key Points:

• The decision was taken unanimously by the 12 directors of UPCA in a meeting held online under the chairmanship of UPCA President Nidhipati Singhania at a private hotel in Lucknow.
• It is known that for the first time, an administrative officer has been included in UPCA.
• It is known that this post was lying vacant after the resignation of Rajeev Shukla. Till now 12 people were working on the list of directors of UPCA, but now with the joining of Devendra Singh Chauhan, the number of directors has increased to 13.
• UPCA's 12 directors include President Nidhipati Singhania, Abhishek Singhania, Yuddhveer Singh, Riyasat Ali, Tahir Hasan, Ashok Chaturvedi, Prem Manohar Gupta, Pradeep Kumar Gupta, Shyam Babu, Javed Akhtar, Vijay Gupta and Gajendranath Tiwari.
• Apart from this, the upliftment of UPCA was also discussed in the upcoming session.
• In the UPCA meeting in Lucknow, there was a discussion till late at night regarding holding international matches in UP. Many office bearers insisted on holding more and more international matches in UP. Many have also proposed having matches at the Greenpark Cricket Stadium in Kanpur.
• It is worth mentioning that Dr. Devendra Singh Chauhan, originally a resident of Mainpuri, was born on 20 March 1963 in Satara, Maharashtra. His father Shivram Singh Chauhan was a teacher at Satara Sainik School. Dr. Chauhan is an MBBS and a 1988 batch IPS. He was posted as DG Intelligence on 15 February 2020 and in May 2022 became the acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh.
• Devendra Singh Chauhan retired from his post on 31 March 2023.

9 Police Posts will be Opened in Hospitals Affiliated with Government Medical Colleges

Why in News?

On 3 May 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved the proposal for the creation of 9 police posts in hospitals affiliated to state medical colleges in the state.

Key Points:

• These police posts are located at Government Janana Hospital Medical College Bharatpur, Government Haribaksh Kanwatiya Hospital Jaipur, T.B. Hospital Shastri Nagar Jaipur, Government Dental Medical College & Hospital Subhash Nagar Jaipur, R.U.H.S. Medical College Jaipur, S.R. Goyal Satellite Hospital Sethi Colony Jaipur, Government RDBP Jaipuria Hospital Jaipur, Government Psychiatric Hospital, Transport Nagar Jaipur and Government J.K.Lon Mother & Child Hospital will be established in Kota.
• The posts of 1 sub-inspector and 6 constables i.e., a total of 9 sub-inspectors and 54 constables will also be created in each of these outposts.
• It is worth mentioning that in the budget year 2023-24, the Chief Minister announced the opening of police posts in hospitals affiliated to various medical colleges of the state.

Shree Bansidhar Festival

Why in News?

On 03 May 2023, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren inaugurated the two-day State Shri Bansidhar Festival at Bansidhar Nagar in the Garhwa district of the state.

Key Points:

• It is worth mentioning that in the Bansidhar temple, a very attractive statue of Radha & Krishna made four and a half feet high, weighing 1280 kg gold is seated. This wonderful statue is seated on a huge lotus with twenty-four petals made on the hood of Sheshnag buried in the ground.
• Under the patronage of the royal family of Bansidhar Nagar, this Bansidhar temple has been the centre of attraction for tourists from India & abroad, for several decades, an attractive and huge fair has been held here every year in the month of Phalgun.
• According to the stone inscription of the temple and its priest, in Samvat 1885, Rani Shivmani Kunwar, the widow of Maharaja Bhawani Singh of Bansidhar Nagar, came to know about this Krishna idol buried in the Shiv Pahari hill about 20 kilometers away, in her dream.
• Some historians speculate that this statue must have been made by the Marathas, who propagated Vaishnavism a lot and made idols, to protect it from the invasion of the Mughals, the Marathas hid it in the caves of Shiv Pahari hill.
• This year Shri Bansidhar Mahotsav has got the status of a state festival.
• It is worth mentioning that in the decade of 1960-70, the Birla Group renovated this temple. Even at present, the statue of Banshidhar is beautiful and unique from the point of view of art & without the use of any chemical or other polish, the shine of the statue is undone.
• Garhwa district is in the northwest of Jharkhand state and borders Rohtas of Bihar, Sonbhadra of Uttar Pradesh & Surguja districts of Chhattisgarh. That's why it was once called the Gateway of Chotanagpur.
• On this occasion, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of 60 schemes for Rs 739 crore 22 lakh 64 thousand 792. At the same time, inaugurated 14 schemes for Rs 57 crore 55 lakh 22 thousand 933. Among the important schemes that were inaugurated, the development of Bhandariya, Ranka, Dhurki, Chiniyan, Ramkanda and Nagar Untari block office complex including newly constructed residences of BDO, CO & other officers/employees, newly constructed guest houses at Nagar Untari and 5 bridges constructed on various rivers are included.

