• 14 Sep 2023

Unity Mall will be Built in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi

Why In News?

According to information received from the media on September 12, 2023, work on it has started after the Central Government announced to give a total of three Unity Malls to Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points:

• Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has given instructions to identify the land in connection with the proposed Unity Mall in Varanasi, while the land in Agra has been identified.
• Food courts will also be opened to provide food and drink facilities to the people visiting the mall.
• It is noteworthy that in the Union Budget 2023-24 of the Government of India, a provision has been made to establish Unity Mall in all the states of the country.
• Unity Mall in Lucknow will be built in Awadh Shilp Gram, but before that the mall will be started in the 35 air-conditioned showrooms currently present there.
• The Chief Secretary said that in the second phase, the design and DPR of Unity Mall in Awadh Shilpgram will soon be sent to the Central Government by the Housing Development Department.
• Arrangements will be made by the states for exhibition and sale of their ODOP products, GI products, handicraft products and ODOP products of other states in Unity Mall.
• The main objective of Unity Mall is to promote national integration, Make in India, ODOP efforts and to promote local handicraft products and local employment generation.
• A joint committee will be formed regarding the operation of the unit mall. Housing Development and MSME departments will be included in the committee.

Under the New Education Policy, Studies will now Take Place only for 29 hours a Week in Schools of Uttar Pradesh.

Why in News?

On September 13, 2023, with the aim of implementing the new National Education Policy in letter and spirit, the State Government instructed the Education Department to prepare new rules for studies in schools under the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) of the new education policy. Under which now only 29 hours of teaching will be held in schools in a week.

Key Points

• Under the new education policy, it has been recommended to hold classes in schools for a total of 29 hours a week. Classes will be held for 5 to 5:30 hours from Monday to Friday and only for two to two and a half hours on two Saturdays of the month.
• There will be a holiday on two Saturdays. Similarly, the maximum time limit for classes of general subjects will be reduced from 45 to 35 minutes, while classes for major subjects will be held for 50 minutes.
• The normal time of school classes in the state will be a maximum of 35 minutes. The time of classes related to only the main subjects Mathematics, Hindi and Hindi Grammar, English and English Grammar, Science etc. will be fixed for 40 to 50 minutes.
• In the new National Education Policy, in order to give relief to children from the burden of studies, there will be permission to come without a school bag for a total of 10 days on different dates in the year. On school-free days, children will be taught verbally and through experiments.

Third-Fourth Railway Line will be Laid from Deendayal Upadhyay Junction to Kiul via Patna.

Why in News?

In the press conference held at Danapur DRM office on September 13, 2023, MP Ramkripal Yadav said that the Railway Ministry is going to start the construction work of the third and fourth railway lines from Kiul to Deendayal Upadhyay Junction.

Key Points

• The Railway Ministry has allocated Rs 7.80 crore for the Final Location Survey (FLS), which covers 390 km. There will also be a survey for the construction of a long railway line, due to which in addition to the existing double main line, two more new lines will be constructed between Kiul-Patna-Deendayal Upadhyay railway section.
• A third railway line will be constructed in Danapur yard, so that trains coming to and from North Bihar and Patna can operate uninterrupted. At the same time, a survey for Bihta to Aurangabad railway line will start soon.
• A master plan is being prepared to develop four important stations - Danapur, Patna, Patliputra and Rajendra Nagar Terminal - connected to the Patna area of Howrah-New Delhi railway line.
• Goods shed will be constructed at Sadisopur, Kurji Mohammadpur, Gonpura and Jatdumri stations under Danapur division. Stations will be completely constructed in Sadisopur and Kurji Mohammadpur.
• Survey for construction of rail line (ROR) over the rail line will begin from Sadisopur. This ROR will be available at Kurji Mohammadpur station.

Chief Minister Inaugurated the World's First Heritage River Front

Why In News?

On September 12, 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the world's first Heritage Chambal River Front in Kota city of the state.

