1. Arth Ganga Model
Tags: Government Schemes National News
The Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga mentioned the Arth Ganga model during his virtual keynote address to the Stockholm World Water Week 2022 on 26 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
About Arth Ganga Model :
PM Modi first introduced the concept of Arth Ganga Model during the first National Ganga Council meeting in Kanpur in 2019.
During the meeting he urged for a shift from Namami Gange (cleaning of Ganga) to the model of Arth Ganga.
Arth Ganga focuses on the sustainable development of the Ganga and its surrounding areas, by focusing on economic activities related to the river.
The Arth Ganga model seeks to use economics to connect people to the river.
The scheme seeks to contribute at least 3% of the GDP from the Ganga basin.
Features of Arth Ganga Model :
Zero Budget Natural Farming - This includes chemical free farming on 10 km on either side of the river and promotion of use of cow dung as manure through Govardhan Yojana.
Monetization and Reuse of Sludge & Wastewater - It envisages reuse of treated water for irrigation, industries and revenue generation for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
Creation of livelihood opportunities - For example- ‘Ghat Mein Haat’, promotion of local products, Ayurveda, medicinal plants, capacity building of volunteers like Ganga Praharis.
Increase public participation - To enhance synergy among the stakeholders associated with the river.
Promotion of cultural heritage and tourism - To promote cultural heritage and tourism in and around the Ganga through conduct of boat tours, adventure sports and yoga activities.
Improved water governance - To promote institutional building by empowering local administration for better water administration.
2. 38th Ministerial Meeting of India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission
Tags: International Relations Important Days
The 38th Ministerial Meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission was held in New Delhi on August 25, 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The Indian delegation was chaired by Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Bangladesh delegation was led by Minister of State for Water Resources Zaheed Farooq.
The two countries discussed a wide range of issues related to Ganga, Teesta and several smaller rivers during the meeting.
The two sides also discussed the exchange of data and information related to floods, river-bank conservation works, general basin management and India's river interlinking project.
Bangladesh requested for the early completion of the long pending Teesta water sharing treaty.
Both sides also finalised a draft Memorandum of Understanding to share the waters of the Kushiyara River on an interim basis.
Both sides welcomed the finalization of the design of the Feni River Water Drawing Site and its technical infrastructure to meet the drinking water requirements of Sabroom Town in Tripura.
It is noteworthy that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two countries in this regard in October 2019.
This meeting was held after a gap of 12 years
Rivers between India and Bangladesh :
India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers.
All are part of the drainage system of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin.
The Padma (Ganga), Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and Meghna (Barak) and their tributaries play an important role in maintaining food and water security in Bangladesh.
The dispute between India and Bangladesh regarding water resource allocation dates back to the time when Bangladesh was East Pakistan.
In 1961, India began construction of the Farakka Barrage which was to be operational by April 1975.
When India began its preliminary planning for the project, Pakistan expressed concerns over the potential effect of the project on East Pakistan.
Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) :
It was constituted in 1972 between India and Bngladesh.
It is a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common / border / transboundary rivers.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Kushiyara River :
It is a distributary river in Bangladesh and Assam.
The water of Kushiyara drains into tributaries from Manipur, Mizoram and Assam.
3. Centre identifies 75 tribal districts for focused TB interventions
Tags: National National News
Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TB Division of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare organised a National Conference to publicise the features of 100 Day Assurance Campaign under 'Tribal TB Initiative' on 24th August at National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI), New Delhi.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- On the occasion of 75 years of India's independence, 75 overburdened tribal districts have been selected to focus on TV in the coming months.
Three tier strategy for 75 districts :
Creating demand for TB services through community mobilisation, increasing awareness of TB symptoms, prevalence and treatment procedures, and continuing engagement with community influencers involved in the recovery process.
Improving the delivery of TB services by provision of customised solutions by leveraging PIPs and other sources of funding to bridge implementation gaps by augmenting TB testing and diagnostics infrastructure.
Reducing the risk of spreading the disease through active case detection campaigns.
Tribal TB Initiative :
It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Central TB Division of the Ministry of Health, supported by USAID as a technical partner and by Piramal Health as an implementation partner.
Through this initiative, the Assurance Campaign was launched on 7 January 2022 to detect active cases of TB in 174 tribal districts of India.
The initiative was flagged off in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra.
Under this, door-to-door screening of TB was done in 68,019 villages.
Based on oral test of 1,03,07,200 persons during the campaign, 3,82,811 people were identified as having TB.
Of these, 2,79,329 (73 per cent) samples were tested for TB and 9,971 people tested positive for TB.
All of them were treated as per the protocol of the Government of India.
What is Tuberculosis (TB) ?
It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The bacteria generally attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body, such as the kidneys, spine, and brain.
Tuberculosis infections began increasing in 1985 because of the emergence of HIV.
HIV weakens a person's immune system, so it can't fight the TB germs.
Transmission :
Its bacteria spread from person to person through the air.
When people with pulmonary (Lung) TB cough, sneeze or spit, they spread TB germs into the air.
Symptoms of TB :
cough for three or more weeks
coughing up bloody sputum
Chest pain, pain with breathing and coughing
weight loss, Fatigue, Fever and Night sweats etc.
