State PCS

• 19 Aug 2021

Oxygen Plants in Uttar Pradesh

Why in News

• The HDFC Bank will set up 4 oxygen plants in the state, under the Parivartan scheme.

Key Points

• The bank will set up four oxygen plants at Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Bhadohi and Lucknow to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh under its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program 'Parivartan'.
• These oxygen plants will make hospitals self-reliant in handling critical cases requiring medical oxygen support and will eliminate dependence on cryogenic tankers for transportation of oxygen from remote locations.
• Roy said that the bank has taken this initiative to help the government and the Covid Warriors in this epidemic. The bank will spend Rs 3 crore for setting up oxygen plants in these four cities.

Supplementary Budget

Why in News

• On August 18, 2021, the Uttar Pradesh government presented a supplementary budget of Rs 7,301.52 crore in the state assembly to meet the additional expenditure for the current financial year 2021-22.

Key Points

• State Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna presented this supplementary budget in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
• This supplementary budget is only 1.33 percent of the annual budget of Rs 5.5 lakh crore for the current financial year. The focus of this supplementary budget is on creating new employment opportunities.
• In this budget, the most important issues of public welfare or fulfillment of a particular scheme have been focused. There are some new demands, especially to create employment opportunities for the youth, for which Rs 3,000 crore has been allocated.
• Apart from this, emphasis will be given on social security fund for advocates, improvement of electricity system, construction of Ambedkar memorial and cultural centre, conservation of cattle and augmentation of infrastructure in Ayodhya.

New Police Stations

Why in News

• On August 18, 2021, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the new building of 15 police stations prepared at a cost of about Rs 34 crore and inaugurated the newly created 9 police stations through video conference.

Key Points

• The Chief Minister inaugurated new buildings of police stations one each in Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Tonk, Hanumangarh, Pali, Chittorgarh and Rajsamand, two in Udaipur and three each in Bhilwara and Nagaur. Apart from this, two police stations each in Jaipur East and Dungarpur, one each in Churu, Hanumangarh, Udaipur, Alwar and Chittorgarh were inaugurated.
• The Chief Minister said that the State Government is trying to increase the number of police stations in the State in a phased manner keeping in view the jurisdiction. In this direction, along with setting up of new police stations on priority basis, police posts are also being upgraded into police stations, so that people do not have to travel far to lodge complaints.
• The Chief Minister said that a Heinous Crime Monitoring Unit has been set up at the state and district level to investigate serious and heinous crimes.
• The area of police stations, administrative buildings is being increased. In addition, CCTNS rooms, cyber rooms, police research rooms, women barracks, rest rooms, reception rooms etc. are being constructed in police stations.
• The Chief Minister also interacted with the public representatives, police officers-personnel, village guards, security friends, CLG members etc. present in the newly constructed police stations- Hanumangarh Sadar, Jahajpur (Bhilwara) and Mahila Police Station (Nagaur) on this occasion.
• He said that the State Government has innovated the construction of reception halls in the police stations for the hearing of the general public in a proper environment. Reception rooms have been constructed in about 454 police stations and work is in progress in the remaining.
• Principal Secretary Home Abhay Kumar said that in the last two and a half years, one police district, two additional superintendent of police offices, 21 police stations, 2 cyber police stations, 32 outposts, 2 ATS posts, have been created in the state to improve law and order. For action, two field units of SOG and one anti-narcotic unit have been formed. Also, 2422 head constables and constables have been given the powers of minor research.

Pushkar and Jaisalmer will be Developed as Solar City

Why in News

• On August 18, 2021, Energy Minister Dr. B.D. Kalla said that by developing Pushkar and Jaisalmer as solar cities, all the electricity related requirements of both the cities would be met through renewable energy.

Key Points

• The Energy Minister gave this information while addressing the review meeting of the Renewable Energy Project at the Secretariat.
• He said that efforts would be made to eliminate the dependence of electricity obtained through traditional methods by operating rooftop solar systems, solar parks, power generation from waste materials, installation of solar street lights, electric vehicles etc.
• Chairman and Managing Director of Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RREC), Dr. Subodh Agrawal informed that for the implementation of Solar City Scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, RREC will act as the nodal agency of the Central Government, which will be coordinating with the departments to give a concrete shape to this plan.

'Vision Zero Madhya Pradesh' Scheme

Why in News

• On August 18, 2021, Madhya Pradesh Transport and Revenue Minister Govind Singh Rajput virtually launched the 'Vision Zero Madhya Pradesh' scheme based on a safe transport system to prevent road accidents and save the lives of the injured.

Key Points

• It is noteworthy that Madhya Pradesh is second in the country in road accidents. Keeping this in mind, a five-pillar-based “Vision Zero Madhya Pradesh” plan has been prepared. This includes safe speed, safe road, safe vehicle, safe driver behavior and post-accident assistance.
• "Vision Zero Madhya Pradesh" would be implemented with the cooperation of other departments along with transport and with the participation of the entire society including voluntary organizations.
• On this occasion, the Transport Minister called for all the citizens to fulfill our responsibility to avoid road accidents.
• Transport Commissioner Mukesh Jain said that the first hour is very important for the injured after the accident, if the injured is taken to the hospital within an hour, then his life can be saved. Those who helped take the injured person to the hospital are no longer questioned, but respected.
• Additional Transport Commissioner Arvind Saxena administered the oath to all the participants to follow the road safety rules.

