• 16 Oct 2023

Mission Shakti

Why In News?

On October 14, 2023, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the women empowerment rally from his official residence, launching the fourth phase of 'Mission Shakti'.

Key Points:

• The Chief Minister felicitated Padmashri Hema Prabha Sotia, ISRO scientist Ritu Kari dhal Srivastava and HCL chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra as symbols of three goddesses at Lok Bhawan.
• He said that it is the result of Mission Shakti that according to NCRB data, crimes against women have come down in the state. At the same time, Uttar Pradesh has also become the state with the highest punishment for such criminals.
• On the instructions of the Chief Minister, the Women and Child Development Department will make women aware of their rights with mega events and other events in the coming days in the state.
• There will also be a mega event in the state with 'Haq Ki Baat, Zila Magistrate Ke Sath'. In this, DMs of all the districts of the state will communicate with women affected by violence.

Agreement Between Indian Agricultural Research Institute and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur

Why In News?

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR) and the Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on October 13, 2023.

Key Points:

• Through this MoU, both sides will provide significant support to incubators and start-ups, thereby promoting their growth and success.
• These joint efforts will provide a conducive environment for the growth of start-ups and meaningful contribution to the agriculture sector.
• Pusa Agriculture and SIIC IIT committed to explore further collaboration possibilities to advance progress and innovations in agriculture.
• This partnership will promote innovative activities in the agriculture sector through collaborative efforts leveraging the expertise and resources of both the organizations.

Awards to the Winning Players of Amethi MP Sports Competition-2023

Why In News?

On October 13, 2023, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani distributed prizes to the winners of the MP Sports Competition-2023 in Amethi district.

Key Points:

• Along with the award ceremony, 879 projects worth Rs 699.79 crore were also inaugurated/ foundation stones were laid.
• A total of 1 lakh 11 thousand players won 50 thousand medals in the last 25 days in the MP Sports Competition in Amethi.
• It may be noted that on September 17, the MP Sports Competition was started in Amethi, which concluded on October 8.
• The competition was held at two levels - school level and village level in the entire Lok Sabha constituency.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the closing ceremony of Amethi MP Sports Competition 2023 through video message.

Three New Power Sub Stations will be Constructed in Bihar

Why In News?

According to information received from the media on October 15, 2023, three new power substations (PSS) will be constructed at a cost of about Rs 37 crore in Vaishali, Begusarai and Biharsharif to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply in Bihar.

Key Points:

• The three power substations (PSS) will have two power transformers of 10-megawatt (MVA) capacity each. Along with this, Rs 46 crore will be spent on connecting power sub-stations with newly built grids in half a dozen districts.
• According to the power company, the GIS-based PSS will be constructed at a cost of Rs 14.73 crore at Ram Chandrapur (Biharsharif) Super grid Campus in Nalanda district.
• The new PSS will be set up at a cost of Rs 10.032 crore in the grid campus of Vaishali block itself. At the same time, a new sub-station has been approved at lakhanpur village of Bhagwanpur block in Begusarai district at a cost of Rs 11.98 crore.
• It may be noted that the power companies have built many new grids in view of the increased demand for electricity. Now those grids are being connected to the old power substations, so that they can be saved from being overloaded. With this, 24-hour uninterrupted and quality power supply will be provided to the concerned areas to the establishments like hospital, sub-divisional court and sub-divisional court and sub-jail Paliganj.

Agreement for Academic Cooperation Between French Institute and IIT Patna

Why In News?

On October 14, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for academic cooperation was signed between IIT Patna and the Institute National Polytechnique de Toulouse (Toulouse INP), France. The MoU is aimed at improving symbiotic relations between the two institutions.

