1. CM Naveen Patnaik launches 24×7 ‘Drink from Tap’ project in 19 cities of Odisha
Tags: Government Schemes Person in news State News
The Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a 24×7 piped drinking water project — ‘Drink from Tap’ — in 19 cities of the state on 21 December 2022. About 5.5 lakh people in these cities will be benefited from the project.
Addressing the event, the chief minister said providing safe drinking water to every family has been his dream for a long time and it has always been the priority of his government.
He said that households in these cities will get drinking water directly from the tap adhering to the quality parameters of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
The state government scheme is different from the central government scheme of Jal Jeevan Mission which was launched on 15 August 2019. Under the Jal
Within the Jal Jeevan Mission, Har Ghar Nal se Jal scheme, aims to provide potable, quality drinking water to every rural household by 2024.
Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu became the first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certified State and Union Territory in the country respectively,
Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh is the first certified ‘Har Ghar Jal’ district in India.
2. Kashmir's harshest winter period Chillai Kalan begins, Srinagar records coldest night
Tags: State News
Srinagar recorded the season's lowest temperature on December 21 as the harshest 40-day period of winter, locally known as 'Chillai Kalan', began in the Kashmir Valley.
Important facts
According to the Meteorological Center Srinagar, the night temperature in Srinagar dropped to -4.2 degrees Celsius, while the Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir recorded a night temperature of -6.2 degrees Celsius.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in the valley in the month of December was -12.8 degree Celsius in the year 1934.
What is 'Chillai Kalan'?
'Chillai Kalan' is the coldest and harshest winter period in the valley with high chances of snowfall and rain in Kashmir's Srinagar.
Due to intense cold wave conditions in Chillai Kalan, taps and water bodies freeze during the night and people have to heat water supply lines to de-freeze the taps.
Chillai Kalan starts from 21 December and lasts for 40 days till 31 January.
During this period of 40 days, Kashmir remains in the grip of intense cold waves. Nighttime temperatures are usually several degrees below the freezing point.
The 40 day period (Chillai kalan) is followed by the 20 day long Chillai Khurd (small cold) and the 10 day long Chillai Bachcha (baby cold).
3. PM Modi to inaugurate National Youth Conference in Karnataka on 12 January 2023
Tags: Festivals place in news State News
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced on 21 December 2022 that the 26th National Youth festival 2023 will be held in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad. The chief minister said that the National Youth Festival will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 January 2023.
The National Youth Festival is organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with one of the State Governments.
The National Youth Festival is organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand which falls on 12 January.
The first National Youth Festival was started in 1995 as a major activity under the programme of National Integration Camp.
The 25th National Youth Festival was organised in Puducherry.
Swami Vivekananda's birthday on January 12 is always celebrated as National Youth Day and 12-16 January every year is observed as the National Youth Week.
4. Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar becomes only University in India to get A grade by NAAC
Tags: National State News
The Guru Nanak Dev University ,Amritsar, Punjab has become the first University in India to get A grade by scoring 3.85 in National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading.
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission (UGC) with its Headquarter in Bengaluru.
The NAAC conducts assessment and accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions such as colleges, universities or other recognised institutions to derive an understanding of the 'Quality Status' of the institution.
Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU)
Guru Nanak Dev University was established at Amritsar on November 24, 1969 to mark the 500th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It was set up by an act passed by the Punjab state legislature.
The University has also been conferred with the status of “University with Potential for Excellence” by UGC.
GNDU has been awarded the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad trophy for overall excellence in sports for a record 23 times.
Vice Chancellor of the University: Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu
5. Rajasthan Government to provide LPG cylinder at Rs 500 per cylinder; Ashok Gehlot
Tags: Person in news State News
The Rajasthan Government will provide 12 LPG cylinders per year to the poor families at Rs 500 per cylinder from 1 April 2023. This was announced by the Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Alwar on 19 December 2022.
He said the decision was taken to provide relief to the people suffering from unprecedented inflation and unemployment.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ (PMUY) was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 1 May 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.
Under the scheme a poor household headed by a woman is provided with a free LPG gas stove and free first LPG Cylinder.
However under the scheme the beneficiaries have to buy the subsidized LPG cylinder.
The target of the PMUY was to release 8 crore LPG connections by March 2020 which was achieved on 7 September 2019.
PMUY 2.0
It was launched virtually by PM Modi on 10 August 2021 at Mahoba, Madhya Pradesh.
It aims to provide additional 1.6 crore LPG connections with special focus on migrant households.
Connection is provided to an adult woman belonging to a poor household.
The beneficiaries should belong to any of the following categories:
- Eligible as per Socio Economic Caste Census 2011 list,
- Belongs to SC/ST households, be a beneficiary of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Forest dwellers, Most Backward Classes (MBC), Tea and Ex-Tea Garden Tribes, People residing in river Islands.
