State PCS

• 17 Oct 2023

Inauguration of Milk and Milk Products Project of Gyan Dairy in Gorakhpur.

Why In News?

On October 16, 2023, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the milk and milk products project of Gyan Dairy in Gida of Gorakhpur district. Along with this, the Chief Minister also honored 5 women associated with the dairy industry.

Key Points:

• This dairy plant of Gyan Dairy is being set up as CP Milk and Food Products Pvt. Ltd. The cost of this project, spread over an area of 20067 square meters, is Rs 114 crore.
• With this, 1 lakh cattle rearing families will get the benefit of direct connection. This will directly provide employment to 300 people. 1500 other people will get indirect employment.
• Various products will be made from this milk, which will provide direct employment to 1 lakh families. Along with this, crop residues, chaff, sugarcane, mustard etc. will also be sold to the farmers for nutritious food required for cows and buffaloes and they will get a fair price.
• Under this project, milk producer cooperative societies will be formed in Gorakhpur and Basti divisions.
• 5000 milk collection centers will be established in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Basti, Sant Kabirnagar and Siddharthnagar districts. This will provide direct and indirect employment to 1800 people.
• 5 lakh liters of milk will be consumed daily in this project. Out of this, 3 lakh liters of milk will be packaged and various milk products will be prepared from 2 lakh liters of milk. For this, contracts will be signed with 1 lakh farmers and cattle herders for milk supply.

Shipra of Maner (Patna) got Mrs. Universe Creativity Title.

Why In News?

According to information received from the media on October 16, 2023, Shipra Singh of Maner (Patna), Bihar won the title of Mrs. Universe Creativity in the '46th Mrs. Universe' held in Manila, Philippines.

Key Points:

• This competition started from October 1 and he was awarded this title on October 8.
• Shipra Singh has achieved this title by representing India among the participants from 91 countries.
• Earlier in April, she was the second runner up in 'The International Glamor Project'. On this basis he got a place in the competition.
• The Indian outfit in which Shipra Singh walked the ramp was designed by herself.

IISER Bhopal Scientists Produce Magnetic Porous Carbon Nanoparticles

Why In News?

Recently, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IISER) have successfully produced magnetic nanoparticles, which are particles approximately one lakh times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Key Points:

• These nanoparticles have been developed for many applications, such as removal of heat and light-induced salts from seawater, extraction of potable water from wastewater contaminated with dyes and deicing and anti-icing processes.
• One of the world's primary global challenges is to obtain clean and usable fresh water from sources such as wastewater and sea water. It is estimated that approximately two-thirds of the world's population will soon live in areas with water scarcity problems.
• Desalination, a process known to exist, can provide local water sources for approximately 40% of coastal communities. Desalination methods that produce usable water from seawater typically involve processes that require a lot of heat, such as distillation or membrane-based technologies such as reverse osmosis.
• However, these methods often require expensive equipment, large setups, and substantial energy consumption. A more sustainable option is photothermal (light+heat)- assisted desalination, which uses renewable solar energy.
• The creation of magnetic nanoparticles with diverse applications ranging from efficient desalination processes to dye removal and de-icing represents an important step towards sustainable and accessible water resources. Advances like these in science provide hope for a future where clean and safe water will be more easily available to communities around the world.
• This research was led by Dr. Shankar Chakma, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IISER Bhopal.
• The research group's findings have been published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society - EST Engineering.

Chief Minister Laid the Foundation Stone of Medical College in Sampan Khedi Village of Kaithal

Why In News?

On October 16, 2023, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal laid the foundation stone of Lord Parshuram Medical College to be built at a cost of about Rs 950 crore in Sampan Khedi village of Kaithal.

Key Points:

• A target has been set to complete the construction work of Lord Parshuram Medical College on 20 acres of land in the next two and a half years.
• With the construction of a medical college in Kaithal, the people of the district as well as neighboring districts and Punjab will also benefit from it. At present, except the nearby district of Karnal, there is no medical college in any other neighboring district. After the construction of the medical college in Sampankhedi, people of Jind, Kurukshetra and Khanauri and Patra areas of Sangrur district of Punjab will also get its benefits.
• It is noteworthy that at present there is a severe lack of facilities in the District Civil Hospital. The biggest problem here is the absence of doctors. Here, out of 56 sanctioned posts, doctors are working only on 24 posts. Due to shortage of doctors, patients do not get better treatment here.
• After the completion of the construction work of the medical college in the district, there will be a lot of improvement in health services here. A 500 bed hospital will be built in the medical college itself. After getting 100 MBBS seats here, the children of the district will be able to become doctors.
• After the construction of this hospital, a large number of people will be able to come here for treatment, while the students studying in the medical college will be able to serve the public by providing better services in the hospital itself.
• On this occasion, Chief Minister Manohar Lal said that not only Haryana but the surrounding states will benefit from this college and hospital. The construction of this college was announced at the Brahmin Mahakumbh held on December 11, 2022 in Karnal.
• He said that the previous governments had created six medical colleges before 2014, which had 700 MBBS seats, but at present there are 15 medical colleges in the state and 2185 MBBS seats. In the coming time, eight new medical colleges will be established including Fatehabad, Sirsa, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal and MBBS seats will increase five times to 3500 in the next four years.

Former President Ramnath Kovind laid the Foundation Stone of the Hospital being Established with the Basic Mantra of No Profit No Loss.

Why In News?

