• 13 Feb 2023

UP Global Investor Summit-2023

Why In News?

On February 12, 2023, the UP Global Investors Summit 2023 (UP GIS-2023) concluded in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, with the guidance of President Draupadi Murmu.

Key points

• A total of 33 days in thousand crore investment proposals were received in 3 lakh 50 the UP Global Investor Summit. With this, a total of 19058 MoUs were signed here. This will provide employment to about 93 lakh, 82 thousand, 607 people.
• The state government has launched a new online system called 'Nivesh Sarathi' for the convenience of investors and monitoring the implementation of MoUs.
• The three-day UP GIS-2023 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 10.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has also included sports in this summit. The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association has signed an MoU with the state government to build a stadium with a capacity of 30,000 in Barabanki.
• UK companies signed 6 MoUs in the security, technology and defense sectors at the UK partner country session on the last day of the UP Global Summit. Now Uttar Pradesh will become a big center of medical and pharmaceutical sector. In the Global Investors Summit, the state has received proposals worth Rs 63,475 crore in this sector. A total of 156 agreements have been signed so far regarding the business related to medicine and equipment. Many big groups associated with the medicine industry have announced to open hospitals in different districts of Uttar Pradesh. With this, the people of Uttar Pradesh will get better health facilities than before in the coming days.
• In the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit, investors from Singapore signed an MoU worth Rs 29,000 crore for spiritual and eco-tourism in Uttar Pradesh.
• Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 is one of the major summits of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. To accelerate the pace of development in Uttar Pradesh and gain investment, policy makers, industry leaders, business delegations, academicians, think tanks and leaders from all over the world are collectively invited to this platform to explore business opportunities.
• The Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 set an ambitious target of making the state a USD is an initiative aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to make India a USD 5 trillion economy, for which the Uttar Pradesh government has 5 years1 trillion economy in the next.
• The summit saw the 20 participations of more than 10,000 delegates from more than (domestic and international) countries.
• In December 2022, for UPGIS 2023the state government had organized 16 countries and 8 road shows in , major cities of India, to attract investors and increase investment in Uttar Pradesh.
• Several progressive economies such as the United States, the United Kingdom Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates have been 'partner countries' at the summit.
• It is known that the Uttar Pradesh government organized the Global Investors Summit on a large scale for the first time in February 2018. In this, MoUs were signed on behalf of various big companies worth Rs 4.28 thousand crores.

New Sports Infrastructure Inaugurated at National Center of Excellence, Lucknow

Why In News?

On February 12, 2022, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur, in an effort to further improve the existing sports infrastructure at Sports Authority of India's National Center of Excellence in Lucknow, with a 300-bed hostel, state-of-the-art facilities at par with international standards. Along with inaugurated an advanced hall for wrestling and a sports medicine center.

Key points

• The Sports Authority of India's National Center of Excellence (NCOE) in Lucknow has been the center of national camps for women wrestling athletes, training India's elite female wrestlers.
• With the construction of a 300-bed hostel at NCOE Lucknow, its capacity has been substantially increased and it is now set up to accommodate 460 athletes, including those visiting the national camp, at any point of time.
• The new hostel will be dedicated to women athletes, while the existing two hostels of 80 beds will be reserved for boys' training at the centre.
• The sports medicine centre has been upgraded from the existing medical centre and will now have sports science experts as well as a sports psychologist.
• Advanced biomechanics machines are being installed here to make this courtyard a fully equipped sports science center.

Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will be the 41st Governor of Bihar

Why In News?

On February 12, 2023, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been appointed as the Governor of Bihar.

Key points

• 68-year-old Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was the Governor of Himachal Pradesh before being made governor of Goa and Bihar.
• Phagu Chauhan, the 40th Governor of Bihar, has now been appointed as the Governor of Meghalaya.
• Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is originally from Goa. He was a BJP MLA in Goa from 2002 to 2007, while he was also the speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly from 2012 to 2015. During this tenure, he made the Goa Legislative Assembly paper-free.

