Rajasthan

• 23 Sep 2021

Agricultural College

Why in News

• On September 22, 2021, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the Agricultural College, Dungarpur, established as a constituent unit of Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur.

Key Points

• Appreciating the steps taken by Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, patent work, innovations related to robotics, weather forecast from 'Mewar Ritu' app, etc., the Governor and Chancellor called for making the university a center of excellence in the country's agriculture sector.
• Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on the occasion that in view of the dependence of the rural population on the agriculture sector, the State Government has decided to open 13 agricultural colleges in the last two years. The long-standing demand of the students of the tribal area has been fulfilled by the establishment of an agricultural college. Keeping in view the educational progress of the tribal area, Engineering College and Govind Guru Tribal University have been started in Banswara.
• He said that keeping agriculture on priority, the state government has decided to present a separate budget for agriculture and has implemented Agriculture Processing Policy-2019 and Agriculture Export Promotion Policy to improve the agriculture sector. Up to one crore rupees are being given to the farmers for setting up their own agro-processing units.
• Dr. Narendra Singh Rathod, Vice-Chancellor of Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, in his welcome address, informed about the online educational and non-teaching activities conducted by the university during the Corona period.
• On this occasion, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Lalchand Kataria said that Rajasthan is leading in the production of many crops including mustard, bajra in the country. Rajasthan also ranks second in the whole country in milk production. Rajasthan also has its own unique identity regarding the breeds of livestock.

Rajasthan Ranked First in Solar Energy

Why in News

• In a recently released report of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, Rajasthan has overtaken Karnataka to rank first in the country with an installed capacity of 7737.95 MW of solar power.

Key Points

• It is worth mentioning that in the MNRE report, Gujarat has been ranked third with 5708 MW capacity, Tamil Nadu fourth with 4675 MW and Andhra Pradesh with 4380 MW.
• Despite the adverse circumstances of Covid-19, 2348.47 MW of new solar power capacity has been installed in Rajasthan in the last eight months only.
• Rajasthan has registered unprecedented progress in all areas of solar energy including ground mount, roof top and off grid in the year 2021.
• In the direction of making Rajasthan a leader in the field of green energy-clean energy, the state's Solar Energy Policy-2019 has been very important for the investors. Also, the provisions of RIPS-2019 have brought a revolutionary change in the field of solar energy in the state. Under this policy, customized investment proposals worth Rs 34,200 crore were approved in the hybrid energy sector in the state in April 2021. Most of these are related to solar energy.
• As a result of the policies to promote solar energy, Rajasthan has become the preferred destination for investors in this sector from across the country and the world. During this period, a record investment of Rs 10 thousand crores has been made in this sector.
• Considering the favourable geographical conditions of Rajasthan from the point of view of solar power generation, 142 GW of solar power generation has been estimated in the state. To achieve this goal, an effective plan has been prepared by the state government. Under the plan, an ambitious target of 30 GW of solar power generation has been set by 2024-25, which will completely change the energy scenario of the country.

New Schemes Listed in State Flagship Program

Why in News

• Recently, 7 schemes of 5 different departments including 'Mukhyamantri Yuva Sambal Yojana' related to skill development and employment of youth of the state have been included in the State Flagship Program list.

Key Points

• In this regard, the Planning Department has issued orders and directed the concerned departments to closely monitor the implementation of these programs and prepare the information of financial and physical progress and send it to the Chief Minister's Office and Planning Department by 7th of every month.
• Among the programs announced are 'Mukhyamantri Yuva Sambal Yojana' run by the Department of Skills, Employment and Entrepreneurship, 'Kalibai Bhil Meritorious Chhatra Scooty Yojana' and 'Devnarayan Chhatra Scooty Scheme' of the Higher Education Department, 'Indira Rasoi Yojana' of the Department of Autonomous Government, Gandhi Urban Credit Card Scheme, 'Ghar-Ghar Aushadhi Yojana' run by the Forest Department and 'Mukhyamantri Kisan Mitra Energy Scheme' run by the Energy Department have been included in the State Flagship Program.
• The name of 'Ayushman Bharat Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Health Insurance Scheme' of the Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare included in the flagship program list has also been modified as 'Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana'.