• 22 Jan 2022

Approval to Make Ramjanki Marg in Bihar in Four Lanes

Why in News

• On January 21, 2022, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari wrote a letter to Bihar's Road Construction Minister Nitin Naveen, informing that approval has been given to make Ramjanki Marg in Bihar in four lanes.

Key Points

• In the letter, Union Minister Gadkari said that accepting the request of Ramjanki Marg, Religious Significance and Road Construction Department, Bihar, this highway will be made four-laning in the state.
• The Road Construction Minister of Bihar said that out of the Ramjanki road being built in the length of about 240 km in the state, only 90 km is as per the fourlane standard. The remaining 150 km is proposed as a two-lane road. 150 km length was also proposed to be four-laned from the central government, on which the center has given permission. Now the entire 240 km long Ramjanki Marg will be of four lanes.
• Ramjanki Marg in the state starts from Mehrauna on the Uttar Pradesh border and goes to Bhita Mor on the international border of Nepal in Sitamarhi district. Its length is about 240 km.
• Under the PM package Bihar-2015, 200 km of this path. The work of developing the part into a four-lane road is being done by NHI.
• Along with this, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that for pre-construction of Hajipur-Mahnar-Bachwara section of NH-122B in Vaishali, Samastipur and Begusarai districts of Bihar and two-laning improvement of Mahnar to Bachwara section. Approval has been given with a budget of Rs 624.43 crore.

'Pandit Bharat Vyas Special Issue' of 'Jagti Jot' Released

Why in News

• On January 21, 2022, Art, Literature and Culture Minister of Rajasthan Dr. BD Kalla released the 'Pandit Bharat Vyas Visheshank' of 'Jagti Jot', the mouth magazine of Rajasthani Academy of Language, Literature and Culture, Bikaner at his official residence in Jaipur.

Key Points

• Through this special issue, in relation to the literature composed by Pandit Vyas, specially the younger generation will get great information and inspiration.
• On this occasion, Dr BD Kalla said that the immortal lyricist of Marudhara Pt Bharat Vyas loved Rajasthani language very much. Many of his songs have the fragrance of the soil of Rajasthan and there is a real vision of devotion-power-love.
• The name of Pt. Bharat Vyas is prominent among the talents of Rajasthan who have illuminated the name of the state in the country and abroad. In addition to being a successful lyricist, he was also a great actor, director, composer, storyteller and impostor.
• Pandit Bharat Vyas left his unique mark as a theater artist in Bikaner, Churu, Kolkata. Later he went to Mumbai and composed hundreds of classic songs in many films. The song 'Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum' composed by Pandit Vyas is still sung as a prayer in educational institutions and various religious places.
• Other songs written by him – Zara Samne To Aao Chhaliye, Aa Laut Ke Aaja Mere Meet, Aadha Hai Moon, Yeh Kahani Hai Diya Ki and Toofan Ki, etc., have many such songs, which are relevant and mesmerizing even after so many years.
• Academy Secretary Sharad Kewalia informed that in this special issue of Jagti Jot in the month of January, articles, songs, translations etc. have been included based on the personality and work of Pt. Bharat Vyas of the eminent Rajasthani litterateurs of the country.

'Jal Mahotsav' gets India's unique Water and Adventure Carnival International Award in Spain

Why in News

• On January 20, 2022 Madhya Pradesh's annual tourism event 'Jal Mahotsav' has been recognized internationally as India's unique water and adventure carnival in Madrid, Spain. The award has been given in the 26th edition of an active tourism competition organized by FITUR in association with AireLibre magazine.

Key Points

• This competition was organized to promote development and marketing in the tourism industry. It focuses on promotion of products in adventure tourism, culture, nature, food and beverage, technology development and the environment.
• Principal Secretary Tourism and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board Shiv Shekhar Shukla said that out of the 100 products displayed in the competition, Madhya Pradesh Tourism's annual promotional event 'Jal Mahotsav' has been awarded as India's unique water and adventure carnival.
• The 'Jal Mahotsav' provides opportunities for adventure activities to sports and nature enthusiasts to feel the joy and thrill.
• The Jal Mahotsav also organizes other exciting activities keeping in mind the adventure sports like hot air ballooning, cycling, cruise boating, water parasailing, paramotoring, island camping, star gazing, bird watching etc.
• It is worth mentioning that Jal Mahotsav has also been awarded the National Tourism Award in the year 2017 by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India as the Most Unique / Unique Innovative Tourism Product.

