• 07 Jan 2022

Inauguration and Foundation Stone laying of 572 km Long National Highway Projects in the State

Why In News

• On January 6, 2022, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced a 572 km project in Kaushambi, Ayodhya and Basti in Uttar Pradesh at a cost of Rs.12981 crore. Inaugurated and laid foundation stones for long National Highway (NH) projects.

Key Points

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 6 NH projects in Kaushambi costing Rs.2659 crore and 3 NH projects in Basti costing Rs.1,624 crore.
• He laid the foundation stone of 6 NH projects in Ayodhya costing Rs.8,698 crore.
• With the construction of 84 Kosi Parikrama Marg in Ayodhya, devotees will get a lot of convenience and religious tourism will get a boost. With the construction of Ayodhya Ring Road, the problem of traffic jams will be solved.
• With the construction of NH-233, the birthplace of Lord Buddha at Lumbini will be connected to Varanasi and Sarnath.
• A day earlier on January 5, Nitin Gadkari had inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 821 km of national highways in Uttar Pradesh costing Rs 26778 crore.
• He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 8 National Highway projects worth Rs.14199 crores in Kanpur, 16 National Highways projects worth Rs.7409 crores in Lucknow and 4 National Highways projects worth Rs.5169 crores at Shringverpur Dham in Prayagraj.
• With these projects, important pilgrimage sites like Prayagraj, Chitrakoot and Shringverpur Dham will be linked with the construction plan of Shri Ram Van Gaman Marg.
• These projects will also help in the development of leather, glass and bangle industry in Kanpur and nearby areas, as well as increase investment and industrial development in the state.

6872.28 Crore Drinking Water Supply Schemes Approved for the State Under Jal Jeevan Mission

Why In News

• On January 5, 2022, the State-Level Plan Approval Committee (SLSSC) meeting approved drinking water supply schemes worth Rs 6,872.28 crore for Rajasthan under Jal Jeevan Mission.

Key Points

• Through these schemes, more than 6.56 lakh rural households will be provided tap water in 3,213 villages located in 27 districts. Out of these schemes, 5 are multi village major projects and the rest are single village schemes.
• Under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the year 2021-22, an assistance of Rs 2,345.08 crore was released to realize the vision of ensuring potable water to every rural family of Rajasthan and freeing women and girls from the trouble of fetching drinking water from a distance.
• This year, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has allocated Rs 10,180.50 crore to the state to implement the Jal Jeevan Mission. This amount is four times more than last year's allocation.
• At the time of launch of Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15, 2019, only 11.74 lakh (11.57 per cent) rural households in the state were getting tap water supply. At present, out of 1.01 crore rural households in the state, 22.23 lakh (21.92 per cent) households are being provided tap water.
• In Rajasthan, 58,363 schools (67 per cent) and 28,959 Anganwadi centers (54 per cent) have been provided tap water supply in their premises.
• In the 31st meeting of SLSSC, proposals have been approved for providing tap water to 2,885 schools and 418 Anganwadi centers.
• It is noteworthy that at the beginning of this mission in the year 2019, only 3.23 crore (17 percent) out of the total 19.2 crore rural households in the country were getting tap water. At present, 8.77 crore (45.57 percent) rural households are getting tap water supply across the country.
• In the states of Goa, Telangana, Haryana and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Union Territories of Puducherry, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, 100% households have tap water connections.

Bhoomi-Poojan of Agro Based Food Cluster in Sanawad

Why In News

• On January 6, 2022, Madhya Pradesh's Farmers Welfare and Agriculture Development Minister Kamal Patel and MSME Minister Om Prakash Saklecha performed bhoomi-pujan of an agro-based food cluster to be built at a cost of Rs. 9 crore 68 lakh 83 thousand at Sanawad in Khargone district.

Key Points

• An amount of Rs 5 crore is being provided by the Government of India for the construction of this cluster, while Rs 4 crore 68 lakh is being provided by the state government.
• Sanawad's cluster is also included in the 13 new clusters being built in the country by the Government of India. Once it is built, there are possibilities of setting up many industries in the area. This will provide maximum employment to the youth of the area.
• Agriculture Development Minister Kamal Patel said that soon a bhoomi-pujan of Rs. 2 thousand 863 crore irrigation lift scheme would be done to benefit the farmers of 80 villages of Katkoot area of Khargone district.
• MSME Minister Saklecha said that the Khargone region produces a lot of cotton. A textile park will be developed here. Due to its development, thousands of youth of the area will get employment. After the production of cotton, the textile mills will produce cloth.
• A grant amounting to crores of rupees is being provided by the state government for setting up industries. For setting up industries up to Rs 1 crore, 40% subsidy is being provided and for industries up to Rs. 10 crore, 50% subsidy is being provided.

Five 'Centers of Excellence' will be Opened in the State for Research and Development in the Field of E-Mobility

Why In News

• On January 6, 2022, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala informed that five 'Centers of Excellence' would be opened in the state for research and development in the field of e-mobility. Apart from these, research centers will also be started in 20 ITIs or polytechnical institutes.

