State PCS

• 25 Apr 2023

Inauguration of registration portal & website of Inflation Relief Camp

Why in News?

On 23 April 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the registration portal and website of the inflation relief camp at his residence. He also released the Guidebook of Dearness Relief Camp.

Key Points:

• Chief Minister Gehlot said that through the registration portal and website, the public's connection with the public welfare schemes of the state government would be ensured and they would be made aware of the benefits and objectives of the schemes.
• Chief Minister Gehlot said that more and more people will relate to the public welfare schemes of the state government through inflation relief camps.
• It is worth mentioning that all the needy families will be provided relief from inflation by connecting them with the public welfare schemes of the state government through the inflation relief camp. For this, dearness relief camps will be organized across the state from April 24 to June 30.
• Common people will get the benefit of 10 public welfare schemes in the camps, due to which they will get relief from the rising inflation. On April 24, the Chief Minister will inaugurate the dearness relief camp at Gram Panchayat Mahapura in Sanganer.
• Information Technology and Communications Commissioner Ashish Gupta said that detailed information on 10 schemes and a list of documents required for registration, a useful photo-video gallery related to registration in the camp and a list of commonly asked questions will be available on the registration portal and website.
• Helpline numbers issued for each district will also be available on the website to solve the problems related to the camp.

The following are the benefits of these schemes-

• Cylinder for Rs 500 under Chief Minister's Gas Cylinder Scheme
• 100 units of free electricity service per month to domestic consumers under Chief Minister's Free Electricity Scheme
• 2000 units of free electricity service per month to agricultural consumers under the Chief Minister's Free Agricultural Electricity Scheme
• Free Annapurna Food Packet every month to all the beneficiaries who come under the ambit of National Food Security under Chief Minister Free Annapurna Food Packet Scheme
• Under the Chief Minister's Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, 25 days of additional employment to families who complete 100 working days in Mahatma Gandhi NREGA and 100 additional days of employment to Kathodi, Sahariya and especially abled
• 125 days of work opportunities in a year under the Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme
• Minimum pension of Rs 1000 per month and a 15% increase every year under the Social Security Pension Scheme
• The limit of Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
• Amount of Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Accidental Insurance Scheme increased from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh
• Insurance cover of 40 thousand rupees per animal for 2 milch bovine cattle under Chief Minister Kamdhenu Pashu Bima Yojana

1 lakh Farmers in the state will get Grants for Fencing

Why in News?

On 22 April 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved the proposal of financial provision of Rs 444.40 crore for fencing of 4 crore meters to one lakh farmers of the state to save crops from stray animals.

Key Points:

• Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has given consent to dispose of all the pending applications under the Rajasthan Crop Protection Mission in two years.
• He has also approved the proposal to reduce the minimum limit for fencing to 0.50 hectares due to the small holding size of the farmers of Scheduled Tribe areas.
• Community participation in fencing will now get more grants than before. In this, the grant amount has been increased to 70% for fencing of a minimum of 5 hectares to a group of 10 or more farmers.
• In the financial year 2023-24, about Rs 444.40 crore will be spent on grants for fencing. Of this, Rs 391 crore will be borne from the Farmers Welfare Fund, and Rs 25 crore from the state scheme 'Grant for crop protection through fencing'. The remaining Rs 28.40 crore will be spent on the National Food Security Mission (state share Rs 11.36 crore).
• It is worth mentioning that in the budget year 2023-24, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had announced to continue the fencing under the Rajasthan Crop Protection Mission.

Madhya Pradesh is Among the Leading States in the Implementation of the Surrogacy Act.

Why in News?

In a meeting of the State Aided Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Board held in the Ministry under the chairmanship of Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Prabhuram Chaudhary on April 24, 2023, it was informed that Madhya Pradesh is among the leading states in the country in the implementation of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act-2021.

Key points

• It was informed in the meeting that Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to notify the State Board, District Appropriate Authority and District Appellate Officer in the Act.
• 74 institutions have been registered under the Act in the state. These institutions include ART banks, ART Level-1 clinics, ART Level-2 clinics and surrogacy clinics.
• Madhya Pradesh is also the first state in the country to determine the process flow and various formats for the surrogacy process in the Act.

Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary will be the New Home of Cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh

Why in News?

According to information received from the media recently, the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is now being developed for the cheetahs brought from the African country Namibia and kept in the Sheopur Kuno National Sanctuary (KNP) of Madhya Pradesh.

Key points

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is being developed for cheetahs and will be ready in the next six months.
• In a meeting with wildlife advisory board officials, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed forest officials to develop Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary as a new home for cheetahs in the next six months, a senior forest department official said.
• Media reports said that this step has been taken by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to build a new habitat for cheetahs brought from Namibia in Gandhi Sagar after the suggestion of experts. Experts have suggested to the government that the Kuno National Sanctuary is not sufficient for all cheetahs brought from Namibia.
• About Rs 20 crore will be spent in developing Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary to build a new home for cheetahs. The forest department had asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to take a decision in this regard.

The pension of Journalists in Haryana increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 11,000

Why in News?

On 23 April 2023, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced an increase in the pension of journalists from Rs 10,000 to Rs 11,000 on Sant Shri Dhanna Bhagat Jayanti.

Key Points

• The Chief Minister made this announcement while addressing the two-day All India Media Meet organized by the Confederation of Newspaper and News Agency Employees Organization in Chandigarh.
• Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that now the pension number of journalists will increase in proportion to the annual increase in DA on automation mode.
• The Chief Minister said that to effectively discharge their duties and make them more capable, the government has provided free monthly bus travel up to 4000 km, expanding the scope of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana for dependents of journalists, setting up of a media centre equipped with modern facilities, journalist pension and many other initiatives.
• He said that apart from the media persons working in the field, there is a plan to connect the journalists working on the desk with all such schemes.
• Apart from this, Chief Minister Manohar Lal made a big announcement at a state-level function organized at village Dhanauri in Kaithal district on the birth anniversary of Saint Shri Dhanna Bhagat, saying that the medical college being built at Haibatpur in Jind will be named after Saint Shiromani Shri Dhanna Bhagat.

