State PCS

• 16 Feb 2022

Wasteland to Wetland Project in Noida

Why in News?

• Recently, NOIDA Authority OSD I.P. Singh informed that on the lines of Wasteland to Wetland project in Noida, the work of developing the dumping ground of Sector 54 as a sea beach can be completed by the end of February 2022.

Key Points

• The implementation of this project is being done by the Noida Authority.
• Along with the park, many other entertainment facilities (such as elevated track for cycling, view point etc) will be available to roam in this wetland to be built on 25 acres.
• The availability of water to the wetlands will be ensured from rainwater as well as treated water received from the nearby sewage treatment plant.
• Significantly, the decision to convert the 'barren land' into wetland was taken by the Noida Authority only after the NGT directed it to stop the dumping of garbage in Noida Sector 54 Green Belt in the year 2019.

Tarapur Martyrs Memorial

Why in News?

• Recently, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated a martyrs’ park and also unveiled a memorial comprising statues of 13 martyrs at Tarapur in Munger district.

Key Points

• 34 people were martyred simultaneously in Tarapur of Bihar in the freedom struggle. In their memory, now a State Festival will be organized every year on 15th February at Tarapur Martyrs Memorial, so that the new generation can know about the martyrs and people should feel proud of them.
• In 1932, the then acting president of Congress Sardul Singh Kavishar had given a call for hoisting the Tricolour on all the government buildings on February 15. This decision was taken on February 13, 1932 in Jamua village of Supaur and a raid team of 5 volunteers was formed under the leadership of Madan Gopal Singh.
• On February 14, people reached Tarapur and on February 15, 1932, these people raided. Everyone started running away due to lathi charge by the police, but Madan Gopal Singh hoisted the flag at the police station and people started shouting 'Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara'.
• The District Magistrate, who was injured by the stone pelting on the police by the people, ordered an open fire, in which 34 people were martyred, but the names of only 13 people could be traced. This incident of Tarapur is important for the freedom struggle.

Weavers’ Award

Why in News?

• On February 15, 2022, in the meeting of Rajasthan State Level Weavers’ Award Selection Committee, 6 weavers of the state were selected to be rewarded under the Weavers Award Scheme. This meeting was held under the chairmanship of Industries and Commerce Commissioner Mahendra Kumar Parakh,

Key Points

• The first three weavers selected at the state level will be given cash amount of Rs 21000, 11000 and 7100 respectively and the three weavers selected at the district level will be given cash amount of Rs 5100, 3100 and 2100 respectively.
• It is noteworthy that the Weavers Award Scheme was started in 2005, under which a provision was made to give cash rewards to the weavers in the state.
• In the financial year 2021-22, a provision of Rs 3 lakh has been made by the Industries and Commerce Department to reward weavers in 19 weavers-dominated districts of the state under this scheme.
• After perusing the 32 entries received by the department, 6 entries were selected for the cash prize.
• Indro (Pokhran, Jaisalmer) stood first for Pokhran Pattu, while Ghulam Ahmed (Sawai Madhopur) secured second position for Plain Khes whereas Shakti Singh Naruka (Sirahi, Tonk) stood third for cotton saree.
• Maqbool Ahmed (Mangrol, Baran) was selected for Kota Doria Violet Booti Saree, while Budhram (Kankani, Jodhpur) was selected for Cotton Dari and Suman (Amarpura Bas, Bikaner) was selected for the Consolation Prize for Coating Woolen.

Strategy Paper for Tiger Conservation and Promotion

Why in News?

• Recently, Rajasthan Forest Minister Hema Ram Chaudhary told the Legislative Assembly that a strategy paper for tiger conservation and promotion has been approved by the state government, is being implemented.