Government Initiatives to Combat TB :
National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination (2017-2025)
Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY- financial support)
TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign
Universal Immunisation Programme
The government of India aims to have a TB-free India by 2025.
Revised National TB Control Program under National Health Mission
Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 under United Nations SDG target 3.3.
Every year World TB Day is celebrated on 24 March.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
TB Burden :
Every year one crore people fall ill with TB and 1.5 million people die from TB every year.
About half of all people with TB are found in eight countries – Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa.
It is one of the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide.
India accounts for 30 percent of the world's TB cases, the highest in the world, followed by Indonesia and China.
4. Centre identifies 75 tribal districts for focused TB interventions
Tags: National National News
Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TB Division of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare organised a National Conference to publicise the features of 100 Day Assurance Campaign under 'Tribal TB Initiative' on 24th August at National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI), New Delhi.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- On the occasion of 75 years of India's independence, 75 overburdened tribal districts have been selected to focus on TV in the coming months.
Three tier strategy for 75 districts :
Creating demand for TB services through community mobilisation, increasing awareness of TB symptoms, prevalence and treatment procedures, and continuing engagement with community influencers involved in the recovery process.
Improving the delivery of TB services by provision of customised solutions by leveraging PIPs and other sources of funding to bridge implementation gaps by augmenting TB testing and diagnostics infrastructure.
Reducing the risk of spreading the disease through active case detection campaigns.
Tribal TB Initiative :
It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Central TB Division of the Ministry of Health, supported by USAID as a technical partner and by Piramal Health as an implementation partner.
Through this initiative, the Assurance Campaign was launched on 7 January 2022 to detect active cases of TB in 174 tribal districts of India.
The initiative was flagged off in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra.
Under this, door-to-door screening of TB was done in 68,019 villages.
Based on oral test of 1,03,07,200 persons during the campaign, 3,82,811 people were identified as having TB.
Of these, 2,79,329 (73 per cent) samples were tested for TB and 9,971 people tested positive for TB.
All of them were treated as per the protocol of the Government of India.
What is Tuberculosis (TB) ?
It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The bacteria generally attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body, such as the kidneys, spine, and brain.
Tuberculosis infections began increasing in 1985 because of the emergence of HIV.
HIV weakens a person's immune system, so it can't fight the TB germs.
Transmission :
Its bacteria spread from person to person through the air.
When people with pulmonary (Lung) TB cough, sneeze or spit, they spread TB germs into the air.
Symptoms of TB :
cough for three or more weeks
coughing up bloody sputum
Chest pain, pain with breathing and coughing
weight loss, Fatigue, Fever and Night sweats etc.
Government Initiatives to Combat TB :
National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination (2017-2025)
Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY- financial support)
TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign
Universal Immunisation Programme
The government of India aims to have a TB-free India by 2025.
Revised National TB Control Program under National Health Mission
Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 under United Nations SDG target 3.3.
Every year World TB Day is celebrated on 24 March.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
TB Burden :
Every year one crore people fall ill with TB and 1.5 million people die from TB every year.
About half of all people with TB are found in eight countries – Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa.
It is one of the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide.
India accounts for 30 percent of the world's TB cases, the highest in the world, followed by Indonesia and China.
5. Thailand constitutional court suspends PM Prayuth Chan-ocha
Tags: Person in news International News
The constitution court of Thailand on 25 August temporarily suspended prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha over allegations that he has continued in the post after the expiry of his term.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The court ruled that the PM would remain suspended until the allegations were investigated.
According to the Constitution of Thailand, the prime minister cannot hold office for more than eight years.
Prayuth Chan-ocha became prime minister after a coup in 2014, and eight years have passed since then.
As military leader, Prayuth seized power after a coup in May 2014 and, in August 2014, appointed himself prime minister of the new military government.
Hence the opposition argues that his term as prime minister began in August 2014 and ended this week.
The court considered the petition and supporting documents and gave this decision on the basis of factual doubts.
The court, with a majority of four out of five judges, with effect from 24 August 2022, said that Prayuth be suspended as prime minister until the court issues a final decision.
Deputy Prime Minister Pravit Wongsuwan will currently be the interim head of government.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Thailand :
Capital - Bangkok
Official Language - Thai
6. Bangladesh-born Fahmida Azim wins 2022 Pulitzer prize
Tags: Awards International News
Bangladesh-born illustrator and story writer Fahmida Azeem, who works for America's online magazine 'Insider', has been selected for the Pulitzer Prize for the year 2022.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He will be given this award for the category of Illustrated, Interpretive Reporting and Commentary.
Fahmida Azeem has been selected to work on the persecution of Uighurs in China.
Four journalists of Insider magazine including Fahmida Azeem have been selected for the award –
fahmida azeem
Anthony Dale Colonel
Josh Adams
Walt Hickey
Fahmida Azeem was born in Bangladesh and later settled in America.
His work has focused on themes of identity, culture and autonomy.
His works are published in many international magazines like Glamour, Scientific American, The Intercept, Vice, The New York Times.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Pulitzer Prize :
The award was established in the year 1917 by provisions written in the will of Joseph Pulitzer.
