• 13 Oct 2022

CM Yogi wins Indian of the Year Award

Why In News?

• On October 12, 2022, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was honored with the 'Indian of the Year Award' at the 'Indian of the Year Award' ceremony organized by the media group.

Key Points

• In the series of awards at the event, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has received this honor for his brilliant work in the politics category. However, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself could not be present in this award ceremony. He dedicated this award to 25 crore people of the state.
• The Indian of the Year Award ceremony, organized by the media group, honored Indian personalities who have done inspiring work in categories such as entertainment, politics, sports, startups, social change and climate.
• Many big names were included in this category including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

New Tourism Policy of Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department

Why In News?

• On October 12, 2022, Mukesh Meshram, Principal Secretary, Tourism Department, Uttar Pradesh, said that on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state tourism department has prepared an attractive new tourism policy to promote tourism in the state.

Key Points

• It is known that in the draft tourism policy-2022 prepared by the department, many new areas have also been included with the focus on making the state a trillion economy.
• In this policy, there is also a plan to develop the state as a destination for marital tourism, that is, tourist destinations of the state will now make marriage memorable. Hotels, forts and tourist spots will be developed to make the marriage of domestic and foreign couples memorable. For this, the help of wedding planners and event management companies will be taken.
• Keeping in mind the large number of foreign guests coming to Varanasi and Agra in India for the wedding every year, the department has prepared this blueprint.
• With the help of wedding planners and event management companies, Varanasi, Agra, Mathura-Vrindavan and Chunar, waterfall etc. will be developed as wedding destinations. Also, pre-shoot facility will also be given to couples for pre-wedding.
• There are many such historical heritage sites in the state which come under the forest department. In such a situation, the help of the Forest Department will also be taken to develop these places as wedding destinations.
• Suggestions will be sought from the event company to make the places where the most foreign guests come to tie the knot. Wedding destinations will also be listed and promoted online. The tourism department will also promote it at national and international forums.
• Tourism Principal Secretary Mukesh Meshram said that Uttar Pradesh is the best place for foreign couples to get married on the basis of royal chic and cultural heritage across the country. In such a situation, suitable places for wedding destinations are being identified in different cities of the state. The help of wedding planners and event management company will be taken to promote it.

87 New Courses in Bihar to be Brought Under Student Credit Card Scheme

Why In News?

• According to the information received from the media on October 12, 2022, 87 new courses are being brought under the purview of the Student Credit Card Scheme after the opinion taken from seven departments including Agriculture, Medical, Labor, Science and Technology Department, Higher Education of Bihar.

Key Points

• These 87 new courses are being introduced in undergraduate/postgraduate courses in leather, fashion and textile design. Now loans will also be available for the study of all these courses. A high-level committee of the education department has prepared a formal proposal to decide on the policy decisions of the scheme. The entire loan exercise for 87 new courses will be completed by October.
• It is known that so far students get loans for studies in 42 courses in the state. If these 87 new courses are approved, then a total of 129 courses will be available for the study.
• According to departmental experts, this loan scheme includes four-year Bachelor of Agriculture, Master of Agriculture, B.Ed., D.El.Ed, MBA in Agri Business and BBM (four-year course), M.Sc. A. Mass Communication, MSc Statics and Computing, Vocational Courses are being covered in all subjects related to Medical Electrophysiology, Science Technology, ITI and Skills. The maximum 16 courses are related to health. These include BSc Endoscopy, Endoscopy Technology, BSc Radio Therapy, etc.
• With this, 127 new colleges are being added under the Student Credit Card Scheme. In fact, colleges had applied online under this scheme. It has 121 colleges from outside the state, which have NAAC, NBA and NIRF rankings.
• Under the Student Credit Card Scheme, it is also being considered to reduce and increase the loan according to the nature of the course. At present, Rs 4 lakh is given equally for BA and other traditional subjects and Rs 4 lakh for other special subjects. Due to this, colleges have increased the fees significantly.
• The department wants the loan amount to be reduced for the study of ordinary subjects. At the same time, the loan amount for technical courses of NITs and other central educational institutions can be increased to six lakh.
• Within the state, only colleges with naan/NBA/NIRF rankings are under consideration for being considered eligible in the scheme.
• Loans will be given for studies in educational institutions outside the country. In this, loans above Rs 50 lakh are proposed. The quota will be fixed for the number of beneficiaries.
• It is noteworthy that from April 2021 to March 31, 2022, Rs 756.49 crore has been distributed to 36167 applicants. At the same time, from April 2022 to September 18, 628.80 crores have been disbursed to 36924 students as loans. A target has been set to disburse loans to one lakh students in the current financial year.

