• 29 Jan 2022

Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council Elections

Why in News

• On January 28, the Election Commission of India announced the election schedule for 35 seats in the local body area of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.

Key Points

• According to the Election Commission, elections will be held in two phases for 35 seats in the local body area of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. In the first phase, polling will be held for 29 seats on March 3 and in the second phase on March 7 for 6 seats.
• It is worth mentioning that just as there are two houses of Parliament, similarly according to Article 169 of the Constitution, there can be a Legislative Council in addition to the Legislative Assembly in the states.
• At present there are Legislative Councils in six states- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• There are a total of 100 members in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, who are elected as follows-
  
  • One-third of the MLCs are elected by the state legislators.
  • In addition, 1/3 of the members are elected by local bodies, such as municipal and district boards, etc.
  • 1/12 members are elected by the people who have been teaching for 3 years and 1/12 members are elected by graduates living in the state for 3 years.
  • The remaining members are nominated by the Governor from amongst those who have special knowledge and practical experience of literature, knowledge, art, cooperative movement and social service.

Kashi will Become Cultural and Tourism Capital of Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, Varanasi Commissioner Deepak Agarwal informed that a smart city dossier would be prepared to declare Kashi as cultural and tourism capital of SCO.

Key Points

• The year-long events, major venues, catering and other things will be prominently mentioned in the dossier.
• The purpose of the dossier is to present Kashi as a nomination for the cultural and tourism capital of the SCO at the upcoming summit of the Heads of State of the SCO.
• Significantly, there is a provision of making one city of the member country as cultural and tourism capital every year by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, under which India has been selected for the period from September 2022 to September 2023.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an eight-member economic, political and security alliance, established in 2001. It includes China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was signed by India and Pakistan on 9 June 2017.

4-4 Lakh Rupees to the Dependents of Corona Dead from CM Relief Fund

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, in the 21st meeting of the CM Relief Fund Trustee Council held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar through video conferencing, it was told that in case of death due to corona, the dependents of the deceased were given the help of four lakh rupees from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Key Points

• Under this, a total of Rs 148 crore 16 lakh has been released from the fund at the rate of Rs 4 lakh each to the dependents of 3704 dead.
• Significantly, the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) was established in the year 1971 to help the people in distress. This fund is recognized as a trust and its income is exempted for return purposes under sections 12A and 139 of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• The Chief Minister is the chairman of CMRF and is assisted by officers/staff on an honorary basis.
• It was informed in the meeting that so far Rs 59 crore has been given for the construction of 100 flood shelters in 10 flood affected districts, out of which the construction work of 40 flood shelters has been completed and the construction of the remaining is in progress.
• At present, for complete freedom from Kala-azar disease, under 'Mukhyamantri Kala-azar Rahat Yojna', assistance of Rs.6600 is being given to each Kala-azar patient, which was started in the year 2011.
• Similarly, every child labor freed for eradication of child labor is being given assistance of Rs.25 thousand for housing.

Tax Exemption Decision for Vehicle Scraping

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, in the cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar through video conferencing, it was decided that the state government would provide exemption in motor vehicle tax on the purchase of new vehicles instead of declaring old vehicles as junk.

Key Points

• Under this decision, 25 percent tax exemption will be given on the purchase of private vehicles and 15 percent on the purchase of commercial vehicles.
• It is to be noted that 8 percent tax is levied on vehicles up to Rs 1 lakh, 9 percent on vehicles between Rs 1 to 8 lakh, 10 percent on vehicles between Rs 8 and 15 lakh and 12 per cent on vehicles above Rs 15 lakh. In such a situation, this decision will reduce pollution in the state and increase the revenue of the state government from the purchase of new vehicles, while on the other hand, industries for scrap will be developed in the state.
• It is noteworthy that the vehicle scrapping policy was announced by the Central Government in March 2021, under which-
  
  • Old vehicles will have to pass a fitness test before re-registration and as per the policy, government commercial vehicles older than 15 years and private vehicles, which are more than 20 years old, will be canceled.
  • State governments have been advised to provide road-tax exemption of up to 25% for private vehicles and 15% for commercial vehicles to provide incentives to owners of old vehicles to scrap old and unserviceable vehicles.
  • The automakers will also give a 5% discount to those who use the scrapping certificate. Also, the registration fee will be waived off on the purchase of a new vehicle.