Key Points:

• The MoU was signed by Prof. T.N. Singh, Director, IIT Patna, Dr. Asif Iqbal, Associate Dean, Resources, IIT Patna, Dr. Raju Halder, Associate Professor (CSE), IIT Patna and Prof. Pascal Moussivan, Vice President, International Relations, Université Dentulous, France.
• The MoU was signed by the two institutes to jointly conduct exchange of academic, administrative staff and students for various short-term programmes on subjects of mutual interest.
• In addition, it will promote a wide range of research to each other's faculty/students/scholars. It was agreed to invite training/educational programmes to address the problems involved and challenging.
• With this, IIT Patna will move forward in the field of effective research and quality education. India and France have long shared cultural, trade and economic ties.

'State One-Health Action Plan' will be made for Zoonotic Disease Control in the State

Why In News?

On October 13, 2023, Additional Chief Secretary of Medical and Health Department Shubhra Singh while addressing the inauguration ceremony of multi-sectoral consultation workshop organized in Jaipur said that action will be taken by preparing a 'State One-Health Action Plan' for the control and prevention of diseases with zoonotic infection.

Key Points:

• In this workshop organized under the joint auspices of the Department of Medical and Health, National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and US Center for Disease Control and Prevention Institute, national-level subject experts and representatives of technical partner institutions will brainstorm and prepare the outline of the first Rajasthan State One-Health Action Plan in the country.
• It was told in the workshop that 60 percent of the diseases in humans are natural and zoonotic due to infection, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, parasites and others.
• Based on the discussions of various bodies, workplaces, their experience and natural conditions, action will be taken to control zoonotic diseases by implementing a one-health action plan.
• Shubhra Singh said that to face epidemics like Covid, it is necessary to prepare for basic resources and primary management and keeping this in mind, action is being taken by implementing a State Action Plan to eradicate rabies in Rajasthan.
• Additional Chief Secretary informed that preparations have already been made for many of the activities to be included in the One-Health Action Plan to be prepared for zoonotic disease control. For effective implementation, the cooperation of institutions like NCDs and CDCs of national and international level will be taken.

Senior and Disabled Voters Aged 80 Years or Above will get the Facility to Vote through a Postal Ballot.

Why In News?

On October 13, 2023, State Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan gave necessary guidelines to all collectors and district election officers of the state through video conferencing regarding the facility of voting by postal ballot to voters aged 80 years and above.

Key Points:

• Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan said that all district election officers should distribute Form 12D to such eligible voters through booth level officers (BLOs).
• Rajan also made it clear that if a postal ballot has been issued in the name of a voter aged 80 years and above, a disabled voter of more than 40 percent or a voter engaged in essential services, then he will not be able to go to any polling station and vote.
• The Chief Electoral Officer said that cVIGIL app has been created for citizens by the Election Commission of India. Any citizen can complain about the violation of the Model Code of Conduct through the cVIGIL app.
• Citizens can download the cVIGIL app by visiting the Smart Mobile's Google Play Store. The complaint will be resolved within 100 minutes. He directed the Collectors and District Election Officers to resolve the complaints received through cVIGIL app within the stipulated time frame.

Chief Minister Laid the Foundation Stone of the Land of Domestic Airport in Ambala

Why In News?

On October 15, 2023, Chief Minister Manohar Lal laid the foundation stone of Ambala's first domestic airport. Speaking on the occasion, he said that with the construction of the airport at Ambala, investment and industry will increase in this area, which will create more employment opportunities.

Key Points:

• The Chief Minister said that the terminal will be built on 20 acres of land at a cost of about Rs 20.5 crore. After the construction of this terminal, it will not take much time for air activities to start, because the runway and the rest of the system are already in place.
• He said that till now this air force station of Ambala was not a civil airport, but with the construction of a civil airport here, small airports will get the benefit.
• The Chief Minister said that the Haryana government has applied for routes under the 'UDAN Scheme', permission will be received soon. Some routes like Dehradun, Lucknow, Amritsar, Jaipur, Shimla are expected to be approved immediately. This will greatly benefit the people of Ambala and its surrounding districts.

