• 30 Jun 2022

The longest Saryu River Front to be Built in Ayodhya

Why in News?

• On June 29, 2022, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to build a two-kilometre-long Saryu River Front on the banks of Saryu river in Ramnagari Ayodhya.

Key Points

• The Uttar Pradesh government is fully engaged in the exercise of changing the new picture of Ayodhya. For this, along with the construction of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple, the government is working on many such schemes for the development of Ayodhya, so that the city can be rejuvenated. In this episode, the Saryu River Front of Ayodhya is the biggest project after the beautification of Ram ki Paidi.
• The scheme is estimated to cost more than Rs.300 crores.
• In this, the kutcha ghats, which were the first ones, are being made concrete at a cost of Rs 39 crore.
• This will not only increase the pride of Ayodhya, but will also relieve the people of the problems during the flood. At the same time, tourists will get a new gift.
• There are a total of 14 major Ghats on the banks of Saryu from Naya Ghat to Guptar Ghat. Among them are many famous ghats like Guptar Ghat, Kaikai Ghat, Kaushalya Ghat, Laxman Ghat, Papmochan Ghat, Rinmochan Ghat, Ahilyabai Ghat, Jatayu Ghat, Janaki Ghat and Naya Ghat.
• It is noteworthy that in December 2020, the proposal of the longest ghat to be built at a cost of Rs 232 crore 56 lakh was sent to the government by the Saryu Canal Section of the Irrigation Department.

The First Female Cyclist to Reach the World's Highest Road 'Umlingala'

Why in News?

• On June 28, 2022, Sabita Mahato of Chhapra district of Bihar has become the first woman cyclist in the world to travel on the world's highest road Umlingala.

Key Points

• Sabita has crossed Rothan La, Baralachala, Nakila, Lachhunla, Tanlangala and Norbula to reach Umlingla.
• India's Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has built the world's highest road Umlingala in Ladakh near the China border in 2020, which was included in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2021. The road is located in the Umelana Pass in eastern Ladakh. Its height is 19,300 feet above sea level.
• Sabita Mahato started her journey from New Delhi on June 5 and ended her journey on June 28 by reaching Umlingla. This trip was sponsored by Roddick. Sabita will soon apply for the Guinness Book of Records.
• It is known that Sabita left her job in Tata Steel and made up her mind to do cycling. He has covered a distance of 12,500 kms during All India Traveling. She is the first Indian girl who has got the title of traveling 12,500 km. Apart from different states, she has toured the whole country including Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal. So far, he has covered a total distance of 35,000 km by cycle.

Twelve Railway Stations will Become World Class in Bihar

Why in News?

• Recently, East Central Railway's CPRO Birend Kumar has informed about the identification of 12 stations of East Central Railway to be developed as a world class station under the station redevelopment project in the state of Bihar.

Key Points

• These 12 stations include Muzaffarpur, Begusarai and Barauni of Sonpur Division, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Bapudham Motihari of Samastipur Division, Rajendranagar and Buxar of Danapur Division, Gaya and Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Junction of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Division and Dhanbad and Singrauli Junction of Dhanbad Division, has been selected.
• The process of redevelopment of all these identified stations has been initiated. It is targeted to be completed by the end of 2024. After the completion of the redevelopment work, passengers will get world-class facilities like airports.
• Under this scheme, Muzaffarpur Junction will be constructed with an amount of Rs.400 crore.
• Post redevelopment, Muzaffarpur station will be an attractive amalgamation of technology, local culture and rich heritage with advanced passenger amenities. After the redevelopment, the capacity to serve passengers will increase three times. This will increase the number of tourists as well as indirectly create employment, which will benefit the local people.
• Giving the station a world-class look and equipping them with state-of-the-art facilities, the station will be given the form of a green building, where there will be adequate arrangements for ventilation etc. Access control gates will be installed at the station and escalators and lifts will be installed at each platform, so that passengers get convenience in moving from one platform to another. The essential facilities to be provided to the passengers will include catering, washroom, drinking water, ATM, internet etc. This will especially benefit senior citizens along with common passengers.
• After redevelopment as a world class station, a separate building will be constructed for the arrival and departure building under separate arrangements for the arrival and departure of railway passengers at the station.
• The entry and exit gates of the station shall be such that passengers do not face congestion. 2.35 times more space will be available for main station building and 4.9 times more space for parking area as compared to present.
• Apart from this, there will be provision for ticketing facility, handicap friendly facilities, provision of solar panels on station building for green energy, provision of rain water harvesting, water recycling plant, solid waste management and fire fighting etc.

New Youth Policy of Rajasthan

Why in News?

• On June 29, 2022, Rajasthan's Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Ashok Chandna and Rajasthan Youth Board President Sitaram Lamba informed about the formulation of a new youth policy in the state, focusing on skill sports and art-culture.