Inauguration of Custom Hiring Center at Nathdwara, Udaipur

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi and Cooperation Minister UdaiLal Anjana founded Udaipur Central Co-operative Bank Ltd. in Nathdwara, Udaipur. Inaugurated Custom Hiring Centers by transferring agricultural equipment to 18 selected committees of Rajsamand district under Udaipur area.

Key Points

• In the program, Cooperation Minister UdaiLal Anjana assured action regarding opening of cooperative societies in each gram panchayat and assured to reduce the share capital from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh at present for the formation of new societies.
• Under the Chief Minister's budget announcement year 2021-22, provisions have been made to set up custom hiring centers in village service cooperative societies of the state and purchase agricultural equipment up to Rs 10 lakh on rent to the farmers of the society's area.
• Under this scheme, agricultural equipment up to Rs.10 lakh per society will be purchased, out of which 80 percent, ie, a grant of Rs.8 lakh, will be payable and 20 percent will be borne by the concerned committee.
• This scheme has been launched for the farmers of the state, especially small and marginal farmers, who are not able to buy expensive agricultural equipment due to limited income.
• Under the scheme, by purchasing equipment such as tractor, cultivator, seed cum fertilizer drill, thesar etc. in the selected committees of the bank's field of work, the farmers of the concerned field of the committee will be able to rent agricultural equipment at reasonable rates as per their requirement from the stipulated date.
• In the program, citations and mementos were distributed to the cooperative societies operating in the past, such as Madara, Lasani and Sindhu, for their better performance, as well as registration certificates to the newly formed cooperative societies of district Rajsamand such as Pakhand, Bijnol and Jawasia. And laptops were distributed from PACS Development Fund to Pakhand, Devpura, Jawasia and Bijnol.

E-filing Started in the State

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, the Chairman of Rajasthan State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Jaipur, Justice Banwari Lal Sharma inaugurated the 'e-Dakhil Portal'. Now consumers in the state will be able to register their complaints online in consumer commissions through e-filing.

Key Points

• Many facilities have been made available on the e-Dakhil portal. The platform is available through digital means such as e-notice, link to download the documents related to the case, VC link for hearing through video conference, facility to file written reply by the opposite party and alerts on SMS and e-mail.
• Registering complaints through the e-Dakhil portal from the comfort of their homes will bring great relief to the consumers and will save their time and money. Consumer commissions can also easily decide whether to accept or reject complaints online. If the said complaint is related to another commission, then it can be forwarded to the concerned commission.
• Rural consumers, who do not have electronic resources or find it difficult to register complaints on the portal, can take the services of Common Service Center (CSC) or E-Mitra to take their grievances to the Consumer Commission.
• The e-filing portal has been developed by the National Informatics Center and permission has been obtained from the National Consumer Commission to implement the e-filing system in the state.

2 Lakh 91 Thousand 631 Masks Distributed in 'Mask Hi Hai Zindagi' Campaign

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, Madhya Pradesh's Urban Development and Housing Minister Bhupendra Singh informed that 2 lakh 91 thousand 631 masks have been distributed to the needy till January 28 in the 'Mask Hi Hai Zindagi' campaign being run by the state government. This campaign was launched on 20 January in all the urban bodies simultaneously.

Key Points

• So far 1724 mask banks have been established in urban bodies with public cooperation. Of these, one lakh 37 thousand 761 masks have been donated by citizens and various organizations.
• The Urban Development and Housing Minister informed that on January 28, 44 thousand 996 masks have been distributed in the urban bodies through various activities.
• In urban bodies of Bhopal division, 4 thousand 853, in Chambal 345, in Gwalior 20 thousand 41, in Indore 3 thousand 483, in Jabalpur 2 thousand 258, in Narmadapuram 2 thousand 276, in Sagar 5 thousand 521, in Shahdol 142 and in Ujjain division 4 thousand 80 masks have been distributed in the urban bodies of the state.
• He informed that various activities are being organized by the urban bodies to make citizens aware about the prevention of corona. So far, 2 lakh 87 thousand 790 households have been contacted in the 'Roko-Toko' campaign. Around 4871 online discussions have been conducted.

