• 12 Jun 2023

Two Big Hospitals of Bihar will become Center of Excellence

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on 9 June 2023, the Government of Bihar is upgrading two major medical college hospitals of the state under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana Phase IV, which will be made centers of excellence.

Key Points:

• An amount of more than Rs 59 crore has been approved for the upgradation of these two medical colleges. With this amount, many other works will be done along with the construction of a new block in the hospital.
• Among the colleges being upgraded, Rs 29.24 crore has been approved for Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) and Rs 30 crore for Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (JLNMCH) in Bhagalpur.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana Phase-4, arrangements will be made for the treatment of serious diseases in both the medical college hospitals. The Centre of Excellence set up in these hospitals will treat & surgery will be done for the diseases related to oncology, nephrology, endocrinology, cardiology, neurology and neurosurgery.
• An amount of Rs 200-200 crore is to be spent to develop new centers in each medical college hospital. In this, 60 percent of the amount will be borne by the Central Government, while 40 percent is to be borne by the State Government.

Rajasthan Housing Board got 4 More Prestigious Awards

Why in News?

On 10 June 2023, the Rajasthan Housing Board received 4 national level awards in a grand ceremony held at AP Shinde Symposium in Delhi.

Key Points:

• IBC (Indian Buildings Congress), a unit of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, awarded 4 projects of the Mandal for Excellence Inbuilt Environment.
• The state's city park, coaching hub, Chowpati and Shikshak Prahari Awas Yojana have been well known nationally and internationally in the past. Despite the tickets, thousands of local and foreign tourists come to the city park every day to see its beauty.
• The people of the city are crazy about the delicious cuisine & cuisine of Chowpati set up in Pratap Nagar and Mansarovar. Chowpati has also received two international awards for maximum footfall in the first 5 months. The live band running on the Chowpatis has been the center of special attraction for visitors.
• The coaching hub built in Pratap Nagar is the first institute in the country where private coaching is going to operate simultaneously in a building equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.
• Apart from these, there was a housing project for teachers and constables for the first time in the state, where residents were provided with a swimming pool, sports arena, community area, landscaping and other facilities.
• Under the leadership of Housing Commissioner Pawan Arora, the board has received a total of 21 awards in the last four years.
• These include World Book of Records in Housing Sales, Skoch Award-2021, Award of Excellence, Honor by National Real Estate Development Council, National Housing Award, IBC, 'Star of Governance-Gold Award' and 'Real Estate Conclave' given by NAREDCO.
• Established with the support of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, the body confers the IBC Awards every year for 'Excellence in Built Environment' in various categories of buildings.

In the 66th National School Games, Two Players from Rajasthan Won Gold Medals in Chess

Why in News?

In the 66th National School Games held at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi on 10 June 2023, two players of the Rajasthan School Education Department team Pranay Chordia of Udaipur and Yukti Harsh of Bikaner made the state proud by winning individual gold medals.

Key Points:

• It is worth mentioning that in Rajasthan, the School Education Department has implemented innovations of 'No Bag Day' and 'Chess in School' activities in government schools. On the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (November 19, 2022), 38 lakh 21 thousand 9 students at government schools participated in the 'Chess in School Activity' across the state, which was also recorded in the World Book of Records.
• For the state team participating in the National School Games for the first time, Pranay Chordia and Yukti Harsh's golden moves in chess can be seen by linking these innovations.
• While Pranay Chordia represented the state on the first board and scored full six points by defeating his rivals in all six rounds, Yukti Harsh managed to win the gold medal at the individual level by winning three out of five games & earning 4 points with two draws.

Rajasthan Kisan Mahotsav will be Organized in Jaipur

Why in News?

On 10 June 2023, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria informed that the state government will organize 'Rajasthan Kisan Mahotsav' at JECC in Sitapura, Jaipur on 16-18 June to increase agricultural productivity in the state and to make farmers aware of the latest technologies.