Jharkhand Ranks Sixth in the Country in Terms of Giving Ideas under the Inspire Award Standard.

Why In News?

According to information received from the media on October 15, 2023, Jharkhand ranks sixth in the country in terms of giving ideas under the prestigious INSPIRE Award Standard (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) run by the Government of India.

Key Points:

• It has been started to develop scientific thinking in children. On behalf of Jharkhand, 40833 students have registered their ideas this year, while the Education Department had set a target of 45 thousand registrations in the session 2022-23.
• Palamu (3575), Giridih (3180) and Bokaro (3140) are among the top three districts in terms of registration from Jharkhand. 2382 ideas have been registered from the capital Ranchi. Ranchi is in fifth place, while Latehar (723), Ramgarh (793) and Pakur (849) have performed poorly.
• Jharkhand is ahead of Bihar in this matter, while it is behind Odisha. Bihar ranked ninth with 36399 registrations. 59909 students from Odisha have registered their ideas for the INSPIRE award.
• The highest number of registrations have been made from Rajasthan (158128), Karnataka (112744) and Chhattisgarh (77719).
• The ideas given by the students will be scrutinized by the Government of India. After scrutiny, students will be given 10-10 thousand rupees to make the selected idea a model. Also, to make it better, students will be able to get help from teachers and nodal officers of their states.

Himangi Haldar Received National Award for Innovation

Why In News?

Himangi Haldar, a student at Bharat Mata Anglo Medium School, Bilaspur, has received the National Inspire Award in the 10th National Inspire Standard Competition held at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi on October 14, 2023.

Key Points:

• Himangi Haldar has designed an anti-milt spilling device to prevent milk falling while boiling. With its help, the milk does not fall while boiling. Himangi has received the National Inspire Award for this innovation.
• Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh presented the award to Himangi at a felicitation ceremony held at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium Rajghat (Vigyan Bhawan) in New Delhi.
• Himangi will now present her prototype to the President at the Festival of Innovation Rashtrapati Bhavan. After this, Sakura will represent India in Japan under the program.
• The price of this device has been fixed at Rs 80. Its design patent is in the name of Himangi.
• Organized by the National Innovation Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, the main objective of this competition is to provide a platform to the innovations made by school students and to promote original ideas/ innovations rooted in science and social applications to promote a culture of creativity and innovative thinking among school children.
• This year, 441 students from all over the country were invited to the national competitions with their ideas and prototypes from seven lakh ideas received from the district level. Himangi Haldar, a student of Bharat Mata Anglo Medium School, Bilaspur, won the title of winning the anti-milk spilling device at the national level.

Notification issued for First Phase of Voting in the State

Why In News?

On October 13, 2023, notification was issued for the first phase of assembly general elections in Chhattisgarh. With this, the nomination process started.

Key Points:

• In the first phase, nomination papers will be filed for 12 assembly constituencies of Bastar division, including 08 assembly constituencies of Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur Ambagarh Chowki, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai and Kabirdham districts.
• Filing of nominations for the first phase of the two-phase elections in the state is scheduled to take place on October 20.
• Scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 21 and candidates can withdraw their nominations till October 23.
• The first phase of polling will be held on November 7, while the counting of votes for both the phases will take place on December 3.
• In the first phase, polling will be held in Konta, Bijapur, Dantewada, Chitrakot, Jagdalpur, Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Keshkal, Kanker, Bhanupratappur, Antagarh, Mohla-Manpur, Khujji, Dongargaon, Rajnandgaon, Dongargarh, Khairagarh, Kawardha and Pandaria assembly constituencies.

Aipan Mahotsav’ Started

Why In News?

On October 15, 2023, 'Aipan Mahotsav' was inaugurated by the Council of Culture, Literature and Arts of Uttarakhand to promote folk culture Aipan art in the auditorium of Uttarakhand Sanskriti Sahitya Kala Parishad located at Haridwar Bypass.