Section 44 implemented in Dr. BR Ambedkar Social Science University Mhow

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, Section 44 has been implemented by the Madhya Pradesh State Government by removing the Vice Chancellor Dr. Asha Shukla due to irregularities in Dr. BR Ambedkar Social Science University, Mhow.

Key Points

• It is noteworthy that the complaints of administrative and economic irregularities received against Dr. Asha Shukla, the Vice Chancellor of the University, were found correct in the investigation conducted by the Indore Divisional Commissioner. Action was taken against the Vice-Chancellor on the basis of the inquiry report.
• He was accused of spending money during Panchayat Raj training without following due process, irregularities in consultation and appointment of guest scholars, setting up study schools in the university without competent approval.
• Along with this, the Vice-Chancellor is also accused of not providing the original documents regarding complaints during the investigation to the Inquiry Committee.
• On the other hand, Governor Mangubhai Patel, Professor of Government Holkar Science College, Dr. D.K. Sharma has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Dr. BR Ambedkar University of Social Sciences, Indore.
• It is worth mentioning that earlier Vice Chancellor Dr. Asha Shukla was the Head of Department in Barkatullah University, Bhopal. Similar allegations were leveled against him at that time also.

India's Largest EV Charging Station in Gurugram

Why in News

• On January 28, 2022, the National Highway for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) inaugurated India's largest Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station in Gurugram, Haryana.

Key Points

• This Smart EV Charging Station has 100 charging points.
• Earlier, the country's largest EV charging station was located in Navi Mumbai.
• This charging station has been installed and operated by Alektrify, the official commissioning and installation partner of NHEV for setting up of charging stations on the Jaipur-Delhi-Agra e-highway under the Ease of Doing Business pilot program.

Raigad District has the Highest Number of 279 Gothans in the State

Why in News

• According to the recently released data, out of 7933 Gothans built and actively operated in the state, 2201 Gothans have become self-supporting under the 'Garuwa' component of 'Suraji Gaon Yojana', one of the flagship schemes of the Government of Chhattisgarh. Raigad district has a maximum 279 Gothans self-supporting.

Key Points

• In Mahasamund and Korba districts, 170-170 Gothans have become self-supporting. The self-supporting Gothans have started using the funds available with themselves for the manufacture of vermicompost from the purchase of cow dung.
• It is worth mentioning that in order to promote the conservation and promotion of livestock in the state, the state government has so far approved the construction of Gothans in 10591 villages, out of which the construction of 7933 Gothans has been completed and there is cow dung, Vermi Other income oriented activities are going on including the manufacture of compost.
• At present 2300 Gothans are being constructed at a rapid pace, the work of construction of remaining 358 Gothans is yet to be started. Arrangements have been made for the care, fodder and water treatment of livestock in the Gothans.
• In Raigad district, all the necessary resources were ensured for the Gothan operation. Nodal officers were appointed for monitoring the work of the employees engaged in Gothan. Under the Godhan Nyay Yojana, arrangements were made for the purchase of cow dung and the manufacture and sale of vermicompost. The result of these collective activities was that in Raigad district, a maximum 279 Gothans became self-supporting in the state.
• Along with this, other income oriented activities are being promoted in Gothans through MultiActivity Centers, due to which women groups working in Gothans are generating additional income.

Police Medals Awarded to Six Policemen of Uttarakhand

Why in News

• On January 26, 2022, on the occasion of Republic Day, six policemen of Uttarakhand were awarded Police Medals.

Key Points

• Uttarakhand's Additional Director General of Police (Administration) Abhinav Kumar has been awarded the President's Police Medal (PPM) for distinguished services.
• At the same time, five policemen were awarded Police Medals for their meritorious service. These five medal winners are Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chamoli district, Dhan Singh Tomar, DSP Nandan Singh Bisht from Police Headquarters, DSP Ganesh Lal, Pauri, Inspector Mahesh Chandra Chandola (Intelligence Headquarters) and Sub Inspector Ramesh Chandra Bhate from Champawat.
• It is noteworthy that every year on the occasion of Republic Day, the gallantry award is awarded to the brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice by displaying indomitable courage in the security of the country.
• The Police Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs deals with matters relating to meritorious/distinguished service and President's Police Medal awards for gallantry etc.