Key Points

• The Deputy CM said that each 'Center of Excellence' would be given financial assistance of Rs 5 crore. Similarly, 20 ITIs or polytechnical institutions will be given financial assistance of Rs.25 lakh each.
• He said that the State Government is emphasizing on promoting two wheeler, three wheeler and four wheeler e-vehicles. State government employees will be given special concessions on buying 'e-vehicles'.
• Haryana Electric Vehicle Policy is being made by the state government focusing on the e-vehicle manufacturers, user drivers and people setting up charging stations, in which special discounts will be given to them.
• The state government plans to have a large number of e-vehicles in the state in the year 2022. It is also the endeavor of the State Government that the Haryana Electric Vehicle Policy being prepared for the e-vehicle should be the best in the whole country.

2201 Gauthans of the State became Self-Supporting

Why In News

• According to the information received from the Agriculture Department of Chhattisgarh on January 6, 2022, under the 'Garuva' component of 'Suraji Gaon Yojana', one of the flagship schemes of the state government, so far 2201 Gauthans out of 7889 Gauthans built and actively operated in the state have become independent.

Key Points

• The self-supporting Gauthans have started using the funds available with themselves for the manufacture of vermicompost from the purchase of cow dung.
• Raigad district has maximum 249 Gauthans self-supporting. Mahasamund and Korba districts are at number two, in which 170-170 Gauthans and in third order 141 Gauthans in Kabirdham district have become self-supporting.
• 105 in Janjgir-Champa, 104 in Kanker, 101 in Rajnandgaon district, 86 in Durg, 84 in Balobaazar, 80 in Dhamtari, 76 in Bilaspur, 75 in Raipur, 73 in Korea, 70 in Jashpur, 67 in Balod, 66 in Bemetara , 65 in Surguja, 62 in Mungeli, 56 in Surajpur, 55 in Balrampur, 52 in Sukma district, 46 in Kondagaon, 35-35 in Dantewada and Bastar, 25-25 in Gariaband and Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, 22 in Bijapur and In Narayanpur, 6 Gauthans have become self-supporting.
• It is worth mentioning that in order to promote the conservation and promotion of livestock in the state, the state government has so far approved the construction of Gauthan in 10591 villages. Out of this, construction of 7889 Gauthans has been completed and other income-oriented activities are being conducted there including dung procurement, manufacture of vermicompost.
• Arrangements for the care, fodder and water treatment of livestock have been ensured in the Gauthans. On the appeal of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, para donation is being done by the farmers for the fodder for livestock.
• So far more than 7 lakh 32 thousand 886 quintals have been collected through donations in Para Gauthans. Apart from this, planting of hybrid Napier grass and sowing of other fodder has also been done to arrange green fodder for animals in Gauthans.

The State Ranks Fourth among the States with the Lowest Unemployment in the Country

Why In News

• According to the unemployment data recently released by the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) organization, Chhattisgarh is at the fourth place among the states with the lowest unemployment in the country with 2.1 percent.

Key Points

• According to the data released by CMIE after studying the situation in December 2021, the lowest unemployment rate in the country has been reported in Karnataka at 1.4 percent and the highest unemployment rate in Haryana at 34.1 percent.
• According to the data, Gujarat is the second state with low unemployment with 1.6 percent, while neighboring Odisha with 1.6 percent is at third place and Madhya Pradesh is at 07th position with 3.4 percent.
• Uttar Pradesh has an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent. Assam is ranked 12th with 5.8%. The unemployment rate is 27.1 percent in Rajasthan, 17.3 in Jharkhand and 16 percent in Bihar.
• According to the report, as of January 2021 last year, the unemployment rate in the country was 6.52 percent, in which urban unemployment was 8.9 percent and rural unemployment was 581 percent. At the same time, as of December 2021, the unemployment rate in the country was 7.7 percent, in which urban unemployment was 91 percent and rural unemployment was 7.1 percent.
• Chhattisgarh adopted a new model three years ago, in line with Mahatma Gandhi's vision of 'Gram Swarajya', while setting the goal of inclusive growth, with an emphasis on increasing economic connectivity between villages and cities.
• Under this model, Suraji Gaon Yojana, Narva-Garva-Ghurva-Bari program, Godhan Nyay Yojana, Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Bhumiless Krishi Mazdoor Nyay Yojana, establishment of Rural Industrial Parks, Minor Forest Produce for economic empowerment of villages under this model. Schemes and programs like collection and value addition, entrepreneurship development are being implemented.
• Even during the first and second wave of Corona, the economy of Chhattisgarh remained untouched by the nationwide economic slowdown. Even then the unemployment rate in Chhattisgarh remained completely under control.
• It is worth noting that the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy Organization has been building the database for 45 years by doing continuous study in the fields of Indian economy, foreign exchange, agriculture, industry etc. and the data released by it is considered authentic.