• 14 Jun 2023

Super State Highway will be Built in Uttar Pradesh

Why in News?

On June 13, 2023, Uttar Pradesh PWD Minister Jitin Prasada said that Super State Highways (SSH) will be built in view of the increasing traffic in the state. For this, an MoU is set to be signed between UP PWD and NHAI soon.

Key Points:

• Minister Jitin Prasada said that at present there is a ban on giving National Highway Status to new roads. Therefore, it has been decided to develop SSH as per the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. For this, the consent of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has also been received.
• These projects will be constructed with the help of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Looking at the traffic, their total width will be 4-6 lanes. The toll will also be charged on super state highways.
• A part of the income from this will be spent on the development of rural roads. That is, on the implementation of this scheme, adequate funds will also be available for rural roads. In the first phase, 1000-1500 km of state highways will be included in this scheme.
• PWD department heads have been instructed to identify state highways which can be given SSH status. In terms of traffic, these roads will be divided into two categories. One, where the PCU (passenger car unit) is between 20-30 thousand and two, where the PCU is more than 30 thousand.
• The state government will take up the responsibility of providing land as well as utility shifting and making roads encroachment-free. NHAI will arrange for the construction of these in HAM (Hybrid Annuity Model) or EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) mode. In HAM mode, NHAI pays 40% of the total cost, while in EPC, the entire cost is paid by NHAI.
• After construction, this road will remain under NHAI for 25 years and after that, it will be handed over to the Uttar Pradesh government. NHAI will collect tolls for the first 25 years.
• According to the MoU, the amount that will be left after deducting the necessary service & financial charges will be deposited in the account of UP PWD. This amount will be used only for the development of rural roads in the state.
• It is worth mentioning that PWD has a 276042 km long road network in the state. These include 109.01 km of State Highways, 67.49 km of Major District Roads (MDRs), 542.44 km of Other District Roads (ODRs) and 204148 km of Rural Roads. With the implementation of the SSH system, the PWD will be able to arrange a substantial part of the required budget for more than 2 lakh km of rural roads from its own resources.

A total of 12 Proposals were Approved in the Bihar Cabinet Meeting

Why in News?

On June 13, 2023, a state cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in which a total of 12 proposals were approved.

Key Points:

• In the meeting, the Chief Minister has approved an increase in the funds received by MLAs and MLCs every year. Now MLAs and MLCs will be able to recommend schemes up to Rs 4 crore.
  • It is known that till now MLAs and MLCs in Bihar could recommend schemes up to Rs 3 crore.
• The Chief Minister has approved Rs 234.30 crore for the construction of a total of 61 roads in south and north Bihar in the cabinet meeting.
• The proposal to make Darbhanga Medical College & Hospital (DMCH) a 2500 bedded hospital has also been approved.
  • It is known that a 400-bedded surgical ward is already being constructed here.
• Apart from this, a 2100-bedded building will now be constructed. For this, the state government has approved Rs 2546.41 crore.
• In the cabinet meeting, work will be done to build a storm drainage system in Darbhanga and Chhapra under the Chief Minister's ‘Saat Nishchay ke Atmanirbhar Bihar’. This will relieve people in the city from waterlogging.
• Along with this, the construction of ROBs in two districts of the state has also been approved by the state government.
• In the cabinet meeting, it has been decided to set up an agricultural equipment bank. This will help middle and poor farmers to buy agricultural equipment.

Rajasthan won a total of 6 Gold, 12 Silver and 15 Bronze Medals in the 66th National School Games.

Why in News?

In the team & individual sports events of the 66th National School Games that ended on June 13, 2023, the players of Rajasthan made a splash with their performance and won 6 gold, 12 silver & 15 bronze medals Rajasthan.

Key Points:

• On the final day of the 66th National School Games, Sania Khan of Jaipur made the state proud by winning a silver medal in the individual event of team event in tennis in New Delhi. At the same time, Lavanya Arora of Sriganganagar district won the bronze medal in judo in Bhopal, which was Rajasthan's fifth medal in judo.
• In the National School Games, the state won the silver medal for the first time in the team event, securing second place in the country.
• In chess, Pranay Chordia of Udaipur and Yukti Harsh of Bikaner won gold medals by performing individually best on their respective boards, both of these medals are in addition to the 6 gold medals won by the state.
• Keshav Bissa of Bikaner won the gold medal for the state in weightlifting as well as became the best player in the competition.
• For Rajasthan, Kavita Dudi of Nagaur won gold medals in 3000 m Racewalk, Neetu Kumari and Sumit Kumar of Churu won Discus Throw, Maya Mali of Bhilwara won Wrestling and Tashree Menaria of Jaipur won gold medals in Boxing.
• Apart from this, the players of the state also impressed everyone with their performance in other sports including badminton, hockey, volleyball and taekwondo.

