1. 120-feet-tall Polo Statue Inaugurated by Amit Shah in Manipur
Tags: State News
On 6 January 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled a 120 feet tall statue of a Polo player at the Merging Polo Complex in Imphal East district of Manipur. Various project launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
An overview of the news
On this occasion, Chief Minister N Biren Singh presented a Polo mallet and a painting of the game to Amit Shah.
The first Medical College and Hospital of Manipur's hill district Churachandpur was also inaugurated.
He laid foundation stone of Rs 1,300 crore project.
He laid the foundation stone for construction of 40 police posts, of which 34 are located along the India-Myanmar International Border and 6 along National Highway 37.
Projects to be launched by him include the Manipur Olympian Park at Sangaithel, a private ward at the state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, the Moreh town water supply scheme, the Nongpok Thong Bridge and Cave on the eastern side of Kangla Fort and tourism projects at Kangkhui Cave is included.
Polo game in Manipur
Manipur is known as the birthplace of Polo in India; The modern game of Polo is derived from Manipur. This game was earlier known as 'Sagol Kangji', 'Kanjai-Baji' or 'Pulu'.
The oldest polo ground in the world is the Imphal Polo Ground in Manipur.
The history of the Polo Ground is established in the royal chronicle "Cheethrol Kumbaba" starting from 33 AD.
About Manipur
Capital: Imphal
Governor: La Ganesan
Chief Minister: N. Biren Singh
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Global Investors Summit in Indore
Tags: Summits State News
PM Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the 7th edition of Global Investors Summit', a flagship event of the state government in Indore on 11 January.
An overview of the news
The President of Suriname Chandrika Prasad Santokhi and the President of Guyana Dr Mohammed Irfan Ali attended the inaugural session.
The theme of the two-day summit is 'Madhya Pradesh-The Future Ready State'.
Special attention has been given to environmental protection in this summit, which will be completely based on carbon neutral and zero waste.
This summit will showcase the various investment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh."
A total of 447 international delegates from 84 countries, 401 international buyers, 5,000 industrialists and representatives from different international industry associations and representatives from G20 countries are participating in the event.
In the International Pavilion, 9 partner countries and 14 International Trade Organizations will display different aspects of their respective countries.
More than 500 famous industrialists of the country will also participate in this. The Global Investors Summit will have 19 sessions on various topics.
Objectives of the Global Investors Summit
Showcasing the industrial ecosystem of the state.
Promoting the state policies.
Consultation with industrial organisations to formulate Industry-friendly policies.
Collaboration opportunities.
Promoting export potential and buyer-seller meets and vendor development.
3. Joshimath declared ‘landslide-subsidence zone’
Tags: State News
Joshimath, the gateway to Hemkund Sahib and Badrinath, has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone.
An overview of the news
Joshimath in Uttarakhand is currently facing landslides. Big cracks are being seen between people's houses and roads.
People are spending their nights outside in the bitter cold due to the fear of their houses collapsing.
Joshimath is a hill town located on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH-7) in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
The city is a tourist town as it serves as a rest stop for people visiting Badrinath, Auli, Valley of Flowers, and Hemkund Sahib.
What is the crisis of Joshimath?
Joshimath is a deposit of sand and stone - it is not the main rock - so it was not suitable for settlement.
Here the natural factors have been imbalanced due to vibration caused by explosions, heavy traffic etc. Lack of proper drainage facilities is also a reason for landslides.
A lot of water is seeping into the crystalline rocks below the surface, softening them further.
When water is not allowed to flow through its natural course, it builds up a lot of pressure above or below the ground.
4. "Uttar Pradesh Global City" campaign has been launched by the Uttar Pradesh Government
Tags: State News
A 100-day "Uttar Pradesh Global City" campaign has been launched by the 'Uttar Pradesh Government' ahead of the Global Investors Summit and G-20 Summit.
An overview of the news
This campaign will be implemented in all 762 urban bodies of the state.
The campaign has been launched by the state's Urban Development and Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma.
The campaign aims to bring urban areas in the state up to global standards, which includes improving urban amenities, air quality, cleanliness and beautification as well as proper waste disposal.
State's preparation for Global Investors Summit and G-20 Summit
Uttar Pradesh government to launch "Brand UP" ahead of G20 summit
The government will start a door-to-door garbage collection campaign from February 1 to March 31, 2023.
The government is also promoting proper waste disposal at hotels, restaurants and dhabas through the "Swachh Dhaba" programme, which will continue till March 2023, along with the "UP Global City" initiative.
“Swachh Virasat Abhiyan” will be launched by the state on January 14, 2023, which will focus on cleanliness of tourism, historical and religious places.
5. Kerala declared first State to enable digital banking service
Tags: State News
On 7 January 2023, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that Kerala has become the first state in the country where the banking sector has now gone completely digital.
An Overview of the news
Kerala is the first state in the country to digitise at least one savings and current account in all districts.
It is noteworthy in this context that in the year 2021, Thrissur in Kerala became the first district to implement full digital banking. After this, Kottayam district of the state also implemented a full digital banking system.
Encouraged by all these, under the leadership of Reserve Bank of India and State Level Bankers Committee, the work of complete banking digitization was carried forward and it has been successfully implemented in the entire state.
Congratulating the residents of the state for this achievement achieved by Kerala, the Chief Minister said that this has been possible due to social intervention through local self-governance institutions as well as infrastructure development and technological advances in the banking sector.
The state chief minister also said in his address that the state government's ambitious 'Kerala Fiber Optic Network' project, which is almost complete, will bridge the digital divide. With this, every person in the state will be able to get a similar network.
