• 17 Jul 2023

Uttar Pradesh Mango Festival-2023

Why In News?

Uttar Pradesh Mango Festival- 2023 was organized by the Horticulture and Food Processing Department of Uttar Pradesh from 14 to 16 July 2023 at Avadh Shilpgram, Lucknow. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the festival.

key points

• On this occasion, the Chief Minister flagged off trucks of mangoes to be exported to Moscow, Dubai and Bahrain.
• Under this, 02 tonnes of mangoes are being exported from Lucknow to Moscow, 12 tonnes of mangoes to Bahrain and 01 tonnes of mangoes to Dubai.
• The Chief Minister felicitated excellent mango producing gardeners, farmers and mango exporters. Also, the souvenir of Uttar Pradesh Mango Festival-2023.
• Through the Mango Festival, we are getting an opportunity to see and understand the hard work of farmers and horticulturists and the possibilities of the state's horticultural crops.
• The Mango Festival is giving a place to the agricultural products of the state in the market of the country and the world. This Annadata is a platform to increase the income of the farmers.
• It is known that about 01 thousand varieties of mangoes are produced in the state. Work is being done to supply these mangoes from the month of June to August as per the demand of the countrymen including the state and other countries of the world.
• On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that export of agricultural products and crops would help in increasing the income of our Annadata farmers.
• It is notable that a delegation led by the Minister of State for Agriculture Foreign Trade and Agriculture Export (Independent Charge) of the state participated in the Aamras Festival organized in the Russian capital Moscow from July 07 to 09, 2023. This delegation saw the possibilities of demand for mango species of the state there. The demand for mangoes of Uttar Pradesh is very high here.
• Mangoes of the gardeners/farmers of the state are being bought in Moscow at the rate of Rs.800 per kg. Farmers are getting a net profit of Rs 600 per kg, which is many times more than the market price here. This is the best time to take your agricultural products to Gulf countries and European countries.

Adya Singh of Patna topped in the First Round of the 11th Edition of Crossword Competition (CCCC) .

Why In News?

On July 16, 2023, the first round of the 11th edition of the Annual Inter-School National Cryptic Crossword Competition (CCCC) began with Adya Singh of Notre Dame Academy, Patna topping the list.

key points

• Adya Singh showed great speed in presenting the solution in 18 minutes of the start of the competition and got the top position.
• Dhara Mittal of The Mother's International School, New Delhi and L. Lakshmishree, who topped the practice round, missed the top spot by a narrow margin and finished second. This was a difference of less than a second between the first and second ranks.
• Anuj and Aditya Mishra of DPS, Bokaro Steel City got the third position. There was only a 32 seconds difference between these top 3 contenders.
• It is noteworthy that the second round of the first phase of this competition will be held on July 23 and the third round on July 30.
• The cumulative scores on the leaderboard after the third round on July 30 will decide which school teams qualify for the offline Phase II.
• The top team in a state or city in any of the three rounds automatically qualifies for the next round.
• The National Cryptic Crossword Competition (CCCC) 11.0 is the 11th edition in a series started in 2013, the centenary of the first published crossword.
• The objective of this competition is to inculcate in young students a spirit of exploration, analytical thinking and quality decision making.
• It is open to students of classes VII-XII from schools affiliated to any recognized board in India. It consists of two students in a school team.

State Level Seminar Raj. Pulmocon 2023

Why In News?

Two day state level seminar Raj. Pulmocon 2023 was organized. During this, the book Lang Rajasthan was released.

key points

• Addressing the function organized at Park Paradise, the Education Minister said that medical science experts do deep research, their findings are beneficial for human health. He said that there will be exchange of ideas from such seminars, which will prove to be better for the medical world.
• He said that Bikaner has made radical development in the medical field. The PBM hospital here is proving useful for the patients of Bikaner division and the surrounding states. The Cancer Research and Cardiovascular Center here has become a lifeline for the patients.
• Disaster Management Minister Govind Ram Meghwal said that such seminars should be held from time to time, so that medical experiences of experts can be shared.
• He said that Acharya Tulsi Cancer Research Center of Bikaner has proved very useful for the patients of Punjab and Haryana.
• Energy Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati said that the history of Sardar Patel Medical College has been golden. The teachers and students here have brought laurels to Bikaner in the country and the world.
• He said that the Mukhya Mantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana of the state government is a historic and unique scheme of the country, this scheme has removed the sorrows of lakhs of people of the state.
• LifeTime Achievement Award was given to Dr. P.R Gupta during the seminar. Dr. Mahendra Kumar, Dr. C.R Chaudhary, Dr. Situ Singh was given the Dr. SK Sarkar Orientation Award.