Inauguration of Nandishala in Rampura Patti of Nohar

Why in News?

On June 13, 2023, Rajasthan's Mines Petroleum & Gopalan Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya and local MLA Amit Chachan inaugurated the Nandishala built at a cost of Rs 1.57 crore at Rampura Patti Shri Gaushala in Nohar in Hanumangarh district of the state.

Key Points:

• It is known that in view of the problem of the strayed Nandis in the state, the panchayat level Nandishala scheme was announced and Nandi shalas are being run at the Panchayat Samiti level while implementing it.
• The Gopalan Minister said that in order to solve the problems being faced in Gopalan, the process of the grant was simplified on the basis of the suggestion of Gaushala operators under the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Where earlier 200 animals and 2 years' experience of operating a cowshed was necessary for registration, whereas, simplifying this process, 100 animals and 1 year of operating experience have been prescribed.
• The grant for small animals which was earlier Rs.16, has been increased to Rs.20 and for large animals, the grant which was earlier Rs.32 has been increased to Rs.40. Now grant for sick cows and Nandi cows is being given for 12 months.
• Listing the achievements of the state government in the last five years, Gopalan Minister said that in the last four and a half years, a 2700 crore grant amount has been paid to the Gaushalas. Rajasthan is the first state in the country where so much budget is being spent on Gaushalas.
• He said that Gaushalas would be provided a stability grant of Rs 1200 to 1400 crore per year. Giving support to the cattle rearers, where earlier there was a subsidy of Rs 2 on milk production, it has now been increased to Rs 5. So far, more than Rs 400 crore has been provided in the entire state.

District Level Road Safety Task Force will be Formed

Why in News?

On June 13, 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the formation of a Road Safety Task Force at the district level comprising officials of various departments, taking an important step towards curbing road accidents in Rajasthan.

Key Points:

• The Transport and Road Safety Department will be the administrative department of the District Road Safety Task Force.
• A task force will be formed under the chairmanship of the District Collector of the concerned district. It will include the District Superintendent of Police, the Chief Executive Officer of the District Council, the Chief Medical & Health Officer, and the Commissioner of the Urban Body of the District Headquarters.
• Apart from these, the Superintendent Engineer of the Public Works Department, Secretary of Development Authority / Urban Development Trust of the District Headquarters, Executive Engineer of the Autonomous Government Department, Chief District Education Officer of Secondary Education, Superintendent / Chief Medical Officer of District Hospital, Members of NIC, Project Director of NHAI and IRED/E-DAR representative will be the members.
• An expert representative of an NGO working in the field of road safety, two road safety consultants will be special invitees and district/regional transport officers will be member secretaries in this task force.
• The District Collector will be able to invite the representative of any concerned department to the task force meeting and direct the work of the force.
• Task Force Functions:
  • The task force will meet at least once every three months. The District Road Safety Task Force will ensure the effective implementation of the annual action plan and the implementation of the decisions of the committee to reduce road accidents & death rate in the district by 50% by the year 2030.
  • Apart from this, it will carry out regular supervision, timely compliance of audit recommendations by conducting road safety audits, compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court Road Safety Committee, wide publicity of state schemes related to road safety, organizing public awareness campaigns and conducting special enforcement campaigns throughout the year.
• Task Force Powers and Tenure:
  • The task force constituted at the district level will coordinate the use of the services of experts from various reputed institutions for research, analysis, impact assessment, field survey, study etc.
  • Along with this, services of road safety consultants will be taken for effective implementation and supervision of works related to road safety.
  • The tenure of the District Road Safety Task Force will be for 3 years.

Completion of 66th National School Sports Competition

Why in News?

On June 13, 2023, the 66th National School Sports Competition held in Bhopal by the School Games Federation of India and the Department of School Education in collaboration with the Sports Department came to an end. Commissioner Public Instruction Anubha Srivastava awarded the winning participants with trophies and medals.