Kerala Fiber Optic Network (K-FON) Project
K-FON will ensure internet facility for all in the state and a 17,155 km long optic fibre cable network has been laid. Once it is completed, the internet will be available to all in the state at affordable rates or free of cost.
It is noteworthy in this context that Kerala has recently received three 'Digital India' awards for progress in the digital sector.
6. Election Commission appoints Maithili Thakur as Bihar's state icon
Tags: State News
The Election Commission of India has made Bihar's folk singer 'Maithili Thakur' the new 'State Icon' of the state. The Election Commission has issued an order in this regard. The proposal to make Maithili Thakur an icon was given by the 'State Election Office'.
An overview of the news
Maithili Thakur will conduct an awareness campaign among voters before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier in the year 2019, Maithili and her two brothers were made the brand ambassadors of Madhubani by the Election Commission.
Maithili is accompanied by her two younger brothers, Rishabh Thakur and Ayachi Thakur, who accompany her in singing and playing the tabla.
Maithili Thakur
Maithili, originally belonging to Madhubani district of Bihar, has been singing folk songs since childhood.
She was awarded the 'Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar' 2021 of 'Sangeet Natak Akademi' for his contribution to the folk singing of Bihar.
Maithili Thakur has also participated in many reality shows including Saregama, Rising Star. Maithili became a household name after participating in Rising Star in 2017. Maithili was the first finalist of the show.
7. Bihar Government begins caste survey in State
Tags: State News
The Bihar government has started caste surveys in different parts of the state on 7th January.
An overview of the news
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar clarified that castes will be listed along with the economic status of each family and not sub-castes.
The economic condition of each family will be duly mentioned in the survey.
This caste survey will help in taking the required measures for the upliftment of the deprived sections.
In the first phase, the number of all the families of the state will be counted and recorded.
In the second phase of the survey to be held from April 1 to 30, data will be collected regarding the people living in the houses, their caste and socio-economic status.
The survey will end on 31 May 2023. About five lakh people have been employed to carry out this entire process.
The state government will spend Rs 500 crore from its contingency fund for this exercise.
What is caste based census?
In independent India, data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has been published in every census from 1951 to 2011, but no data on other castes has been published.
Every census until 1931 contained caste figures.
Although, in 1941, caste-based data was collected but not published.
In the absence of such a census, there is no proper estimate of the population of OBC and others.
The Mandal Commission estimated the OBC population at 52%.
8. Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates three-day ‘North East Krishi Kumbha-2023’ in Meghalaya
Tags: Festivals State News
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the three-day 'Northeast Krishi Kumbh-2023' at Umiam in Meghalaya.
An overview of the news
The three-day 'Northeast Krishi Kumbh-2023' was organised on January 5-7, 2023.
He also participated in the 49th Foundation Day celebrations of NEH Region, ICAR Research Complex.
The Minister also inaugurated the Administrative cum Academic Block Office and Girls Hostel of Agriculture College at Kyrdemkulai in Ri Bhoi district.
The North East Krishi Kumbh-2023 included live exhibition of recent technologies through 102 stalls by all ICAR institutes along with the host institute and its regional centres.
The Union Minister said that the North East is the paradise of the country and Meghalaya's topography is such that it can be developed if efforts are made.
About Meghalaya
Chief Minister - Conrad Sangma
Governor - B.D. Mishra
Capital - Shillong
9. Odisha won the UN-Habitat's World Habitat Awards 2023 for Jaga Mission
Tags: Government Schemes State News
Odisha won the UN-Habitat World Habitat Awards 2023 for the state's 5T (Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, Time, Transformation) initiative Jaga Mission.
An overview of the news
Jaga Mission is a land ownership and slum upgradation program aimed at empowering the lives of slum dwellers.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Odisha government has set an ambitious target of becoming the first slum-free state in India.
The state of Odisha is spearheading the Jaga Mission program to upgrade all 2,919 slums.
The initiative has provided land patta security to 1,75,000 families in the last five years.
100 percent households in 2,724 slums have been provided with piped water connections, 707 slums have been converted into fully livable housing, 100 percent households in 666 slums have individual toilets and 8 cities have become slum-free.
Earlier in 2019, Odisha's Jaga Mission received the World Habitat Award for its success in providing land security for slum dwellers.
World Habitat is a charity organisation recognized by the United Nations Department of Public Information.
10. The world's first museum of palm leaf manuscripts established in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Tags: State News
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, recently opened the world's first museum of palm leaf manuscripts, enriching the state culturally and educationally.
An overview of the news
The museum has 187 manuscripts, based on primary sources.
These documents are written on clean and clear palm leaves, which are furnished in the record rooms.
In that period these palm leaves were treated before writing the description.
The museum houses a collection of popular tales of Travancore, thefirst kingdom in Asia to defeat European powers on Indian soil.
The museum gives a glimpse of the administrative, socio-cultural and economic aspects of the Kingdom of Travancore, which ruled for about 650 years till the end of the 19th century, with the boundaries of Kochi in the centre of the state and Malabar in the north.
Apart from increasing the cultural wealth of the state, this museum is also important for academic and non-academic scholars.
Apart from manuscripts, the museum also has information about the famous Battle of Colachel, in which the heroic king Anijam Tirunal Marthanda Varma (1729-58) of Travancore defeated the Dutch East India Company.
The museum provides information on the complex land management of the Kingdom of Travancore, historical declarations and international agreements.
Colachel is located 20 km north-west of present-day Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
Dutch expansion in India was halted by the victory of the Raja of Travancore in 1741, and under Marthanda Varma, Travancore became the first state in Asia to stop the expansionist thinking of a European power.
