• 05 Oct 2023

Three Cities of Uttar Pradesh, Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut are among the Ten most Polluted Cities.

Why In News?

According to the report of Respirator Living Sciences released on October 4, 2023, three cities of Uttar Pradesh Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut are among the ten most polluted cities in Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points:

• Delhi continues to top the list of 10 most polluted cities in the country, while Patna is the second most polluted city in the country.
• Bihar's Muzaffarpur is at number three, while Faridabad in Haryana is at number four. It is followed by Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Nalbari, Asansol and Gwalior respectively.
• According to the report, Delhi's air quality improved marginally compared to earlier, but despite this, it was the most polluted city between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023. This level is three times higher than the 'good' level of government and 20 times the WHO safe limit.
• The city with the cleanest air in the report is Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. The 10 cleanest cities in the country are Aizawl, Chikkamagaluru, Mandikheda (Haryana), Shivamogga, Madikeri, Vijayapura, Gadag, Chamarajanagar, Raichur and Mysuru.
• The report emphasizes that PM 2.5 contains fine, toxic particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause heart disease, stroke and other respiratory diseases. PM 2.5 data measures fine particles in the air. This report is widely used to assess the effects of air pollution on health.

Bal Sahitya Samman 2022

Why In News?

On October 4, 2023, in the meeting of the Bal Sahitya Samman Committee of the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Institute, children's writers were selected for "Bal Sahitya Samman, 2022".

Key Points:

• The winners of seven Children's Literature Awards have been announced by the institute. It includes two litterateurs from Ghaziabad and one each from Lucknow, Bijnor, Varanasi, Aligarh and Basti.
• The 'Subhadra Kumari Chauhan Mahila Bal Sahitya Samman' will be given to Shraddha Pandey of Ghaziabad for the Children's Literature Award 2022.
• 'Sohanlal Dwivedi Bal Kavita Samman' will be given to Dr. Ajay Janmejay of Bijnor, 'Amrit Lal Nagar Bal Katha Samman' to Pawan Sharma of Varanasi, 'Lalli Prasad Pandey Bal Sahitya Journalism Award' to Lal Devendra Srivastava of Basti, 'Dr. Ramkumar Verma Bal Natak Samman' to Ashok Anjum of Aligarh, 'Jagapathi Chaturvedi Children's Science Writing Award' to Dr. Manish Mohan Gore of Ghaziabad and 'Umakant Malviya Yuva Bal Sahitya Samman' will be given to Lucknow's Centenary Garima.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs 51,000 and a citation.
• Dr. Amita Dubey, Editor-in-Chief of Uttar Pradesh Hindi Institute, said that children's literature honors are given under the Children's Literature Promotion Scheme.

Roshni Parveen of Kishanganj will Represent India in the World Youth Conference 2023.

Why In News?

According to information received from the media on October 4, 2023, social activist Roshni Parveen from Kishanganj district of Bihar will represent India at the World Youth Summit 2023 to be held at the United Nations Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland in November.

Key Points:

• In the World Youth Conference, only 6 youth have been selected from all over the world. Roshni Parveen will be the only participant to represent India.
• On November 16, 2023, she will deliver a speech as a speaker at the Young Activist Summit at the United Nations Headquarters Geneva (Switzerland), from where it will be broadcast live. Apart from this, it will also be broadcast on the Instagram channel.
• It is known that the UN team came to the Kishanganj women's helpline office and inquired about the work being done by Roshni Parveen.
• Roshni Parveen, a resident of Simal Bari in Kishanganj block, has been working closely with the state government's program and UNICEF for the last several years on the issue of child safety. She has been actively working on the issue of child protection independently since January 2023.
• They have worked hard to prevent child marriage, connecting dropout girls to schools.

State Action Plan Launched for Rabies Eradication in the State

Why In News?

On October 4, 2023, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health Shubhra Singh launched the State Action Plan for eradicating rabies in the state by the year 2030 at the Government Secretariat.