Key Points:

• In the table tennis (girls category) singles match, Maharashtra's Pratha Vatikar won the gold medal by defeating Delhi's Pritoki. Pritoki had to settle for a silver medal. Delhi's Diya Brahmachari and West Bengal's Sumitra Dutta got bronze medals.
• In the table tennis (boys) singles, Karnataka's Akash KJ won the gold medal by defeating his own state's Rohit 4-0 in straight sets. Rohit got the silver medal. Sarth Mishra of CBSE and Atharv Gupta of Delhi got bronze medals.
• In table tennis, Pratha Vatikar of Maharashtra has adjudged the best player in the girls' category and Akash KJ of Karnataka was adjudged the best player in the boys' category.
• Delhi won the table tennis girls' team championship, Maharashtra stood second and Haryana stood third. While Karnataka won the boys' team championship, Maharashtra stood second and CBSE stood third.
• Aditya in the boys' category and Aditi Sharma in the girls' category won the best player award in Judo.
• In the 70-plus weight category (girls category), Sneha Niyogi of Chhattisgarh won the gold medal by defeating Sanskriti of Maharashtra. Himachal's Nirjal and Rajasthan's Lavanya got bronze medals.
• In the 90 kg weight category (boys), Aditya of Maharashtra won the gold medal by defeating Kunal of Haryana. Kunal had to be content with a silver, the Delhi keeper bagged a bronze.
• The Judo team championship (boys category) was won by Haryana, second by Delhi and third by Punjab. Delhi won the girls' team championship, Maharashtra stood second and Haryana stood third.
• Gujarat was the winner in volleyball (boys category). Gujarat won the gold medal by defeating Kerala in a thrilling match. The volleyball teams of Kerala and Uttar Pradesh got second place and third place.
• In volleyball (girls category), West Bengal girls defeated Maharashtra girls to win the girls' championship title and Kerala stood third.

MoU between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to Promote Cultural Exchange & Culture Promotion

Why in News?

On June 13, 2023, an MoU was signed between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to promote cultural exchange & culture promotion in Lucknow in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel.

Key Points:

• Principal Secretary of Culture & Tourism, Madhya Pradesh Shiv Shekhar Shukla and Principal Secretary of Culture & Tourism, Uttar Pradesh Mukesh Kumar Meshram signed the MoU.
• Under the activities of the 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat' campaign, both states will promote each other's local culture.
• According to the MoU, a group of artists from Madhya Pradesh will give cultural performances on Uttar Pradesh Day-24 January and Republic Day-26 January in Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, on the foundation day of Madhya Pradesh, a group of artists from Uttar Pradesh will give cultural presentations in Madhya Pradesh.
• Art competitions, exhibitions, seminars, drama and theater activities will be organized jointly by both the states. In joint events, the host state will arrange for local hospitality, while the visiting state will bear the cost of travel.
• Both states will prepare a book based on their rich culture, customs, and traditions to display and distribute in educational institutions of each other's state. Both states will broadcast each other's local TV and radio channels in their respective states.
• The duration of the MoU is for 3 years, which can be extended for another 3 years with mutual consent.
• With the MoU, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments will be able to further strengthen each other's relationship. With such agreements, the citizens of the state will get an opportunity to understand, appreciate, and enrich India's diversity and know & understand Indian culture, customs and traditions.
• In another program, Madhya Pradesh's Culture, Tourism, Religious Trust and Religious Affairs Minister Usha Thakur inaugurated the marketing office of tourism at Hotel Gomti in Hazratganj, Lucknow to promote the tourist places of Madhya Pradesh rich in natural beauty in Uttar Pradesh.
• Kaushalendra Vikram Singh, Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation said that there is a plan to open marketing offices in Varanasi and Ayodhya in the near future.
• Residents of Uttar Pradesh will be told about the information and services of tourist places of the state through coffee table books, brochures, leaflets, Madhya Pradesh maps etc. in the marketing office. Along with this, information about the achievements, innovations and activities of Tourism Corporation's hotels, resorts, and boat clubs will also be given. This will increase the number of tourists coming from Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh.

Eight Hospitals in the state Got NQAS Certificate for Quality Health Services

Why in News?

On June 13, 2023, eight health centres of the state providing excellent healthcare and better treatment to patients were awarded the National Quality Assurance Standard (NQAS) certificate by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Key Points:

