• 29 Dec 2022

After Tiger, Dudhwa will now be the largest center of Leopard Cat

Why In News?

• On December 28, 2022, Sanjay Pathak, director of Dudhwa Park in Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, said that leopard cat found in dudhwa and southern Kheri forests of the state will be scientifically calculated for the first time and given special protection.

Key Points

• It is noteworthy that after the workshop held in Dudhwa two months ago, work is now being done towards the conservation of leopard cat at the national level.
• It is known that there is a special work about tigers in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. Most attention is paid to their calculation, and conservation. But special attention is not paid to the number of leopard cats and their species found in Dudhwa.
• According to experts, many Cat species including Big Cat, Fishing Cat and Leopard Cat are found in Dudhwa. Leopard Cats and Fishing Cats are larger in size than normal Cats. Leopard-like stripes or spots are also seen on them.
• Director of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve Sanjay Pathak said that there is a large number of Leopard Cats, Fishing Cats etc. in Dudhwa. Until now, they were recorded by looking at them, there was no scientific basis for their calculation.

Water Sports Centre to open in Kaimur

Why In News?

• According to information received from the media on December 28, 2022, preparations have been made to open a water sports center for tourism development in Kaimur district of Bihar. In this regard, the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India has directed the Kaimur district administration to select suitable dam sites or broad river banks or large ghats for setting up centers for water sports.

Key Points

• A letter has been sent from the state government level to the district administrations of Kaimur, Patna, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Buxar and Sasaram, citing the demand of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India to promote water sports in the state.
• Significantly, the Uttar Pradesh government is operating a water sports center in Ramgarh Lake, one of the lakes of the state, in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh adjacent to Kaimur. State level and national level competitions of water are organized there.
• If the Water Sports Center is started operating in Kaimur district, then the tourists coming to these centers, including water sports players, will also get a golden opportunity to enjoy water sports.
• According to the information, sports facilities like boating, water biking, skiing etc. will be developed at water sports centers. Various sports competitions like water sports, boat race, swimming, etc. can also be organized at these centers.
• With the restoration of these facilities, the identity of water sports centers will be established at the national level and local players of the water sector will get a golden opportunity to nurture their talent and practice with high level players.
• In Kaimur district, there are many picturesque water areas in the hilly valleys including Karkatgarh, Telhar Kund, Jagdahwan Dam, where people have been visiting throughout the year with special occasions.
• Durgavati reservoir project can be the most favorable site for water sports center. The water storage area of the project is spread over a range of 627 sq km.
• The project has been prepared by connecting three hills of Kaimur and Rohtas districts. At present, boating facility is also provided to tourists in its water area.
• Apart from this, the water storage area of this project has now become a center of migratory birds and efforts are being made to develop it as a Bird Sanctuary.

Kagal Government Upper Primary School in Jodhpur now upgraded to Higher Secondary School

Why In News?

• On December 28, 2022, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved a proposal to upgrade the Government Upper Primary School in Kagal Pipar town, gram panchayat of Jodhpur district, into a Government Higher Secondary School.

Key Points

• With this approval of the Chief Minister, students of the gram panchayat Kagal as well as the surrounding villages, especially girl students, will not have to go to Ratkudiya or Bhundana village far away from the village for higher education.
• It is worth mentioning that due to the continuous efforts of the state government, there has been a qualitative improvement in the level of education in government schools of the state. As a result, the enrolment of children in the age group of 6-14 years in government schools in the state has increased by about 20 per cent as compared to the year 2018.
• Keeping in mind the need to continuously upgrade government schools, the Gehlot government had announced in the budget for the year 2022-23 to upgrade all 3,820 secondary schools in the state to senior secondary schools.
• Apart from this, for the strengthening and development of basic education in rural and remote areas of the state, it was also announced to upgrade primary schools located at gram panchayat headquarters to upper primary schools and upper primary schools directly to senior secondary schools as per the standards set by the Education Department and as required.