Jail Minister and Former Union Minister inaugurated 'The Asha Filling Station' in Central Jail Alwar

Why In News?

On July 15, 2023, Minister of Prisons Department and Social Justice and Empowerment Tikaram Jully and former Union Minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh installed petrol pumps in the Central Prison premises under the innovative initiative of the Prisons Department to connect the inmates with employment and provide facilities to the general public. Inaugurated 'The Hope Filling Station'.

key points

• Prisons Department Minister Jully said that the Prisons Department and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. With the cooperation of the Central Jail, the 'Ashayein' organization has started operating this petrol pump, in which the well-behaved prisoners living in the open jail will be able to get employment according to their ability.
• He said that the State Government was providing skill training to the jail inmates through various innovations. At the same time, work is being done to connect the prisoners living in open jails to the mainstream of the society through these innovations.
• He said that this petrol pump would be operated by the inmates only, which would be monitored by the Prison Monitoring Committee.
• Former Union Minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh said that this initiative of the Prisons Department will provide employment to the prisoners living in open jail according to their ability, which will prove to be an important link for them and their families to live a dignified life and join the mainstream of the society.

Rajasthan Domestic Travel Mart- 2023

Why In News?

On July 15, 2023, Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh inaugurated the third edition of Rajasthan Domestic Travel Mart at Rajasthan International Center, Jhalana, Jaipur to promote domestic tourism in the state.

key points

• Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh said that there are immense possibilities of domestic tourism in the state. Rajasthan Tourism is one of the most preferred destinations in the country due to its tourism products, tourism friendly policies, plans and innovations.
• Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Dharmendra Rathore said that Rajasthan with its visionary tourism policies like Rural Tourism Policy, Film Promotion Policy is a role model for states across the country. It is the first state to give industry status to the tourism and hospitality sector.
• He said that so far around 1000 hotels have benefited from this in areas like UD tax and electricity rebate. The state government has also increased the tourism development fund from Rs 1000 crore to Rs 1500 crore. In addition, 5 international golf courses and 5 MICE centers are also coming up in the state.
• Rajeev Arora, Chairman, Rajasthan Small Scale Industries Corporation said that due to the initiative of the government, 206 new projects with a proposed investment of Rs 4500 crore and 14856 rooms have been registered in the year 2022 as compared to 187 projects in the year 2019.
• In the year 2022, 10.87 crore tourists visited Rajasthan as compared to 2.20 crore during the year 2021. The increase in the number of tourists by 8 crores in one year is a big achievement of the state government.
• Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary, Tourism Department said that efforts have been made by the state government to include a maximum number of tourism units in the ambit of industry benefits.
• The state government has enforced conversion orders on hotels, motels, hotels with 10 or more rooms in rural areas, hotel-run tourism units on RIICO land, hotels, RTDC and RSHC hotels, central and state government museums, by the revenue department and the district collector.
• Rajasthan is a favorite destination not only in tourism but also in the field of investment. New religious circuits are also being developed in the state.
• Apoorva Kumar, President, FHTR said that along with promoting tourism, there is an urgent need to preserve the tangible and intangible heritage of the state and that is why this year the theme of the Mart is aptly Sustainable Tourism.
• A travel publication on Regal Rajasthan– Sustainability Empowering the Future was also released during the event.
• It is noteworthy that RDTM is being organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan and Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR). This year the theme of the Mart has been Sustainable Tourism.
• Over 200 exhibitors from Rajasthan displayed their tourism products and over 200 domestic tour operators from across India participated in the event which lasted till 16th July.
• Over 7000 B2B structured meetings between buyers and sellers took place during the two days, showcasing the efficiency and potential of their over 600 tourism products like hotels, motels, resorts, eateries, heritage properties, amusement parks etc.
• Buyers from almost all the states of the country like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha etc. participated in the Mart.

