Rajasthan State PCS

• 10 Jul 2023

Public Relations Investiture Ceremony

Why in News?

On July 9, 2023, 24 personalities were honoured for their exemplary work in various services including public relations at a public relations investiture ceremony organized by Rajasthan Public Relations Society in Jaipur under the chairmanship of Dr. Sudhi Rajiv, Vice Chancellor of Haridev Joshi University, Jaipur.

Key Points:

• Former IAS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma honoured 24 eminent personalities who have done exemplary work in various fields with shawls, certificates and mementoes.
• Rajasthan Housing Commissioner Pawan Arora was honoured with the 'Public Relations Shri' award at the function. On his behalf, BL Swamy received the award.
• Apart from these, Special Officer (Chief Minister) of Rajasthan Housing Board Farooq Afridi was given lifetime achievement and renowned Ghazal singers Padmashri Ahmed Hussain and Mohammad Hussain were given special decorations.
• On this occasion, Udaipur Divisional Commissioner Rajendra Bhatt, Tilak Palawat, representatives of late Govardhan Lal Parashar, representatives of late Kamalnayan Sharma, Dr. Narottam Sharma, Digvijay Dabria, Umed Raj Jain, Dr. Kriti Bharti, Ashish Jain PRO, Shweta Pachauri, Akanksha Palawat PRO, Vinayak Sharma, Tarun Tak, Mahesh Kacholia, Shailendra Sharma, Ashish, Aman, Himanshu Patni, Rekha Chatterjee, Manoj Bhardwaj were present. Seema Raj, Chandrashekhar APRO, Snigdha Sharma and Lipi Singhal were also honoured.

CM approves the proposal of Teacher Interface for Excellence (TIE) Program

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Rajasthan Information and Public Relations Department on July 9, 2023, the proposal of the Teacher Interface for Excellence (TIE) program has been approved by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, under which 500 teachers of government colleges, government polytechnic colleges and universities of the state will now be able to get teaching-related training in prestigious institutions in the country and abroad.

Key Points:

• An expenditure of Rs 23.50 crore will be incurred in the financial year 2023-24 on research and training facilities under the Teacher Interface for Excellence (TIE) program. The guidelines of the program will be released soon by the department.
• With this approval of the Chief Minister, teachers will be able to take training in prestigious institutions with 1 to 100 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank abroad and 1 to 100 National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) rank in India. This training program will be for 1 to 6 months.
• Teachers will be familiar and trained with excellent educational policies and programs conducted. This will encourage quality teaching and research in higher education.
• This will further strengthen the position of higher educational institutions of the state in the grading of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The level of research in the state will increase.
• The scheme will be operated by the Rajasthan State Faculty Development Academy. The nodal department will be the college education department.
• It is noteworthy that an announcement in this regard was made by the Chief Minister in the budget 2023-24.

PM lays Foundation Stone and dedicates Development Projects in Bikaner

Why in News?

On July 8, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth more than Rs 24,300 crore in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

Key Points:

• The projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi include the six-lane Greenfield Expressway section of the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor; Phase-I of the Inter-State Transmission Line of Green Energy Corridor Bhiwadi Transmission Line developed by Bikaner Power Grid and 30 bedded Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital at Bikaner.
• The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the six-lane Greenfield Expressway section of the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor.
  • The over 500 km stretch, stretching from Jakrawali village in Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan to Khetlawas village in Jalore district, has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 11,125 crore.
  • The expressway will significantly reduce travel time and improve transport connectivity between major cities and industrial corridors.
  • The expressway will not only facilitate the seamless transportation of goods but also increase tourism and economic development on its route.
• Giving a boost to the power sector in the region, the Prime Minister dedicated Phase-I of the Inter-State Transmission Line for the Green Energy Corridor, which has been constructed at a cost of about Rs 10,950 crore.
  • The Green Energy Corridor will integrate about 6 GW of renewable energy and help in grid balancing of renewable energy with thermal power generation in the western region and Hydro-Power generation in the northern region, thereby strengthening the transmission capacity between the northern region and the western region.
• The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the Bikaner-Bhiwadi transmission line developed by the Power Grid at a cost of about Rs 1,340 crore. Bikaner to Bhiwadi transmission line will help in the evacuation of 8.1 GW of solar power in Rajasthan.
• The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the new 30-bed Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Bikaner. The capacity of the hospital will be eligible for expansion to 100 beds.
• In addition, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Bikaner Railway Station. The redevelopment work, costing around Rs 450 crore, will involve the renovation of all platforms along with floors and ceilings while ensuring the preservation of the heritage status of the existing structure of the railway station.
• The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for doubling of the 43 km long Churu-Ratangarh rail section. The doubling of this railway line will enhance rail connectivity and facilitate the transportation of gypsum, limestone, food grains and fertilizer products from the Bikaner region to the rest of the country.