26th State Level Bhamashah Samman Ceremony

Why In News?

• The 26^th State Level Bhamashah Samman Samaroh was held at Tagore International School Campus, Mansarovar, Jaipur in Rajasthan on October 12, 2022.

Key Points

• State Education Minister Dr. B.D. More than 350 donors and motivators who have done remarkable charity work for progress and development work in the field of education were honored with citations by Kalla. These included about 246 donors and 108 motivators.
• Donors who have contributed to the development of education in the last 3 years were included in this honor ceremony. In this, those who donated one crore rupees or more in any one year in these three years were honored as 'Shiksha Vibhushan' and others were honored as 'Shiksha Bhushan'.
• On this occasion, Dr. Addressing the Bhamashahs and motivators who inspired them, Kalla thanked them for doing the work of charity and Additional Chief Secretary of School Education Pawan Kumar Goyal also highlighted the importance of Bhamashahs' contribution in the field of education.

SC-ST Mega Business Conclave & Expo

Why In News?

• On October 12, 2022, Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Dr. Kunwar Vijay Shah, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Om Prakash Sakhlecha, Minister for Promotion of Industries Policy and Investment Rajvardhan Singh inaugurated the mega SC-ST Business Conclave and Expo of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI).

Key Points

• Renowned entrepreneurs from all over the country shared their success experiences in four sessions at the SC-ST Mega Business Conclave and Expo by DICCI at Ravindra Bhavan in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh government.
• MSME Secretary P. Narhari said that MSMEs help in setting up industries in the emerging sectors of processing agro, toy manufacturing and furniture.
• He said that Madhya Pradesh has formulated a policy for self-reliance in toy and furniture. The state government is constantly trying to financially empower the youth of SC-ST category. The government has made special provisions in the scheme for the purpose of setting up industries for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• Padma Shri Ravi Kumar Narra, National President of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the central government and the state government are constantly trying to bring the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes into the mainstream by making special provisions in government schemes.
• In 25 districts of the state, entrepreneurs displayed their products by setting up stalls and in this, entrepreneurs from other 5 states also displayed their products by setting up stalls.
• It is worth mentioning that through the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce self-help and entrepreneurship, Dr. Works to fulfil Ambedkar's vision of economic empowerment. It was established in 2005.

Haryana Players won 4 Gold Medals in Boxing Matches on the Concluding Day of 36th National Games

Why In News?

• On 12 October 2022, Haryana players won 10 medals including 4 gold medals in boxing matches played on the closing day of 36th National Games running in Gujarat.

Key Points

• In boxing, Haryana players won 4 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze medal. Vineet, Ankit won gold medals in the 80 kg weight category and Meenakshi and Poonam won gold medals in the girls' category.
• Apart from these, Sachin won silver medal in 57 kg weight category, Naveen won silver medal in 92 kg weight category, Sagar, Jasmine and Sweety won silver medal in 67 kg weight category, while Mohit won bronze medal.
• In the 36th National Games, Haryana finished third in the medal tally by winning a total of 116 medals, including 38 gold medals. The most important thing is that out of 38 gold medals, Haryana has won 37 gold medals in the Olympic Games, which is more than double of any other state.
• In the last 3 editions, Haryana has the highest number of medals this time. It is known that in the last National Games, Haryana had won 107 games.
• Although the Board of Control for Services Sports topped the medal tally, Haryana represents more than 80 percent of the total medal winners.
• The Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal said that the winning sportspersons would be given prizes and jobs as per the sports policy of the state government. He said that due to the hard work of the players of the state, Haryana has got such a reputation in the field of sports and other states are also following the sports policy of Haryana.
• State players have won 38 Gold, 38 Silver and 40 Bronze. Players won 1 Silver and 1 Bronze in Aquatics, 5 Gold in Archery, 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 5 Bronze in Athletics, 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 1 Bronze in Boxing, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze in Canoeing, 2 Gold in Cycling and 3 Silver, 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze in Fencing, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze in Golf, 1 Gold in Hockey, 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 11 Bronze in Judiciary, 2 Bronze in Kabaddi, 2 Gold in Net Ball, Rowing 3 Silver and 1 Bronze in Rugby, 1 Gold in Rugby, 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze in Shooting, 2 Bronze in Soft Tennis, 1 Silver in Table Tennis, 1 Bronze in Tennis, 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze in Weightlifting He has won 12 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals in wrestling, 1 gold and 2 silver in wushu, 1 bronze in volleyball and 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals in yoga.

Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain Launches Online Portal of Information Commission

Why In News?

• On October 12, 2022, Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh Amitabh Jain launched the online web portal of the State Information Commission prepared by the State Government in the State Information Commission office.

Key Points

• With this, Chhattisgarh has become the sixth state in India, where applicants can apply in all three levels (Public Information Officer, First Appellate Officer and Second Appeal) under the online process.
• Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain while suggesting on this occasion said that online web portal should be made in Hindi so that people who are less educated in the matter of computer, it is easy to use it and whose benefit can be given to the common citizens more and more.
• He suggested that in order to make the Right to Information more effective, the Public Relations Department and the Commission should together make short videos in the local language of Chhattisgarh and tell the entire process of online web portal, so that common citizens can take maximum benefit of this portal.
• He said that it would be more beneficial if the online right to information portal is publicized in the Hindi at the college level through the Higher Education Department and also through the members of Rajiv Yuva Mitan Club.
• Chief Information Commissioner M.K. Raut said that this online web portal will be operational 24×7. Applicants, Public Information Officer / First Appellate Officer and Second Appeal can send applications online. Under the Right to Information Act, the desired fee can also be deposited online.
• The Chief Information Commissioner informed that there are more than 14 thousand public information officers in the state, public information officers of all departments of Chhattisgarh can register themselves online in this portal. Also, by filling the details of the first appellate officers and nodal officers, you can forward them to the concerned. The concerned First Appellate Officer and Nodal Officer will have to verify it, after that the registration will be completed.
• M.K. Raut said that the citizens of remote areas of the state would be able to get the benefit of this. The applicant can upload his application online as well as deposit the fee online. Applicants will not be required to attach Non-Judicial Stamp/Bank Draft/Postal Order/Money Order. Also, there will be no need to come personally to the departmental offices and submit the application or send the application through post.
• He said that after the online application is registered in the portal, the accountability of the Public Information Officer will increase and within 30 days, the applicant will be forced to give online information.

CM Dhami inaugurates FDA building and State Drug Testing Laboratory

Why in News

• On October 12, 2022, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the newly constructed FDA Building and State Drug Testing Laboratory of Food Safety and Drug Administration Department at Danda Lakhond, Sahastradhara Road.

Key Points

• On this occasion, the Chief Minister informed that a big initiative is being taken towards strengthening the Drug Control Organization and State Drug Testing Laboratory for the pharma sector of the state. Keeping in mind the all-round development of this sector, the FDA has been approved at a cost of Rs 6.56 crore. The building has been constructed.
• Apart from this, FDA at a cost of Rs.13.22 crores. State Drug Testing Laboratory has also been established in the building to check the quality of drug samples. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment keeping in mind the current requirements.
• The Chief Minister said that it is the endeavor of the State Government to give maximum impetus to the manufacturing of medicines in the State and the possibilities of expansion in this field. As a result of this, the units of drug manufacturing are continuously increasing in the state. About 300 pharmaceutical companies are functioning in the state. All these units are providing employment to thousands of people through their production.
• He said that Uttarakhand has many natural resources. Uttarakhand is not only the land of AYUSH, Yoga, religion and culture, apart from this, it is also becoming the land of industries.
• The Chief Minister said that all possible help would be given by the State Government to the pharmaceutical companies. In the year 2025, when Uttarakhand will celebrate the silver jubilee of the state's establishment, attention will be given to what the pharma sector can contribute to making Uttarakhand an excellent state.
• State Health Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat said that continuous efforts are being made to promote pharmaceutical companies in Uttarakhand. Online process is being adopted to ensure that pharmaceutical companies do not face any problem in getting license.
• A target has been set to make the state tuberculosis free by the year 2024. Uttarakhand is one of the best states in blood donation and institutional delivery.