• 11 Oct 2023

New Townships to be Established in Seven Cities including Ayodhya

Why In News?

On October 9, 2023, the state government gave permission to set up townships in the Housing Development Council cities along with Ayodhya, Meerut, Agra, Saharanpur, Varanasi, Moradabad and Kanpur.

Key points:

• For this, 'Chief Minister's Urban Expansion New City Promotion Scheme' has been started.
• All these development authorities and the Housing Development Council will be given Rs. 1680 crore under the Chief Minister Urban Expansion Scheme.
• The Development Authority and Housing Development Council will come up with a housing plan after acquiring the land.
• Under the scheme, the state government will bear 50 percent of the expenditure on land acquisition for the expansion of the developed township before the development of the new township for a maximum of 20 years. The remaining money will have to be raised by the development authority concerned itself.
• 400 crores to Housing Development Council, 400 crores to Varanasi Development Authority, 200 crores to Moradabad Development Authority, 200 crores to Kanpur Development Authority, 200 crores to Meerut Development Authority, 150 crores to Agra Development Authority, 100 crores to Saharanpur Development Authority and 30 crores to Ayodhya Development Authority will be allocated.

‘Vandan’ Scheme for Development of Historical-Religious Places

Why In News?

On October 10, 2023, the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved the 'Vandan' scheme for the development of Cultural, Mythological, Historical and Religious places located in urban bodies.

Key Points:

• Urban Development Minister A.K. Sharma said that under the scheme, other basic facilities including lighting, drinking water, toilets, cleanliness, link roads and benches will be developed at these sites.
• The committee formed under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate will select 2-2 such sites every year. Under this scheme, the work of connectivity, resting place, shed, drinking water arrangement, lighting, painting, interlocking, circumambulation path, construction of ghats etc. will be done in coordination with the Tourism Department.
• In this scheme, a provision of Rs 50 crore has been made in the financial year 2023-24. Apart from this, these places can also be developed with the budget of the tourism department, CSR item, MP-MLA fund and municipal department.

23 Bus Stands to be Built on the Lines of Airports

Why In News?

On October 10, 2023, the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved the proposal to develop 23 bus stands of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation on the lines of airports under public private partnership.

Key Points:

• Minister of State for Transport (Independent Charge) Dayashankar Singh said that the proposal has been approved to develop buses on PPP mode at Sahibabad in Ghaziabad, Transport Nagar and Eidgah in Agra, Old Bus Stand in Mathura, Kanpur Central (Jhakarkati) in Kanpur, Cantt in Varanasi, Zero Road in Prayagraj and Amausi Bus Stand in Lucknow.
• A proposal has also been approved to make Bulandshahr in Bulandshahr and Garhmukteshwar in Meerut on the lines of airports.
• A proposal has also been prepared for bus support in Lucknow's Charbagh, Meerut's Sohrab Gate, Aligarh's Rasoolabad, Gorakhpur's Gorakhpur, Ayodhya's Ayodhya Dham, Bareilly's Satellite, Rae Bareli and Mirzapur.
• He said that the firm has been selected to prepare the old bus stands of Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Gomtinagar and Ghaziabad bus stands in Lucknow. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will lay the foundation stone in the coming days.

Bhim Sansad Rath

Why In News?

On October 10, 2023, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the Bhim Sansad Rath in Patna.10

Key points:

• The Chief Minister flagged off the 'Samvidhan Bachao, Aarakshan Bachao, Desh Bachao' chariot in the name of Bhim Sansad Rath.
• Through Bhim Sansad Rath, people will be made aware of the ideals, thoughts and work done by Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.
• Bhim Sansad will be organized on November 5 at the Veterinary College, Patna.

Sub Junior Boys National Football Championship

Why In News?

On October 10, 2023, Bihar won the Sub-Junior Boys National Football Championship Tier-2 title.

Key Points:

• In the match played in Andhra Pradesh, the Bihar team defeated Delhi 1-0 with the help of Ayush Kumar (captain) only goal.
• Earlier, Bihar defeated Assam in the semi-finals.
• In this match, Ayush Kumar (Captain), Shravan Kumar (Goalkeeper), Ajit Kumar, Motik Ansari, Rajkaran Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Vikram Kumar, Alok Kumar, Nilesh Kumar, Karan, Himbaram, Vikram Rajvanshi were the team members.

Schedule for Assembly Elections-2023 Declared in the State

Why In News?

On October 9, 2023, Rajasthan Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta told in a press conference held at the Government Secretariat that the Election Commission of India has announced the assembly elections-2023 in the state. According to the election schedule, voting for all the two hundred seats in the state will be held on November 23, 2023, and counting of votes will take place on December 3.