Key Points

• The Forest Minister informed that an inquiry has been conducted by the State Government regarding the death of tigers in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in the year 2020. A task force is examining the suggestions made to strengthen the management of tiger projects in the investigation reports received.
• The Forest Minister said that in the cases of disappearance of tigers, poaching and mutual conflict over jurisdiction and deaths in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve forest area, investigations are being done by the committee constituted by the Government of India on March 13, 2020.
• After the establishment of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in 1973, the number of tigers at present is maximum. The number of tigers and their cubs in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and adjacent areas has increased to 66 in the year 2019, 68 in the year 2020 and 81 in the year 2021.
• At present the ratio of male to female tigers is also 1:1.3, which is unusual. Most of the 32 female tigresses are of reproductive age, which has led to an increase in the number of new cubs. Between 2019 and 2021, 44 cubs have been born.
• Currently there are 25 tigers in the Sariska Tiger Reserve. There were 16 tigers in the year 2019, 23 tigers in 2020 and 25 tigers in 2021. At present the ratio of male and female tigers is also 1:1.22 here, which is unusual. Between 2019 to 2021, 9 cubs have been born.
• Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve currently has 1 tigress. There were 4 tigers in the year 2019, 1 tiger in 2020 and 1 tiger in 2021. In this interval, 2 tigers and 1 tigress died here and between 2019 and 2021, 3 cubs have been born.
• In a research conducted by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun from 2006 to 2014 in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, it was mentioned that tiger density in Ranthambore National Park and Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary area of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve has reached equal to Kering capacity.
• At the time of research, there were 43 adult tigers in the area of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve I, whereas at present it has increased to 53 adult tigers including 23 males and 30 females.

Online Portal for Registration of Colonizers

Why in News?

• On February 15, 2022, Madhya Pradesh's Urban Development and Housing Minister Bhupendra Singh launched the online portal for registration.

Key Points

• Through this online portal, colonizers will now be able to do construction work in the entire state on a single registration. Colonizers will get relief from registering in different urban bodies. Along with this, the relevant certificates will be issued within the time limit of 30 days.
• The Urban Development and Housing Minister said that the online registration will make all the process simpler and the development of the state would accelerate. It is noteworthy that the State Government has also made provisions for regularization of illegal colonies through Madhya Pradesh Municipality Colony Development Rules 2021.
• The facility of application will be available on e-municipal portal, MP Urban website, e-service portal. It will facilitate online payment of registration fee, tracking application status, online document uploading, online approval process, digitally signed certificates, information to the applicant through SMS and WhatsApp, facility to provide certificates through WhatsApp.
• The new integrated registration of colonizers will now be done online at the Directorate level, which will be valid for all municipal bodies.

Ken-Betwa Link Project

Why in News?

• Recently, a Steering Committee and Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA) have been constituted by the Central Government to implement the Ken-Betwa Link Project (Uttar Pradesh-Madhya Pradesh) under the National River Linking Policy.

Key Points

• This 20-member committee will be headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti. The Chief Engineer of National Water Development Authority will be its member secretary.
• The Steering Committee will ensure compliance with the provisions of the MoU, approve fundamental administrative policies, bye-laws and norms for the KBLPA, approve and examine its annual budget, financial statements, and decide on its obligations and loan proposals.
• As per the notification issued by the government, Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority will be responsible for execution of Daudhan Dam, Power House, Ken-Betwa Link Water Carrier Canal, Tunnel, Lower Project, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.
• The KBLPA will be headed by a Chief Executive Officer of the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
• The Ken-Betwa link project covers 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. These include 9 districts of Madhya Pradesh – Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen. There are Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur districts of Uttar Pradesh.
• With this entire scheme, about 10 lakh hectares of land will be irrigated in all these districts and 62 lakh people will get clean drinking water. Under this project, 103 MW hydro power and 27 MW solar plant will also be built.

Kala Ramachandran: First Woman Police Commissioner of Gurugram

Why in News?

• On February 15, 2022, IPS officer Kala Ramachandran became the first woman police commissioner of Gurugram.

Key Points

• Kala Ramachandran is a 1994 batch IPS officer.
• Counting her priorities, Kala Ramachandran said that there will be special emphasis on smooth running of traffic in Gurugram, reducing road accidents. Prevention of women and cyber crime is also included in her priorities.
• It is noteworthy that till now Kala Ramachandran was taking over as the Principal Secretary of the Transport Department.
• It is to be known that the Police Commissionerate in Gurugram was formed in 2007. Earlier, SPs were appointed in Gurugram. After becoming the commissioner, Mahendralal became the first police commissioner of Gurugram. During this, eight police commissioners were made, all of whom were men.