Chief Minister released the logo of 'Vikas Parv'

Why In News?

On July 15, 2023, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the logo of 'Vikas Parv' at Samatva Bhawan, Chief Minister's residence.

key points

• It may be noted that from 16 July to 14 August, Vikas Parv is being organized in the entire state for a month. During this, public service yatras, public dialogues and beneficiary conferences will be held on a large scale in all the districts of the state. There will be inauguration/bhoomi-pujan of development works worth more than 2 lakh crores in the state.
• During the Vikas Parv, Prime Minister Housing, Chief Minister Land Rights, Deendayal Rasoi, Chief Minister Teerth-Darshan, Jal-Jeevan Mission, Swamitva Yojana, Sambal, Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi, Chief Minister Farmers-Welfare Scheme, Chief Minister Farmers Interest Waiver etc. in various schemes. And beneficiary conferences of schemes related to women empowerment, youth welfare, self-employment, education, health, good governance will be held.
• During the Vikas Parv period, various programs will be held at district, tehsil and block level etc. in the presence of Ministers, MPs, MLAs and local public representatives in all the districts.
• Date wise information of all programs will be uploaded on the portal prepared for Vikas Parv on CM Helpline. Complete details of all Bhoomi Pujan/inauguration to be held will be recorded on the portal.
• Major inauguration and Bhoomi Pujan during Vikas Parv.
  • Expansion of Bina Refinery and foundation stone laying ceremony of Ken-Betwa link scheme.
  • Inauguration of 15 irrigation projects worth Rs 7245 crore.
  • Foundation stone laying ceremony of 13 irrigation projects worth Rs 36 thousand 348 crore.
  • Inauguration of 83 CM Rise Schools.
  • Land acquisition of newly approved medical colleges.
  • Bhoomi-pujan of 1207 works costing more than Rs 21 thousand 900 crore for national and state highway and road construction.
  • Urban drinking water projects under AMRUT 2.0 works worth Rs 3000 crore.
  • Home entry of about 4 lakh beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
  • Ground breaking ceremony of 10 new colleges.
  • Foundation stone of 15 thousand 450 group drinking water projects worth Rs 28 thousand 471 crore of Jal Jeevan Mission.

5 Services of AYUSH Department under Public Service Guarantee Act

Why In News?

According to the information provided by the Public Relations Department of Madhya Pradesh on July 14, 2023, 5 departmental services in the AYUSH Department have been notified under the Public Service Guarantee Act. Time limit has also been fixed for these services.

key points

• According to the information, the services that have been included include registration of AYUSH doctors, provisional registration of AYUSH doctors, issuance of NOC for registration in other states, issuance of Ayurveda drug manufacturing license as well as homeopathy drug manufacturing license.
• A time limit of 30 working days has been fixed for this process.
• Under the scheme of the Central Government, Ayush Mission Society has been formed at the state level for the implementation of the AYUSH Mission Scheme in the state.
• In the AYUSH mission, efforts are being made to make AYUSH medical facilities available to the maximum number of people. Under this, institutional capacity is being strengthened. In the mission itself, help is being provided to those farmers who are involved in the cultivation of medicinal plants.
• The objective of the mission is to provide value addition, marketing of medicinal plant products and to help drug entrepreneurs in infrastructure development.

Madhya Pradesh announces Highest Ever Auction of Mineral Blocks

Why In News?

