State PCS

• 26 Oct 2022

Construction of country's largest Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling (MRO) at Noida airport

Why in News

• On October 25, 2022, the way for the construction of the second phase of the world's fourth largest airport (by area) to be built at Jewar was completely paved. This has also paved the way for the construction of the country's largest Maintenance, Repairing and Overhauling (MRO) at Noida Airport.

Key Points

• For the construction of the first phase, 1334 hectares of land has been acquired in the past. Construction work on this is going on. Due to the efforts of the Uttar Pradesh government, farmers of six villages have agreed to give their 1365 hectares of land to Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL).
• According to the new land acquisition law, consent of 70 per cent of the farmers affected for land acquisition for any project is required. About 80 per cent of the 7,164 farmers have given their approval. Noida International Airport Ltd. (NIAL) will now have 2699 hectares of land.
• A total of 6200 hectares of land is reserved for the airport. Noida International Airport will be the fourth largest airport in the world in terms of area. Earlier, King Fahd International Airport saudi Arabia, Denver International Airport and Dallas International Airport AMERICA were among the three largest airports in terms of area. However, other airports are bigger in terms of runways. There are a total of five runways to be built here.
• It is noteworthy that the construction of Noida International Airport being built in Jewar will be completed in different phases. For the first phase, construction of two runways on 1334 hectares of land is underway. The first phase will also be constructed in four parts. The construction of one runway will be completed in 2024. It will cost about Rs 5700 crore.
• When the airport becomes operational, 12 million passengers will travel annually in the initial phase. Another runway will be constructed in the second phase as the numbers increase. The remaining two more runways will be constructed in the next stages. On completion of the four phases, about seven crore passengers will travel annually from the airport.
• The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 30,000 crore. A runway and aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling (MRO) centre will come up on the land being taken up in the second phase for the construction of the airport.
• It is known that 85 percent of the country's aircraft go abroad for maintenance repair, overhauling. It costs Rs 15,000 crore annually. This amount goes abroad. Noida Airport becoming a big center of MRO will save money going abroad and the youth will also get employment.

Bihar government announces Rs 3,500 per farmer's family

Why in News

• On October 22, 2022, the Chief Minister of the state Nitish Kumar has decided to give Rs 3500 to each farmer family in the districts facing drought this year. According to the order of the government, this amount will be sent to the farmers' account before the Chhath festival.

Key Points

• According to the information shared on the official Twitter handle of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rs 3500 is being transferred to the bank account of 7841 revenue villages of 937 panchayats of 96 blocks of 11 drought-affected districts of the state and all the affected families of all the villages, tolas and habitations under it. No affected families are left out, officials have been asked to take care of it.
• It is known that this year, due to less rainfall in many states of North India, farmers have been hit by drought. Bihar is no exception. Due to lack of timely rain, there was a delay in sowing paddy, on the other hand, those who have sown paddy in some way, their produce has been hit due to drying up of the crop. In such a situation, many families have faced a crisis of livelihood. In such a situation, this decision of the Bihar government has brought relief to the farmers of his state.
• Along with Bihar, 62 districts of Uttar Pradesh also had to face drought. Here also the yield of the farmers has been badly affected. Now the government is distributing the seeds of pulses and oilseeds free of cost to save the farmers from the loss. At the same time, in states like Rajasthan and Jharkhand, farmers have been hit by drought.

Rani Kamalapati Railway Station got the 'Five Star Eat Right Station' certificate

Why in News

• Recently, Rani Kamlapati Railway Station of West Central Railway Bhopal Division has been certified as 'Five Star Eat Right Station' by food safety and standards authority of India.

Key Points

• Rani Kamlapati Railway Station has been assessed on the basis of adherence to food safety and hygiene, availability of healthy diet, management of food at the time of preparation, food waste management, promotion of local and seasonal food and creating awareness about food safety and healthy diet.
• 'Eat Right Station' initiative FSSAI and F.M.C.G. This is a part of the 'Eat Right India' movement launched by the chief, which aims to promote food safety and hygiene in catering units located at railway stations.
• The 'Eat Right Station' initiative is a part of the 'Eat Right India' movement launched by FSSAI and FMCG head, which aims to promote food safety and hygiene in catering units located at railway stations.

Vineet Sharma: First Mr India from Madhya Pradesh

Why in News

• On October 25, 2022, Vineet Sharma, a resident of Ashok Nagar in Madhya Pradesh, won the title of Mr. India, the country's largest men's competition.