Key points:

• Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said in the press conference that a total of more than 5 crore 27 lakh voters in the state will be able to exercise their franchise. With the election announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has also come into effect in the state with immediate effect.
• With the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, there has been a ban on transfers and appointments in the state. In case of urgent need, the state government will be able to transfer election related officers and employees only after taking approval from the Election Commission.
• The work of filing nominations will start with the release of the notification on October 30 as part of the election process for all the 200 seats in the state. Nominations can be filed in the state till November 6. Nomination papers will be scrutinized on 7th November and names can be withdrawn till 9th November. Voting will take place on 23 November and counting of votes will take place on 3 December.
• The Chief Electoral Officer said that out of 200 assembly seats in the state, 34 are reserved for Scheduled Castes, 25 for Scheduled Tribes, while 141 seats are for the general category.
• He said that there will be a ban on the use of government vehicles, helicopters and planes for election purposes. During elections, the name of the publisher and printer must be published on any publication material such as poster, pamphlet etc. Action will be taken against printing press owners who do not do so under Section 127 (a) of the Representation of the People Act 1951.
• According to the final publication of voter lists, there are a total of more than 5 crore 27 lakh voters in the state. There are more than 2 crore 75 lakh male voters and more than 2 crore 51 lakh female voters. There are also 1 lakh 41 thousand 898 service voters.
• There are a total of 51 thousand 756 polling stations in the state, out of which 10 thousand 415 are located in urban areas and 41 thousand 341 are located in rural areas. About 22 lakh young voters aged between 18 to 19 years will exercise their franchise for the first time.
• It is noteworthy that as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, for the first time in the state, the initiative of home voting has been started in the assembly general elections for senior citizens above 80 years of age and especially abled voters with more than 40 percent disability category. In these elections, more than 18.05 lakh voters will be able to get this facility as an option.
• As per the instructions of the Commission, live webcasting will be done at 26 thousand polling stations, more than 50 percent of the total polling stations in all the polling stations located in important polling stations and sensitive areas or including auxiliary polling stations.
• The Commission has increased the use of IT applications to bring greater participation and transparency. Complaints regarding violations of the Model Code of Conduct can be made through the cVIGIL App. You can get information about the candidate through the KYC app. Similarly, related information and facilities can also be obtained from the comfort of home through Voter Helpline App, Saksham App and Suvidha Portal.
• To increase gender equality and constructive participation of women in the election process, a total of 1600 polling centers run by women, a total of 200 by disabled people, a total of 1600 run by youth and 1600 model polling centers will be established in the state.
• For the first time in the state, all the eligible persons of Sahariya tribe included under PVTG category have been included in the voter list. There are a total of 77 thousand 343 voters in this category in the state.

Caste Based Survey will be Conducted in Rajasthan

Why In News?

According to the information given by the Information and Public Relations Department of Rajasthan on October 7, 2023, the state government will conduct a caste-based survey in the state with its own resources. In the survey, information and data will be collected regarding the social, economic and educational level of all the citizens of the state.

Key Points:

• In compliance with the decision of the State Cabinet, an order in this regard has been issued by Dr. Samit Sharma, Government Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment Department.
• The state government will conduct a special study and implement special welfare measures and schemes to improve the condition of backwardness of the classes. This will improve the standard of living of all sections.
• The survey will be carried out by the Planning (Economic and Statistics) Department as the nodal department. Besides, all the District Collectors will be able to take the services of subordinate personnel of various departments at the Municipality, City Council, Municipal Corporation, Village and Panchayat level for the survey.
• A questionnaire will be prepared by the nodal department for this work. In this, all those subjects will be mentioned, from which complete information about the social, economic and educational level of every person can be obtained.
• The information and data obtained from the survey will be online. For this, a separate special software and mobile app will be created by the Information Technology and Communication Department.

Announcement of Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections

Why In News?

On October 9, 2023, Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan announced the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct along with the announcement of elections in Madhya Pradesh.

