• 16 Aug 2021

President's Gallantry Medal

Why in News

• On the occasion of Independence Day on August 15, 2021, nine policemen from Uttar Pradesh received the President's Medal for Gallantry, four were given the President's Medal for Distinguished Services while 73 police personnel were awarded medals for their outstanding services.

Key Points

• According to official sources, nine police personnel, including the Superintendent of Police of Jaunpur Ajay Kumar Sahni, will be honoured with the President's Medal for Gallantry on Independence Day. The prominent officers who will get Gallantry Medals are Ajay Kumar Sahni, Bijendra Pal Rana, Akshay Sharma, Bhupendra Kumar Sharma, Sunil Nagar, Taslim Khan, Pravesh Kumar Shukla, Pankaj Mishra and Shailendra Kumar.
• Besides Alok Singh, Commissioner of Police of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Geeta Singh, SP CB CID, Lucknow, Wajid Ali Khan, Sub-Inspector, district Deoria, and Jagat Narain Mishra, Platoon Commander, 11 Bn PAC in Sitapur, have been awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services.
• At the same time, 73 police personnel of the state will be given medals for their outstanding services.
• Meanwhile, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Independence, the state government released 75 women prisoners from different jails.

Tree Plantation in Central Jail

Why in News

• On the occasion of Independence Day on August 15, 2021, the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority, Jaipur, inaugurated the intensive tree plantation program in the Central Jail, Jaipur.

Key Points

• The said program was organized in the Central Jail, Jaipur, following Covid-19 protocols. On this occasion, 300 seedlings (shade and fruit-bearing) were planted by the authority.
• Similarly, an intensive plantation program was organized in Legal Services Authority, Jaipur Metropolitan Second Jurisdiction, Amer and Chaumu, where 110 saplings were planted in Chaumu Court and 55 saplings in Amer Court.
• District Legal Services Authority, Jaipur Mahanagar II Secretary Vikram Singh Bhati informed that this program is being done by the District Legal Services Authority all over Rajasthan.

President's Police Medal

Why in News

• On August 15, 2021, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan honored 59 policemen of Madhya Pradesh with President's medals at the 75^th Independence Day function held at Lal Parade Ground.

Key Points

• Nine officers of the state have received the President's Police Medal for distinguished service. Priyadarshan Srivastava, Sub-jail Superintendent, Bhopal received the President's Vishisht Seva Medal. Apart from this, President's Vishisht Seva Medal for Nagar Sena and Civil Defense was received by Vikram Singh Malviya, District Fighter Shajapur, Umesh Kumar Tiwari, Company Commander Nagar Sena Bhopal and Imdar Ali, Assistant Sub-Inspector Agar-Malwa.
• Along with this, 35 policemen of the state were given the President's Police Medal and 11 from the Jail Department and 4 other policemen got the Meritorious Service Medal.

Tulsi Jayanti

Why in News

• On the occasion of Tulsi Jayanti, a two-day program focused on devotional music, dance and dialogue was organized by the Culture Department of Madhya Pradesh on August 14-15, 2021.

Key Points

• It is being organised by Tribal Folk Arts and Language Development Academy at Tulsi Shodh Sansthan-Chitrakoot by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, Culture Department.
• The programme began with 'Bhakti Sangeet' by Deepti Gedam Parmar and group, Bhopal and 'Lecture' focused on Hanuman's devotion by Acharya Mithila Prasad Tripathi, Indore.
• Deepti started her early education in music from the age of four from her father Prakash Gedam and teacher Inda Gedam. At present, she is receiving special training in khayyal singing and thumri, tappa, Dadra, chaturanga, trivat from famous singer Pt. Sajjanlal Brahmbhatt Rasrang of Gwalior gharana.
• Deepti received a gold medal in classical music (Hindustani singing) at the 12^th National Youth Festival, Pune, held in 2007. She has given successful presentations in many prestigious forums of the country. Presently she is 'B' high grade artist of Akashvani- Doordarshan Bhopal.

Madhya Pradesh Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti

Why in News

• On August 14, 2021, the Madhya Pradesh Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti organized an annual award ceremony, 2020, to honor writers for their outstanding work in literature.

