State PCS

• 11 Aug 2021

Ujjwala 2.0

Why in News

• On August 10, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana 'Ujjwala Yojana 2.0' in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points

• The Prime Minister launched the Ujjwala 2.0 scheme by giving new LPG connections to 1,000 women in the state. Under Ujjwala Yojana 2.0, one crore poor families will be given LPG connections free of cost.
• Under this scheme, the beneficiaries will not only get deposit-free LPG connection but also free of cost first refill and hotplate.
• The poor families left out in the first phase of this scheme and not covered under the scheme will get the benefit in this second phase.
• It is noteworthy that the Ujjwala scheme was launched on May 1, 2016, from the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. At that time a target was set to provide free LPG connections to 5 crore women members of BPL households.
• In April 2018 the scheme was expanded to include women beneficiaries from seven more categories: SC/ST, PMAY, AAY, Most backward classes, tea garden, forest dwellers, Islands. Also, the target was revised to eight crores LPG connections. This target was achieved in August 2019, seven months ahead of the target date.

'Kakori Train Case' now 'Kakori Train Action'

Why in News

• Recently, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has renamed 'Kakori Kand', an important movement in the history of India's freedom struggle, to 'Kakori Train Action'.

Key Points

• It is renamed because the word 'Kand' refers to the sense of humiliation of the incident during India's freedom struggle.
• The Kakori Train Action was a train robbery, committed by the revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement against the British Raj on August 9, 1925, in a village called Kakori near Lucknow.
• This robbery was carried out by 10 revolutionaries including Hindustan Republican Association's revolutionary Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Keshav Chakraborty, Mukundi Lal, Banwari Lal.
• Significantly, freedom fighters Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and Roshan Singh were hanged on December 19, 1927 for their involvement in the Kakori Conspiracy.

Launch of Online Portal for Biofuel Outlet Application

Why in News

• On August 10, 2021, Rajasthan Rural Development Department, launched the online registration portal for Biofuel Stakeholders on the occasion of World Biofuel Day.

Key Points

• With the launch of this online portal, the registration process for the application of biofuel producers, suppliers and retail outlets will be simple, accessible, transparent for the general public and the registration work will be completed within a stipulated time period.
• Chief Executive Officer of Rajasthan State Biofuel Authority, Mr. Surendra Singh Rathod informed that by visiting the authority’s website www.biofuel.rajasthan.gov.in, any person from any corner of the state can complete the registration process by clicking on online registration.

Jal Jeevan Mission

Why in News

• On August 10, 2021, in the meeting of the Policy Formulation Committee (PPC) of RWSSMB under the chairmanship of the Minister of Water Resources, Rajasthan, Har Ghar Nal Connection was approved in more than four thousand villages under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Key Points

• Under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the agenda proposals for providing 7 lakh 70 thousand 395 Har Ghar Nal connections in 62 schemes of 4 thousand 163 villages in the schemes worth more than Rs 5 crore, in addition to the mega drinking water projects and major drinking water projects provided.
• An amount of more than Rs 5056 crore will be spent on these. Under mega drinking water projects, 21 schemes costing more than Rs 4,718 crore have been approved, out of which 7 lakh 10 thousand 169 tap connections will be provided in 2 thousand 815 villages.
• Similarly, proposals for 41 single and multi-village rural drinking water schemes have been approved in addition to major drinking water projects worth more than Rs. 5 crores, out of which 60 thousand 226 will have tap connections in 1348 villages, on which more than Rs. 338 crore. There will be expenses.
• The Water Resources Minister also approved additional agenda proposals in the meeting. Of these, proposals worth Rs 43.48 crore were approved for connecting Harmada-Bhadarna with the Bisalpur project under the Jaipur Urban Water Supply Scheme and Rs 38.85 crore for the drinking water supply scheme in Bari (Dholpur) under the budget announcement of the Chief Minister.
• Apart from this, a proposal of Rs 67.81 crore has been approved under the water quality monitoring and surveillance plan in the year 2021-2022 under the schemes of JJM in the state. With this, capacity building activities will be conducted for up-gradation of laboratories of the water supply department, procurement of field testing kits and testing of drinking water quality in the state.
• 16.26 crore on construction of anicut on Moral river in Sawai Madhopur and Rs.265.96 crore for transmission main pipeline for drinking water supply in 539 villages from Surajpura to Sambhar in Bisalpur project were also approved.