On July 14, 2023, Madhya Pradesh issued a Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) for the auction of 51 mineral blocks in a record number. This is the highest number of mineral blocks notified for auction by any state in a single tranche.

key points

• After the start of the auction system in the year 2015, 754 blocks have been put up for auction by various major mineral deposit states, out of which 276 blocks have been successfully auctioned. The Government of India appreciated Madhya Pradesh for this. ,
• These 51 blocks comprise 14 minerals, including strategic and important minerals such as graphite and vanadium, platinum group of elements (PGE) and other major minerals such as manganese, bauxite, limestone, iron ore, base metals and gold.
• Out of 51 mineral blocks for which NIT has been issued by Madhya Pradesh, 13 blocks are for mining lease and 38 blocks are for composite license.
• Madhya Pradesh was ahead of other states in terms of mineral block auctions even during the financial year 2022-23. In that financial year, the state had auctioned 29 blocks.
• Since the introduction of the auction regime in 2015, Madhya Pradesh has notified 125 mineral blocks for auction. Of these, 46 have been successfully auctioned.
• With the notification of these 51 blocks, Madhya Pradesh has also emerged as the state with the highest number of blocks notified for auction, taking the total number of mineral blocks to 176.
• It is noteworthy that the state governments of Bihar , West Bengal , Telangana , Punjab , Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Kerala have not auctioned any block since 2015.

Jharkhand A Statistical Profile 2022

Why In News?

On July 14, 2023, Jharkhand's Finance Minister Dr. Rameshwar Oraon launched a special campaign at Project Bhawan, Ranchi, to achieve 100 percent target of birth-death registration and create widespread public awareness related to registration, and Economics and Statistics Released 'Jharkhand A Statistical Profile 2022' prepared by the Directorate, Jharkhand.

key points

• This campaign will run from July 14, 2023 to August 14, 2023.
• During this special awareness campaign, a public awareness campaign is being conducted by putting up posters, banners etc. in all the 4962 birth-death registration units of the state, so that the target of 100 percent registration can be achieved.
• In this work, all the declared indicators such as Anganwadi workers, Sahiyas and headmasters of schools have been entrusted with the responsibility of providing birth information form-1 and death information form-2 to the concerned registrar (Birth-Death).
• After checking the information form received from the informants, the registrar will ensure registration of birth and death by completing all the necessary procedures, and then will provide a birth/death certificate to the concerned person.
• The publicity of the campaign will also be done through mobile vehicles.
• In addition to banners, posters at all important places, information and information related to birth-death registration will be broadcast on digital screens.
• The main objective of this program is to achieve 100% registration of births and deaths in the light of the instructions of ORGI, New Delhi.
• It is worth mentioning that this type of special campaign is being organized for the first time in the state, so that all common people can be aware of the importance of birth-death registration and the benefits derived from it.
• Registration of birth and death is very important. Due to its absence, people are facing many problems. There are many such people, whose date of birth has been registered in their school etc. That became his birth certificate. Due to this, he retired on the basis of school birth certificate even before he completed 60 years.
• At the same time, such examples are also found in many places where the day of birth of both younger and elder brother and sister is the same. This campaign is being run by the government to solve all these problems.
• It is very important to register death as well as birth. It is useful as an important document in case of getting ancestral property, court case. Along with this, the death certificate also has an important role in the policy of the bank and LIC. The main objective of this one-month-long campaign is to make people aware, so that its goal can be achieved.
• K Ravikumar, Secretary, Education Department, said that the registration of the birth of children in all the schools will be done through this campaign. About 6 lakh young children are enrolled in the state every year. The headmasters of all the schools have been directed in this regard.
• The Election Commission is also running a voter revision campaign from 31st July. In such a situation, the commission will also be able to upgrade the voter list by coordinating with the birth and death registration campaign.
• UNICEF State Head Kaninika Mitra said that registration of births and deaths is mandatory. For this a law was made in 1969. Registration of birth is the right of every child. It is a legal document. People will be benefited by this campaign in the entire state and the government will have solid information about the population of the state.
• On this occasion, Honorable Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon released 'Jharkhand A Statistical Profile 2022' prepared by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Jharkhand.
  • Giving information about this book, Director-cum-Additional Chief Registrar (Birth-Death) Rajeev Ranjan said that the data for the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 have been included in this book.
  • In this book, the data related to agricultural statistics, vital statistics, state income, daily wages of agricultural laborers and industrial statistics have been included by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics.
  • Apart from this, various departments such as Health, Energy, Roads, Mines, Animal Husbandry, Water Resources, Education, Rural Work, Transport, Rural Development, Tourism, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Social Security, Forest, Cooperative, Panchayati Raj, Commercial Tax, Data related to food supply, employment and information technology have been included.
  • An effort has been made by the directorate to include data related to social and economic status in this book.
  • There are 28 chapters in this book, in which statistics of different departments have been published. This book will prove useful for planners, researchers, economic and financial policy makers, administrators and economists.