Key Points:

• In a video message at the inauguration of the festival, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called upon the people of the state to celebrate Aipan Mahotsav from October 15 to November 12 till Deepawali and said that with collective efforts, Aipan art will get recognition on the global stage.
• In the video message, the CM said that Aipan art is a mode of folk culture. For the happiness and prosperity of the family, Aipan is made on the walls and walls of the house.
• The state government is trying to take this art to the country and the world. For this, a collective effort will give a new identity to Aipan. He called upon everyone to become a part of every household by Deepawali. For this, people should create an app at their homes and upload selfies with family on social media.
• Madhu Bhatt, vice-president of the Council for Culture, Literature and Arts, said that the Aipan Festival will be celebrated in the entire state till Deepawali. To promote the folk culture of Uttarakhand, the younger generation also spoke their Garhwal, Kumaoni, Jaunsari dialect. Efforts will be made to connect the youth with Aipan art.

140 Players from Uttarakhand will Participate in 18 Sports in the 37th National Games.

Why In News?

On October 15, 2023, the Uttarakhand Olympic Association released the list of participating players of the state in the 37th National Games starting from October 26 in Goa. 140 players from Uttarakhand will participate in 18 sports.

Key Points:

• According to Special Principal Secretary Sports Abhinav Kumar, the Olympic Association selects and prepares the list of players for the National Games. The system which is there in other states is the same in Uttarakhand.
• The national games to be held in Goa include 13 in kayaking and canoeing, one in cycling, six in swimming, four in wushu, two in weightlifting, six in judo, seven in taekwondo, 20 in mini golf, 10 in yoga, three in shooting, 12 in football, 10 in boxing, seven in penkacsilt, six in sepak takraw, 14 in athletics. There will be 11 players in badminton, six in archery, two in golf. At the same time, 47 coaches and staff will also go to Goa.

A New World Record Made in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Visit to Kumaon

Why In News?

On October 15, 2023, Bina Bhatt, Director of Culture Department, said that a new world record has been set during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kumaon in Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand Culture Department has also received the provisional certificate of the World Book of Records London.

Key Points:

• Kumaon: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's performance on his visit to Kumaon with dhol damau folk instruments of Choliya and Jhoda folk dance of Kumaon has found a place in the World Book of Records.
• On October 12, at an altitude of 5338 feet (1627 meters) above sea level in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, three thousand folk artists of the state participated in this unique event organized by the Culture Department with their traditional costumes and folk songs.
• With the performance of these artists of Choliya and Jhoda dance troupe from remote areas of Pithoragarh, the world's attention has been drawn to the historical and rich folk cultural heritage of the state.
• During the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, folk artists of Choliya and Jhoda dance teams, equipped with their traditional costumes and ornaments, came to participate. During the event, traditional folk instruments such as tun and Ranasinghe were seen by the artistes.

Chief Minister Inaugurated the Office of Hexaware Technology

Why In News?

On October 15, 2023, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the local office of Hexaware Technology at Doon Business Park, Transport Nagar, Dehradun.

Key Points:

• On this occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that continuous efforts are being made to improve the systems with technology in the state. He said that this office of Hexaware Technology will prove to be a milestone in the expansion of IT services.
• Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the country is making rapid progress in the field of technology. This sector is becoming a medium of empowerment and contributing significantly in taking people towards self-reliance. New India is not only a consumer of technology but is also playing an active role in the development and implementation of technology.
• At the time of 2G, 3G, 4G, India was dependent on other countries for technology, but with 5G, India has created a new history. With 5G, India is setting global standards in telecom technology for the first time. Digitalization is happening rapidly in India.
• Digital India is an important part of the country's broader vision of development. The goal of this vision is to bring that technology to the common people, which works for the people, works in collaboration with the people.
• He said that today digital India has provided a platform and a market to small traders, small entrepreneurs, artisans. In the market, people working in the markets and in the markets, all are using UPI.