Dastak Campaign

Why in News

• From July 19, 2021 to August 18, 2021, the ongoing Dastak Abhiyan launched in Madhya Pradesh is an approach to deliver a package of essential health and nutritional services to address under-5 child mortality and morbidity in the state.

Key Points

• The campaign has been supported by Nutrition International, a global nutrition organization focused on delivering low-cost, high-impact nutrition interventions to people in need.
• Nutrition International has been supporting the campaign in its planning and strategy formation, orientation, monitoring, review and development of information education and communication materials.
• Dastak Abhiyaan, led by the state’s Department of Health and Women and Child Development, aims to proactively identify and promptly manage malnourished children and deliver essential health and nutrition services to under-five children, with the help of frontline workers including ANMs, ASHA and Anganwadi workers.
• The frontline workers knock door-to-door to identify families with children up to the age of five years and screen them for common diseases such as diarrhea, severe anaemia, severe acute malnutrition and even Covid-19.
• Once any kind of malnutrition or disease is diagnosed, arrangements are made for their referral and treatment. Through the DASTAK Abhiyaan, the frontline workers also distribute iron and folic acid syrup for anaemia prevention, oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets and zinc tablets to manage diarrhea and provide the dose of vitamin A supplements to the child.

Ban On the Term

Why in News

• On August 18, 2021, the Haryana government banned in official communication the use of the expression ‘Gorakh Dhanda’, generally used to describe unethical practices.

Key Points

• The decision was taken by Chief Minister Manohar Lal after a delegation of the Gorakhnath community met him.
• The Gorakhnath community had urged him to ban the use of the word 'Gorakh dhandha' and said that Gorakhnath was a saint and using this term hurts the sentiments of his followers.
• The chief minister said that as Guru Gorakhnath was a saint and using this word in any official language, speech or in any context hurts the sentiments of his followers, therefore the use of this word in any context has been completely banned.

Launch of Several Schemes

Why in News

• On August 18, 2021, Chief Minister Hemant Soren inaugurated/laid the foundation stone of 60 schemes of different departments and some of the beneficiaries selected by different departments were given certificates symbolically related to Pradhan Patta, appointment letters and other welfare schemes during a programme organized at Teshobathan village in Sundarpahari block of Godda district.

Key Point

• In the programme, the CM inaugurated 37 schemes worth Rs 7,050.83 lakh and laid the foundation stone of 23 schemes worth Rs 2,230.42 lakh.
• Under the housing scheme, he handed over the keys of the house to six beneficiaries, while four were given Pradhan Patta.
• Apart from this, some of the beneficiaries selected by the District Establishment Branch, MGNREGA, Education Department, Health Department, Cooperative Department, Welfare Department, Social Welfare Department, Supply Department etc were given a symbolic appointment letter, community forest rights lease, ration card, and pension, grant acceptance letter etc.
• The CM presented a cheque of Rs 4 lakh each to the dependents of those who died due to the lightning.

Tatanagar Railway Station

Why in News

• Recently, Tatanagar railway station officials said that Garden Reach, the headquarters of South Eastern Railway (SER), has given a green signal for the proposal of a third-foot overbridge at the Kharagpur end of the railway station.

Key Points

• The station management has undertaken several infrastructure projects which include the overbridge.
• The engineering wing of Tatanagar railway has come up with a final blueprint of the Rs 2 crore project. The blueprint was also approved by South Eastern Railway.
• As per the plans, the third foot overbridge would come up next to the first foot overbridge at the Kharagpur end of the railway station. It will connect platform no 1 with the other four platforms. Work for the project is expected to start from September.
• The station management informed us that they identified the place for putting up pillars on the platforms. Work for the project was supposed to begin earlier this year but couldn’t due to the second wave of Covid-19.
• Currently, the A1 category station has two foot overbridges. The second one costing Rs 1.90 crore was inaugurated in October 2019.

National Award to Pramod Kumar Shukla

Why in News

• On August 18, 2021, National Award will be given to Pramod Kumar Shukla, lecturer of Eklavya Model Residential School of Karpawand-Bakawand in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India has today declared the list of National Awards to be given to teachers for the year 2021.

Key Point

• This year 44 teachers from across the country have been selected for the President's Award, which will be honored on National Teacher's Day. Pramod Shukla is the only teacher in the state to be honored with this award.
• Pramod Shukla has been selected in the EMRS quota under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• Apart from these, the Education Department from Chhattisgarh had selected the names of three teachers and sent them for the President's Award, but the National Jury did not select them.
• It is noteworthy that Eklavya Model Residential School is run by the Tribal and Scheduled Caste Welfare Department in the state.