Key points:

• According to the election schedule released by the Election Commission of India, voting will be held on November 17 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.
• Election notification will be issued on 21st October and nomination papers can be submitted till 30th October. Scrutiny of applications will take place on October 31 and the final list of candidates will be released along with withdrawal of nominations on November 2.
• It is noteworthy that in Madhya Pradesh, 5 crore 60 lakh 60 thousand 925 voters are enrolled in the photo electoral roll. In this, the number of male voters is 2 crore 88 lakh 25 thousand 607, while the number of female voters is 2 crore 72 lakh 33 thousand 945. Third gender voters are one thousand 373.
• Voting will be held at 64 thousand 523 polling stations in the state. 16 thousand 763 polling stations have been set up in urban areas and 47 thousand 760 polling stations have been set up in rural areas. Facilities like toilet, ramp, wheelchair, water, helpdesk, electricity etc. have been provided at each polling station.
• Polling stations for senior citizens and physically handicapped (PWD) voters have been set up on the ground floor. They have also been given the facility to vote from home (postal ballot). Such voters will have to fill Form 12D.
• A 2-minute video and photo can be downloaded by the Election Commission of India in the GPS-based cVIGIL app. Any citizen will be able to send a complaint to the Commission through the app.

Ambala leads with 56 Cases in Stubble Burning in the State, Kurukshetra at Second Place.

Why In News?

On October 10, 2023, Haryana Agriculture Department Deputy Director Jaswinder Singh said that Ambala has reached number one in stubble burning remains in Haryana. Kurukshetra is second.

Key points:

• Till October 8, 56 cases of stubble burning have been reported in Ambala. Similarly, 49 cases of stubble burning have been reported in Kurukshetra. Farmers in 14 out of 22 districts in the state are burning stubble.
• The Agriculture Department is creating awareness to stop stubble burning. Apart from this, fines are also being imposed by issuing challan. Ambala is facing the biggest problem regarding issuing challan. Bharatiya Kisan Union Shaheed Bhagat Singh is continuously protesting the issue of challan.
• The union says that if the administration picks up the stubble from their fields, then it will be fine, otherwise they will burn the stubble. After this warning of the union, the administration has also become strict. Challans are being issued continuously in the team field.

A-HELP' Program launched in Jharkhand

Why In News?

On October 10, 2023, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India launched the 'A-HELP' (Accredited Agent for Expansion of Health and Livestock Production) programme in Jharkhand.

Key Points:

• Speaking at the event, Jharkhand Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperation Minister Badal Patralekh said about the 'A-HELP' programme that aims to empower women by inducting them as recognised agents. These agents contribute significantly to disease control, animal tagging and livestock insurance.
• He said that the new scheme will increase the access of veterinary services to the doorsteps of the farmers and will empower the animal Sakhi’s. This is an important step towards promoting socio-economic progress, remarkable integration of women power.
• Alka Upadhyay, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, participating in the program virtually, said that this new band of community-based functionaries called Accredited Agents for Health and Extension of Livestock Production (A-HELP) will help local veterinary institutions. and is designed to fill the void and provide primary health services among livestock owners and will serve as livestock resource persons and primary service providers.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) has launched a unique initiative called 'A-HELP' (Accredited Agent for Expansion of Health and Livestock Production) and it has already been launched in various States/UTs including Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) has initiated this remarkable initiative through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DAHD and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India.

Bullet Recovery Box

Why In News?

In the recently concluded All India Police Science Congress in Dehradun, a company from Mohali launched a ballistic testing equipment called 'Bullet Recovery Box', which will reveal in just 30 seconds which weapon the bullet was fired from.

Key points:

• It is known that after firing incidents, the police recover empty shells and weapons (guns, pistols, revolvers etc.) from the spot. After this, it is checked whether the bullet was fired from this particular weapon or from some other weapon.
• Many times, if the weapon is not recovered from the spot, other suspected weapons are also recovered at the behest of the criminals. These are also checked. With the help of this equipment, ballistics test results will no longer take a long time.
• The investigation done in the forensic lab is called ballistic investigation. There is a special mark ('signature' in the language of science) on the barrel of weapons, which is different for each weapon. When a bullet is fired, this mark appears on the bullet. To find this mark, the relevant weapon is fired again in the forensic lab.
• After this it is seen whether these are the same marks which are on the bullet found at the spot. In case of murder, the bullet is removed from the body and sent to the forensic lab. This confirms whether the bullet was fired from this weapon or from some other one.
• Till now these tests are done by firing in a box filled with cotton. It takes hours just to find the bullet. Not only this, due to cotton fibers marks are not visible on the bullet properly. In such a situation, firing is done repeatedly to get accurate results.
• The new bullet recovery box will be filled with water. It is also equipped with special equipment to reduce the velocity of the bullet. With this, the bullet will come out automatically in just 30 seconds and accurate results will be obtained.
• This tool has been developed by Priority Solution Mohali. Priority Solution MD Gurusevak Singh said that till now only cotton-based bullet recovery boxes are used in forensic science labs across the country. This is the only company in India to manufacture this water filled equipment. This type of technology is being used in many countries, but this box of his company is more advanced than theirs.