1. KCR launches Bharat Rashtra Samithi party after ECI approves name change of TRS
Tags: State News
The Telangana Chief Minister and president of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi, K Chandrasekhar Rao formally launched the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on 9 December 2022 in Hyderabad.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 8 December 2022 had approved the change of name of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
The change in the name of the party is seen as an attempt by K Chandrasekhar Rao to make his party play a bigger role at the national level and emerge as a national party.
K Chandrasekhar Rao formed the TRS in 2001 to fight for the formation of a separate state Telangana out of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Political Parties in India
Under the Representation of People’s act 1951 the Election Commission of India (ECI) facilitates and regulates political parties in India. According to the ECI, the recognised political parties in India are of two types. They are either regional or state political parties or national parties.
Criteria to be a National Political parties
As per the guidelines of the ECI Political Parties and Election Symbols, 2019 handbook, a political party would be considered a national party if:
- It is ‘recognised’ in four or more states; or
- If its candidates polled at least 6% of total valid votes in any four or more states in the last Lok Sabha or Assembly elections and has at least four Member of Parliament in the last Lok Sabha polls; or
- If it has won at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from not less than three states.
National political parties in India
The Election Commission of India has recognised the following parties as National Party’s till date. They are:
Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), Congress(I), Bhajan Samaj Party(BSP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India(Marxist),Nationalist Congress Party(NCP),Trinamool Congress and National People’s Party (NPP).
NPP received national party status on June 7, 2019.
Chief Election Commissioner: Rajiv Kumar
2. BJP to form new government on 12th December after landslide victory in Gujarat
Tags: State News
The BJP, which registered a record-breaking victory in the Gujarat assembly elections, will form its government in the state on December 12 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Important facts
The BJP will form the government after a landslide victory in Gujarat to retain power for a record seventh term.
Every second person who voted in this election voted for BJP. The party got 52.5% of the vote, which is 3% more than the last time.
Congress became the biggest loser with 27.3 percent votes which was around 41 percent last time and Aam Aadmi Party's biggest gainer with 12.9 percent vote share.
14 out of the total 33 districts of Gujarat gave all seats to BJP while the party lost both seats of the Porbandar district.
The results also showcased the support of scheduled castes and scheduled Tribes to the party since out of 40 seats reserved for SC and ST 34 went in favour of BJP.
Gujarat Total Seats 182
BJP | INC | AAP | OTHERS |
156 | 17 | 5 | 4 |
3. ‘Abua Bugin Hodmo-Our Better Health’ camp organised at Saraikela Kharsawan, Jharkhand
Tags: place in news State News
The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs organised a free One-Day Mega Health Camp - 'Abua Bugin Hodmo' ('Our Better Health'), at Seraikela Kharsawan, Jharkhand on 4th December 2022. This is the second successful health camp organised in the state to offer improved healthcare services to the tribal people after the Khunti camp's success in June.
The Mega Health Camp was jointly organised by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Ayush, Tata Steel Foundation and the District Administration, envisaging better health and related facilities for the tribal society.
This health camp's primary objective has been to reduce the burden of three groups of diseases that seriously impair the health of the members of tribal group.
TB, leprosy, HIV, hepatitis, and other contagious diseases fall under the first category.
Breast and uterine cancer, sickle cell disease, heart disease, skin conditions, nervous system disorders, and dental problems fall under the second category. The third category includes malnutrition and adolescent health, including maternal and child health nutrition (MCHN+A).
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs: Arjun Munda
Jharkhand Governor: Ramesh Bais
Jharkhand Chief Minister: Hemant Soren
4. Meghalaya Government launches ‘Asia's first Drone delivery hub for easy access to healthcare’
Tags: Science and Technology State News
The Meghalaya government in partnership with Startup TechEagle has unveiled Asia's first drone delivery hub and network Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network (MDDN), which is aimed at providing universal access to healthcare for the people in the state.
The Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network (MDDN) project is aimed at delivering vital supplies like drugs, diagnostic samples, vaccines, blood and blood components quickly and safely to different regions of the state using a dedicated drone delivery network.
The first official drone flight took off from Jengjal Sub Divisional Hospital on 5 December 2022, which acts as the hub, and delivered medicines to Padeldoba primary health centre in less than 30 minutes, which would otherwise have taken 2.5 hours by road.
It expected that the Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network (MDDN) would bring universal access to healthcare for 2.7 million people of Meghalaya.
Now with the help of drones, it will be possible to overcome the problem of lack of visibility, high delivery costs, outdated technology and inaccessibility through roads and railway networks and deliver better healthcare facilities to people of Meghalaya.
State of Meghalaya
It is also known as the abode of clouds. It is one of the 8 North Eastern states of India.
It became a state on 21 January 1972.
Governor: B.D.Mishra
Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma
Capital: Shillong
5. Delhi Police to design high-frequency radio system
Tags: Science and Technology State News
Delhi Police is set to design, install and supply the ‘Open Standard Digital Trunking Radio System’ (OS-DTRS) and will phase out the current tetranet wireless network services.
About Rs 100 crore will be spent on this project, for which tenders were issued on 2 December.
About OS-DTRS System
It will be a more efficient internal communication system, aimed at a faster exchange of information and bigger networks.
This system provides multiple channels and common groups for policemen.
It will also have a voice logger system, which can be used to describe a crime scene, interrogation details and evidence.
The project’s master site will be at the Delhi Police Head Quarters.
Police are looking for private companies to run the system on 800 MHz frequency band and microwave links.