Transfer of Honorarium for Gauthan Committee in the Thanksgiving Conference of Patel, Kotwar and Home Guard

Why in News?

On 03 May 2023, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, in the Gratitude Conference of Patel, Kotwar and Home Guards & the training-cum-conference program of the office bearers of Gauthan Committees, at the Science College Ground in the capital Raipur, the chairman of the Gauthan Committee and an honorarium of Rs 1 crore 56 lakh was transferred to non-official members.

Key Points:

• On this occasion, under the Godhan Nyaya Yojana, the Chief Minister transferred the cow dung sales amount of Rs 9 crore 80 lakhs to the cow dung vendors. This includes Rs 3 crore 80 lakhs for cow dung vendors and Rs 6 crore for Gauthan Committee & self-help groups.
• Thirteen members are appointed for the management of each Gauthan. An honorarium of Rs 750 per month is being provided to each self-supporting Gauthan president and Rs 500 per month to non-official members from today.
• On this occasion, the Chief Minister released the book 'Bharatiya Godhan' written by Pandit Jhabarmal Sharma.
• This book was written about a hundred years ago and has been republished. Also, he released the book 'Kotwar' written by Bhagwat Jaiswal.

Important Decisions of Uttarakhand Cabinet

Why in News? 

On 03 May 2023, the cabinet of Uttarakhand approved several other important proposals along with approving SETU (State Institute for Empowering and Transforming Uttarakhand) in Uttarakhand on the lines of NITI Aayog.

Key Points

• It is worth mentioning that on the completion of one year of the state government in March 2023, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the Chief Minister's Skill Upgradation and Global Employment Scheme.
• Now, under this scheme, ANM, GNM pass youth will be given employment in Germany, Japan etc. for nursing, caring for the elderly and hospitality. For this, proposals have been received from 11 institutions. The government will bear 20 percent of the total expenditure incurred by the selected youth for learning a foreign language.
• Apart from this, if any youth takes a loan for the expenses of training, visa and air ticket, then the government will bear 75 percent of the interest of the loan up to Rs 1 lakh.
• SETU will work under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister. Its vice-chairman will be the planning minister, or a minister nominated by the chief minister. In this, an external expert will be placed in the post of Chief Executive Officer. The post of Additional Chief Executive Officer will be an officer of the level of Additional Secretary.
• In this, Rs 2 crore will be funded from the centre every year. In this expert will be taken from outside for 3 Centers for Economy & Social Development, Center for Public Policy & Good Governance and Center for Evidence-Based Planning along with 6 Consultants for Economic & Employment, Social Infrastructure, Public Policy & Good Governance, Urban & Semi-Urban Development, Statistics & Data, Monitoring & Evaluation. 
• It has also been decided in the cabinet decision that a site selection committee under the chairmanship of DM will be constituted in every district to find land for any school, hospital etc.
• On this occasion, the cabinet has approved Chief Minister Uttarakhand State Livestock Mission in the state.
• Under this, 125 world-class veterinary hospitals will be built, while the computerization of 575 veterinary hospitals will be done. Horse mules will also encourage entrepreneurship. Now the purchase of a horse mule has also been included in this.
• Under this, a 9 percent subsidy will be given on the loan interest for buying milch animals, sheep, goats, and hens as well as horses & mules for business.
• The cabinet has approved the Uttarakhand Fodder Policy 2023. Under this, a provision has been made to spend Rs 66 crore to promote green and dry fodder production.
• This policy will be for five years. Under this, 10 straw storage houses will be built.
• A Corpus fund will be created for an uninterrupted supply of fodder in the state in case of natural calamity.
• As of now, the government pays Rs 2 per kg to the Pirul collectors in the state. By increasing this, now Rs 3 per kg will be paid under this.
• The cabinet has approved the formation of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Prevention Cell in the state.  
• While this cell will find out the causes of human-wildlife conflict and suggest its redressal to the government, compensation will also be made available immediately on the occurrence of human-wildlife conflict. For this, a corpus fund of two crore will be created.