An Additional Budget of Rs 31.50 crore has been Allocated for Setting up 'State-of-the-Art Gym and Fitness Center' and 'Open Gym' in the state

Why In News?

• On December 28, 2022, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved Rs 31.50 crore for setting up a 'State-of-the-Art Gym and 'Fitness Centre' and 'Open Gym' in order to provide world-class facilities for practice and training to the players in the state.

Key Points

• According to the proposal, gyms and fitness centers with modern facilities will be opened at Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur, Barkatullah Khan Cricket Stadium Jodhpur and all divisional headquarters. Apart from this, open gyms will be set up at all district headquarters of the state.
• It may be mentioned that the Chief Minister had announced in the budget for 2022-23 to open state-of-the-art gyms and fitness centers in all divisions and open gyms at district headquarters.

Sky Diving Festival

Why In News?

• Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board Managing Director Shiv Shekhar Shukla said that the second edition of Sky Diving Festival will be started in the state by Tourism and Culture from January 5, 2023 at Datana Airstrip in Ujjain.

Key Points

• The Sky Diving Festival, being started by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board to promote adventure tourism in the state, will conclude on January 15.
• Guests present in the state for Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan, Global Investors Meet and G-20 Conference will also be able to enjoy this adventure activity. It is being operated by THE DGCA and USPA certified institution 'Sky-High India'.
• Shiv Shekhar Shukla said that the first edition of the Sky Diving Festival was successful. All booking slots were booked. In view of this, the second edition is now being organized.
• During this time, adventure-lovers will be able to enjoy sky diving with the help of trained personnel with high standards in Ujjain. They will also be able to get the thrill of seeing the city of Mahakal from a height of 10 thousand feet.

Haryana Govt to give more Autonomy to Panchayats and Municipalities

Why In News?

• On December 28, 2022, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced more autonomy to Panchayats, Block committees, Zilla Parishads, Municipalities, Municipal councils and Municipal corporations in the state in the winter session of the assembly.

Key Points

• Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that under gram panchayats, sarpanches will be able to get work up to Rs 2 lakh done at their level on quotation basis and works worth more than Rs 2 lakh will be done through tender on Haryana Engineering Works Portal.
• Under the new system, only the SDO will approve works ranging from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh at the sub-divisional level. Sarpanch, Block Committee and Zila Parishad Chairman will give administrative approval for this. Earlier, the approval files of the states used to come to the director, now all the approvals will be available at the local level.
• He said that Technical approval of works ranging from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 1 crore will be given by the Superintending Engineer and approval will be given by the CEO, Zila Parishad and technical approval for works ranging from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2.5 crore will be given by the Engineer Superintendent and approval will be given by the Panchayat Director. Technical approval for work worth more than Rs 2.5 crore will be given by the Chief Engineer or Engineer-in-Chief. It will be approved by the Administrative Secretary.
• If panchayati raj institutions fall short of the budget received from the State Finance Commission and the Central Finance Commission, the Rural Development Department will provide a demand-driven budget from HRDF or other reserve funds of the state government.
• In the works that will be done from these funds, the Panchayat Director will approve the work up to Rs. 25 lakh. The rural development department will carry out works worth more than Rs. 25 lakh and the government will give approval. Works worth Rs. 5 to 10 crore will come to the concerned minister and works worth more than Rs. 10 crore will come to the Chief Minister.

State's first Sports University to come up in Sonipat

Why In News?

• On December 27, 2022, Additional Chief Secretary of Haryana Sports Department Mahabir Singh said that the state's first sports university will be set up at Motilal Nehru Sports School located in Sonipat district of the state.