Key Points

• This new youth policy will be framed on the basis of the interaction by communicating with the youth at the block level and submitting the feedback received in this dialogue to the State Government.
• Minister of State for Sports Ashok Chandana said that creating employment opportunities for the youth is the biggest need at present. For this, special attention is being paid to skill development among the youth and connect them with employment.
• Through sports also, positive change can be brought about in the youth. Empowering the youth can be helped by highlighting the hidden arts of the state.
• Therefore, with a special focus on these three disciplines, the new Youth Policy will be implemented through the Youth Board.
• Expressing concern over the increasing trend of drugs among the youth, Chandana said that a 'de-addiction' campaign will be launched to protect the youth from the evil of drugs.
• He said the possibility of providing priority employment to the youth of the state in the industries will also be considered.
• Referring to the development of sports in the state, he said that there has been a massive expansion of sports facilities and a unique initiative has been taken in the form of rural Olympic sports.
• Sitaram Lamba, president of the Rajasthan Youth Board, said the state government is paying special attention to taking the youth forward. In this order, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced to make the upcoming budget youth-centric, which is a good initiative.
• He said that the Youth Board is working on formulating a youth policy of their choice for the youth. For this, dialogue programmes have been organized at the division level and in most of the districts, in which thousands of youth have been interacted.

Election Mobile App

Why in News?

• On June 29, 2022, the 'Election' mobile app (Android Based) has been updated for the convenience of voters and candidates for the general election year-2022 of Madhya Pradesh urban bodies and three-tier panchayats.

Key Points

• Election related information can be obtained through this app.
• State Election Commission Secretary Rakesh Singh informed that in the 'Election' app, the information of voters, candidates for the post of mayor, councilor, district panchayat member and district panchayat member is available as per the summary of the affidavit.
• In this app the election results of Mayor, Councilor, Zilla Panchayat member and Janpad Panchayat member will also be available.

Institutional Check-up and Care During Pregnancy

Why in News?

• According to the recently released National Family Health Survey-4 (2015) and National Family Health Survey-5 (2020-21) comparative data, the number of expectant mothers who have been examined and taken care of in health institutions during pregnancy in Madhya Pradesh is Significant growth has been registered in 5 years.

Key Points

• The National Family Health Survey-5 report states that 75 percent of pregnant women are women who were examined and taken care of at a health institution in the first trimester of pregnancy. In the National Family Health Survey-4 of 2015, the number of such women was 53 percent.
• The Survey-5 report also states that more than half (58 percent) of expectant mothers had access to check-up and care in health institutions 4 or more times before delivery. The number of urban women doing so was higher than that of rural women.
• In Madhya Pradesh, 91 percent of the deliveries took place with health facilities. The increase in births with health facilities has increased from 81 percent to 91 percent in Health Survey-5 as compared to National Family Health Survey-4.
• It is worth mentioning that in May 2022 , the report of the National Family Health Survey-5 was released.
• The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a multi-level survey conducted on a large scale, which is carried out as a representative sample of households across India.

Haryana Begins the Process of Making Urban Areas Lal Dora free

Why in News?

• Recently, Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal has informed that on the lines of villages in the state, the process of making the urban areas free of Lal Dora has also started.

Key Points

• The Chief Secretary has directed the officials to prepare an action plan within 15 days for mapping of assets inside Lal Dora and drone flying etc. in urban areas on the lines of villages.
• Instructing the officials, the Chief Secretary asked them to prepare a master data of property IDs issued by the Urban Local Bodies Department, The Urban and Village Planning Department and the Haryana Urban Development Authority and in private colonies to ascertain the actual status.
• Apart from this, share the information of Lal Dora with all municipal corporations, municipalities and municipal committees. If any change is found, then update the data accordingly.
• Under the Swamitva scheme, the work of flying drones in the villages is almost complete and the work of making and distributing property cards is going on in a phased manner. Now on the same lines, the work of freeing Lal Dora will be done expeditiously in urban areas so that people can get their ownership rights.
• It is worth mentioning that Haryana had first started the Lal Dora Mukt Yojana in the country, which was later implemented in the name of Swamitva Scheme across the country. In this ambitious plan, revolutionary steps are being taken to free villages and cities from Lal Dora.

Milk Cooling Center

Why in News?

• On June 29, 2022, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren inaugurated the Milk Cooling Centre at Panchkathia/Babupur, Barhet, Sahibganj.

Key Points

• Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that milk collectors in these centres will get a fair price for milk and the state government will also pay a market price of Rs 2 per litre.
• Also, milk products manufactured at Medha Dairy will be used in anganwadi centres.
• The State Government is making continuous efforts to promote the farmers and milk producers. In this connection, milk cooling centres are being opened in villages.
• The milk which will be made available by the cattle herders in milk cooling stations will be processed in the big dairy plants of the state. After this, milk and milk products will be sent for sale in every part of the state. The government will work to make these products available in the market.

Inauguration and Foundation Stone Laying of Various Schemes

Why in News?

• On June 29, 2022, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and distributed assets, distribution of appointment letters at Damruhat, Sunderpahari, Godda.