Key Points:

• According to a survey of the World Health Organization, about 20 thousand people die of rabies every year in the country. Of these, 91.5 percent are caused by dog bites. Keeping this in mind, the Rajasthan government has prepared a State Action Plan in collaboration with the Health Department, Animal Husbandry Department, Municipal Corporation and Technical Partner Institute PATH.
• According to this plan, a coordination committee of various allied departments will be formed under the chairmanship of administrative officers at the state, district and local level and various activities will be organized for the control and public awareness of the causes of rabies disease and rabies eradication will be done in a phased manner.
• Additional Chief Secretary informed that in the first phase (year 2023-25), social awareness, data collection, setting up of call centers, training of paramedical and paraveterans, making action plans at the district level, availability of vaccine and vaccination of dogs will be done.
• In the second phase (year 2025-27), surveillance systems will be strengthened for the investigation of rabies, registration of pets, counting of animals from which rabies occurs and rabies-free zones will be created.
• In the last phase (year 2028-30), the activities carried out in the first and second phase will be continued smoothly, and the concerned districts will be declared rabies free.

Release of 127th Issue of Ravira

Why In News?

On October 4, 2023, Rajeshwar Singh, Chairman of The Revenue Board of Rajasthan released the 127th edition of Ravira magazine.

Key Points:

• In this important issue published by the Board of Revenue, special articles on the betterment of revenue courts, notifications related to newly formed divisions, districts, subdivisions and tehsils in the state, best decisions passed at the level of revenue board courts have been included in the subject matter.
• Along with this, articles written on important topics through revenue administration and revenue subject experts, important circulars and notifications issued by the government and revenue news have also been published prominently.

Important Decisions of the Council of Ministers under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister

Why In News?

On October 4, 2023, in the meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the Chief Minister's residence 'Samtva Bhawan' under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Cabinet approved 18 irrigation projects worth Rs 6,000 crore and took several other important decisions.

Key Points:

• The 18 irrigation projects approved by the Cabinet include Chitawad-Ujjain, Medha-Betul, Panheti-Guna, Loni-Rewa, Khamha-Katni, Dokrikhedi-Narmadapuram, Sonpur-Shivpuri, Thawar-Mandla, Murki-Dindori, Pava-Shivpuri, Sirmaur-Rewa, Kanera-Bhind, Malhargarh-Mandsaur, Deori-Narmadapuram, Deori-Narmadapuram, Sitaljhiri-Betul, Deori-Narmadapuram.
• These projects will increase the irrigation area of 0.2 lakh hectares. This will benefit about 02 lakh farmers of about 1250 villages.
• The Cabinet has approved the formation of a new district Pandhurna by incorporating Tehsil Sonsar and Pandhurna of Chhindwara district.
• The Cabinet approved the formation of new tehsil Unhel in district Ujjain, new tehsil Lamta in district Balaghat, new tehsil Bamhori and Sultanganj in district Raisen and new tehsil Kayampur in district Mandsaur.
• The Cabinet has approved the formation of Gram Panchayat Nahargarh, Bolia and Gandhisagar of Mandsaur district, Gram Panchayat Semaria of Sidhi district, Avantipur Barodia and Gulana of Shajapur district, Gram Panchayat Singhpur of Satna district, Gram Panchayat Rahatgaon of Harda district as Municipal Council and upgradation of Municipal Council Details of Shahdol district to Municipal Council and forwarded to the Governor.
• Approval of elevated corridor from Kamla Park to Sant Hirdaram Nagar: The Cabinet has approved the construction of an 8-lane road from Bhopal to Indore, Rajgarh and Old Bhopal to facilitate traffic. The route will be constructed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). An amount of Rs 3,156 crore has been approved for the implementation of the project.
• The Cabinet approved the payment of Rs 1 lakh to Kotwar as per the prescribed rules.
• The Cabinet decided to increase the amount of managerial grant to Primary Credit Co-operative Societies (PACS) and Primitive Caste Service Co-operative Societies (LAMPS) under the scheme of the Cooperation Department by an additional annual increase of Rs. 3 lakh per society.
• Along with this, it has also been decided to increase the remuneration of PACS and Lamps Societies by Rs 3,000 per seller per month for the operation of public distribution system fair price shops.
• The scheme will be implemented from October 01, 2023.
• Cabinet approves the proposal to simplify the process of purchasing free e-scooty/scooty to the girl and student who got first place in all government higher secondary schools.
• Permission to invite tenders for three irrigation projects: The Cabinet gave permission to invite tenders and administrative approval of 3 projects of Narmada Valley Development Department namely Bahoriband Micro Irrigation Project, Shaheed Elap Singh Udvahan Micro Irrigation Project and Khandwa Udvahan Micro Irrigation Project respectively.
  • The cost of the three projects creating irrigation potential of about 1,12,220 hectares was approved at a cost of Rs 3,598 crore.
• The Cabinet has approved increasing the amount of the food grant scheme from Rs 250 per month to Rs 1500 per month instead of Rs 1250 per month.
• The Cabinet approved the proposal to charge only one fee for various competitive examinations. The facility of one-time examination fee and registration is being started for the examinations to be conducted by the Staff Selection Board.
• The Madhya Pradesh government has approved a special grant of Rs 25 lakh to the dependents of the forest personnel who were martyred by declaring them as martyrs.
• Approval for selection and relocation of 95 CM Rise Schools of Tribal Affairs Department: The Cabinet approved the selection and relocation of 95 CM Rise Schools of the Tribal Affairs Department.
• Cabinet approves increase in rates of daily honorarium and allowances for performing tribal and folk artists: The Cabinet has approved the increase in the rates of daily honorarium and allowances for performing tribal and folk artists.
  • The daily honorarium for performing artists was increased from Rs 800 per day to Rs 1500 per day and daily allowance from Rs 250 per day to Rs 500 per day.
  • Movement, local transport and accommodation facilities for folk artists will continue as usual.
  • The Department of Culture will be the competent authority to send the artists going to participate in international performances and the departmental officers/employees going for their coordination.
• The Cabinet has approved the establishment of 'Vivekananda Youth Resource Center' for the youth at 52 district headquarters of the state. Vivekananda Yuva Resource Centre will have a physical form, three-tier committees.
• Cabinet approves inclusion of employees in Ayushman Bharat 'Niramayam' Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana: The Cabinet has approved the inclusion of government employees/workers/contract workers of the state under Ayushman Bharat 'Niramayam' Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• Under the Bharat Niramayam Scheme, health security benefits of Rs 5 lakh have been sanctioned to eligible beneficiaries, Anganwadi workers, Panchayat Secretaries, Village Employment Assistants, ASHA and Usha workers, ASHA Supervisors, Kotwar and contractual employees.
• Other decisions
• The Cabinet has decided to approve the Joint Venture Agreement, Memorandum and Articles of Association Draft for the formation of SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) for setting up of Textile Park in the state under the PM Mega Integrated Textile Sector and Apparel (PM Mitra) Scheme of the Government of India, Ministry of Textiles.
• The Cabinet also approved the establishment of the campus of Maharshi Panini Sanskrit and Vedic University Ujjain in district Rewa.
• The Cabinet approved the establishment of a new Government Polytechnic College in Amarpatan district Maihar.
• The Cabinet has decided to set up 100 MBBS courses in Raisen district. Approval was given to establish a new medical college with seat admission capacity.
• The Cabinet approved the 7th pay scale for the academic cadre of the medical college from the year 2016.
• The forest guards have been allowed to sanction basic pay from the date of completion of training.

Chief Minister inaugurated Police Wrestling Cluster

Why In News?