Launch of ' Mukhya Mantri Sarathi Yojana'

Why In News?

On July 15, 2023, Chief Minister Hemant Soren launched 'Mukhya Mantri Sarathi Yojana' to connect talented youth of the state with employment and self-employment by providing free skill training on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day at Aryabhatta Auditorium, Ranchi University.

key points

• The main objective of this scheme is that the youth of the state can nurture their hidden talent and pave the way for self-reliance through the Birsa Center (Block Level Institute for Rural Skill Acquisition).
• In the first phase (2023-24) of this scheme, the scheme has been launched in 80 blocks of the state. Birsa scheme will be implemented in all the blocks of the state in the coming days.
• Youth of all categories will be able to avail the benefits of the Mukhyamantri Sarathi Yojana free of cost. For this the eligibility has been fixed by the government. Skill training will be provided at the block level for 18-35 year old men/women of general category and up to 50 years of reserved category (ST/SC/OBC) men/women.
• In case successful youth are not employed within three months after training, Rs 1000 will be given to youth and Rs 1500 per month to girls / disabled / transgender for a maximum period of one year through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• Along with this, there is a provision to send 1000/- per month through DBT to the trainees of non-residential training from their home to the training center.

Jharkhand Archer Rita Savaiyan Selected for World University Games

Why In News?

On July 15, 2023, according to information received from the media, Rita Savaiya of Turtung Archery Training Center, Sikursai, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand was selected in the Indian team for the World University Games.

key points

• Rita Savaiya will represent the Indian archery team at the World University Games to be held in Chengdu, China from 28 July to 8 August.
• It is known that Rita confirmed her place in the team by performing brilliantly in the selection trial held on June 14-15 at KIT University, Bhubaneswar.
• Rita Savaiyan will be taking part in an international tournament for the second time. In March 2018, she won a gold medal for India in the 3rd Asian Archery Championship held in Bangladesh (Dhaka).
• Rita Savaiyan is a resident of Chhota Koyta village in Tantnagar block of West Singhbhum district.
• Presently Rita is practicing at Sonepat National Center of Excellence, Haryana. Also she studies in Gurukashi University Talwandi (Bathinda) Punjab.

2,74,313 Liters of Natural Paint Produced from Cow Dung in Gauthans

Why In News?

On July 16, 2023, according to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department, 2,74,313 liters of natural paint has been produced so far through the units working to make natural paint from cow dung in the Gauthans established for the protection and promotion of livestock in the state.

key points

• It is known that according to the intention of Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel, Gauthans established for conservation and promotion of livestock in the state is fast developing into a rural industrial park. Along with conducting various income-generating activities in Gauthans, production of natural paint from cow dung has started rapidly as an innovation.
• So far 2,74,313 liters of natural paint has been produced through the functional units, out of which an income of Rs 4 crore 34 lakh 79 thousand has been generated from the sale of 2,10,843 liters of natural paint.
• At present approval has been given for construction of 64 natural paint units in the state, out of which 51 units have been established, while paint is being produced in 47 units. The work of setting up 13 paint units under construction is in the final stage.
• Under 'Godhan Nyaya Yojana', cow urine is being procured at the rate of Rs.4 a liter along with cow dung in Gauthans.
• So far, 2,14,272 liters of cow urine has been purchased for Rs 8,57,088 in Gauthans, due to which 91,630 liters of pest controller 'Brahmastra' and 34,590 liters of growth booster 'Jeevamrut' have been produced by women self-help groups, which are being sold.
• This is promoting organic farming in the state. So far, 88,227 liters of organic pesticide Brahmastra and 32,765 liters of growth-enhancing Jeevamrut have been purchased and used in farming by the farmers of the state.