The master site will have OS-DTRS control and switching equipment, a network management system, 90 IP-based logger systems and a large LED display.
Around 15,000 concurrent radio sets will be made first and later expanded to 30,000 over time.
This system will run for at least 10 years and will fix network problems faced by police personnel.
6. Nagpur Metro creates record for constructing longest Double Decker Viaduct in the world
Tags: place in news State News
The Maha Metro which is implementing the Nagpur metro project in Maharashtra has created a Guinness World Record by constructing the longest Double Decker Viaduct (3.14 KM) with Highway Flyover and Metro Rail Supported on a single column in Nagpur.
According to the Guinness World Records, London “the double-decker viaduct of 3.14 km on the Wardha Road in Nagpur, Maharashtra was commissioned by Metro Rail traffic on 5 March 2019 and for Highway traffic, on 13 November 2020, is the Longest Double Decker Viaduct on any Metro Rail system”.
On the Wardha road in Nagpur there is a three tier transportation system. There is a Double decker viaduct carries highway flyover at the first level and Metro Rail at second level making it a three-tier transportation system with the existing highway at ground level.
A viaduct is a type of long bridge or series of bridges, usually supported by a series of arches or on spans between tall towers. The purpose of a viaduct is to carry a road or railway over water, a valley, or another road.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has congratulated National Highway Authority of India and Maharashtra Metro for its achievement.
7. Maharashtra to be the first state in the country to establish a separate Divyang department
Tags: State News
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that the state government will establish a separate Divyang department for the welfare of differently-abled persons and the government has allocated Rs 1,143 crore rupees. He said that Maharashtra is the first state to have such a department.
He was speaking at an event on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Mumbai. Every year 3rd December is celebrated as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Mr Shinde said that there will be secretary-level officials for this separate ministry. It will take all the steps for the welfare of Divyang people in the state.
It will formulate policies for the welfare of the disabled by taking into consideration the views of the stakeholders.
Maharashtra
It was known as Bombay state at the time of Independence in 1947. On 1 May 1960 the Bombay state was split into Marathi speaking Maharashtra and Gujarati speaking Gujarat.
Maharashtra shares its boundary with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa, Dadara and Nagar Havelli. It lies along the Arabian coast.
Capital: Mumbai (earlier Bombay). It is an island in the Arabian Sea. It was gifted by the Portuguese as a dowry for the marriage of the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza to the British King Charles II in May 1662.
Governor of Maharashtra: Bhagat Singh Koshiyari
8. Scientists urge Andhra Pradesh govt to protect glacial-period coastal red sand dunes of Vizag
Tags: Science and Technology State News
Geologists have said recently that the coastal red sand dunes of Vizag, have much significance geologically, archaeologically, and anthropologically and it needs to be protected.
About Coastal red sand dunes
The Coastal Red Sand Dunes also known as 'Era Matty Dibbalu' is one of the many important sites in Visakhapatnam which have geological significance.
The site is situated along the coast and is about 20 km north-east of Visakhapatnam city and about 4 km south-west of Bheemunipatnam.
The site was declared as a Geo-Heritage Site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 2014.
The Government of Andhra Pradesh listed it under the category of 'protected sites' in 2016.
Significance of Coastal red sand dunes
Such sand deposits are rare and are found only in three places in tropical areas in South Asia – Terry Sands in Tamil Nadu, Era Matti Dibbalu in Visakhapatnam and one place in Sri Lanka.
Preserving this site is important, as its study can help understand the impact of climate change, as Era Matti Dibbalu has witnessed glacial and warm climate periods.
The site is about 18,500 to 20,000 years old and it can be related to the last glacial period.
They are anthropologically and archaeologically important as they possibly contain Mesolithic and neolithic cultural materials as well.
9. First Sylhet-Silchar Festival
Tags: Festivals State News
The first Sylhet-Silchar Festival to celebrate the close cultural ties between the neighbouring regions of India and Bangladesh began on December 2, 2022 in Assam's Barak Valley.
Important facts
Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Minister AK Abdul Momen led a delegation of around 75 members to participate in the two-day event.
The festival is being organised by the 'India Foundation' in association with the 'Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies' under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture.
The objective of the festival is to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.
The event is being organised to commemorate 75 years of India's independence and 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's liberation from Pakistan.
Sylhet is located in north-east Bangladesh.
About Sylhet-Silchar Festival
2022 is the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
Among the many similarities between India and Bangladesh, there are significant links between the cities of Silchar and Sylhet.
To celebrate the age-old people-to-people connect of the region, the India Foundation proposes to organise the first Silchar-Sylhet Festival on December 2-4, 2022, in Silchar city of Assam.
The festival aims to revive the common values and shared heritage of both the cities and their people separated by international boundaries.
The festival will showcase tribal culture, cuisine, literature, arts and crafts.
About Barak Valley
The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of Assam. The main city of the valley is Silchar.
The region is named after the Barak river. The Barak valley mainly consists of three administrative districts of Assam - Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi.
10. Election commission set up a polling booth for a single voter in Gujarat
Tags: State News
The Election Commission of India has set up a polling booth for a single voter in the Gir forest of Somnath district. This center has been built for Mahant Haridas Udasin of Baneshwar Mahadev Temple, situated in dense forests.
Gir is the only sanctuary for Asiatic lions in the world.
The election to elect the 15th Legislative Assembly of Gujarat is being held on 1st and 5th of December 2022 and the counting will be done on 8 December 2022.The term of the current and 14th Legislative Assembly will end on 18 February 2023.