Key Points

• To commemorate this achievement, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also planted a tree with him by including Vineet Sharma in the plantation program organized by him every day. Also, on becoming the first youth of the state to win this competition, described this pride as the achievement of Madhya Pradesh.
• 'Rubaru Mr India 2022' winner Vineet Sharma is the brand ambassador of Mr India organisation.
• Vineet was the only person from Madhya Pradesh to be selected as a finalist at the 18th edition of Rubaru Mr India, the company that organises the biggest men's competition in the country.
• About 30,000 people participated in the competition. In six different rounds, Vineet became the finalist of Mr. India on the basis of personality, confidence, communication skills and his attractive figure.
• Vineet Sharma currently runs his own company Trimbakeshwar Construction and Interior Design in Indore. Vineet is a civil engineer, interested in power lifting, fitness and sport.
• Vineet Sharma said that Rubaru Mr. India Company holds a 70% stake in the field of male competitions. It has been conducting the competition since 2014. This is the company's 18th season.
• Rubaru Mr. India has a record of having the highest number of international modeling competitions and championships all over the world. Apart from this, the same company has given prizes and titles in international men's competition to the highest number of people of Indian origin.

Panel Exhibition on Solar Eclipse at Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre

Why in News

• On October 25, 2022, extensive arrangements were made for the audience to observe the occasion of solar eclipse at Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Center in Haryana. Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma inaugurated an exhibition on 'Solar Eclipse Beliefs and Scientific Concepts' at the morning centre.

Key Points

• Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma said that this exhibition is capable of effectively putting the scientific approach before the public by removing the superstition spread in the society.
• This time there was a partial solar eclipse in Kurukshetra, the time of solar eclipse in Kurukshetra started at 4:25 and ended at 5.39. Most of its infection lasted for 5.28 minutes and the total duration of the solar eclipse in Kurukshetra was 1 hour 14 minutes.
• It is noteworthy that when the moon comes between the earth and the sun, the moon covers the sun partially or completely. This astronomical event is called a solar eclipse in science.
• According to Bhagavata Purana, once on the occasion of solar eclipse, Shri Krishna came to Kurukshetra with Balarama and prajajans from Dwarka.
• On this occasion, the rulers of many states of India like Matsya, Ushinar, Kaushal, Vidarbha, Shringjay, Kamboj, Kaikeya, Kunti, Anart etc. also came. On this occasion, Nand and Yashoda from Braj also came to Kurukshetra with other gop-gopis, that is why the solar eclipse fair is organized in Kurukshetra.
• The Deputy Commissioner said that two telescopes of a Celestron were installed by the Center in the Science Garden of the Center to see this position of the Sun, Moon and Earth closely. Viewers were advised by the Centre not to watch the solar eclipse with naked eye.
• At the time of this historic celestial event, lakhs of devotees took a dip of faith in the holy Brahmasarovar of Kurukshetra. Separate arrangements were made for bathing from saints to other devotees. Arrangements for shahi snan were made at Yudhishthira Ghat.
• It is known that Kurukshetra, the place of Gita, is a confluence of faith and tourism. Recently, the idol of Lord Krishna's virat form was unveiled at the holy shrine Jyotisar. A 3-D projection mapping show will also be seen here. The show will be inaugurated in the coming days. In this show, episodes related to Mahabharata and Shrimad Bhagwad Gita will be shown. For this, state-of-the-art technologies such as augmented reality, holographic image, robotic and drones etc. will be used.
• A light and sound show has been going on at Jyotisar Tirtha since 2019. Apart from this, the government has also built a parikrama path of Jyotisar Tirtha. Lighting work has been done on the shrine and a wall has also been prepared to protect the ancient banyan tree.
• It is noteworthy that Kurukshetra Development Board was formed to develop the city of Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra. As many as 164 locations are being renovated by this board under the 48 Kos circuit.
• Under the Krishna Circuit Scheme, Kurukshetra is being made a pilgrimage site by the Haryana government and the central government, which will become the center of attraction. A temple of Tirupati Balaji is being built in Kurukshetra and ISKCON temple, Akshardham temple have been built. Gita Gyan Sansthan is also going to be a very big institution for spreading the knowledge of Gita. Research work is also going on here.