Key Points

• In this program, litterateurs were honored in various categories under Akhil Bharatiya Samman 2020, Regional Award 2020 and Local Award, 2020.
• Along with this, Books of Mahabharata in Indian languages written by Prabhakar Shrotriya, Bhekar Moti by Shankarsharan Lal Batta and Arghya by Dr. Maithili Milind Sathe were also released.
  
  • All India Samman, 2020 was conferred on the following persons
    
    • Shri Naresh Mehta Wangmay Samman : Shri Jagram Singh, Chandigarh
    • Shri Virendra Tiwari Memorial Award : Shri Hemant Kukreti, Delhi
    • Shri Shailesh Matiani Smriti Chitra-Kumar : Smt. Sushma Munindra, Satna
    • Shri Suresh Shukla 'Chandra' Natya Puraskar Story Prize : Shri Satyendra Kumar Taneja, Delhi
    • Shri Prabhakar Shrotriya Smriti Criticism Award : Smt. Smriti Shukla, Jabalpur
  • Regional Award, 2020 was conferred on the following persons
    
    • Self. Hazarilal Jain Smriti Vangmay Award : Shree Narayan Vyas, Bhopal
    • Ambika Prasad Memorial Divine Honor : Shri Ghanshyam Maithil 'Amrit', Bhopal
    • Shri Shankar Sharan Lal Batta Mythological : Shri Lokendra Singh 'Kot', Badnagar
  • Fiction Award
    
    • Syed Amir Ali Mir Award : Shri Santosh Supekar, Ujjain
    • Shri Harihar Niwas Dwivedi Memorial Award : Shri Santosh Mohanty 'Deep', Indore
    • Self. Hukamdevi Prakashchandra Kapoor Memorial Award : Ms. Suman Oberoi, Bhopal
    • Self. Prakash Kumari Harkawat Woman Writing Award: Dr. Sudha Chauhan 'Raj', Indore
    • Shri Satish Balkrishna Oberoi Smriti : Dr. Malti Mahawar Basant, Bhopal
  • Women's Award
    
    • Smt. Santosh Batta Smriti Stree Writing Award : Dr. Lata Agarwal, Bhopal
    • Self. Rameshwar Srivastava Memorial New Award : Dr. Meenu Pandey, Bhopal
    • Smt. Rashmi Joshi Vishisht Hindi Sevi Samman : Shri Virendra Nirjhar, Burhanpur
    • Smt. Samptidevi Vijayvargiya Smriti Female : Ms. Janak Palta Magilligan, Indore
  • Welfare Award
    
    • Smt. Sunderbai Shankarlal Tiwari Smriti : Smt. Tripti Mishra, Mhow
    • Women's Social Service Award
    • Self. Yashwant Argere memory positive : Shri Pankaj Pathak, Bhopal
  • Journalism Award
    
    • Self. Yashwant Argere memory positive : Shri Anand Saxena, Bhopal
  • Local Award-2020 was presented to the following persons
    
    • Smt. Raksha Sisodia Teacher Award : Smt. Nandita Shrivastava, Bhopal
    • Dr. Ajay Dubey and Dr. Animesh Dubey Music (singing) award : K. Piyush Malak, Bhopal
    • Dr. Ajay Dubey and Dr. Animesh Dubey Music (playing) award : K. Prasoon Jain, Bhopal
    • Best Reader Award: Dr. Manjari Chaturvedi, Bhopal

Mobile e-van Court

Why in News

• On August 15, 2021, on the occasion of 75^th Independence Day of the country, Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court Raghavendra Singh Chouhan launched Mobile E-Van Court.

Key Points

• The launch of Mobile Court in North India will be the first of its kind.
• In the first phase, mobile e-courts will be started in five districts of Uttarakhand – Pithoragarh, Champawat, Uttarkashi, Tehri and Chamoli.
• Such mobile courts will prove to be helpful in speedy disposal of cases considering the geographical conditions of Uttarakhand.