On October 15, 2023, former President Ramnath Kovind laid the foundation stone of Samarpan Heart and Cancer Hospital being established in L-Block of TDI City Kundli with the basic mantra of No Profit No Loss.

Key Points:

• While inaugurating its model, former President Ramnath Kovind congratulated the birth anniversary of Maharaja Agrasen, who gave the message of 'One Rupee One Brick'.
• The hospital will be started with a 50-bed facility, which will be converted into a 500-bed facility in the near future.
• The former President said that Samarpan Sanstha has exemplary fulfilled its responsibilities towards providing medical services to the people, which also includes blood donation camps, helping people with food and oxygen cylinders during the Corona period, operation of medicine banks etc.
• The former President said that Samarpan Sanstha has exemplary
• He said that every year lakhs of people are suffering from cancer and heart disease, for the prevention of which awareness is necessary. The lives of such patients can be saved by proper first aid. This hospital will also provide medical services free of cost and at concessional rates.

The Famous Historical City Agroha will be Developed as a World Heritage and Tourist Destination.

Why In News?

On October 15, 2023, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal said that a prestigious museum will be established at the historical archaeological site of Agroha Dham in Haryana. Also, the historical place Agroha will now be developed on the lines of Rakhigarhi.

Key Points:

• Chief Minister Manohar Lal gave this information while addressing a press conference after offering prayers at the Mata Mansa Devi temple complex on the occasion of the first Navratri in Panchkula.
• Manohar Lal said that the archaeological site of Agroha is considered to be the capital of Maharaja Agrasen. With the development of this place, not only will this center of faith make its mark in the world, but this place will also become famous as a tourist destination.
• The Central Government has given approval for the overall development of Agroha archaeological site and the surrounding area through MoU according to the Rakhigarhi model.
• He informed that the excavation of Agroha archaeological site will be done jointly by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Haryana State Archeology Department. Before starting the excavation, a GPR survey will be conducted in the prospective areas by the state government. After that there will be a joint MoU between ASI and Haryana Government.
• It may be noted that Chief Minister Manohar Lal had written a letter to Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy in the month of August regarding the excavation at the centrally protected site Agroha in Hisar district of Haryana. The Chief Minister had expressed the desire that the Haryana Government wants to highlight the archaeological heritage in the famous historical city of Agroha, Tehsil Adampur, District Hisar, so that an important chapter can be added to the historical and cultural field of the state.
• He has also requested to initiate a project to convert this site into a grand heritage site in Haryana and establish an archaeological site museum.
• The discovery of coins of Agroha district (republic) during excavation and the appearance of its ancient name 'Agradoka' in ancient literature including Mahabharata are enough evidence of it being the headquarters of the republic.
• The city of Agroha was situated on the ancient trade route between Taxila and Mathura and hence remained an important center of commerce and political activity. Earlier excavations proved the potential of the site and revealed five distinct cultural periods ranging from approximately the fourth century to the fourteenth century AD.
• The Chief Minister said that more than 100 archaeological sites have been identified across Haryana. These are being developed jointly by the central and state governments. Just as about Rs 23 crore is being provided by the Central Government to preserve the heritage of Rakhigarhi, similarly funding will be provided for Agroha also. Apart from this, the state government will also provide an adequate budget.

Ranchi's Seven Year Old Student Vivaan gets Star Artist Award

Why In News?

On October 16, 2023, Vivaan Shaurya, a seven-year-old student from Ranchi, received the Star Artist Award in the Creative Brilliance-2023 of the world's prestigious painting competition 'Picasso Art Contest'.

Key Points:

• Seven-year-old Vivaan was awarded the Star Artist Certificate of Achievement for scoring 92 marks out of 100 in the 6 to 10 years group. Last year also Vivaan had won this title in the competition.
• This year the competition had more than 1100 participants from 38 countries, including Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, Turkey, Austria, Vietnam, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, UAE, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and others.
• This competition has been organized every year since 2014. The competition is judged on all parameters including innovation, creativity, attractiveness, completeness, age of the artist, presentation and artistic ability.
• Let it be known that Vivaan Jawahar Vidya Mandir is a second class student of Shyamali. Vivaan's guru and father Dhananjay Kumar is also a renowned painter and the founder of Kalakriti School of Arts.
• It is noteworthy that by making good use of the lockdown time, Vivaan started making paintings and made more than 150 paintings. During this period Vivaan also won more than 21 international, national, state and district level awards.

Uttarakhand Khel Mahakumbh 2023

Why In News?

On October 16, 2023, Uttarakhand Sports Minister Rekha Arya said in a meeting with departmental officials in the auditorium room of the Assembly that it has been decided to organize the Uttarakhand Khel Mahakumbh, which starts in the first week of October every year, from October 31 to the end of December this time.

Key Points:

• Sports Minister Rekha Arya said that the situation regarding selection of venue, chief guest and competitions to be organized for the Khel Mahakumbh will be clarified soon.
• More than four lakh participants will participate in it, in which for the first time, prize money will be given to the participants standing first, second and third at the Nyay Panchayat level.
• The prize money in the Khel Mahakumbh competitions from block to state level has been increased. At the block level, participants standing first will be given an amount of Rs 500, those standing second will be given Rs 400 and those standing third will be given Rs 300.
• On October 16, 2023, Uttarakhand Sports Minister Rekha Arya said in a meeting with departmental officials in the auditorium room of the Assembly that it has been decided to organize the Uttarakhand Khel Mahakumbh, which starts in the first week of October every year, from October 31 to the end of December this time.