6. Tamil Nadu government makes Aadhaar mandatory for all its schemes
Tags: State News
The Tamil Nadu government has announced that all those who are eligible for benefits (other than minor children) under various government schemes will have to submit proof of having an Aadhaar number or get an Aadhaar identification.
Important facts
As per the order, Aadhaar is mandatory for government employees, government pensioners and beneficiaries of various schemes implemented by the state government through various departments through their implementing agencies.
Any person who is willing to avail the benefits but does not have an Aadhaar number or has not yet enrolled for Aadhaar, will need to apply for Aadhaar enrollment before registering for the schemes.
The Treasury and Accounts Department through its implementing agency will provide Aadhaar enrollment facilities for those beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled.
In case there is no Aadhaar Enrollment Centre, the Department will provide enrollment facilities at convenient locations through its implementing agency in coordination with the existing Registrar of UIDAI or by becoming the Registrar of UIDAI itself.
The government has also announced a remedial mechanism in case Aadhaar authentication fails due to bad biometrics or any other reason.
This will be done through Aadhaar One Time Password (OTP) or time-based OTP with limited time validity.
About Tamilnadu
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
7. Gaya and Nalanda of Bihar selected by Union Government for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme
Tags: place in news Government Schemes State News
Gaya and Nalanda in Bihar has been included by the Government of India under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme. Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi District of Bihar has been selected for development under the PRASHAD Scheme of the Government of India.
This information was given by the Union Tourism Minister G. KIshan Reddy in the Lok Sabha on 19 December 2022.
Swadesh Darshan 2.0
Government of India launched Swadesh Darshan scheme in 2014-15 for integrated development of theme based tourist circuits for eg Buddhist circuit, Ramayana circuit, desert circuit etc. It was later revamped and re-launched as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 with the focus on developing sustainable and responsible tourism destinations.
The Central government provides assistance to the State /Union Territories government to develop the tourism Infrastructure.
Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)
The Government of India launched the PRASAD scheme in the year 2014-2015 under the Ministry of Tourism. This scheme focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience. Under this scheme the Central government provides assistance to the state government.
8. Geographical Indication tagging for Raktsey Karpo Apricot of Ladakh
Tags: State News
Ladakh has got its first Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Raktsey Carpo apricots.
About Raktsey Karpo Apricot
It is one of the nine items recently registered in the GI tag lists.
Although more than thirty varieties of apricot are grown in Ladakh, the Raktsy Karpo variety is unique to the region.
It is famous in Ladakh for its sweetness, white kernel and colour.
Apricot genotypes native to Ladakh such as Rakaste Karpo apricot have a white seed coat which is not found anywhere in the world except Ladakh.
It is most preferred by the consumers for fresh consumption. In addition, Rakeste karpo contains significantly more sorbitol than brown-coat fruits.
Apricot is the major fruit of Ladakh with large-scale cultivation in both Leh and Kargil Districts among the nine fruits grown in Ladakh.
Apricot is also being promoted under One District One Product for Kargil.
9. Union Finance Minister lays foundation for new office complex Vaigai at Custom House in Chennai
Tags: Economy/Finance State News
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman on 18th December laid the foundation for a nine-story new office complex Vaigai to be built at a cost of Rs 92 Crore at the Custom House in Chennai.
Important facts
She also inaugurated ‘Nandavanam’, the central revenue quarters of the Central Board of Direct Taxes and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBDT & CBIC) at Anna Nagar in Chennai.
The union minister also inaugurated a micro forest named ‘Paimpozhil’ inside the Nandavanam campus.
The new office complex ‘Vaigai’ will have two basements for harbouring government agencies.
It will be built at a cost of Rs 91.64 crore over an expanse of around 1.70 lakh sq.ft.
Sitaraman also informed that a creche will be opened for the benefit of the women employees and the building will be energy efficient.
10. 63rd session of the IHRC inaugurated in Lucknow
Tags: place in news National State News
The Uttar Pradesh Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Transport, Daya Shankar Singh inaugurated the two day (18 and 19 December) 63rd Session of the Indian Historical Records Committee (IHRC) in Lucknow on 18 December 2022.
The two days’ Session will comprise Inaugural and Business Session on the first day and Academic Session on the next day. A total of 24 papers based on the original sources of post 1600 of Indian history will be presented by the Scholars on various aspects of history.
About IHRC
The Indian Historical Records Committee (IHRC) is an all India Forum of creators, custodians and users of records which was set up in 1919 to advice the Government of India on all issues connected with the management of records and their use for historical research.
The National Archives of India, New Delhi is the Secretariat of Indian Historical Records Committee (re-designated Indian Historical Records Committee in 1911). The IHRC is headed by the Union Minister of Culture and comprises 134 members including agencies of the Government of India, nominees of the Government of India, representatives from the State/UT Archives, Universities and Learned Institutions.
Union Minister for Culture: G.Kishan Reddy
