• 14 Dec 2021

Shrikashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor

Why in News

• On December 13, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new and grand Shrikashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor by unveiling the stone plaque in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. This corridor connects the ancient Kashi Vishwanath temple of Varanasi directly with the Ganga Ghat.

Key Points

• Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the new complex of Shrikashi Vishwanath Dham is not just a grand building. It is a symbol of India's eternal culture, spiritual soul, antiquity, traditions, energy and dynamism of India.
• Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that in the year 1777-1780, Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore had contributed a lot in the restoration of Baba Vishwanath. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had made the temple golden. The Rani of Gwalior had also contributed to the temple.
• Attempts were made to destroy the Kashi Vishwanath temple several times in the last one thousand years. This temple was first demolished by Qutubuddin Aibak in 1194 AD. The second attack on this temple was done by Sultan Mahmud Shah of Jaunpur in 1447 AD. In 1642 AD, Shah Jahan passed an order to demolish this temple.

E-work and E-map Mobile App

Why in News

• On December 13, 2021, the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Rajasthan launched the e-work and e-map mobile app in collaboration with NIC and German Development Corporation and BMZ in a program organized at Indira Gandhi Institute of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development.

Key Points

• On this occasion, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Aparna Arora said that monitoring of all state level schemes of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department would be done on a single portal through e-work and e-map mobile app.
• More than 10 lakh works are being done in the state through state level schemes. He said that with the help of the app, quality and transparency would be ensured in the state level schemes.
• With the preparation of an action plan for rural development, after its completion, all the works up to the maintenance of the asset register can be edited through a single platform. E-work and e-mobile app will be used by all the officers from the village development officer to the government level.
• Provision is being made by the department to keep the information in the public domain for informing the general public. Integration of e-work and e-map app will be done with Jansuchna Portal.
• The development of this app and portal will be done in two phases. The first phase has been rolled out and the second phase will be implemented by April 2022.
• It is noteworthy that the MLA Local Area Development Program, Chief Minister Adarsh ​​Gram Panchayat Scheme, Mahatma Gandhi Jan Bhagidari Vikas Yojana, Self-discipline District Development Plan, Dang Regional Development Program, Magra Regional Development Program, Mewat Regional Development Plan, Mahatma Gandhi Adarsh ​​Gram Yojana There are 11 state level schemes including Chief Minister District Innovation Fund Scheme, Shree Yojana and Smart Village.

Miss Universe-2021

Why in News

• Chandigarh's Harnaaz Sandhu won the 70^th Miss Universe title at a ceremony held in Israel on December 13, 2021.

Key Points

• India has got this title of Miss Universe after 21 years. Earlier this title was given to India in the year 1994 by actress Sushmita Sen and in the year 2000 by actress Lara Dutta.
• 21-year-old Harnaaz has won this title by beating beautiful and talented women from 75 countries.
• Apart from India, the top 3 included women from Paraguay and South Africa.
• Harnaaz Sandhu is a student of Post Graduate Government College for Girls Sector-42. She is currently completing her Master's degree in Public Administration. Although she wanted to be a judge.
• Harnaaz was crowned Miss Universe India 2021 in October. She also won the title of Miss Chandigarh and Miss Max Emerging Star India in the year 2017.
• Harnaaz Sandhu participated in the Miss India pageant in 2019 and managed to make her place in the top 12 of the beauty pageant.

LEADS Report: Haryana Secures Second Place

Why in News

• Taking a giant leap in the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) report released by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently, Haryana has secured the second position in the LEADS 2021 index.

Key Points

• Proactive policies, well-developed infrastructure and responsive government-run services have made Haryana one of the top performers in the Leeds 2021 Index by achieving an increase of four places as compared to its sixth position in the year 2019 index. Apart from this, it has contributed in the making of 'Self-reliant India' and making India a five trillion dollar economy.
• The Logistics, Warehousing and Retail Policy-2019 prepared by Haryana is one of the most important steps taken to improve the logistics ecosystem within the state.
• The state scored the highest on several indicators, including quality of warehousing infrastructure, timeliness of cargo delivery during transportation, operational and regulatory environment and efficiency of regulatory services.
• Along with this, the report also mentioned that Haryana has the maximum number of private freight terminals in the country and Haryana ranks ninth in terms of Inland Container Depots (ICDs).
• The state provides capital and interest subsidy of 5 per cent to 25 per cent for setting up of Warehousing Infrastructure Logistics Parks and Integrated/Multi-Modal Logistics Parks.
• Haryana also reimburses 50 per cent of the training cost of workers to logistics and warehousing units to enable skilled manpower in logistics.
• The regulatory regime has also been simplified through a single desk clearance mechanism, self-certification and assistance in land acquisition for setting up logistics infrastructure in the state.

Non Communicable Disease Screening (NCD Screening)

Why in News

• Jharkhand has been ranked third in the country in the Non-Communicable Disease Screening (NCD Screening) category on the Azaadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav campaign and Universal Health Coverage Day organized in Delhi on 13^th December, 2021.

Key Points

• The third position award in the NCD screening category was presented by Dr. Bharti Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health, which was received by Ramesh Gholap, Campaign Director, National Health Mission Jharkhand, and Dr. Lalit Ranjan Pathak, State Nodal Officer, NCD along with their team.
• In this ceremony, CHO Alka Khalkho, ANM Baren Minj and Sahiya Salo Devi, who were part of the team working at Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Center at Gamharia, Gumla district, were presented with the award for outstanding service.

Liquid Mirror Telescope

Why in News

• Recently, Dipankar Banerjee, scientist of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (AIRES), told that soon Asia's largest Liquid Mirror Telescope, also known as Devasthali Optical Telescope (DOT) will be at Devasthal near Nainital in Uttarakhand. , will be installed.

Key Points

• Dipankar Banerjee said that the telescope could have been installed earlier, but it got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. He said that the construction work of the telescope has been completed and it will be installed and inaugurated soon.
• A liquid mirror telescope coated with mercury is much cheaper than a normal telescope and can only see objects in space that come into its view, as it cannot be moved in different directions.
• It will be used to study celestial bodies such as stars, space debris and satellites that will pass through its focus.
• Currently, the largest such telescope in Asia has a diameter of 3.6 meters, while the telescope will measure four meters in diameter, making it the third largest telescope in the world after installation.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel launched the telescope in March 2016. It has been built with the joint collaboration of Canada and Belgium at a cost of Rs 10 crore.