• 29 Jul 2023

ADB & GoI sign $295 million loan agreement to upgrade SH in Bihar

Why in News?

On July 27, 2023, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $295 million loan agreement to upgrade about 265 km of state highways in Bihar with climate and disaster-resilient design and road safety factors.

Key Points:

• The agreement to enhance connectivity and stability in the Bihar road project was signed by Wumlunmang Wualnam, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India on behalf of the Government of India and Takeo Konishi, ADB Country Director in India on behalf of the ADB.
• The project will support the Bihar government's programme to upgrade all state highways to standard 2-lane width and improve road safety. The upgraded roads will enhance connectivity in some of Bihar's poorest rural districts and boost access to health and education facilities and markets to improve people's lives.
• In addition to upgrading roads, the ADB project will build on the state road agency's earlier efforts to enhance management and implementation capacity and strengthen systems for planning, road safety and sustainability, said Takeo Konishi, ADB Country Director in India.
• The initiative to strengthen the State Road Agency, Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited will include developing a road asset management system which includes setting up of research laboratories at Bihar Road Research Institute to enable testing of materials including climate change and disaster risk information, reusable & sustainable materials, to mitigate the effects of climate change, Studies on congestion management & climate adaptation and road safety measures will include creating guidelines for gender-inclusive practices.
• The project will also encourage women's participation by providing employment to women workers in construction works. Women from communities in the project areas will also be given training on livelihood as well as making them aware of road safety, health, sanitation, abuse and harassment.
• Since 2008, ADB has provided five loans totalling $1.63 billion to Bihar to upgrade about 1,696 km of state highways and build a new bridge over the River Ganga.

Approval of 'Mission Vatsalya Yojana'

Why in News?

On July 27, 2023, Dr. Arushi Malik, Government Secretary, Department of Child Empowerment, while presiding over the general body meeting of Rajasthan State Child Protection Society held in the committee room of the Government Secretariat, informed that 'Mission Vatsalya Yojana' has been approved.

Key Points:

• Under Mission Vatsalya, child welfare and protection committees will be formed at the state and every district level for strengthening the child protection system and effective implementation of laws and programs related to child protection.
• In the meeting, new guidelines for collective foster care, individual foster care and sponsorship program have been discussed and approved.
• The Government Secretary of the Child Empowerment Department said that instead of institutional care, neglected children will now be able to get parental care under family care. Financial assistance will be provided by the state government under these schemes.

MoU signed between Devasthan Department and IRCTC

Why in News?

On July 27, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Devasthan Department and IRCTC in the presence of Devasthan Minister Shakuntala Rawat at Udyog Bhawan under the Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme-2023 of the Devasthan Department of Rajasthan.

Key Points:

• The Minister said that this MoU has been signed in accordance with the intention of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and giving concrete shape to his vision. With the signing of this MoU, facilities will be provided to senior citizens visiting Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal from July 28.
• He said that the journey from Jaipur to Delhi will be completed by bus through IRCTC. In Delhi, senior citizens will start their air journey from the Indira Gandhi International Airport and reach Kathmandu and visit the Pashupatinath temple.
• The state government is fulfilling the dream of senior citizens of the state to visit pilgrimage sites through rail travel and air travel. New pilgrimage sites are also being included in this scheme.
• The pilgrimage, which will begin on July 28, will continue till September 2 and more than 100 senior citizens will undertake the yatra daily. 100 pilgrims from Sri Ganganagar district will go to Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath temple.
• This year, under the scheme, 40,000 senior citizens are being made to visit pilgrimage sites, in which 36,000 pilgrims will be able to visit by rail and 4,000 by air.

'Prasav Watch' application received 'National Public Health Excellence Award'

Why in News?

On July 27, 2023, at the 'National Health Tech Innovation Conclave' held at a local hotel in New Delhi, the 'Delivery Watch' application of the Health Department of Rajasthan has been awarded the 'National Public Health Excellence Award' at the national level for innovation in the field of medicine.

Key Points:

• On behalf of the National Health Mission, Rajasthan, this honour was received by Housing Commissioner Dhiraj Srivastava and Project Director Dr. Tarun Chaudhary as a representative of Additional Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Health Department Shubhra Singh.
• It is worth mentioning that Rajasthan is the first state in the country where under the National Health Mission, the Maternal Health Department is running a 'Delivery Watch' application for digitized clinical care and monitoring of institutional deliveries being conducted at 360 major high delivery medical institutes of the state.
• Through this, the duty of clinical care and procedures done for deliveries at these medical institutions is done by the staff/doctor on the tablets provided in the delivery room and PNC ward.
• While feeding clinical data on this application, suggestive messages are also displayed real time to the concerned staff in the form of alerts, which include the type of complication likely to occur and the possible steps to be taken to diagnose it.

Revised Freight Assistance Scheme notified in the state

Why in News?

On July 26, 2023, the Haryana Government notified the Revised Freight Assistance Scheme for all MSME exporting units located in the state by amending the notified freight assistance scheme under 'Haryana Enterprises and Employment Policy (HEEP) - 2020'.