Key Points:

• Such fairs play an important role in bringing people on one platform in the field of agriculture, technology and trade, to ensure inclusive development in agriculture and allied sectors.
• Apart from 'Rajasthan Kisan Mahotsav', divisional level kisan fairs will be organized in Udaipur on June 23-24 and in Jodhpur on 30 June & 1 July. About 50,000 farmers will participate in the state-level farmers' fair and 20,000-20,000 farmers will participate in the division-level fair.
• The agriculture minister said that new farming Techniques will be taught to the farmers in the fair, so that they can get more income at a lower cost and the economic condition of the farmers can be strengthened.
• The Kisan Mahotsav will showcase world-class technologies of smart farms, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries and agricultural marketing. Along with this, a large exhibition of agricultural products, tools, seeds etc. will be organized, and state-of-the-art agricultural machinery will also be displayed.
• Jajam Chaupal has also been kept for farmers in the fair, in which farmers will be able to communicate with subject experts. Subject-wise seminars and farmers' seminars have also been organized for farmers in the program.
• In order to make the youth entrepreneurs in the fair, agricultural start-ups will be met, so that the youth can become entrepreneurs in the field of agriculture and create new jobs. Special attention will be paid to entertainment in the fair. Film, literature & cultural programs will also be organized for this.

MoU will be Signed with Uttar Pradesh for Cultural Exchange and Culture Promotion

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Madhya Pradesh Public Relations Department on 11 June 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding is getting signed on 13 June at Gandhi Auditorium, Raj Bhavan in Lucknow to promote cultural exchange & culture promotion between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points:

• The Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Ceremony-2023 will see a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two states under the theme 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat'.
• The MoU will be signed in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Uttar Pradesh Culture & Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh and Madhya Pradesh Minister for Culture, Tourism, Religious Trust and Religion Ms. Usha Thakur.
• Madhya Pradesh Principal Secretary Culture & Tourism Shiv Shekhar Shukla and Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary Culture & Tourism Mukesh Kumar Meshram will be present.

Monthly Amount of 1000 to Ladli Behna will be Increased to 3000 Rupees Respectively

Why in News?

On 10 June 2023, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the state-level program of transferring the monthly amount to the accounts of the weak women under the 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana' in Jabalpur and announced to increase the amount of monthly 1000 to 3000 rupees given to Ladli Behna in the scheme.

Key Points:

• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan transferred a total amount of Rs 1209.64 crore to the accounts of 1.25 crore sisters through a single click.
• The Chief Minister said that the provision of giving an amount of Rs 1000 per month under the 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana' will be amended and the eligible women will be paid an increased amount respectively.
• As a result of the necessary financial arrangement, the amount will be increased to Rs 3,000 instead of Rs 1,000 in the scheme, then Rs 1500, then Rs 1750, then Rs 2,000 and then Rs 2,250, Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,750 respectively.
• Similarly, the age of the married women eligible for the scheme will be reduced from minimum 23 years to 21 years. At present, married women in the age group of 23 to 60 years are eligible in the scheme.
• The Chief Minister said that in the coming 5 years, the women will be included in the Lakhpati Club by making them Lakhpati. The income of the women should be at least 10 thousand rupees per month.

15 Flyovers and Railway over Bridges will be Built in the State

Why in News?

On 10 June 2023, Madhya Pradesh Public Works Minister Gopal Bhargava said that 15 flyovers and railway over bridges will be constructed in the state at a cost of Rs 896 crore under the 'Setu Bandhan Yojana'.

Key Points:

• Managing Director Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Limited Avinash Lavania said that under this scheme, four flyovers will be built in Indore city, two flyovers in Bhopal city, two flyovers in Sagar and one flyover each in Dhar, Chhatarpur, Vidisha, Gwalior and Khandwa.
• Two railway overbridges are also to be constructed soon, including a railway overbridge on Chhola Road Kazi Parade to Ayodhya bypass in Bhopal at a cost of Rs 36.44 crore and a railway overbridge on NH-7 in Seoni city at a cost of Rs 126 crore.