State Animal Welfare Advisory Board Constituted

Why in News

• On January 21, 2022, the State Animal Welfare Advisory Board was constituted by the State Government under the chairmanship of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Prem Singh Patel.

Key Points

• According to the guidelines of the Central Government, the Chairman, Executive Council, Madhya Pradesh Cow Husbandry and Livestock Promotion Board, Vice-Chairman and Additional Chief Secretary Animal Husbandry will be members. Other members include legislators, non-government representatives and organizations related to animal welfare.
• The committee will give suggestions from time to time to the state government regarding prevention of cruelty and treatment of animals, use in transportation of animals, shed for animals, water, medical aid etc.
• The MLAs include Sumitra Devi Kasdekar and Ram Dangore, Additional Chief Secretaries of Home Department and Principal Secretary, Forest, Education, Panchayat and Rural Development and Urban Administration and Development Department, PCCF (Wild Life), Director Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department, Managing Director Livestock and Representatives from Poultry Development Corporation and Wildlife Welfare Board of India have been nominated as members.
• The non-government members include Kailash Lalwani Gopal Gaushala Nalkheda district Agar-Malwa, Vaidpal Jha Kedardham Gaushala and Bio-Agriculture Research Center Kedarpur district Gwalior, Pramod Nema Bhopal, Jitendra Narolia Indore and Shankar Lal Patidar Kamdhenu Seva Sansthan, Imalia district Raisen.
• Animal welfare organizations include Go Seva Ashram Deori District Morena, Animal Cure and Care Gwalior, Shri Goswami Ramanand Goshala Guna, Shri Krishna Goshala Seva Ashram Kusmania District Dewas, Animal and Environment Care Organization Bhopal, Kamdhenu Goshala Bhopal, Shri Krishna Goshala and Go Samvardhan Samiti Sironj, Triveni Gaushala Betul, Shri Dayodaya Livestock Protection Committee Harda and Jan-Jagran Educational and Health Welfare Society Makronia District Sagar will also be members of the board.
• The main functions of this advisory board are-
  
  • To supervise and advise the administration of the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
  • To advise the Government regarding cruelty or treatment to animals.
  • To make suggestions to the government, administration or vehicle owner for the improvement of the structure of the vehicles used for the transport of animals.
  • To decide for shed, water, medical aid for the animals.
  • To give necessary suggestions to the government and local authorities regarding the structure, maintenance of slaughter houses.
  • To take necessary steps to relieve them from torture and pain while apprehending stray animals.
  • To provide necessary grants for the construction of cages, batis, shelters, etc. to the organizations protecting the helpless, old animals and wild animals.
  • To give necessary support to the organizations working in the field of animal cruelty prevention.
  • To make people aware against the unnecessary torture generally given to animals and to give suggestions to the state government regarding the health protection of animals.

Haryana, Himachal government sign MoU for Dam Construction

Why in News

• On January 21, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for the construction of Adibadri Dam at an estimated cost of Rs.215.35 crore.

