• 07 Aug 2021

UPEIDA-SIDM MoU for Defense Industry Forum

Why in News

• On August 6, 2021, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) to develop a Defence Industry Forum in Uttar Pradesh.
• SIDM is a non-profit organisation advocacy group for promoting the defence manufacturing industries while UPEIDA is the nodal agency of the UP government for the development of the defence industrial corridor in UP

Key Points

• Objectives:
  
  • To develop Uttar Pradesh as a hub of defence manufacturing by promoting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), start-ups and defence manufacturing units.
  • To mobilise investment of Rs 1,000 crore in defence manufacturing.
• Duration:
  
  • The validity of the MoU will be three years and a Defence Industry Forum will be jointly set up by UPEIDA and SIDM.
• Related Initiative:
  
  • Similarly, the UPEIDA had also signed an agreement with Bharat Dynamics Limited for providing 250 acres of land to the company at the Jhansi node of the defence industrial corridor.

Birth and Death Data on Public Portal

Why in News

• Recently, the Bihar government has decided to upload the details of birth and death on an online portal.

Key Points

• According to official sources, this decision has been taken after the difficulty in getting the death figures during the covid-19.
• This portal is being prepared by the IT department and soon the details of birth and death will be uploaded on it. With this, Bihar will become the first state in the country to make the birth and death statistics public.
• The preparation for uploading the details of birth and death is being done through the Urban Development Department and Panchayati Raj Department. The ward councillor will become the medium for uploading the data.
• In urban areas, this data will come to the executive officer of the corporation through the ward councillor, which they will upload on the portal, while in rural areas this data will go to the BDO through the ward councillor.
• It is worth mentioning that at present, the data of birth and death is being registered in urban areas through the Urban Development Department and in rural areas through the Planning Development Department. After the launch of the portal, the responsibility of uploading the data will be with the Urban Development Department in urban areas and Panchayati Raj Department in rural areas.

Ba-Bapu Amrit Festival Tree Plantation Campaign

Why in News

• On August 6, 2021, Rajasthan's Minority Affairs Minister Shale Mohammad launched the Ba-Bapu tree plantation campaign in Jaisalmer's Gram Panchayat Lathi.

Key Points

• Under the Amrit Mahotsav, on the occasion of the 150^th birth anniversary year of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and 75th anniversary of independence, the Minority Affairs Minister launched it by planting saplings in the courtyard of the Government Higher Secondary School Lathi.
• Along with this, he also launched the development work of Seven Pasture Grass to be prepared in Gram Panchayat Lathi.

Human Resource Department in Haryana

Why in News

• Recently, in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, it has been decided to constitute the 'Human Resource Development Department' in Haryana.

Key Point

• For the first time, the 'Human Resource Development Department' is being constituted in the state, which will observe all matters related to employees including recruitment, transfers, deputation, change in service rules and corruption cases.
• The Human Resource Development Department will ensure unified administrative control over all the employees of Group A, B, C and D, including Haryana Civil Service (HCS).

Innovative Product Ideas Award

Why in News

• Recently, organic turmeric from Seraikela Kharsawan district of Jharkhand has been selected for the "Award for Innovative Product Ideas".

Key Points

• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda will facilitate Turmeric of Kharsawan in New Delhi.
• Apart from this, products from Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra have also been selected for the award.
• Kharsawan turmeric powder was tested by the State Food Testing Laboratory and found to have 7.01 percent curcumin, as compared to 2 percent present in normal turmeric. Curcumin is a measure of the special properties present in turmeric.
• It is used in the manufacture of skin related products and it is useful to protect the body cells from destruction as well as to treat cancer and heart-related diseases.

National Level Awards For Chhattisgarh

Why in News

• Chhattisgarh, which has emerged as a model state in the field of minor forest produce collection, has been honored with ten awards in various categories by the Government of India.

Key Points

• These awards were presented to Chhattisgarh by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda during a virtual program organized in New Delhi.
• These national awards have been given by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) by evaluating the performance of the states under three categories. These three categories are:
  
  • Minimum Support Price;
  • Van Dhan; And
  • Sales & Marketing.
• Chhattisgarh has bagged first prize for:
  
  • Inclusion of maximum number of forest produce (52) under the Minimum Support Price scheme for minor forest produce in 2020-21.
  • Procurement of minor forest produce at the highest price from state government’s and Central government’s funds (Rs.1173 crores).
  • Maximum utilization of the funds sanctioned in 2020-21 (Rs.127.09 Crores).
  • Manufacturing maximum products through value addition (121).
  • Maximum sale of products after value addition (Rs. 4.24 Crores).
  • Completion of maximum survey under Van Dhan Yojana.
  • Maximum training for forest development center clusters.
• For the manufacturing of sanitizer from Mahua and for producing new products from tamarind, it has also been awarded under the 'new product and innovation category'.