On October 4, 2023, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal inaugurated the five-day 72nd All India Police Wrestling Cluster held at the stadium of Madhuban Police Academy in Karnal district.

Key Points:

• A total of 2561 players from 36 teams of paramilitary forces from different states across the country are participating in the All-India Police Wrestling Cluster Competition.
• Speaking on the occasion, Director General of Police Shatrujit Kapoor said that Haryana Police personnel have made pride by winning 648 medals in the All-India Police Sports Competition so far.
• Apart from this, 56 awards of Major Dhyan Chand, Padma Shri Bhim Award were also named after Haryana Police. Haryana is at the forefront of the country by connecting 380 police stations through CCTNS to maintain records of police stations and civic services.
• It is known that in the ongoing 19th Asian Games in China, out of 71 medals received by the country so far, players from Haryana have brought 17 medals and made the state proud.
• Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal said that a cash award of Rs. 6 crore is given to the gold medal winner in the Olympic Games in Haryana. Players are also being prepared at block and village level.

Release of ‘SDG Baseline and Progress Report, 2022 Chhattisgarh’

Why In News?

On October 4, 2023, Chhattisgarh State Planning Commission Chairman Dr. Premsai Singh Tekam released the 'SDG Baseline and Progress Report, 2022 Chhattisgarh' prepared by the respective State Planning Commission of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Yojana Bhawan, Nava Raipur.

Key Points:

• According to the report, significant achievements have been made by the state in various SDG targets. Of the 40 indicators included in the State Indicator Framework, the target of 2030 has been achieved in 2022 itself. The target of 84 indicators by 2030 is also likely to be achieved in the next 2-3 years.
• Based on the available data from the indicator related to 'SDG Goal 1 (No Poverty)', it was clear that according to the 'Multidimensional Poverty Score' (MPI score), an indicator that measures this goal, 40 lakh people in the state have been above the poverty line.
  • In this, the major schemes of the state - Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, Godhan Nyay Yojana, Narva, Garuwa, Ghuruwa, Bari, Mukhyamantri Haat Bazar, Urban Slum Health Scheme, Mukhyamantri Suposhan Yojana, Padhai Tuhar Dwar etc. contributed significantly.
  • The MPI score is basically an index of 12 indicators related to nutrition, health, standard of living, education and financial inclusion. Chhattisgarh has also performed very well in the indicator 'Health Scheme and Insurance Coverage'. In this, the major schemes of the state, such as Khubchand Baghel Health Assistance Scheme, Mukhyamantri Dawapeti Yojana, Mukhyamantri Bal Shravan and Hriday Yojana, Dai-Didi and Mahtari Jatan Yojana have contributed significantly.
• The state's performance in the 'beneficiaries included in the Food Security Act', which has made remarkable progress under 'SDG Goal 2 (Zero Hunger)', has been significantly contributed by the state's flagship schemes - distribution of food grains at Rs 1 under Antyodaya Yojana, Mukhyamantri Suposhan Yojana, iodized amrit salt, chana and sugar supply scheme etc.
  • Chhattisgarh has also performed very well in the indicator 'Gross Value Addition in Agriculture'. In this, the main contribution of the state's major schemes, such as Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, progressive increase in the agricultural budget, bringing maximum crops under the ambit of minimum support price is the main contribution.
• The state's performance in indicators of significant progress under 'SDG Goal 4 (Quality Education)' is noteworthy in indicators 'Dropout Rate and Gender Parity Index in Secondary Education', 'Gross Enrolment of Elementary Education', 'Proportion of Trained Teachers', in which the state's flagship schemes - Padhai Tuhar Dwar, Swami Atmanand English Medium School, Uniform Delivery Scheme, Mid-Day Meal Delivery Scheme have contributed significantly.
• Under 'SDG Goal 5 (Gender Equality)', the state has achieved the first position in the entire country by performing remarkably. The state's performance in the key indicators of progress such as 'Representation of Women in Local Self-Government', 'Crime against Women' is noteworthy, in which the major schemes of the state - Sabla Yojana, Pauni Pasari Yojana, Mahtari Jatan Yojana, Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana, Sakhi Forest Staff Scheme, Mahila Kosh Yojana etc. have contributed significantly.
• Under 'SDG Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)', the state has made remarkable progress. The state's performance in key indicators of progress such as 'ODF Goal Achievement', 'Sewage Treatment', 'Piped Water Supply', 'Improved Drinking Water Source Users', 'Toilet Facility to Urban and Rural Population' is remarkable, in which the state's flagship schemes - Rural Water Supply Scheme and Swachh Bharat Mission etc. have contributed significantly.
• Under 'SDG Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economy Growth)', the state has achieved remarkable progress. The state's performance in key indicators of progress such as 'Ease of Doing Business Score', 'Bank Account Holder Family' is remarkable, in which the state's flagship schemes - Ripa Yojana, Chief Minister's Urban and Rural Livelihood Mission, Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarojgar Yojana etc. have contributed significantly.
• Under 'SDG Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)', the state has achieved remarkable progress. The state's performance in key indicators of progress such as 'Waste Collection, Maintenance and Treatment', 'Houses completed under Housing Scheme' is remarkable, in which the state's major schemes - Mission Clean City Scheme, Chief Minister's Housing Scheme etc. have contributed significantly.
• Under 'SDG Goal 12 (Responsive, Consumption and Production)', the state has achieved remarkable progress. The state's performance in key indicators of progress such as 'reduction in use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture sector', 'setting up of waste plants', 'reduction in crop stock and distribution loss', 'per capita food availability', in which the state's major schemes - Universal PDS Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, various irrigation schemes, solar pump distribution scheme and agricultural equipment distribution scheme etc. have contributed significantly.
• State Planning Commission Chairman Dr. Premsai Singh Tekam said that the 'SDG Baseline and Progress Report, 2022 Chhattisgarh' prepared by the State Planning Commission will act as a guide towards achieving the set goal. The report will enable the concerned departments to identify their local implementation commitments and play a pivotal role in ensuring all-round development of their stakeholders.
• Chhattisgarh UNICEF chief Job Zakaria said that very few states have released SDG related frameworks and reports based on them, out of which Chhattisgarh's achievement is special. A remarkable achievement has been achieved by the state in the Multidimensional Poverty Index. States are the least in providing district-level SDG related data.

