1. Tamil Nadu govt to launch five-year Tamil Nadu Millet Mission
Tags: State News
Presenting the state’s Agriculture Budget for FY24 in the Assembly on 21 March, Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture MRK Panneerselvam said the state government will implement the Tamil Nadu Millet Mission for five years.
An overview of the news
The government has decided to take up millet cultivation in 50,000 acres of fallow land under its Tamil Nadu Millet Mission and provide subsidy for crop diversification into millets.
By bringing millet farmers together, 100 groups of millet producers will be formed and training programs will be run for them.
Subsidy will be provided for setting up sprinkler irrigation system in 12,500 acres.
Subsidy assistance will be provided to farmer producer groups for setting up millet processing centers to sell value-added millets.
To create awareness about the goodness of millets, the government will celebrate 'Bajra Utsav'.
To increase the production and consumption of millet, direct procurement of ragi and millet will be done and availability of millet will be ensured at fair price shops.
Millet-based food will be included in hostels of government institutions and educational institutions.
About Tamil Nadu State
The state was formed on 26 January 1950 but its boundaries were redrawn on 14 January 1969.
Tamil Nadu is located at the mouth of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
Bharatanatyam is a very popular and famous dance form of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of bananas and flowers, the second largest producer of mango, rubber, groundnut, coconut and the third largest producer of coffee.
Governor- Ravindra Narayan Ravi
Chief Minister- M.K.Stalin
Assembly seats 235 seats
Rajya Sabha Seats - 18
Lok Sabha seats- 39
2. Bihar State foundation day
Tags: State News Important Days
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted the people of Bihar on 22nd March, Bihar State Foundation Day.
An overview of the news
This is the 111th Foundation Day of the state.
Bihar Diwas is celebrated every year on 22 March to commemorate the separation of Bihar from Bengal.
The tradition of celebrating Bihar Day was first started in the year 2010 under the guidance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and since then it is celebrated with great pride.
Theme of 2023 Bihar Diwas is “ Yuva Shakti ki Pragati”.
The day holds immense significance as it provides an opportunity to celebrate therich cultural heritage and history of Bihar.
It is also a time to reflect on the achievements and challenges of the state and plan for its future development.
The state of Bihar was carved out from the Bengal presidency on March 22 in 1912.
3. Tripura's first butterfly park
Tags: State News
A butterfly park set up by the forest department in a village near the India-Bangladesh international border in South Tripura district has become a center of attraction for tourists from across the country and Bangladesh.
An overview of the news
The Butterfly Ecopark at Chhotakhola, close to Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, is the first butterfly park in the Northeast.
It was opened in 2016 in an area of 5.5 hectares with 250 species of butterflies.
The park is adjacent to the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary commemorating the Liberation War of Bangladesh and the Endangered Bison Park in the Indo-Bangladesh Friendship Park.
The surrounding environment attracts many tourists which helps in the economic development of Tripura.
Tripura has recently declared the Common Birdwing as the state butterfly.
In recent years, due to human pollution and climate change, the number of butterflies and their natural habitats are decreasing.
About Tripura
Capital - Agartala
Governor - Satyadev Narayan Arya
Chief Minister - Manik Shah
State Bird -Green Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenia)
State Tree - Agar (Aquilaria malaccensis)
State Flower - Nageshwar (Mesua Feria)
Borders - Bangladesh, Mizoram and Assam.
4. Bombay Jayashri chosen for Sangita Kalanidhi Award 2023 by Music Academy
Tags: Awards State News
Renowned Carnatic vocalist and Padma Shri awardee Bombay Jayashri has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award for 2023 by the Music Academy.
An overview of the news
Jayashree is one of the foremost Carnatic musicians of today, trained initially by his parents and later by TR Balamani and violinist Lalgudi G. Jayaraman.
Apart from Carnatic music, Jayashree is also trained in Veena, classical dance and Hindustani music.
She is known for her melodious and meditative style of singing.
The Nritya Kalanidhi Award for dance has been given to Vasanthalaxmi Narasimhachari. She has specialized in Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi.
Sangeeta Kalanidhi Award
It is considered the highest honor in the field of Carnatic music.
It came into existence in 1942.
In 1942, it was decided that the composer would be honored with the title of Sangeet Kalanidhi, the award consisting of a gold medal and a Birudu Patra (citation).
5. Matua mela is being organised in West Bengal
Tags: Festivals State News
The Matua Mela is being organized in West Bengal to commemorate the 212th birth anniversary of Sri Sri Harichand Thakur, the founder of the Matua sect.
About Matua Maha Mela
West Bengal is hosting the Matua Maha Mela 2023 from March 19 to March 25.
This Mela is being organized by All India Matua Federation.
It is being organized at Shridham Thakurnagar, Thakurbari in North 24 Parganas of West Bengal.
The occasion offers the chance for the Matua community to get together, take part in religious rituals, and honour their spiritual elders.
The occasion provides an important opportunity to this community to highlight their customs and cultural heritage.
Matua Community
The Matua community has a sizeable population in both West Bengal and Bangladesh.
The Matua sect was founded by Sri Sri Harichand Thakur in the nineteenth century.
Over the years the Matua community has faced many hardships including marginalization and prejudice.
The community has persevered in keeping alive its unique cultural heritage and traditions.
After the formation of Bangladesh, their large population migrated to India.
Many people of the community are yet to obtain Indian citizenship.