Key Points:

• Chambal River Front is the first heritage river front developed in India, this will increase the traffic of domestic and foreign tourists in Kota.
• Chambal River Front has been developed at a cost of Rs 1400 crore on both banks of Chambal River over a length of 2.75 km from Kota Barrage to Nayapura Pulia in Kota city. With its construction, all the settlements situated on the banks of Chambal river have become free from floods.
• 27 ghats have been constructed on both banks of the riverfront, which include Chambal Mata Ghat, Ganesh Pol, Maru Ghat, Jantar-Mantar Ghat, Vishwa Maitri Ghat, Hadoti Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi Setu, Kanak Mahal, Fountain Ghat, Theater Ghat, Sahitya Ghat, Utsav Ghat are included. Also, Singh Ghat, Nayapura Garden, Jawahar Ghat, Geeta Ghat, Shanti Ghat, Nandi Ghat, Vedic Ghat, Roshan Ghat, Ghanti Ghat, Tiranga Ghat, Shaurya Ghat, Rajputana Ghat, Jugnu Ghat, Hathi Ghat and Balaji Ghat are included.
• Jawahar Ghat: Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru's face mask made of gunmetal has been installed on this ghat, which is 32 feet high and weighs 25 tonnes. Tourists can climb to the eye level of the statue and view the ghats of the eastern coast and the statue of Chambal Mata.
• Geeta Ghat: In Geeta Ghat, all the 700 verses of the entire 18 chapters of Geeta are engraved on the Vietnamese marble plaque.
• Shanti Ghat: An invisible sculpture in yoga posture has been installed on this ghat, in which the seven chakras of the human body are depicted.
• Nandi Ghat: A 25 feet long, 15 feet wide and 20 feet high (maximum height) statue of Nandi has been installed on this ghat.
• Vedic Ghat: This ghat has 5 temples built in Badoli style, depicting the five elements.
• Roshan Ghat: This ghat depicts the architecture of Islamic phase. Jannati Darwaza has been constructed in its middle.
• Ghanti Ghat: The world's largest metal bell has been installed in it.
• Tiranga Ghat: A huge national flag of India has been installed on this ghat.
• Shaurya Ghat: This is the entrance to the western end. Arrangements for huge parking, information center for tourists, restaurants etc. have been made in this square.
• Rajputana Ghat: In this Ghat, replicas of various buildings of different regions of Rajasthan like Mewar, Marwar, Dhundhaar, Bangar, Hadoti region have been made, like Poddar Haveli, Jagmandir, Jagnivas, Gangauri Ghat, Hawa Mahal, Ganeshpol, Sargasuli, Vijay Pillar, Brahma Temple, Ranakpur, Patwa Haveli etc. have been constructed.
• Jugnu Ghat: LED Flora and Fauna has been constructed in this Ghat. An open theater has also been constructed in it.
• Hathi Ghat: White marble elephants have been installed on natural rocks.
• Balaji Ghat: Batak Balaji temple has been constructed on this ghat and the heritage of the historical temples built earlier has also been preserved.
• The Chambal River Front developed in Kota is a unique example of architecture in the country. Along with development, works like tourism, employment, environmental protection and beautification of the river have been done.
• A 225 feet high marble statue of Chambal Mata has also been installed here.
• The world's largest gun metal mask of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru was built at Jawahar Ghat on the Chambal River Front. Besides, the world's largest Nandi is also built here.
• Similarly, statues of 10 incarnations have been installed in a garden and a higher gate has been made from the Buland Darwaza. The architecture and culture of 9 regions of Rajasthan has been depicted at Rajputana Ghat.
• Mukut Mahal has an 80 feet high ceiling and Silicon Valley is also located here.
• The world's largest bell has been made at Brahma Ghat, whose sound can be heard up to 8 km away.
• Books and statues of famous writers have also been installed at the Literary Ghat.

Launch of Evaluation and Impact Assessment Center at AGPA, Bhopal

Why In News?

On September 12, 2023, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan virtually inaugurated the Evaluation and Impact Assessment Center established at AGPA (Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis, Bhopal) and SDG progress report published by State NITI Aayog Madhya Pradesh- Released 2023.