More than 4,000 Reservoirs Dried up in Jharkhand

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on April 24, 2023, more than 4,000 reservoirs in Jharkhand have dried up while 560 reservoirs have been encroached upon.

Key points

• According to the information, for the first time in the country, there has been a census of reservoirs. In this, information about the status of reservoirs of all states is given. Jharkhand ranks second in the country in terms of reserves. Jharkhand has been ranked fifth in the effort made for water conservation.
• There are a total of 107598 reservoirs in Jharkhand. Of these, 106176 are in villages and 1422 in urban areas. Out of these, 4075 reservoirs have dried up. At the same time, construction work is being done on 1689 reservoirs and they are not being used.
• It has been reported in the report that 560 reservoirs of the state have been encroached upon. It has 472 ponds, 37 percolation tanks and check dams built for water conservation, 30 tanks, 12 reservoirs, 5 lakes and one other reservoir.
• Of these, 22 reservoirs have less than 25 percent occupancy, seven are occupied between 25 and 75 percent. At the same time, more than 75 percent occupying one reservoir. Jharkhand ranks fifth in the entire country in terms of the number of ponds.
• It has been reported in the report that 1731 reservoirs of the state have been filled with garbage. As many as 894 reservoirs have been damaged which cannot be restored. The water in 147 reservoirs is saline. Due to industrial waste, 114 reservoirs are not being used. 4416 reservoirs are no longer usable due to other reasons.
• Out of the total reservoirs of Jharkhand, 87878 have been constructed at government or non-government level. Only 19% of reservoirs are naturally grown.
• There are a total of 87080 ponds and 4500 tanks. There are 135 lakes, 3763 reservoirs and 12008 percolation tanks and check dams built for water conservation. Many ponds have been encroached upon.
• Encroachment is taking place in rivers and ponds in many places in the state. Due to encroachment, many ponds have ceased to exist in the capital Ranchi. The banks of the Subarnarekha River, which is called the lifeline of the Kalhan region, are also continuously encroached upon in Jamshedpur. Due to this, this huge river is turning into a drain in Jamshedpur.
• 72% of Jharkhand's reservoirs are used for irrigation. According to the report, only 1077 reservoirs are used for industrial work, 12721 reservoirs are being used for fisheries, four thousand reservoirs are used for domestic work, 395 reservoirs are being used for recreation. As many as 5036 reservoirs are being used for ground water recharge.
• More than half of the state's reservoirs (about 55.5 per cent) have water throughout the year, the report said. In addition, 13.1 percent of the reservoirs are filled with water every year. More than 28 percent of the reservoirs receive water occasionally. There are three percent reservoirs where there is very little water.

The State Government got a record Mineral Revenue of Rs 12 thousand 941 crore in the fiscal year 2022-23

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on 23 April 2023, the state government has received a record mineral revenue of Rs 12 thousand 941 crore from the mineral activities conducted in the state in the financial year 2022-23, which is 636 crores more than the previous year.

Key Points

• According to the information received from Director, Geology and Mining, Jai Prakash Maurya, revenue is mainly received from coal, iron ore, limestone and bauxite minerals in the state.
• The highest revenue of Rs 3607 crore has been received from iron ore. Revenue of Rs 3336 crore has been received from mineral coal, Rs 392 crore from limestone and Rs 31 crore from bauxite.
• Rs 6419 crores from Dantewada, Rs 2361 crores from Korba, Rs 1717 crores from Raigarh, Rs 760 crores from Balod, Rs 315 crores from Balodabazar, 286 crores from Kanker and Rs 262 crore mineral revenue has been received from Surguja district.
• While the minerals obtained in the state are contributing to the development of infrastructure, production of electricity and operation of industries in the state, mineral revenue is providing an important partnership in the financial development of the state.
• According to the information received from Anurag Dewan, Joint Director of the department, under the new policy of the government, the production has started in the year 2022-23 in 02 main mineral limestone blocks namely Karhi Chandi, District Balodabazar-Bhatapara and Kesla, District Raipur allotted through e-auction.

Uttarakhand's Mana is now not the Last but the First Village of the Country

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on April 24, 2023, the road organization (BRO) has put up the first village sign board at the entrance of the border village Mana on the Indo-China border in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

Key points

• Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared this photo on social media and wrote that now Mana will not be known as the last but the first village of the country.
• Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that in October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the border village of Mana as the first village in the country.
• It is worth mentioning that in the program organized in Mana on October 21, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called Mana village the first village of the country instead of the last village of India. Prime Minister Modi had said that every village on the borders will be called the first village of the country.
• Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the border areas of the country are becoming more vibrant today. For this, the Vibrant Village Program has been started.
• The Chief Minister said that vibrant village action plans have been prepared by the district administration in collaboration with gram panchayats. This will give wings to the products of these regions, crops including herbs, apples, rajma as well as the possibilities of development here.
• This scheme will be helpful in preventing migration from the border areas and the border area residents will also be able to participate in the security of the country.
• It is known that Mana village located in Chamoli district at an altitude of 3200 meters in Uttarakhand is located on the banks of Saraswati River. The famous Hindu pilgrimage site Badrinath is about 5 km from here. It's far away.
• Mana village is quite famous for the herbs found here. Eating herbs here provides benefits in many types of diseases. All the herbs found here are beneficial for a person's health.

Mana village - First 

Mana village - now