Cradle of Leadership

Why in News

• On August 9, 2021,The film 'Cradle of Leadership', showcasing the valor of the Indian Army, was screened at Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal.

Key Points

• The film was screened under the regular film screening held every day at the open-air auditorium of Shaurya Smarak.
• Produced by Films Division of India Musheer Ahmed and directed by Krishna Kumar Garg, the movie showcases the life of cadets at National Defence Academy.
• From recruitment to training each and everything was showcased in the film.
• It is to be noted that the National Defence Academy (NDA) is the Joint Services academy of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force train together before they go on to their respective service academies for further pre-commissioning training.
• The NDA is located at Khadakwasla near Pune, Maharashtra. It is the first Tri-service academy in the world.

ICMR’s Respiratory Disease Research Center

Why in News

• Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the setting up of a center for research on critical respiratory diseases at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Raipur.

Key Points

• It will be one of 20 centers being set up in the country. These centers are designated as ICMR Network of Pulmonary Fibrosis.
• It will help in developing medical facilities by collecting detailed data regarding diseases affecting the respiratory system.
• Dr. Ajoy Kumar Behera, appointed as Principal Investigator of the centre, said that this is a five-year project.
• The Pulmonary Department of AIIMS, Raipur reports 250 patients daily. It would help play an important role in collecting data of post Covid-19 patients and extending them treatment.

MoU for Adult Literacy

Why in News

• Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Rotary India Literacy Mission and State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Chhattisgarh in the field of adult literacy.

Key Points

• As per MoU Rotary India Literacy Mission will cooperate with the State Literacy Mission Authority in conducting the upcoming Nav Bharat Saksharta program and preparing student volunteers to work in the field of adult literacy.
• The cooperation of the local Rotary Club will be taken to revive adult education. Apart from this, it will be rewarded with supporting activities (Training Module, Certification) and Nation Builder Awards for the training of teachers.
• Along with this, the creation of e-learning materials will help in vocational and skill development. A collaboration program will be run by Rotary India Literacy Mission to connect school dropouts in the mainstream of education.

Wi-Fi in Government Colleges

Why in News

• Recently, the Uttarakhand government has decided to equip all the government colleges in the state with Wi-Fi facilities.

Key Points

• Higher Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat has set up a high-powered committee in this regard, that would oversee the implementation of the process of setting up the facility in 105 Government colleges of the state.
• The committee would be headed by the director of the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) and would include the director, higher education or his nominee, joint secretary/ deputy secretary-level officer and two technical experts of ITDA.
• A committee headed by ITDA director Ashish Srivastava would complete the process of purchase for setting up the WiFi connectivity.
• The executing agency will hand over the said process to the Higher Education Department. The work order will be given to the executing agency by the Higher Education Department. The entire cost of all these works will be borne by the Higher Education Department.

Financial Assistance for Public Transport Operators

Why in News

• Recently the state transport department of Uttarakhand has decided to provide financial assistance of Rs 2,000 each to the registered public transport operators, conductors and sweepers across the state.

Key Point

• The State transport secretary Ranjit Sinha informed that the State Government will spend Rs 12,388.20 lakh from the Chief Minister relief fund for providing financial support for the livelihood of public transport operators which was affected due to Covid-curfew this year.
• The operators of all the public transport, including maxi cabs, electric rickshaws, Vikrams, auto rickshaws and buses [except Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) buses] will receive this financial aid for the next six months.
• Sinha informed that the department will transfer this money to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through regional transport officers and district magistrates.