Key Points:

• It is noteworthy that a three-day (11 to 13 September) conference and workshop was organized at Kushabhau Thackeray Auditorium in Bhopal, in which many economists, researchers and representatives of development related organizations are participating.
• The major parts of the conference included the establishment of an evaluation and impact assessment center at the Institute of Good Governance, a workshop on child and gender budgeting, and a capacity building program to strengthen the statistical system. These joint efforts will be helpful in strengthening the data delivery system of the state.
• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that this center will see the impact of government policies and the changes coming in the lives of the people. Through this, the effects of government schemes, projects and programs will be assessed.
• The Chief Minister said that research, survey and data prepared scientifically is useful. It is the foundation of good governance and helps in public welfare. Solid statistical data based on research maintains the pace of development.
• The Chief Minister virtually addressed the workshop organized in collaboration with NITI Aayog of the Central Government on the utility of N-DAP i.e. National Data Analytics Platform.
• He said that N-DAP is a special initiative of NITI Aayog to improve access and use of government data. The platform collects and hosts datasets from India's vast statistical infrastructure. It has been developed between the years 2020 to 2022.
• Madhya Pradesh Data and Analytics Platform (MP-DAP) will be considered to be developed as an aggregator platform using N-DAP. This conference has become an important medium for organizing workshops on the usefulness of N-DAP and its use.

Rohtak's Suhana Saini Becomes World Number One Ranked Player

Why in News?

In the latest world rankings released by the Internal Table Tennis Federation on September 12, 2023, table tennis star Suhana Saini from Rohtak district of Haryana has secured the first position in the Youth Star Contender Table Tennis World Rankings due to her excellent game.

Key Points

• Suhana Saini has achieved this feat by pairing with Bangalore's Yashasvi Ghorpade.
• Earlier, this pair had also been world ranking number one from October 22, 2022 to March 7, 2023.
• Currently Suhana has world rank 15 in Under 17 singles and world rank 28 in Under 19 singles. Whereas in India Suhana is at number one in Under 19.

Maha Prawn farming will be done in Gumla, Simdega and Hazaribagh Districts.

Why in News?

On September 13, 2023, the Fisheries Department of Jharkhand in collaboration with the Central Institute of Inland Fisheries Research (ICAR), Barrackpore, Kolkata has taken an initiative to improve the livelihood of tribal communities through Maha Prawn culture in the reservoirs of the state, under which Under the pilot project in Gumla, Simdega and Hazaribagh districts, fish farmers will be made to rear Maha Prawns.

Key Points

• ICAR Principal Scientist AK Das told the fish farmers that Jharkhand's cage culture is number one in the entire country. Thus, now Mahajingha also has to be made number one here, for which this pilot project has been made.
• Under the project, on September 16 and 18, 2023, two lakh seeds each will be planted in Masaria Dam and Hazaribagh of Gumla and four lakh seeds of Maha Prawn fish will be planted in Kelaghagh of Simdega. After this, a state level meeting will be held in Ranchi on 20th September.
• The pilot project started to promote the people of ST-SC category of the state in the field of fisheries, especially in Maha Prawn farming, which will prove to be a milestone in the economic progress of Maha Prawn farming and farmers.
• It is known that fish contains abundant amounts of nutrients, which are very effective in removing many types of diseases and physical weaknesses of the body, especially malnutrition. But, Maha Prawn is more effective than all those fish.
• Also, Maha Prawn is even more expensive than other fish. This fish is sold at the rate of Rs 400-500 per kg.
• Farmers can fulfill their dreams by rearing Maha Prawn, because Maha Prawn is more expensive than other fish. There is progress in the field of fish farming in the state. People engaged in fishing are making economic progress.
• The state government will cooperate with the farmers in following this and after the fish is ready, the farmers will get all its benefits. It is used as food and can be sold in the market to generate economic income.

Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana to be launched on September 17 in Ranchi

Why in News?

On September 13, 2023, Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar Sinha said that Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana will be launched in Ranchi on September 17.