Diamond of Panna District will get GI Tag

Why in News?

According to the information provided by the Madhya Pradesh Public Relations Department on 9 June 2023, diamonds from the world-renowned Panna district, known as the Diamond City, will get the GI tag. Its process has been completed.

Key Points:

• It is worth mentioning that under the guidance of District Collector Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a GI registry application was made in Chennai recently to give unique recognition to the diamonds obtained from the district at the world level.
• With the confirmation of getting the GI tag, now the brightness of Panna's diamonds will increase at the international level as well. People associated with diamond business in Panna will be able to get its benefits.
• It is known that the only mechanized mine operated by NMDC is also in Panna. By getting the GI tag, the special identity of Panna's diamond will be established.

NHDC to Construct 525 MW Pumped Storage Power Project near Indira Sagar, Khandwa

Why in News?

According to information provided by the Press Information Bureau, Government of India on 9 June 2023, Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation Limited (NHDC Limited) will construct a 525 MW Pumped Storage Project near Indira Sagar Dam in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh.

Key Points:

• According to the information, this project is being started keeping in mind the increasing demand of the peak hour in the state. For this, existing reservoirs of Indira Sagar project Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar will be used.
• With the increase in renewable energy generated through this pumped storage project, the power requirements of the state can be met during peak energy hours (morning and evening). The project will generate 1,226.93 million units of electricity during peak hours.
• The project is estimated to cost Rs 4,200 crore. The Department of New and Renewable Energy, Government of Madhya Pradesh has allotted this project to NHDC Limited.
• Madhya Pradesh has a potential of 11.2 GW of pumped storage projects. Presently two power stations of NHDC Limited – Indira Sagar Power Station (1000 MW) and Omkareshwar Power Station (520 MW) are working in Khandwa district. 100% of the power produced by these power stations is supplied to Madhya Pradesh.
• NHDC is planning to make the state a green state through generation of green energy along with construction of solar power projects. The construction of an 8 MW solar project in the historic city of Sanchi and an 88 MW floating solar project on the Omkareshwar reservoir is in progress.
• The Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation Limited (NHDC Limited) is a joint venture between the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC Limited).

800 MW Super-critical Power Plant will be Set up in Chandrapura

Why in News?

On 11 June 2023, Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) chairman Ram Naresh Singh told at the director's building in Chandrapura, Jharkhand that the old units of Chandrapura Thermal are being dismantled and a new supercritical power plant is being planned to be set up. Is.

Key Points:

• DVC Chairman Ram Naresh Singh said that the survey is going on for setting up a new supercritical power plant in the state. This plant will be set up after availability of land and space for ash dyke.
• Apart from solar, battery storage and green hydrogen projects are also being brought in DVC. Work is also underway on the Green Hydrogen project. If for some reason the supercritical power plant could not be set up in Chandrapura, then there is a plan to set up a green hydrogen project. For this, sufficient water, market and steel plant is available here.
• The DVC chairman said that the dismantling of the old unit in DVC's Bokaro Thermal will also start soon. In collaboration with the World Bank, work is underway to set up solar, renewable, battery storage or green hydrogen projects instead of repurposing old units. Survey work is going on for this.
• Recently the World Bank team has also visited this place. Its DPR has been prepared and the Ministry of Power has given its consent.
• The chairman said that the power generation capacity of DVC is 7,000 MW. The production capacity from thermal power plants is 6540 MW. Presently two thermal power plants of 250 MW and 210 MW of DVC are under maintenance due to technical reasons. DVC achieved peak generation totaling 5600 MW.
• In the year 2030, the power generation capacity of DVC will be 14-15 thousand MW. This includes thermal, solar and green hydrogen projects & battery storage plants. No green field power plants will be set up in the coming time, rather new units will be established where DVC's old power plants are.
• A plant of 660 x 2 means 1320 MW capacity will be set up in Raghunathpur of the state. A supercritical plant of 800 x 2 means 1600 MW capacity will be installed in Koderma Phase II.
• Apart from these, a new power plant of 800 MW capacity will be set up in place of the Durgapur old plant. The auction of the old plant here is in process. That is, in the coming 7 years, new power plants of 3720 MW capacity will be set up. A solar plant of about 2,000 capacity will be set up.
• DVC has a total of 4 dams, which have a floating capacity of 18-19 hundred MW generation. There are also water reservoirs inside many power plants. In the coming time, 10 MW solar plant will be set up in Koderma, 30 MW from water reservoirs of four power plants, 310 MW from Tilaiya and Panchet dams, besides another eight MW capacity solar plant.
• Apart from this, a big project of pump storage is also being brought. Pumped storage plant of 1000 MW capacity will be set up in Maithon and 1500 MW in Lalpania.
• The chairman said that a pumped storage plant of 1500 MW capacity is proposed at Lugu Pahar in Lalpania. Initially, some villagers were opposed to setting up the plant here. But now we are getting positive cooperation from the villagers.

Chhattisgarh got Medal in First Khelo India Tribal Games National Competition

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on 11 June 2023, players from Chhattisgarh have won medals in various events in the first Khelo India Tribal Games National Competition in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Key Points:

• Players of Residential Archery Academy Bilaspur and Athletic Academy have won medals in the competition.
• Kuber Singh of Residential Archery Academy Bilaspur has got a silver medal in 30 meters, and he has been in second position in the overall championship. Similarly, Kumari Tarnika Teta, a player of Residential Athletic Academy Bilaspur has won silver medal in 100-meter women's event.
• Chhattisgarh's team entered the final by defeating Tripura 4-0 in the women's football semi-finals held in the competition. The final match will be played between Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
• In this competition, Kiran Pisda, a player of Girls Football Academy, Raipur, scored three goals while Pinky Kashyap of Bastar scored one goal.
• It is worth mentioning that 5000 athletes from 18 states are participating in this competition being organized in Bhubaneswar.

Haryana became Champion in Boxing & Athletics in 66th National School Sports Competition

Why in News?

On 9 June 2023, the first stage competition of athletics & boxing concluded in the 66th National School Sports Competition organized by the School Games Federation of India in Bhopal, in which Haryana won this championship with a total of 20 medals including 9 gold, 7 silver & 4 bronze medals in both boys and girls' categories.

Key Points:

• In this championship, Uttar Pradesh stood second with a total of 13 medals and Maharashtra stood third with a total of 11 medals.
• Maharashtra stood first, West Bengal second and Haryana third in the medal table in the girls' category. And in the boys category, Haryana stood first, Uttar Pradesh second and Kerala third.
• In the third day athletics competition, Baljit Singh of Haryana won the gold medal in the cross country race in the boys category.
• At the same time, Yash of the state got the gold medal in the javelin throw competition in the boys category. In the girls category, Deepika won the gold medal and Sapna won the silver medal.
• Deepak Kumar of the state got a gold medal in the long jump boys' category. Sunil Kumar of the state won the gold medal in the 800-meter race in the boys' category. At the same time, Haryana stood second in the girls' category in the 4400-relay race.
• In boxing, Mohit and Shloki Negi of the state got bronze medals in the 52 kg weight category. At the same time, Pankaj Kumar won the gold medal in the 60 kg weight category.
• In the 64 kg weight category, Mohit Kharab of the state won the silver medal and Sankalp Lavania & Lavjeet Singh jointly won the bronze medal. And in the 81 kg weight category, Crush won the gold medal.
• Apart from this, Anjali of the state won silver and Raveena & Aditi Negi jointly won bronze in the 45 kg weight category in the girls' category. At the same time, Kashish Mehta won the gold medal in the 48 kg weight category.
• Meenakshi of the state won gold in 51 kg weight category, Tanu won gold medal in 54 kg weight category. At the same time, in the 75 kg weight category, Ritu of the state got the bronze medal.
• It is known that the athletics and boxing competitions of the first phase of the 66th National School Sports Competition have been completed. Badminton, table tennis & football matches will now be organized at TT Nagar Stadium and various sports grounds in Bhopal.