Direct Flights From Haryana to 11 Major Cities in Seven States of the Country

Why in News

• According to the information received from the media on October 25, 2022, preparations have been made to start direct flights from Haryana to 11 major cities of seven states. These cities include Amritsar, Jalandhar, Srinagar, Jammu, Jaipur, Indore, Ahmedabad, Agra, Varanasi, Dehradun and Gaya in Bihar.

Key Points

• The aviation-hub will start functioning in Hisar in 2023. After this, flights will start from the airport. Haryana has also sought cooperation from the Centre to build a helihab in Gurugram, the state government hopes to get approval soon.
• Preparations are being made to open the center of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) at Guru Jambheshwar University or Polytechnic, Hisar. Some formalities have been completed, the rest will be completed soon.
• As soon as the airport starts in Hisar, there will be facility for the employees and officers of the armed forces to move from the border districts. The state government hopes that this will give a boost to the religious tourism of the state.
• The central government is also going to develop the civil aviation sector in the state. There is a preparation for the construction of Helihub in Gurugram, for which 25 acres of land has been provided by the Haryana government.

Surakshit Bachpan Surakshit Bharat

Why in News

• On October 24, 2022, Hazaribagh Deputy Commissioner Nancy Sahay launched the Child Marriage Free Surakshit Bachpan Surakshit Bharat (Safe Childhood, Safe India) Campaign in all Anganwadi centers, schools, panchayats and other institutions of the district with the aim of ending the social evil of child marriage in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.

Key Points

• This campaign will prove to be effective in making India child marriage free and spreading awareness about it.
• The district administration has instructed all the heads and public representatives to organize programs to spread awareness against child marriage, how to prevent child marriage and what are the legal consequences after child marriage.
• According to Deputy Commissioner Nancy Sahai, public representatives who perform their duty honestly in preventing child marriage will be honoured by the district administration on January 26.

Increase in the Number of Snow Leopards in Uttarakhand

Why in News

• On October 23, 2022, on the occasion of World Snow Leopard Day, the Uttarakhand Forest Department released data about them. According to the data provided, there are about 121 snow leopards in the state. During an auction in 2016, their number was around 86.

Key Points

• According to forest department data, the snow leopard clan is increasing in the Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand, which is a good sign in terms of biodiversity. Snow leopard is one of the most beautiful and rare creatures in the world. Efforts were going on in the state for a long time to count snow leopards and preserve this rare creature, successful results of these efforts have also been seen now.
• Chief Wildlife Warden Sameer Sinha said that a survey of 12764.35 sq km of the area available for snow leopards in the state has been conducted. This counting was completed in 2 steps. It included Govind National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Kedarnath Wildlife Division, high terrestrial areas of Nanda Devi Biosphere and Trans Himalayan region of Uttarakhand.
• According to this scientific study, the estimated number of snow leopards in Uttarakhand was estimated at 121. Snow leopards live in the Himalayan region of the state with an altitude of 3000 meters. The movements of snow leopards are often seen in camera traps. Snow leopards have also been seen many times in the Nelang Valley of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
• The scientific name of the snow leopard is Panthera uncia. The snow leopard serves as an indicator of mountain ecosystem health due to its position as the top predator in the food chain.
• The snow leopard has been listed on the IUCN's Red List of World Conservation Species. It is also listed in Appendix-I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It is listed in Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a major species of high Himalayas. India has been a part of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Conservation (GSLEP) programme since 2013.
• In October 2020, a community volunteer programme called 'Himalaya Sanrakshak' was launched to protect snow leopards.
• In the year 2019, the First National Protocol on 'Snow Leopard Population Assessment' was also launched, which is very useful for monitoring its population.
• The 'Snow Leopard Project' was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conservation of snow leopards and their habitat.
• Snow Leopard Conservation Breeding Programme has been launched at Panja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, West Bengal.
• It is noteworthy that the mountainous landscape of Central Asia has a huge, but fragmentary distribution of snow leopard, covering different parts of the Himalayas, such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
• Snow leopards live in high mountainous areas that are at an altitude of 18,000 feet, most such areas are in the Himalayas. China and Mongolia have the highest number of snow leopards. They are also found in Nepal, India, Pakistan and Russia.
• The Bishkek Declaration was adopted during the first Global Forum on Conservation of Snow Leopards on October 23, 2013. The forum was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. In 2014, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Bishkek Declaration, twelve countries on stage declared October 23 as International Snow Leopard Day.