Key Points

• The benefit of this scheme will be given to blacksmiths, potters, masons, washermen, flower traders, fish net weavers, lock and key makers and sculptors, besides workers from other sectors.
• Under the scheme, in the first phase, a loan of up to Rs 1 lakh will be available at 5 percent interest and in the second phase, eligible workers will get a concessional loan of Rs 2 lakh each.
• Artisans and craftsmen will also be given PM Vishwakarma certificate and identity card. Financial assistance of Rs 15,000 will also be given for purchasing modern equipment.
• The minimum age to avail benefits under this scheme has been kept at 18 years. Only one member of the family will get the benefit of this scheme. Those applying will also have to give a self-declaration form.

New Office Building of the State Agricultural Marketing Board and Laid the foundation Stone of Chhattisgarh Krishi Bhawan.

Why In News?

On September 12, 2023, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated the new office building of Chhattisgarh State Agricultural Marketing (Mandi) Board in Nava Raipur and laid the foundation stone of the newly built Chhattisgarh Krishi Bhawan.

Key Points:

• On this occasion, the Chief Minister announced to name the new building of Mandi Board after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The office of Seed Corporation will also operate in this building constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore in Sector-24 of Nava Raipur.
• Various agriculture related activities will be conducted from this building constructed in approximately 1 lakh 58 thousand square feet (about half the area of a Manhattan city block) which will benefit the farmers.
• While addressing the inauguration ceremony, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that the market is being expanded in the state for the convenience of the farmers. About 1.25 lakh metric Tonnes of paddy is to be purchased in the state. Keeping this in view, paddy collection centers are also being developed as markets.
• Apart from this, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel performed the Bhoomi Pujan and laid the foundation stone of the new five-Storey Chhattisgarh Krishi Bhawan to be built on 3.14 acres (about half the area of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool) at a cost of Rs 49 crore 50 lakhs in Sector-19 of Nava Raipur.
• Krishi Bhavan will house all the departments related to agriculture - Directorate of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Horticulture and Field Forestry, Watershed Management, Livestock Development, Fisheries. The offices of the agriculture minister and Agriculture Production Commissioner will also be established in the building.
• The construction of Integrated Agriculture Building will increase the mutual coordination between the supporting institutions of the department, which will speed up the work of agricultural development and it will be possible to solve the problems of farmers coming from all over the state under one roof. In future, Krishi Bhawan will be developed as an 'Integrated Resource Centre' for the development of the agriculture sector.

Pumped Storage Policy Made in the State for Cheap Electricity Generation

Why In News?

On September 12, 2023, Uttarakhand's Energy Secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram said that the state government has brought a pump storage policy to provide cheap electricity in the state. The Cabinet has approved this.

Key Points:

• Under the pump storage policy, those setting up projects on the rivers of the state will not have to pay 12.5 percent royalty to the state government, but they will also get exemption from local area development charges and transmission charges.
• After the introduction of the pump storage policy, cheap electricity will be available during peak times. During the day, water will be sent from bottom to top with cheap electricity coming from solar or other means. After this, at night when there is huge demand for electricity (expensive electricity in the market), then electricity will be generated from the project.
• The proposed policy includes inter-state transmission charges, local area development fund, free royalty power (12.5 per cent), transfer on land, quick permission for extraction, water tax and transfer of government land to circles for a period of 45 years for quick development of projects. A discount will be given on allotment at the rate linked to the annual lease rate.
• The Energy Secretary said that companies will be given priority in the projects already running on rivers. These projects will be for 45 years, after which they will be handed over to the state government.
• Private investors will be selected through tender to build projects in the identified areas on the rivers. He can also identify the place at his level and bring a proposal before the government.
• Along with on stream, off stream projects can also be implemented. The project will have to be constructed within three years of receiving all approvals.
• On the lines of liquefied gas coming from abroad, now VAT will be zero on CNG coming for two gas-based power plants located in Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district of the state.
• With this, gas-based plants will be able to operate and the shortage of power supply in the state can be overcome. The electricity generated from these will also be cheap.