CGHS Wellness Center Inaugurated in Chandigarh and Panchkula

Why in News?

On 9 June 2023, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare inaugurated CGHS Wellness Centers at Chandigarh and Panchkula.

Key Points:

• The opening of these two wellness centers will help in mitigating the hardships faced by the pensioners living not only in the Chandigarh-Panchkula-Mohali TriCity area but also in the adjoining areas of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
• It is noted that Chandigarh already had one CGHS wellness center with 47000 registered beneficiaries. The opening of the second wellness center has brought great relief to the beneficiaries as the workload will now be divided between the two wellness centers and the waiting time will be reduced & life will become easier for the citizens.
• It is worth mentioning that the coverage of CGHS cities has been expanded from 25 cities in 2014 to 80 in 2023.
• Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that CGHS technology has been integrated with the National Health Authority and aims to expand CGHS to 100 cities in India soon, further increasing access of people to good quality healthcare in India.

Uttarakhand Government will Now Give One Lakh Rupees on Selection in NDA and CDS Preliminary Exam

Why in News?

On 9 June 2023, Higher Education Minister of Uttarakhand Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat announced that the state government will now give one lakh rupees to the youth of the state for selection in the preliminary examination of NDA (National Defense Academy) and CDS (Combined Defense Services). For this, a proposal is being prepared by the department.

Key Points:

• Along with free coaching, the state government is going to give one lakh rupees as financial and incentive amount to the youth of the state who dream of becoming an officer in the army. Although till now 50 thousand rupees have been given by the department for this, but now preparations are on to double this amount.
• According to the officials of the department, the benefit of this scheme will be given to those students who are permanent and native residents of Uttarakhand, who have passed 12th, graduation and post-graduation examinations from the educational institutions of the state.
• For the benefit of the scheme, the result of the preliminary examination has to be applied within one month. The benefit of this scheme can be availed only once.
• Joint Director of the department AS Uniyal said that for the first-time free coaching for competitive examinations would be provided to meritorious students by the department. For this MoU will be done with Uttarakhand including Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad etc. states. Students will be prepared not only for NDA, CDS and OTA but also for competitive exams like IAS and PCS etc.
• For the better future of meritorious students, the government will also prepare the students who have passed the preliminary examination for the main examination.

Contract Between SIDCUL and Central Government for Electronic Manufacturing Cluster will be done soon

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on 9 June 2023, a contract will soon be signed between the Central Government and the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCUL) to build Uttarakhand's first electronic manufacturing cluster.

Key Points:

• According to information, an electronic manufacturing cluster will be set up on 133 acres of land at Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district of the state. For this, the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCUL) has prepared a DPR.
• An estimated Rs 115 crore will be spent on making the cluster. In this, 50 percent amount will be given by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. For this, the Center has approved Rs 56 crore for developing the cluster.
• After the formation of this cluster, all the facilities will be available to the electronic manufacturing industries along with the land, in which plots will be given to about 60 companies manufacturing electronic goods, electric vehicles, defence, telecommunication, power equipment.
• Hostel, warehouse, lab for testing equipment, fire station, medical facility will also be available inside the cluster for the employees of the industries.
• Samruddhi Automation Pvt Ltd will invest around Rs 200 crore as an anchor unit in the cluster. For this, eight acres of land has been allotted to the company. With the formation of the cluster, an investment of Rs 700 crore is expected in the electronics sector.