Key Points

• On this occasion, the Chief Minister launched the Government-run Well-sponsored Godda Scheme and released a booklet related to it.
• Under this scheme, various programmes will be undertaken to free the children of Godda district from malnutrition.
• On the occasion, 79 schemes worth Rs.18001.17 lakh were inaugurated by the Chief Minister and foundation stone of 10 important schemes worth Rs.12598.28 lakh was laid.
• In this program, appointment letters related to various departments were distributed by the Chief Minister to 170 people. A total of Rs 1767.10 lakh was also distributed among 2573 beneficiaries under other schemes including Social Security Pension Scheme, Sona Sobran Yojana, Ration Card Distribution, Chief Minister Kanyadan, Chief Minister Employment Generation, Phool-Jhan Ashirwad Yojna.
• Tanu Kumari of Godda, who has brought laurels to the Santhal Pargana in the entire state by securing 97% in the board exams, was felicitated by the Chief Minister in this program.
• Along with this, the Chief Minister said that the children who stood first in the board examinations in the state would be given prize money of Rs 3 lakh, 2 lakh for the second position and Rs 1 lakh for the third position.

Decrease in the Rate of Malaria Infection in Chhattisgarh

Why in News?

• On June 28, 2022, Special Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Chhattisgarh cum Director of National Health Mission, Dr. Priyanka Shukla said that along with Bastar, the rate of malaria infection in entire Chhattisgarh has reached the lowest level ever.

Key Points

• The first five phases of the 'Malaria Mukt Chhattisgarh Abhiyan' have shown a massive impact in the Bastar division, which is most affected by malaria in the state. In the entire Bastar division, in the first phase, the malaria positivity rate was recorded at 4.6 percent. At the same time, in the sixth phase, it has come down to only 0.21 percent.
• If we compare the first phase and the sixth phase of 'Malaria Free Chhattisgarh Campaign' in January 2020, the malaria positivity rate in Bastar district is 2.05 percent in the first phase and 0.09 percent in the sixth phase.
• It may be mentioned that in the first phase of malaria free Chhattisgarh campaign, 64 thousand 646 malaria cases were registered. At the same time, only 7 thousand 170 cases have been found in the sixth phase, which are being treated immediately.
• During the sixth phase of this campaign, till now 33 lakh 96 thousand 998 people have been tested for malaria by reaching 7 lakh 6 thousand homes by the health department teams. During this, the patients found positive were started on the spot.
• With the impact of this campaign, which was earlier called the 'Malaria-Free Bastar Campaign', there has been a big reduction in the number of malaria patients found annually per 1,000 population.
• Under the campaign, all the people were tested for malaria with RD kit after reaching door-to-door in the inaccessible, inaccessible and remote areas of Bastar surrounded by dense forests and mountains. Those found positive were given full doses of medicines under the supervision of Mitanin.
• During the campaign, to ensure that every house and every person is checked, stickers are pasted in the houses and marking the toes of the checked people.
• Significantly, the sixth phase of the 'Malaria-Free Chhattisgarh Campaign' to eliminate malaria from Chhattisgarh has been launched from May 17. Considering the impact of the campaign, it has been extended to 21 districts of the state.
• Under this, work is being done on the action plan of activities related to spreading awareness to prevent malaria in the entire Chhattisgarh along with remote forests of Chhattisgarh, in which people are mainly encouraged to use mosquito nets, water stored around houses, drains. Spraying of DDT/burnt oil, important measures to maintain cleanliness and prevent mosquito breeding around the houses are being told.

Newly Appointed Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi took Oath

Why in News?

• On June 28, 2022, Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen Gurmeet Singh administered the oath to the newly appointed Chief Justice of Uttarakhand Justice Vipin Sanghi at the Raj Bhavan.

Key Points

• Speaking on the occasion, State Chief Secretary Dr. S.S. Sandhu read out a notification on behalf of the President of the country to make Justice Vipin Sanghi the Chief Justice of uttarakhand high court.
• It is to be noted that on May 17, 2022, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the appointment of Justice Vipin Sanghi, a senior judge of the Delhi High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court. Vipin Sanghi has taken oath as the 12th Chief Justice in place of former acting Chief Justice of Nainital High Court Sanjay Kumar Mishra.
• Justice Vipin Sanghi was born on October 27, 1961 in Nagpur. He did his schooling in Delhi and passed Inter from Delhi Public School in 1980 and BSc Mathematics (Hons) from Delhi University in 1983 and then LLB from Delhi University Law Faculty. In the same year he joined the Delhi Bar Council as a lawyer.
• Sanghi was also appointed as a Central Government Panel Counsel in the Supreme Court. In December 2005, he was nominated as a Senior Advocate by the Delhi High Court. He has participated in many International Law Conferences.
• Justice Vipin Sanghi was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court with effect from 29 May 2006 and as a Judge on 11 February 2008. Served as Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court from March 13, 2022.