Delphic Games of Rajasthan Concludes

Why In News?

On February 12, 2023, the winners and runners-up of various events were awarded at the closing ceremony of the Delphic Games of Rajasthan organized by the Delphic Council of Rajasthan at Jawahar Kala Kendra.

Key points

• In the photography category, Rajesh Kumar Soni won the first prize and Uday Dangaich got the second prize, while Sikander Khan and Avinash Mehta won the first and second prizes respectively.
• In pop singing, Anil Haswani was awarded first prize and Govardhan second, Hulas Purohit first in classical singing and Aishwarya Arya and Mohammad Shoaib jointly got second prize.
• Apart from this, Alina Bharti got the first prize and Harsh Kumar Gola got the second prize in the singing category of Indian film music.
• In classical dance category, Radhika Arora was awarded first, and Sangeeta Sain was awarded second prize.
• Vaishali Surolia won the first prize in folk dance, while Runjhun Ghosh was given the second prize.
• The Delphic Games of Rajasthan were organised by the Delphic Council of Rajasthan February 9 from to 12, 2023 at Jawahar Kala Kendra.
• It is noteworthy that the Delphic Games started from the village of Delphic in Greece. They have been organized four times at the international level and now they are also being organized in the states of India.

Prime Minister Inaugurated the First Phase of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Dausa, Rajasthan

Why In News?

On February 12, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 246 km long Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot first section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Dausa district of Rajasthan.

Key points

• On the occasion, the Prime Minister 5,940 km of National Highway projects to be developed at a cost of over Rs also laid the foundation stone for 247 crores.
• In this, 67 kilometer long four lane minor road from Bandikui to Jaipur to be developed at a cost of more than Rs 2000 crore, six lane minor road from Kotputli to Baraodaneo to be developed at a cost of about Rs 3775 crore and approx. Two-lane paved shoulder of Lalsot-Karauli section being developed at a cost of Rs 150 crore is included.
• Significantly, the construction of Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot highway will reduce the travel time to Delhi and Jaipur. Grameen Haats are being set up along this expressway, which will help local farmers and artisans.
• With the introduction of this section, the travel time from Delhi to Jaipur will be reduced from 5 hours to about 3.5 hours and this will give a big boost to the economic development of the entire region.
• The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will benefit several regions of Rajasthan as well as Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra. This will greatly, Keoladeo National Park, Ranthambore and Jaipur from benefit tourist destinations like Sariska the highway.'
• The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor will become two strong pillars of progress in Rajasthan and the country and will change the face of this entire region including Rajasthan in the coming time.
• The two projects will strengthen the Mumbai-Delhi Economic Corridor and the road and freight corridors will connect Rajasthan, Haryana and many areas of western India with ports. This will also create new opportunities for logistics, storage, transport and other industries.
• the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Under the PM Gati Shakti Masterplan of arrangements have been made to lay optical fibre, power lines and gas pipelines and the remaining land will be used for generation as well as storage of solar energy.
• It is noteworthy that the Delhi Mumbai Expressway is 1,386 km. Will be India's longest expressway with a length of Rs. This makes the travel distance between Delhi and Mumbai 1,424 kms. From 12 percent to 1,242 km. Will do it and the travel time will be reduced from 24 hours to 12 hours i.e., 50 percent less.
• It will pass through six states - Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and will connect major cities like Kota, Indore, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vadodara and Surat.
• The Delhi-Mumbai expressway will serve 93 PM Gati Shakti Economic Nodes, 13 Ports, 8 Major Airports, and 8 multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs). It will also connect two new upcoming greenfield airports such as Jewar Airport, Navi Mumbai Airport, and JNPT port.

Madhya Pradesh's Third Position in Khelo India Youth Games- 2022

Why In News?

Khelo India Youth Games 2022 held in Madhya Pradesh concluded on February 11, 2023, in which Madhya Pradesh has secured the third position with 39 gold medals.