Financial Literacy Week 2022

Why in News?

• The Financial Literacy Week was formally inaugurated on February 14, 2022 by Sanjeev Sinha, General Manager, RBI, Ranchi Headquarters in Jharkhand.

Key Points

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been organizing Financial Literacy Week (FLW) every year since 2016 to propagate financial education messages on a specific topic across the country.
• This year's Financial Literacy Week theme is 'Go Digital, Go Secure', which will be observed from February 14 to February 18.
• During the Financial Literacy Week, RBI will broadcast three messages – Facilitation of Digital Transactions, Security of Digital Transactions and Safety of Customers.
• Some other measures have also been taken by RBI for financial literacy, such as-
  
  • The Reserve Bank of India has released the third edition of the FAME (Financial Awareness Message) booklet, which aims to provide basic financial literacy messages to the public.
  • Audio visuals on topics related to financial literacy have been prepared for the benefit of the general public. These audio visuals are on 'Basic Financial Literacy', 'Unified Payments Interface' and 'Going Digital'.

'Toilet Before Tablet' campaign

Why in News?

• On February 15, 2022, Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain gave instructions to give a concrete shape to the 'Toilet Before Tablet' campaign in the upcoming education session.

Key Points

• It is noteworthy that the meeting of the Samagra Shiksha Executive Committee of Chhattisgarh's School Education Department and the State Level Monitoring cum Steering Committee constituted for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (Mid-day Meal) scheme was held at Mantralaya Mahanadi Bhawan, which was presided over by Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain.
• It was decided in this meeting that model toilets would be constructed in each ward of all urban areas and one school in each gram panchayat. Good quality construction work in these toilets at low cost will be done on priority basis.
• Proper arrangement for running water, drainage etc. will be made in the toilets. Also, special arrangements will be made for their regular cleaning and maintenance. These toilets will be constructed in coordination with various schemes run by different departments.
• The Chief Secretary directed that the purchase of other items including the food items used under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (Mid-day Meal) scheme should be done from the Rural Livelihood Center operated in the Gauthans.
• In the meeting, an annual action plan of Rs 3456.98 crore was approved for the academic session 2022-23 under Samagra Shiksha and a total annual action plan of Rs 696.18 crore for the mid-day meal scheme was approved. After approval, these proposals will be sent to the Government of India for approval.

Special Handloom Expo

Why in News?

• On February 15, 2022, Bilaspur Commissioner, Chhattisgarh, Dr. Sanjay Alang inaugurated the Special Handloom Expo and Exhibition at Taran Pushkar Maidan.

Key Points

• The handloom art of weavers from 7 states has been beautifully displayed in the expo. The exhibition was organized in a series of various programs organized to commemorate the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The exhibition will run till February 27. During this, the exhibition will be open daily from 12 noon to 9 pm.
• After the inauguration, Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Alang visited various stalls and met weavers and artists and inspected the samples of the textile exhibition.
• The exhibition has been organized by the Handloom Development Commissioner, Government of India and Sant Ravidas Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation, Bhopal in collaboration with the local district administration.
• Managing Director Anubha Srivastava informed that this exhibition has been organized with the aim of nurturing the talent of handloom artists and providing them a market.
• Famous weavers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are participating in the exhibition.

Launch of Latest Banking Finacle CBS Platform

Why in News?

• Recently, Dinesh Pant, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nainital Bank of Uttarakhand, duly inaugurated the bank's upgraded CBS platform 'Finacle 10'.

Key Points

• Nainital Bank has upgraded the erstwhile CBS platform and started offering its customers facilities on the latest CBS platform 'Finacle' with a view to provide significant quality in facilities to its customers.
• This entire project was conceived by the current Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Dinesh Pant, while starting his tenure in the bank.
• This software is available with only a few banks, so the bank's data facilities will benefit immensely, common customers will also get facilities from it.
• Customers will now be able to access modern conveniences through multiple digital products. At the same time, Finacle will also be extremely secure in the platform.