6. UAE’s Emaar first overseas company to start a mega-mall project in Kashmir
Tags: Economy/Finance State News
Emaar, a Dubai-based real estate developer, has become the first foreign company to invest in a mega-mall spread over one million square feet in Srinagar.
An overview of the news
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on 19 March laid the foundation stone of the mega Mall of Srinagar to be built by Dubai’s Emaar Group at Sempora area of the city.
The project will have a transformative impact on the Union Territory and will boost infrastructure and employment generation.
Emaar Group will invest a total of ₹500 crore, including ₹250 crore for the mega-mall and setting up IT towers in Jammu and Srinagar.
This mega-mall is the first significant Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The mall, a joint venture between Emaar and Delhi-based real estate firm Magna Waves Buildtech, is likely to be operational by 2026.
7. Asia's largest Tulip Garden in Srinagar, J&K now open for public
Tags: State News
Asia's largest Tulip Garden opened for the public in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also attended the inauguration ceremony of this garden.
An Overview of the News
There are 1.6 million tulip flowers in the garden and it is a mesmerising sight to behold.
Last year, an unprecedented 3.60 lakh tourists visited the Tulip Garden.
Tulip Garden is a popular tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir and attracts tourists from all over the world.
About Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir was a state of India until August 2019, which was bifurcated to form two union territories namely Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on 31 August 2019.
Capital- Srinagar (May-October), Jammu (November-April)
Lieutenant Governor - Manoj Sinha
Legislative Council - 36 seats
Legislative Assembly - 89 seats
8. Amit Shah inaugurated APMC Kisan Bhavan at Krishi Shivir in Junagadh, Gujarat
Tags: State News
Union Home and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the District Bank Headquarters and inaugurated the APMC Kisan Bhavan at Krishi Shivir in Junagadh, Gujarat on 19 March.
An overview of the news
He said that natural farming is the future of agriculture today. Natural agricultural products will be promoted with the Amul brand, which will benefit the farmers.
The government is planning to expand this network to every district in the coming five years.
Strong cooperative infrastructure is the only solution for the welfare of the farmers in the country.
National level multi-state cooperatives, recently approved by the Union Cabinet to promote organic products and exports, will help farmers multiply their income over the next 10 years.
The farmer of any village of the country can easily sell his produce in the world market through the Multi State Cooperative Export Society and get a fair price for his produce.
Multi-state Cooperative Societies
The Union Cabinet in January 2023 gave its approval for the creation of three new multi-state cooperative societies under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002. These are-
National multi-state cooperative export society,
National multi-state cooperative organic society
National multi-state cooperative seed society
These societies will act as national nodal points for production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds.
Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002
Co-operative is a state subject, but there are many societies such as sugar and milk, banks, milk unions etc. whose members and areas of operation are spread over more than one state.
This act was passed to govern the multi state cooperative societies.
For example, the Karnataka-Maharashtra border has most of the sugar mills that procure sugarcane from both the states.
Maharashtra has the highest number of such cooperative societies followed by Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.
9. India's G-20 Presidency: Startup-20 Group holds second meeting in Sikkim
Tags: Summits State News
The Startup 20 Engagement Group under India's G-20 Presidency began a two-day meeting in Gangtok, Sikkim.
The group aims to bring together the global startup system and give each country the freedom to develop its own unique ecosystem.
An Overview of the News
Chief Minister Tamang also acknowledged the significant scope for aggregators in developing end-to-end chains of organic farm and livestock products as well as medicinal plants and tourism in Sikkim.
The state government has set up an incubation center under the Atal Innovation Mission at Sikkim Manipal University and launched schemes like One Family, One Entrepreneur in Sikkim to address the challenges faced by startups in the state.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash reiterated the commitment of the Union Government to strengthen the startup ecosystem of the Northeast.
The meetup aims to connect large businesses under B20 with small entrepreneurs from Startup20.
About Sikkim
Located - Eastern part of the country
Establishment - 16 May 1975 as the 22nd state of India
Capital - Gangtok
Chief Minister - PS Tamang
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry - Som Prakash
Borders - China, Bhutan, West Bengal and Tibetan region of Nepal
Highest peak of India and third highest peak of the world - Mount Kanchenjunga is located in Sikkim
Rivers - River Teesta and its tributaries like Rangit, Lhonak, Talung and Lachung
10. Jharkhand govt launches job portal to ensure 75% local quota in pvt sector
Tags: State News
The Jharkhand government on 17 March launched ‘Jharniyojan’ portal where all private establishments have to register themselves.
An overview of the news
Its objective is to fulfill the state government's promise of ensuring 75 percent employment to local candidates in the private sector of the state.
The portal will act as a platform for employers to share information related to occupations and manpower and for candidates looking for jobs.
Employers using the portal will have to comply with the 'Jharkhand State Employment of Local Candidates in Private Sector Act, 2021'.
Local companies and employers are expected to voluntarily comply and provide employment opportunities to local youth/women.
Jharkhand State Employment of Local Candidates in Private Sector Act, 2021
It was passed with the objective to provide employment opportunities to the unemployed youth of the state at the local level.
In 2022, the rules related to the implementation of the Act were notified.
As per the Act, 75% of jobs in the private sector with a salary of up to Rs 40,000 will be reserved for "locals" in the state.
It is applicable to all establishments which are in the private sector and where 10 or more persons are employed.
In case local companies face problems in getting skilled manpower locally, a provision has been made under the Act to provide necessary training to eligible youth.
Central or state government undertakings will not be covered under the Act.
However, the provisions of the Act shall apply to all organizations outsourcing services to Central Government or State Government establishments/undertakings.