• It is known that the team of the Union Health Ministry had inspected these eight hospitals between April and May to test the quality of services available to the patients. The team also took feedback from the patients in this regard.
• The Union Health Ministry has awarded National Quality Assurance Standards Certificate to Majhgaon Sub Health Centre (Bilaspur), Dulla Health & Wellness Center (Gariaband), Kalcha Health & Wellness Center (Bastar), Peeprol Health & Wellness Center (Balrampur), Pithampur Health & Wellness Center (Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi), Sasha Health & Wellness Center (Baloda Bazar) and Shiv Prasad Nagar Health & Wellness Center, Dakai Health & Wellness Center (Surguja)
• In the evaluation of the Health Ministry team, Mazgaon Sub Health Center got 81 percent, Dulla Health & Wellness Center got 82 percent, Kalcha Health & Wellness Center got 89 percent, Peeprol Health & Wellness Center got 73 percent, Pithampur Health & Wellness Center got 89 percent, Shiv Prasad Nagar Health & Wellness Center got 93 percent, Sasha Health & Wellness Center got 96 percent and Dakai Health & Wellness Center has got 88 percent marks.
• It is worth mentioning that the services and satisfaction level of the hospital are tested on various parameters by a team of experts before awarding the National Quality Assurance Standard Certificate. These include parameters such as services available, patients' rights, inputs, support services, clinical services, infection control, quality management and outcomes. Only hospitals that meet these stringent standards are issued quality certificates by the Union Health Ministry.

Players of Chhattisgarh won 15 Medals in National Games

Why in News?

Players from Chhattisgarh won a total of 15 medals including 1 gold, 6 silver, and 8 bronze in the first Tribal National Sports Competition held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from June 9 to 12, 2023.

Key Points:

• Players from 18 states displayed their talent and sportsmanship in the first Tribal National Sports Meet held at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• The players of Chhattisgarh performed excellently and won the silver medal in 50-meter swimming and the bronze medal in 100-meter.
• Chhattisgarh's girls' football team proved their mettle by winning the gold medal.
• The kho-Kho girls' team and the Kabaddi girls' team got bronze medals.
• Tania won the bronze medal in high jump event of athletics, and Tarnika Teta of Bahtarai Residential Sports Academy, Bilaspur won the silver medal in 100 meters (about 328.08 ft) race and the bronze medal in the long jump. Manish Mandvi won the silver medal in the men's category and Pramila Mandvi won the silver medal in the girls' category in 5000 meters race.
• In archery, Kuber Singh Jagat of Bilaspur's Bahatrai Residential Sports Academy won the silver medal in individual 30 meters and a silver medal in individual overall.
• Kuber Singh and Bundeshwari Maravi won the bronze medal in the mixed event. At the same time, in the team archery championship, the girls won the bronze medal and the boys' archery team won the silver medal.

Chief Minister launched 10 Faceless Services of Haryana Urban Development Authority

Why in News?

On June 12, 2023, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal launched 10 faceless services of the Haryana Urban Development Authority, which is an important step towards digital empowerment and citizens' facilities. Along with this, the Chief Minister also launched a brochure of faceless services.

Key Points:

• Haryana Urban Development Authority aims to provide transparent & citizen-centric services through technology and contribute to the overall development & welfare of the state.
• Allottees can now avail of Haryana Urban Development Authority services from anywhere without the need to personally visit the Estate Office. The online platform is accessible 24×7, allowing citizens to easily submit their applications and access services at their convenience.
• The Chief Minister said that the user-friendly interface of the online system ensures a smooth & hassle-free experience for the users, simplifies the application process and enables the citizens to navigate easily through the various services provided by the Haryana Urban Development Authority.
• Faceless service will increase transparency as applicants can track the status of their applications and get updates online.
• In addition, the system's faceless service promotes fairness and objectivity in the allocation process, thereby ensuring a level playing field for all.
• The launch of faceless service will bring many benefits to the citizens of the state and the allottees can now apply for various services like- Transfer permission letters, Non-dues certificates, Non-encumbrance certificates, Independent floor-transfer permission letters, Mortgage permission Facilities of Letters, Independent Floor Re-allotment letter, De-mortgage permission letter, Cancellation of transfer permission, Allotment letter (e-auction) and Re-allotment letter will be provided.
• On this occasion, the Chief Minister flagged off the Haryana Urban Development Authority van. This van will go to every sector of HSVP and inform people about the schemes being offered by HSVP & will work to make them aware.
• It was told in the meeting that last year 62 thousand people have taken advantage of these services through manual mediums, but now the benefit of all these services will be available through online mediums only.
• User has to log in to the allottee corner to avail these services. Users can log in through launch videos on HSVP's website guiding them on how to avail the services.

Aerodrome license issued to Naini Saini Airport

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on June 13, 2023, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an aerodrome license for the Naini Saini Airport in Pithoragarh, the frontier district of the state, under the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).

Key Points:

• After getting the aerodrome license, civilian aircraft will also be able to fly from Naini Saini Airport in Pithoragarh's border district.
• It is known that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had requested to give the aerodrome license to Naini Saini Airport.
• The state government has entrusted the operation of this airport to the Air Force. Now along with Air Force aircraft, commercial aircraft will also be able to fly from this airport for the convenience of the citizens.