Key points

• In the Khelo India Youth Games - 2022, Maharashtra was the overall champion by securing a total of 161 medals including 56 gold, 55 silver and 50 bronze medals. On the other hand, Haryana has been at the second position by getting a total of 128 medals including 41 gold, 32 silver and 55 bronze.
• Madhya Pradesh stood at the third position by getting a total of 96 medals including 39 gold, 30 silver and 27 bronze medals.
• Madhya Pradesh performed better by getting a total of 16 medals including 11 gold in Kayaking and Canoeing, a total of 14 medals including 6 gold in Athletics and a total of 9 medals including 5 gold in Malkhamb.
• It is noteworthy that in the last Khelo India Games, Madhya Pradesh was ranked 8th in the country. This time the state has made progress in these sports.
• At the closing ceremony of Khelo India Youth Games-2022, at the Boat Club of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh announced to reward and honor the players who have excelled in Khelo India in a separate programme.
• Significantly, Khelo India Youth Games 2022 was organized in Madhya Pradesh from January 31 to February 11, 2023. It was the fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), first held in 2018 in the capital New Delhi.
• The edition was held in eight cities of Madhya Pradesh, including capital Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Jabalpur, Mandla and Balaghat cities. Apart from this, some games were also organized in Delhi.
• It is known that Madhya Pradesh is the fifth state in India to host the Khelo India Youth Games. After the first edition in New Delhi in 2018, Maharashtra hosted the event in 2019, followed by Assam in 2020 and the previous edition in 2021 in Haryana.
• This edition of Khelo India Youth Games featured 27 sports, in which water sports were included for the first time in the history of the Games. New sports such as canoe slalom, kayaking, canoeing and rowing also joined the indigenous games.
• Over 5,000 athletes from 36 states and union territories of India participated in the Khelo India Youth Games 2022. Where athletes competed for 973 medals – 295 gold, 295 silver and 383 bronze – in 27 sports.
• This year, host state Madhya Pradesh had fielded the largest ever team (474 athletes) in these Games.

Haryana's Second Place in Khelo India Youth Games - 2022

Why In News?

The Khelo India Youth Games 2022 concluded on February 11, 2023, in which Haryana has secured the second position with 41 gold medals.

Key points

• In the Khelo India Youth Games - 2022, Maharashtra was the overall champion by securing a total of 161 medals including 56 gold, 55 silver and 50 bronze medals. On the other hand, Haryana has been at the second position by getting a total of 128 medals including 41 gold, 32 silver and 55 bronze.
• Madhya Pradesh finished third with a total of 96 gold, 30 silver and 27 medals including 39 bronze medals.
• Haryana won a total of medals including 9 gold 41 in wrestling, in boxing medals with 8 gold medals 15 in athletics 4 gold including and 13 medals.
• In the last Khelo India Youth Games 2021, host Haryana stood first with 52 gold medals.
• Significantly, Khelo India Youth Games 2022 was organized in Madhya Pradesh from January 31 to February 11, 2023. It was the fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), first held in 2018 in the capital New Delhi.
• The edition was held in eight cities of Madhya Pradesh, including capital Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Jabalpur, Mandla and Balaghat cities. Apart from this, some games were also organized in Delhi.
• This edition of Khelo India Youth Games featured 27 sports, in which water sports were included for the first time in the history of the Games. New sports such as canoe slalom, kayaking, canoeing and rowing also joined the indigenous games.
• Over 5,000 athletes from 36 states and union territories of India participated in the Khelo India Youth Games 2022. Where athletes competed for 973 medals – 295 gold, 295 silver and 383 bronze – in 27 sports.

C.P. Radhakrishnan Became the New Governor of Jharkhand

Why In News?

On February 12, 2022, the Central Government appointed senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu C.P. Radhakrishnan has been appointed as the new Governor of Jharkhand. He will replace the present Governor of the state, Ramesh Bais.