National Cultural & Literary Fest and Kala Utsav-2023

Why In News?

On October 3, 2023, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the 4th Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) National Cultural and Literary Festival and Kala Utsav-2023 in the presence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand.

Key Points:

• The festival is being organized by the National Education Society (NETS) for tribal students under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and is being hosted by Eklavya Vidyalaya Sangathan Samiti (EVSS), Uttarakhand at Maharana Pratap Sports College, Dehradun.
• The Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) cultural festival provides a national platform to tribal students to showcase their hidden talent in various fields.
• This year, the four-day event (October 3-6) will see a performance by over 2,000 tribal students from 22 states.
• More than 20 events will be held at the festival, ranging from dance and song performances to quizzes and visual arts. Stalls from different states have been arranged to showcase tribal culture.
• Such events provide an opportunity to the children and teachers of EMRS to meet each other, understand and learn from the cultures of different provinces of the country, fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.
• Such events will inspire everyone and provide a better opportunity to learn about their culture as well as the rich traditions of the tribal communities living in different corners of the country.
• Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami highlighted the diverse traditions and culture of tribals in Uttarakhand and various government schemes being run for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in the state.
• The 'EMRS National Cultural Festival' is the most awaited event every year for tribal students pursuing education at EMRS.
• NESTS is running EMRS for Scheduled Tribes across India. The EMRS scheme is one of the flagship programmers of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and was revamped in the year 2018-19 to ensure that students from remote tribal areas get quality education.