• 27 Jun 2023

Gopal Das Neeraj Smriti Samman to 5 Young Poets of UP

Why In News?

• On June 26, 2023, according to the information received from the media Uttar Pradesh Bhasha Sansthan announced Gopal Das Neeraj Smriti Samman to five young poets of the state.

Key Points:

• Among the award-winning poets are satirist-poet Pankaj Prasoon and young poetess Nisha Singh from capital Lucknow, Dr. Prabhanshu Kumar from Prayagraj, Krishna Kumar ‘Kanak’ from Firozabad and Ved Mitra Shukla from Bahraich.
• All these poets will be given a prize of one lakh rupees each for their creations.
• Born on January 4, 1925, in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, the style of noted poet and lyricist Padma Bhushan Gopal Das 'Neeraj' has been easy to understand and of high quality. He has also written many evergreen songs composed by SD Burman and picturized heroes like Raj Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna.
• In the eyes of the public, he was the best singer of human love. He has given a new twist to Hindi poetry by his touching poetry and simple language.
• It is known that in the year 2018, on the death of Gopal Das 'Neeraj', Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced an award of one lakh rupees each to five budding poets every year in his memory.
  • Poet and his works selected for Gopal Das Neeraj Smriti Samman
  • Pankaj Prasoon - Tab Giton ne Sath Nibhaya.
  • Nisha Singh Nawal - Mein Nisha hu.
  • Dr. Prabhanshu Kumar - Dr. Prabhanshu Ki Kalam se Kavya Sangrah.
  • Krishna Kumar Kanak - Uljhata Chhavijal Tumhara.
  • Ved Mitra Shukla - Ek Samandar Gehra Bhitar

Rajasthan got JAM Excellence Award

Why In News?

• On June 26, 2023, Rajasthan was given the JAM Excellence Award at the Buyer Seller Gaurav Samman ceremony held at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. The State was awarded the Silver Award for the better work of getting purchase orders for their products from SC-ST entrepreneurs through JAM portal.

Key Points:

• Union Industry and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Industry Anupriya Patel gave the Silver Award to Rajasthan at the felicitation ceremony. Additional Director S.S. Shah received the award on behalf of Rajasthan Industries and Commerce Department.
• Expressing happiness on receiving the award, Industries and Commerce Minister of Rajasthan, Shakuntala Rawat said that it is a matter of pride for the state to get this award for the commendable work done on the Government e-Marketplace portal.
• Commissioner of the department Om Kasera said that it is the priority of the department to develop a better industrial environment in the state and the department is continuously working in this direction. He said that all possible help is being provided by the department to the new entrepreneurs to set up and operate the industry easily in the state as per the industrial policy.

Loktantra Senani Samman Nidhi will be increased from Rs 25 K to Rs 30 per month

Why In News?

• On June 26, 2023, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced to increase the honor fund being given to democracy fighters from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month at a state-level conference of democracy fighters held at his residence premises in Bhopal.

Key Points:

• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the honor fund of democracy fighters who have been imprisoned for less than a month will be increased from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000.
• The fund given to the families of the deceased will also be increased from 5 thousand to 8 thousand rupees.
• The freedom fighters will have the facility to stay at Madhya Pradesh Bhawan during their stay in Delhi. They will be able to stay in rest houses and rest houses of the districts for 2 days by paying a 50 percent fee. Also, complete treatment of all types of diseases will be done by the state government.
• The Chief Minister said that special instructions are being issued to treat them with respect in government offices.
• Democracy fighters were provided copper plates by the state government, those who are yet to get copper plates will also be provided with copper plates immediately.
• At the conference, the Chief Minister also released Ramesh Gupta's book ‘Main Misabandi – Aapatkal Vyatha-katha - 19 Machine, which is based on the bitter memories of the Emergency.

IT policy of MP to be Announced and Implemented soon

Why In News?