Two Sites of Haryana Included in Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance

Why in News

• According to a statement issued by the Union Environment Ministry on August 14, 2021, two sites in Haryana, Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary and Sultanpur National Park have been recognized as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Key Points

• Along with these two sites in Haryana, two sites in Gujarat - Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana have also been recognized as wetlands, taking the number of such sites in the country to 46.
• This is the first time that two sites from Haryana have been included in the Ramsar list.
• Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary is a man-made freshwater wetland. It is the largest wetland in Haryana. More than 250 species of birds use this sanctuary as a resting place throughout the year. The site is home to more than 10 globally threatened species, including the Egyptian Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Pallas's Fish Eagle and Black-bellied Tern.
• Sultanpur National Park is home to more than 220 species of native birds, winter migrants and local migratory waterfowl at critical stages of their life cycle. More than 10 of these species fall into the globally endangered category.
• The Ramsar Treaty is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar on the Caspian Sea, where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971.
• The aim of the Ramsar List is 'to develop and maintain an international network of wetlands that are critical to the conservation of global biological diversity and to human life through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits'.

Oxygen Express Train to Bangladesh

Why in News

• Recently, South Eastern Railway sent the 7^th Oxygen Express train from Rourkela in Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway to Benapole in Bangladesh.

Key Points

• The train left Rourkela for Bangladesh carrying 186 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) in 10 containers.
• On the request of the Bangladesh government, a consignment of liquid medical oxygen is being sent for the treatment of Covid affected patients. The first Oxygen Express train for Benapole in Bangladesh was dispatched from Tatanagar on 24 July.
• So far, seven Oxygen Express trains have been sent to Bangladesh from Tatanagar and Rourkela under Chakradharpur division. 200 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) from Tatanagar has been sent to Bangladesh.
• It is worth mentioning that to meet the increasing demand of oxygen for the treatment of COVID affected patients, South Eastern Railway is running Oxygen Express trains from 23rd April this year to supply the necessary liquid oxygen for the treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19, To ensure speedy transportation and smooth supply.

Chief Minister's Announcement on Independence Day

Why in News

• On August 15, 2021, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, on the occasion of 75^th Independence Day, announced the formation of four new districts by reorganizing the districts in the state of Chhattisgarh, along with other announcements.

Key Points

• The four new districts announced by the Chief Minister are Mohla-Manpur, Sakti, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh and Manendragarh.
• He also announced the formation of 18 new tehsils in the state.
• Along with this, the Chief Minister also made the following other announcements-
  
  • Announcement of construction of 'Minimata Udyan' for women in all district headquarters and municipal corporations.
  • Announced to abolish the age limit for admission in colleges.
  • The naming of 'Mukhyamantri Affordable Medicine Scheme' will now be known as 'Shri Dhanwantri Yojana'.
  • Announcement to simplify the process of conversion to relieve the complexity of revenue related work in the state.
  • Announcement to start 'Swamitva Yojana' to provide the right of occupied land to the people residing on abadi land in rural areas.
  • In view of the usefulness of 'Dial 112' service, it has now been announced to be expanded to the entire state.
  • Announcement to start ownership scheme in the state to give rights to people occupied in abadi land in rural areas of the state.

India Hypertension Control Initiative Program (IHCI)

Why in News

• On August 14, 2021, under the India Hypertension Control Initiative Program (IHCI), seven primary health centers in Raipur district were awarded for successfully treating 15,634 registered patients.

Key Points

• The ranking was based on a quarterly report by the Chhattisgarh representatives of the World Health Organisation.
• A ranking of 100 points is given on the basis of number of patients, blood pressure control rate, availability of follow-up drugs and new patient discovery to assess the performance of health centres.
• Raipur is implementing IHCI from March 2020. Under this, blood pressure patients are checked and medicines and advice are given. So far 15,634 patients have been treated.
• Primary Health Center (PHC) Mandir Hasaud (85 points) stood first. Arang Block PHC Chandrakhuri scored 80, Community Health Center Tilda (78), Urban PHC Changorabhata (77), PHC Torla (74), PHC Mandhar (73) and Tilda Block PHC Bangoli (65).
• Chief Medical and Health Officer Raipur Dr. Meera Baghel presented the prizes to the winners. Certificates were also given to doctors, resident medical assistants, staff nurses, pharmacists and resident house officers.

Lachhiwala Nature Park

Why in News

• On August 14, 2021, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the Lachhiwala Nature Park in Dehradun.

Key Points

• Appreciating the park, he said that budgetary provision would be made for the second phase of work on the nature park.
• On this occasion a laser and sound show was organized and an Amrit Mahotsav song was also released.
• State Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat said that Lachhiwala Nature Park is unique and will attract tourists from all over India and abroad.