Columbia University administers the award.
The Pulitzer Prize is considered America's most prestigious honour in the field of journalism.
The award is given in a total of 22 categories. In which 15 categories of journalism and 7 categories of book, drama, music etc. are included.
In 21 categories, each winner receives USD 15,000 and a certificate. A gold medal is awarded to the winner in the Public Service category of the award.
Govind Bihari Lal was the first Indian to receive the Pulitzer Prize in 1937.
7. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to be awarded the 'Liberty Medal' award for the year 2022
Tags: Awards International News
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has been nominated for the 'Liberty Medal' for the year 2022 by the 'National Constitution Centre'.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He has been chosen for this honour for his heroic defence of freedom in the face of Russian tyranny.
He will be honoured in October 2022 at the National Constitution Centre (NCC), Philadelphia, USA.
Other awards given to Volodymyr Zelensky :
Ronald Reagan Freedom Award 2022 - It is given to those who have made a great contribution to the cause of freedom.
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award 2022
About Liberty Medal Award :
The 'Liberty Medal' award is an annual award given by the NCC of the United States of America.
It was founded by the Philadelphia Foundation.
The major winners of this award are Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Malala Yousafzai and Colin Powell.
This award is given to a person of courage and conviction who has fought to protect the cause of freedom of the people.
8. Uttar Pradesh ranks first across the country in the Amrit Sarovar scheme
Tags: National Government Schemes
According to the official website of Mission Amrit Sarovar, Uttar Pradesh ranks first across the country in the Amrit Sarovar scheme launched by the Government of India for the purpose of water conservation and harvesting.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Madhya Pradesh is in second place and Jammu and Kashmir in third place.
Under this dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, started in the year of Independence Amrit Mahotsav, 15415 Amrit Sarovars were selected to be developed in Uttar Pradesh.
Of these, the construction of 8343 lakes has been completed.
In view of the importance of the scheme, a target of development of at least two Amrit Sarovars (about 1.20 lakhs) per Gram Panchayat was fixed in all the more than 58 thousand Gram Panchayats of Uttar Pradesh.
Under the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, it was decided to hoist the flag on Independence Day this year while developing 7500 Amrit Sarovars. In relation to this, flag hoisting was done near 8288 Amrit Sarovars in the state.
Amrit Sarovar Mission :
The Amrit Sarovar Mission was launched on 24 April 2022 with the aim of water conservation.
The objective of the mission is to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district of the country as part of the celebration of Amrit Mahotsav of Azadi.
The Ministries Involved :
The mission has been launched with a holistic government approach with 6 Ministries/Departments -
1. Rural Development Department
2. land resources department
3. Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation
4. Department of Water Resources
5. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
6. Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Technical Partner :
Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) has been appointed as the technical partner for the mission.
Target :
Mission Amrit Sarovar is to be completed by 15 August 2023.
About 50,000 Amrit Sarovars are to be built in the country.
Each of these Amrit Sarovar will be in an area of 1 acre with a water holding capacity of 10,000 cubic metres.
9. Smart India Hackathon 2022
Tags: National National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2022 through video conferencing on 25 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The grand finale of the software edition of Smart India Hackathon-2022 is being held from August 25-26 at JSS Science and Technology University, Mysuru.
It aims to inculcate a culture of product innovation, problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking among the students.
The hardware edition of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) will be held from August 25 to 29.
Smart India Hackathon is gaining in popularity as this fifth edition has witnessed a four-fold increase in the number of teams registered for the Hackathon.
Around 15,000 students from a total of 2,033 winning teams of the Campus-Level Hackathon organised under SIH 2022 are participating in this national level Grand Finale.
One lakh rupees will be awarded to the winner of each problem description in the Smart India Hackathon.
Students will get prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 under the innovation category.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Smart India Hackathon (SIH) :
It is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell.
It provides students a platform to solve the pressing problems of the government, ministries, departments, industries, and other organisations.
It has been acclaimed as one of the "world's largest open innovation models" and is held every year since 2017.
It is organised in two formats, software and hardware editions for higher education students.
10. Smart India Hackathon 2022
Tags: National National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2022 through video conferencing on 25 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The grand finale of the software edition of Smart India Hackathon-2022 is being held from August 25-26 at JSS Science and Technology University, Mysuru.
It aims to inculcate a culture of product innovation, problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking among the students.
The hardware edition of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) will be held from August 25 to 29.
Smart India Hackathon is gaining in popularity as this fifth edition has witnessed a four-fold increase in the number of teams registered for the Hackathon.
Around 15,000 students from a total of 2,033 winning teams of the Campus-Level Hackathon organised under SIH 2022 are participating in this national level Grand Finale.
One lakh rupees will be awarded to the winner of each problem description in the Smart India Hackathon.
Students will get prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 under the innovation category.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Smart India Hackathon (SIH) :
It is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell.
It provides students a platform to solve the pressing problems of the government, ministries, departments, industries, and other organisations.
It has been acclaimed as one of the "world's largest open innovation models" and is held every year since 2017.
It is organised in two formats, software and hardware editions for higher education students.