Key Points

• The MoU was signed by the Chief Secretaries of both the states in Panchkula before Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khater and his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Jai Ram Thakur.
• The dam will be built on 31.66 hectares of land in Himachal Pradesh and will store 224.58 hectares of water every year, out of which Himachal Pradesh will get 61.88 hectares and Haryana will get the remaining 162 hectares.
• Due to the construction of Adibadri Dam, 20 cusecs of water will flow continuously in the Saraswati river. Due to this water will continue to flow in Saraswati throughout the year. The width of this dam will be 101.06 meters and the height will be 20.5 meters.
• Khater said that the construction of Adi Badri dam would rejuvenate the Saraswati river which was extinct for many years. The restoration of the Saraswati river will also revive religious beliefs from ancient times, as well as develop the region as a pilgrimage site.
• The Chief Minister said that a Chair has been set up in Kurukshetra University to conduct research on Saraswati river, besides Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board has also been established. Haryana Government has notified an area of 200 km for Saraswati river from Adi Badri to Ghaggar river via Kaithal.
• Khater said that the objective of this project is to revive the Saraswati river as well as increase the groundwater level. With the commissioning of the dam, the flood situation arising out of excessive rains during the rainy season will also be dealt with. The lake being built near it will also boost tourism.
• He said that the area from Kalka to Kalesar is very important from the point of view of tourism. Many religious and tourist places including Adibadri, Lohagarh, Kapalmochan, Mata Mantra Devi come to this area. The development of the lake along with the dam will attract many tourists, which will benefit both the states.
• The Chief Minister said that several projects would be worked out in collaboration with Himachal Pradesh, including construction of a dam at Hathnikund barrage. Apart from generating electricity from this dam, continuous flow of clean water will also be possible in the Yamuna river. This will also save the crops from flood-like situations.
• Speaking on the occasion, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that Adibadri Dam would meet the requirement of irrigation and drinking water for both the states. Due to the flow of water in the Saraswati river, this area will be developed from the point of view of religion and tourism.
• He said that this project would also be very useful for Himachal Pradesh, as 3.92 hectare meter per year would be earmarked for drinking water requirement for hilly state and 57.96 hectare meter for irrigation water demand of project affected habitations.
• He said that the entire funding of the project would be arranged by the Haryana government. Both the State Governments will be free to prepare tourism projects from their own resources, along with other infrastructure necessary for the welfare and development of the local people, without compromising on the primary objectives of the project.

Tata Steel's First of its Kind CBM Injection Initiative to Reduce Emissions

Why in News

• Recently, as part of its continued efforts to move towards sustainable steel production, Tata Steel has initiated trials for continuous injection of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) gas into a blast furnace at Jamshedpur Works. This is the first instance in the world where CBM will be used as an injectant in a steel company.

Key Points

• The process is expected to reduce the coke rate by 10 kg/thm (tonne of hot metal), which would be equivalent to reducing 33 kg of CO2 per tonne of crude steel. The trial will take place in the next few weeks.
• The technology, design and development of the entire system in E Blast Furnace to facilitate CBM injection is done by the in-house team of Tata Steel.
• Tata Steel's Vice President of Iron Making, Uttam Singh said that the technology to decarbonize steel on a large scale is not yet ready. Tata Steel has taken various technology initiatives including pilots and trials to explore new and scalable solutions for decarbonisation.
• This test will help in quantifying the reduction in coke rate used in blast furnace and its effect on productivity and will provide useful insights about operation of blast furnace with hydrogen based injectors. This will help in creating a roadmap for future sustainable operation of blast furnace with green fuel containing more hydrogen.
• CBM consists mainly of 98% methane with trace amounts of other gases extracted from underground coal deposits. India is endowed with abundant resources of CBM, the main source of which is the eastern region of the country.
• This test provides a promising opportunity both logistically and economically to leverage the use of CBM for injection purposes.
• Tata Steel continues to invest in breakthrough technologies to achieve the highest environmental performance standards through process improvement, efficient raw material and resource management, high utilization of by-products, lifecycle assessment of products, etc.
• Leading the cause of sustainability, the company commissioned India's first steel recycling plant in Haryana, started using electric vehicles to transport finished steel and set up India's first plant for CO2 capture from blast furnace gas in Jamshedpur.

CM Releases Calendar Based on Tourism and Biodiversity of Jashpur

Why in News

• On 21 January 2022, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel released the calendar of the year 2022 based on tourism and biodiversity of Jashpur and the annual calendar of the daily newspaper 'Aaj Ki Jandhara' at his residence office.

Key Points

• This calendar based on biodiversity includes scenes from Jashpur district's picturesque waterfalls, mountains, wildlife, religious places including tea gardens, adventure sports and festivals of tribal life.
• State head of the news group Subhash Mishra said that this year poetry posters of theater artist Arun Kathote have been compiled in the calendar of 'Aaj Ki Jandhara'.
• Famous works of popular poets of Hindi and world literature like Sarvshree Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh, Vinod Kumar Shukla, Dhumil, Nagarjuna, Pablo Neruda have been included in the calendar. Apart from this, information about government holidays including birth anniversary of eminent litterateurs, artists has also been made available.