DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: March 5, 2023

Government approves nano liquid DAP fertilizer for benefits of farmers

Tags: Economy/Finance National News

Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on 5 March said the government has approved the launch of nano liquid DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) fertilizer for the benefits of farmers and making the country self-reliant.

An overview of the news

• Fertilizer cooperative IFFCO, which is set to launch Nano Liquid Urea in 2021, also announced that the government has approved the launch of its Nano DAP fertilizer.

• One bottle will be equivalent to one bag of DAP, which costs Rs 1,350.

• IFFCO is also planning to launch Nano-Potash, Nano-Zinc and Nano-Copper fertilizers.

• In June 2021, IFFCO launched Nano Urea in liquid form as an alternative to conventional urea.

• It has set up several manufacturing plants in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to produce Nano Urea.

• There is no government subsidy on Nano Urea and it is being sold at Rs 240 per bottle.

What is Liquid Nano Urea (LNU)?

• Nano urea is a liquid form of nitrogen providing plant nutrient as a conventional alternative to urea.

• It has been developed in place of conventional urea and has the potential to reduce the requirement of conventional urea by at least 50 percent.

• One 500 ml bottle contains 40,000 mg/l nitrogen, which can provide nitrogen nutrients equivalent to one bag/sack of normal urea.

• The effectiveness of Nano Urea Liquid is more than 80%.

• Its use has been found to increase the yield by about 8%.

• Its aim is to reduce farmers’ dependence on packaged urea.

Uttar Pradesh government exempts Electric Vehicles buyers in state from tax, registration fees

Tags: State News

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has decided to waive off road tax and registration fee on the purchase of Electric Vehicles (EVs) for three years from October 14, 2022, to promote electric vehicles.

An overview of the news

• According to the Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicle Manufacturing and Mobility Policy 2022, 100 percent tax exemption will be given on electric vehicles (EVs) sold and registered in Uttar Pradesh from October 14, 2022 to October 13, 2025.

• The government will provide benefits to electric vehicle buyers if the purchased electric vehicles are manufactured in the state itself.

• On behalf of the government, orders have been given to the RTOs of all the districts to ensure compliance of the instructions with immediate effect.

• These electric vehicles would all be automobiles that are powered by batteries, ultracapacitors, or fuel cells.

• These include all two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers, Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV).

• As per the policy, a subsidy of 15 percent will also be given on the factory price of electric vehicles to be purchased in the state.

What are Electric Vehicles?

• Electric Vehicles are vehicles that are partially or fully powered on electric power.

• They have low running costs and are also very environmentally friendly as they use little or no fossil fuels (petrol or diesel).

• These vehicles can solve the problems of increasing pollution, global warming, depleting natural resources etc.

Madhya Pradesh govt launches Ladli Bahna scheme

Tags: Government Schemes State News

Madhya Pradesh Government on 5 March launched Ladli Bahna scheme under which each woman will be given one thousand rupees per month.

An overview of the news

• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the process of filling application forms of Ladli Bahna Yojana in the presence of about one lakh women at Bhopal's Jamboree Maidan.

• This scheme is being launched with the aim of increasing the economic independence of women in the state, improving their health and nutritional status and increasing their influence on family decisions.

• Under the scheme, Rs 1,000 per month will be deposited in the accounts of the native women of the state in the age group of 23 to 60 years.

• Applications for the scheme will be filled from March 15 to April 30 and the disbursement of funds will start from June 10.

Mumbai's famous "vada pav" ranked 13th in the list of best sandwiches in the world

Tags: Reports INDEX

Mumbai's famous street food "vada pav" has been ranked number 13 on a list of the top 50 best rated sandwiches in the world.

An overview of the news

• The list is published by TasteAtlas, a Croatian-based food travel guide website. 

• Turkey's tombik sandwich tops the list. Second is Peru's Butifara Sandwich and Argentina's De Lomo Sandwich is third.

About 'Vada Pav'

• Vada pav street food is said to have originated from a street vendor named Ashok Vaidya, who operated near Dadar railway station in the 1960s and 1970s.

• Ashoka thought of a way to satisfy the hunger of the starving workers, and concluded that the ideal dish should be portable, inexpensive, and easy to prepare.

• Ashok made Vada Pav and its popularity skyrocketed.

• Traditionally vada pav is made of spiced mashed potatoes, deep fried in chickpea batter and pav, which is also known as white bread roll.

Mauganj became the 53rd district of Madhya Pradesh

Tags: State News

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on March 4 to make Tehsil Mauganj of Rewa district the 53rd district of the state.

An overview of the news

• The purpose of this move of the government is to end the discontent against the government regarding the lack of adequate representation for the politically important Vindhya region in the state cabinet.

• Mauganj district, bordering Uttar Pradesh, will have four tehsils - Mauganj, Hanumana, Naigarhi and Devtalab with a population of more than six lakhs.

• There was a long pending demand to make Mauganj a district.

• In a function, the Chief Minister transferred an amount of Rs 605 crore as assistance to the bank accounts of 27,310 beneficiaries under the Sambal scheme.

• He announced that “On August 15, the national flag will be hoisted at the new Mauganj district headquarters.

• Apart from this, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of projects worth more than Rs 738 crore, many of which are in Mauganj.

Madhya Pradesh

• In terms of area, it is the second largest state of India after Rajasthan.

• According to the Indian Forest Status Report-2021, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum forest cover in the country in terms of area.

• 25.14% of its area is covered by forests.

• Governor - Mangubhai Patel

• Chief Minister - Shivraj Singh Chouhan

• Capital - Bhopal

Karnataka won the Santosh Trophy after 54 years by defeating Meghalaya

Tags: Sports Sports News

Karnataka won the Santosh Trophy for the first time in 54 years after sealing a commanding 3-2 win over Meghalaya in the final at the King Fahd International Stadium in the Saudi Arabia capital, Riyadh on 5 March.

An overview of the news

• This is the first trophy for Karnataka, having previously won four times as the princely state of Mysore after a gap of 54 years (after 1968–69).

• Meghalaya's team reached the finals of this competition for the first time.

• Karnataka took the lead in the second minute of the game when Sunil scored against Meghalaya after Robin's long throw.

• But Meghalaya equalized in the eighth minute through a penalty.

• Karnataka again took the lead in the 19th minute. Jacob John scored a goal in the finishing line to make it 2-1.

• Just before half time, Robin Yadav made it 3-1 with a superb free-kick from just outside the box.

• In the play-off match before the final, Services beat Punjab 2–0 to take the third place.