• On June 26, 2023, Madhya Pradesh MSME Minister Om Prakash Sakhlecha informed that Madhya Pradesh's IT-ITeS and ESDM policy will be announced and implemented soon.

Key Points:

• The MSME Minister said that the goal of this policy is to make Madhya Pradesh the leading state of the country by creating a vibrant and inclusive ecosystem for the growth and development of the IT sector by incorporating all the factors.
• Special focus has been given in this policy on providing necessary infrastructure for research & development, investment, employment, innovation and industries in the state.
• He informed that the IT, ITES, ESDM policy of Madhya Pradesh for 2023 has been prepared after various sessions of discussions with the industry and benchmarking of various state policies.
• The main objective of the policy is to attract investment in IT, ITeS, ESDM sectors by providing incentives and simplifying regulatory procedures. The policy focuses on creating a business-friendly environment and providing necessary infrastructure for the growth of industries.
• Minister Sakhlecha said that the policy aims to create 2 lakh new jobs in Madhya Pradesh in the next 5 years by attracting investment of Rs 10,000 crore in IT, ITES, ESDM sector.
• It focuses on building 10 million square feet (about the total floor space of the Pentagon) of IT, ESDM infrastructure space, state-of-the-art IT parks, buildings, plug and play spaces across the state including plug and play for IT, ITES, ESDM and ready-to-build factories.
• The MSME Minister informed that the draft policy introduces innovative features, which will also suggest solutions to important challenges faced by the industry. The draft policy includes provisions for developing world-class IT infrastructure by providing special provision for CAPEX support to infrastructure developers.
• The policy has given special attention to the Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector and supported them by increasing capital subsidy capping.
• The policy provides rental assistance to help businesses set up their operations and employment generation support to boost employment generation.
• The policy encourages R&D activities by providing support to establishments through various incentives to support testing, calibration laboratories, quality certification, patenting and stand-alone research and development units.
• The draft policy emphasizes attracting different types of data centers in the state. The policy has specially designed various financial incentive provisions for data center units. The policy also has a provision to support mega projects in the region through customized packages.
• The policy aims to create a vibrant and inclusive ecosystem for the growth and development of the IT-ESDM sector, thereby establishing Madhya Pradesh as a leading state for IT.

Sahiba of Kurukshetra University got the Best Youth Coordination Award

Why In News?

• On June 25, 2023, a spokesperson of Kurukshetra University of Haryana informed that Sahiba, the Youth Red Cross volunteer of the university, has been awarded the best youth coordination award.

Key Points:

• The spokesman said that a five-day State Level Youth Red Cross Adventure Camp was organized by Indian Red Cross Society, Haryana State Branch, Chandigarh from June 19 to 23, 2023 in Manali in which 88 women students and Youth Red Cross counselors from 10 universities and seven colleges participated.
• The team of Kurukshetra University also participated in this camp, in which Youth Red Cross Volunteer Sahiba of Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra was honored with the Best Youth Coordination Award.

Jharkhand Cabinet: Dedicated Commission for Backward People Body Elections

Why In News?

• A total of 43 proposals were agreed upon in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on June 26, 2023. Under this, a dedicated commission will be formed to give reservation to backward classes in municipal elections. The Backward Classes Commission will work as a dedicated commission.

Key Points:

• The Jharkhand cabinet has decided to set up a 'dedicated commission' to examine the eligibility for reservation for backward classes in the state's local body elections. The Backward Classes Commission will work as a dedicated commission. The decision to set up the commission has been taken in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in 'Vikas Krishna Rao Gawli vs State of Maharashtra'.
• The Cabinet approved the proposal to provide smartphones to Balwadi workers and women supervisors of the state. Under the centrally sponsored Mission Saksham Balwadi and Poshan 20.0, a total of 29,100 workers and supervisors will be given smartphones for a maximum of Rs 8,000 (excluding GST) under the Poshan Abhiyan scheme. Apart from this, a total of 6,850 Balwadi centers will also be upgraded. For this, one lakh rupees will be spent per Balwadi center.
• The cabinet also agreed to a proposal to allow women in the state to work in night shifts. For this, in compliance with the Business Reforms Action Plan prepared by the Government of India under 'Ease of Doing Business', it was decided to amend the Factories Act 1948 and approved the Factories Amendment Bill 2023.
• Earlier, women were allowed to work only from 10 am to 5 pm in industrial institutions of the state. With the decision to amend the Act, women will also be able to work in night shifts from 5 pm to 10 am.
• Cabinet approves constitution of Jharkhand Advocates Welfare Fund Amendment Bill, 2023. Under this, the rate of stamp duty used in affidavits and advocacy etc. has now been increased.
• Earlier, a stamp of Rs 15 was required to be placed in affidavits and advocacy. Now a stamp of 30 rupees will be used. The proceeds from the sale of stamps will be spent on the welfare of advocates.
• The Cabinet approved the proposal related to the construction of a 500-bed hospital at Mahagama in Godda. The hospital will be constructed by ICL with CSR. The hospital will be constructed at a total cost of Rs 307.44 crore. The Cabinet approved to run it on PPP mode.
• The Cabinet also agreed to set up a sewage treatment plant in Dhanbad under the 'Namami Gange Scheme'. Rs 858.86 crore will be spent on this. The scheme will be operated on PPP mode.

Chief Minister Inaugurated 4318 Balwadis in the Second Phase of balwadi Yojana

Why In News?

• On June 26, 2023, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched 4318 Balwadis in the second phase of the Balwadi Scheme. In the first phase, 5173 Balwadis were opened in the state.

Key Points:

• It is known that on the occasion of Teachers' Day on September 5, 2022, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched the 'Balwadi Yojana' in the state to develop the ability of children to learn and understand sports as per the new education policy.
• The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel at the Chief Minister's residence office with the theme of 'Jabo Balwadi Badbo Shiksha Ki Gaadi'.
• The kindergarten scheme has been started by the School Education Department for children in the age group of five to six years.
• Through the 'Balwadi Scheme', the child is encouraged to learn, and they are prepared for the school environment. In addition to Balwadi helpers in every kindergarten for children, an assistant teacher at the primary school concerned is also posted and for this, an additional honorarium of Rs 500 per month is also provided to the assistant teacher.
• In the first phase of the 'Balwadi Scheme', 5173 Balwadis of the state were converted into Balwadis, through which 68 thousand 54 students out of 3 lakh 23 thousand 624 students of 5-6 years of the state benefited in the academic year 2022-23.
• Children's material 'Bal Vatika' has been constructed for the operation of kindergarten. The kindergarten is operated 2 hours before the lunch break on the school premises.

Act will be Made for operation of De-addiction Centers

Why In News?

• On June 26, 2023, Uttarakhand Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar said that the state government is now preparing to bind the drug de-addiction centers within the purview of rules. In this episode, the 'Mental Health Care Act' will be implemented soon in the state. The central government has given permission for this.

Key Points:

• Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar said that after getting permission from the Central Government, the state government is engaged in finalizing its draft. It is set to be placed in the cabinet soon.
• Under the 'Mental Health Care Act', it will be mandatory for mental health centers and institutions to register with the State Mental Health Care Authority. Those violating the Act will be fined from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
• Under the 'Mental Health Care Act', it will be mandatory for mental health centers and institutions to register with the State Mental Health Care Authority. Those violating the Act will be fined from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
• In fact, questions have been raised about the operation of drug de-addiction centers in the state. Lack of proper buildings, deployment of doctors and lack of trained medical staff have also raised questions about the functioning of mental health centres.
• There have also been reports of patients not being treated properly and torturing them. Even the death of patients has been reported many times. In view of this, there is talk of bringing the operation of mental health centers in the state under the purview of the Act. In this context, the state government had sent a letter to the Central Government requesting permission to bring its own Mental Health Care Act in the state, which has been approved by the Central Government.