Key Points

• According to the information, Governor Bandaru Dattatreya has appointed retired IPS S.S. Deshwal, a resident of village Atawala in Panipat, as the Vice Chancellor of the new Sports University.
• The sports school will not be upgraded as a sports university. In fact, a separate university will be set up in the sports school premises.
• It is worth mentioning that recently Chief Minister Manohar Lal had announced to set up the state's first sports university at Motilal Nehru Sports School at Rai in Sonipat.
• The paperwork and other procedures for setting up a sports university have been completed. Now the infrastructure for the university has to be prepared in the sports school premises. Earlier, the Sports University has been formally started. The government has also sent a letter in this regard to the sports school.
• It is known that in the year 1973, the then Chief Minister Bansi Lal started motilal Nehru Sports School in Rai. The school players have so far won many medals with their performance on the national and international stage. Not only this, many are working in high positions in administrative services and army.
• According to the plan of the state government, a center of excellence will be built here for every sport, so that international level coaches and players can be prepared.
• Haryana is a sports state where there was not a single sports university. The players had to go to other states for NIS certificate or course. In view of this, a sports university has been started here. All sports-related courses will be conducted here.
• Motilal Nehru Sports School has 12 playgrounds besides hockey, football, horse riding, swimming, gymnast, basketball. The school has long dominated the national level in horse riding and swimming. The school has multipurpose halls and hockey astroturf grounds to promote sports. A 50-meter shooting range is being built here. The already built swimming pools and other sports grounds are of national level.

AIIMS Delhi and IIT Roorkee's 'SwasthGarbh' app to ensure safe motherhood

Why In News?

• On December 27, 2022, Professor K.K. Pant of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee informed that researchers from IIT Roorkee have created a ' SwasthGarbh' smartphone app. This app has been prepared with the help of AIIMS, New Delhi.

Key Points

• Professor K.K. Pant said that the 'SwasthGarbh' smartphone app will help pregnant women to provide prenatal and real-time (instant) medical care. This is especially beneficial for women in areas where medical services are not easily available. This is the first app for pregnancy, which ensures immediate doctor's advice.
• He said that it is clinically proven as well as reliable. The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store. Both patients and doctors can take advantage of the app free of cost.
• Deepak Sharma and Prof. Sahil Sharma, a research scholar in the Department of BioSciences and Bio-Engineering, IIT Roorkee. Deepak Sharma, Professor, Delhi AIIMS. Vatsala Dadhwal and Prof. In collaboration with Aparna Sharma, the 'SwasthGarbha' app has been prepared.
• The app covers all aspects related to pregnancy, such as keeping a record of every clinical test and taking medicines on time.
• Prof. K.K. Pant said that a research paper highlighting the benefits of the ' SwasthGarbh' app has been published in the prestigious 'Peer-Reviewed IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics'.
• Deepak Sharma, professor in the Department of BioSciences and Bio-Engineering, IIT Roorkee, said that the high infant mortality rate is a matter of serious concern. In view of this, the developed SwasthGarbh Mobile App will provide real-time medical assistance to all pregnant women and improve the state of mother-child health during pregnancy. Along with this, it will help in taking forward the Prime Minister's Self-Reliant Healthy India Mission.
• Dean (Research) at AIIMS, Delhi. Rama Chaudhary said that the ' SwasthGarbh ' app will be very useful in the possible solution to common problems of pregnancy. By delivering the ' SwasthGarbh' app from house to house, the life of the mother and baby can be easily saved in pregnancy.
• Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, AIIMS, Delhi. Vatsala Dadhwal said that communication between pregnant women doctors through the app will give better pregnancy results. The pilot study has shown that this app is also being used by doctors along with pregnant women.
• He said that a clinical assessment of 150 pregnant women was done about the usefulness of the app. This made it clear that the app has increased the quality of prenatal care and reduced problems. Women registered on the app saw an increase in the secondary number of visits to the hospital for antenatal advice and also showed better compliance with the World Health Organization guidelines.
• It is known that after the arrival of the Covid-19 endemic, the importance of telemedicine in healthcare has increased. Currently, more than one billion people are using smartphones all over the world. In such a situation, there is immense potential to change the medical world and provide better healthcare in the SwasthGarbh app.