Key points

• Significantly, President Draupadi Murmu has accepted the resignations of Bhagat Singh Koshyari as the Governor of Maharashtra and Radha Krishnan Mathur as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. And has appointed 13 governors and lieutenant governors.
• C.P. Radhakrishnan has been made the Governor of Jharkhand while Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais has been appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra. C.P. Radhakrishnan will be the 11th Governor of Jharkhand.
• C.P. Radhakrishnan is one of the most senior and respected BJP leaders in South India. He was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore. He was also the state president of the Tamil Nadu BJP unit. At present C.P. Radhakrishnan is a member of the National Executive Committee of the BJP.
• C.P. Radhakrishnan is counted among the prominent leaders of BJP in South India. He was associated with RSS, Jansangh and BJP for the last five decades.

Biswa Bhushan Harichandan Became the New Governor of Chhattisgarh

Why In News?

On February 12, 2022, the central government has appointed Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan as the new Governor of Chhattisgarh. He will replace the current Governor of the state, Anusuiya Uikey.

Key points

• President Draupadi Murmu has accepted the resignations of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Radha Krishnan Mathur and appointed 13 Governors and Lieutenant Governors.
• President Draupadi Murmu has appointed Chhattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Uikey as governor of Manipur and Andhra Pradesh governor as governor of Chhattisgarh.
• Biswa Bhushan Harichandan, 84, has been a five-time MLA from Bhubaneswar and Chilka assembly constituencies in Odisha.
• Biswa Bhushan Harichandan started his political journey with the Jana Sangh in 1971, after which he was the General Secretary of Jana Sangh for Andhra Pradesh till the Janata Party was formed in 1977. Along with this, Harichandan was also a national executive member of Jana Sangh.
• He was also the state president of BJP from 1980 to 1988. He also served as a cabinet minister in the BJP and BJD governments of Andhra Pradesh in 2004.

Uttarakhand Ranks 14th in the Country in the Social Progress Index Report

Why In News?

According to information received from media sources on February 12, Uttarakhand is at 14th position in the country by scoring 62.19 out of 100 marks in the Social Progress Index report released by Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council.

Key points

• According to the Social Progress Index report, Goa has topped with a score of 74.78 in providing basic amenities to the citizens. At the same time, Assam is at the last place, which has got only 36.14 marks.
• In the context of Himalayan states, Uttarakhand is ranked fifth among the 12 Himalayan states while Mizoram has got the first place.
• Each State has been tested on four parameters to ascertain the level of fulfilment of basic needs. Many points have also been included in these criteria. These four parameters are as follows:
  • Nutrition and basic health security: What percentage of citizens are getting the benefit of adequate food and basic medical care.
  • Water and sanitation: What are the quality of drinking water being provided to the citizens and how much cleanliness is being taken care of in their surroundings.
  • Housing: What percentage of citizens have got housing facilities with basic utilities. How much benefit did they get from government schemes?
  • Personal Security: It was also tested what is the level of security of the citizens. For this, road safety was also studied along with the level of crime.
• Uttarakhand scored water and50.30 points, sanitation 67.94, housing 62.77 and personal security 67.74 points.
• Himalayan states got marks- Mizoram-67.06, Sikkim-65.65, Himachal Pradesh-65.32, Nagaland-63.26, Uttarakhand-62.19, Jammu-Kashmir-59.39, Arunachal Pradesh- 57.72, Manipur-56.53, Tripura-50.80, Meghalaya-46.61 and Assam-36.14 marks.
• Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand is better than Mizoram in terms of housing based on the prescribed standards. In this, Uttarakhand is in third place, while Mizoram is in fourth place.
• Uttarakhand also ranks third in terms of quality and sanitation of drinking water. Uttarakhand has been ranked fourth in terms of personal security.
• The worst situation is in nutrition and basic health security, in which Uttarakhand is at the eighth position.
• Dehradun district is at the top in the state in terms of meeting the basic needs of the citizens. For this, Dehradun has got 71 out of 100 marks.