Key Points:

• According to a notification to this effect issued by the Department of Industry and Commerce, in order to make the export of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) competitive in the global market, the port/air cargo/cargo from the premises of the unit will be allowed to move from the premises of the unit, along with other non-financial incentives. Rs 25 lakh will be provided as freight subsidy to pay the transportation cost to the international borders.
• Freight support up to the extent of 1% of free on board (FOB) value or actual freight, whichever is lower, shall be ensured on the basis of level of ZED certification, excluding Government duties and taxes on movement of goods from the manufacturing site to the port/air cargo/international border.
• For thrust sector (notified under HEEP), a maximum subsidy of Rs 25 lakh will be ensured to the manufacturer exporter engaged in thrust sector located in 'C' and 'D' category blocks and up to Rs 15 lakh to the manufacturer exporter engaged in thrust sector 'A' and 'B' category blocks.
• For all other eligible manufacturer exporting units (non-thrust sector), subsidy up to a maximum of Rs 20 lakh will be ensured to the manufacturer exporter located in 'C' and 'D' category blocks and up to Rs 10 lakh to the manufacturer exporter located in 'A' and 'B' category blocks.
• The new amendment policy provides for 100 per cent subsidy for ZED Gold certified units for transportation from the manufacturing site to port/air cargo/ international border by road, 75 percent for ZED Silver certified units and free-on-board (FOB) value for ZED bronze certified units excluding government duties and taxes out of 1 percent of actual freight. A 33 percent subsidy will be ensured.
• As per the amendment, applications of all eligible units will be submitted on the web portal of the department within a period of 6 months from the date of end of the financial year and the Director General/Director, MSME will be the competent authority to sanction freight subsidy of more than Rs 10 lakh.
• The time period for delivery of service will be as follows: The letter should be approved in 45 working days and the letters will be approved within seven days and will be delivered within seven days.
• The effective date of implementation of the scheme is July 1, 2023, which means that the actual export should be done on or after July 1, 2023, it will be determined based on the bill of lifting.
• The documents in the prescribed proforma for availing the subsidy can be uploaded on the department's website up to 6 months before the end of the financial year.
• The Director General, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Haryana will be the competent authority to give these incentives.
• According to the notification, if an applicant is found to be taking the said benefit on the basis of incorrect facts, then he will have to refund the incentive amount with a compound interest rate of 12 percent per annum and legal action will also be taken against him.
• Apart from this, any kind of incentive / assistance grant given by the state government can be denied.

'Mukhyamantri Gram Gadi Yojana' in Deoghar

Why in News?

On July 27, 2023, according to the information received from the media, departmental preparations intensified to bring the 'Mukhyamantri Gram Gadi Yojana' on the ground to connect the rural areas of Deoghar district with the cities.

Key Points:

• Under this scheme, 22 to 42 seater buses will ply every day from rural routes to the city headquarters under 149 panchayats of the district.
• These buses will travel a total distance of 1533 kilometers daily by combining different routes every day. After fixing the route of their respective panchayats from all the blocks, its list has been handed over to the Transport Department. Now the proposal will be sent to the state headquarters after taking a final decision on this in a meeting chaired by the DC.
• After the launch of this scheme, it will be easier for the people of rural areas to come to the city. This will not only provide employment to the people, the villagers will also get the benefit of transport facilities under the scheme.
• Senior citizens of the state, recognized agitators of the state will be eligible to apply. Along with this, people going to and from the city for taking their produce to the market and for education and medical treatment will also be eligible.

Chhattisgarh model of ITI vocational training to be Implemented in the Whole Country

Why in News?

On July 27, 2023, according to the information received from the Public Relations Department of Chhattisgarh, on the initiative of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, on the lines of the combined curriculum implemented to provide higher secondary and ITI certificates to the students in the schools of Chhattisgarh, now the central government will start schools across the country. Wants to implement an integrated program of vocational training along with education.

Key Points:

• For this, a committee has been constituted by the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Government of India under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, this committee will prepare guidelines for the integration of vocational training with school education.
• A request has been made by the Director General of Training to nominate a representative from Chhattisgarh in this committee.
• It is worth noting that for the students studying in class 11th in selected higher secondary schools of Chhattisgarh, who are willing to get vocational training as well, through the coordination of schools and ITIs, to provide school education and vocational training of the students' interest. The plan has been started.
• ITI under this course in the state. Successful trainees in the examination will be awarded 12th board certificate by the Board of Secondary Education Chhattisgarh as well as ITI by the State Vocational Training Council. Certificate is also being provided.
• In the session from 2021 to 2023, along with getting school education, the scheme of getting training in ITI has been started in 119 schools and ITIs of 116 development blocks, in which students have received training in 10 trades of ITI. This will help the youth to acquire various skills to stand on their own feet. Entrepreneurship skills have been made a mandatory part of vocational courses under the scheme.

Rural Children to experiment with science; Mobile Science Lab will be provided by UCOST

Why in News?

On July 27, 2023, Dr. Durgesh Pant, Director General, Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), said that even children from remote areas of the state will now be able to learn the experiments of science. For this, a Labs on Wheel program is going to be started.

Key Points:

• For the first time in the state, UCOST's mobile van will go to every district, which will have all the equipment of the lab.
• It is known that there are many schools in the state, where labs are there, but they are not as strong as they should be. In many places, children are not even able to do science experiments. Especially the arrangements for making scientific use of the books which children read up to 8th or 10th standard are less. To overcome this deficiency, UCOST is starting the Labs on Wheels program.
• According to the information, one mobile van will be operated in every district. This van will have all the equipment related to scientific experiments. Each expert's team will also be with you. This team will reach out to remote areas and teach science experiments to children. Will tell the wonders of science.
• Eucost believes that this will develop scientific temper within the children. They will also get inspiration to move forward in the field of science.
• The Science City is being constructed by the National Council of Science Museum (NCSM) on 25 acres of land in the vicinity of Ucost Jhajharia. It will be a unique city of its kind, in which every aspect of life will be explained through science. This type of science city is only selected in the whole country.
• Apart from this, the construction of the Sub Regional Science Center has also started in Almora. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has given five crores for this. Efforts are being made to start it from this year itself.