1. Anayoottu Ritual of Kerala
Tags: State News
Anayuttu, which is an annual ritual at Sri Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, Kerala, was held recently.
Important facts
There is a history behind this annual ritual at the temple.
Kerala's elephant Pooram was selected along with other cultural forms of the country to perform at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games held in Delhi in 1982.
Taking elephants to Delhi was a difficult task.
A trial run of the train carrying elephants was conducted from Thrissur to Ernakulam before the journey.
Thirty-four elephants from across the State were selected and readied for the journey.
Many of them belonged to the Guruvayur temple in Punnathur Kotta.
The elephants included Kuttinarayanan of Guruvayur Devaswom, who later came to be known as Asiad Appu, the mascot of the Asian Games.
What is Anayoottu?
Anayuttu is an annual religious ritual at Sree Vadakkunathan Temple, Thrissur in which special food is fed to over 50 elephants.
Food is offered to elephants to please Lord Ganesha who, according to Hindu belief, removes obstacles in one's life.
In this, many ornate elephants are kept amidst a crowd of people for worship and food.
A huge crowd gathers in the temple to feed the elephants.
The Vadakkunnathan Temple, which is considered to be one of the oldest Shiva temples in South India, has hosted the Anayattu event for the past few years.
2. Kerala Becomes First State to have Its Own Internet Service
Tags: State News
Kerala has become the first and only state in the country to have its own internet services.
Important facts
This achievement has been achieved after Kerala Fibre Optic Network Limited got the Internet Service Provider licence from the Department of Telecommunications.
The Left government of Kerala announced in 2019 that it would make internet service a fundamental right, after which the Rs 1548 crore KFON scheme was announced.
Under this scheme 20 lakh poor families will get free high-speed internet.
Apart from this, more than 30 thousand government offices and schools of the state will also be linked to this scheme.
About Kerala State
Kerala is located at the south-west end of India. The state of Travancore-Cochin was formed on 1 July 1949 by merging the princely states of Travancore and Cochin.
The state of Kerala was formed on 1 November 1956 by merging Travancore-Cochin and Malabar under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
Kerala was known as Aranyaka in ancient times.
It is the world's first Baby Friendly State recognized by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Kerala is also known as 'God's own home'.
Kerala accounts for 98% of the country's black pepper production. The rubber sector in Kerala is 83% of the country. There are plantations of tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom and spices here.
Lake - Vembanad, Ashtamudi
Festival - Onam is celebrated at the time of harvesting.
Folk Dance - Kathakali
Major Tribes - Adyan, Irrawalan, Kamar, Kurman
Capital - Thiruvananthapuram
Sex Ratio -1084 (State with Highest Sex Ratio)
Literacy -93.91% (Most literate state)
3. 65 kala-azar cases in 11 Bengal districts
Tags: State News
Eleven districts of Bengal, mostly in the northern part of the state, have reported at least 65 cases of black fever, also known as 'kala-azar', in the past few weeks.
Important facts
The districts which reported the maximum number of cases include Darjeeling, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Kalimpong.
Some cases of Kala-azar have also been reported in Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, Murshidabad districts.
"Kala-azar was practically wiped out from West Bengal.
It was found that the disease was mostly in people who have spent a lot of time in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Symptoms of Kala-azar have also been seen in some people who came from Bangladesh.
What is Kala-azar?
It is also known as Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), black fever and Dumdum fever.
The disease is the second largest parasite killer in the world after Malaria.
It is a Neglected Tropical Disease affecting about 100 countries including India.
Symptoms
Fever, weight loss, fatigue, anaemia, and swelling of the liver and spleen.
Transmission
It is caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus.
It migrates to the internal organs such as the liver, spleen and bone marrow.
The study warns that kala-azar patients can infect others even after treatment.
National Kala-azar Eradication Program
India's National Health Policy, 2002, set a target of eliminating Kala-azar by 2010, which was revised in 2015.
Under Kala-azar eradication in India, a target of 1 case per 10,000 population was set at the sub-district level.
All the activities related to this program are being implemented through the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program.
India signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh and Nepal to eliminate Kala-azar from the South-East Asia region.
4. Tripura government launched ‘Earn with Learn’ Scheme
Tags: State News
The Tripura government has launched a new scheme named 'Earn With Learn' to bring back the students who have dropped out of schools after the outbreak of Covid-19.
Important facts
This scheme is a part of 'Vidyalaya Chalo Abhiyan' (Let's go to school).
It has been decided to restart the Vidyalaya Chalo Abhiyan to bring back around 9,000 students in the age group of six to 14 years from 4,300 schools across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 'Earn With Learn' initiative of Tripura Education Department will involve third year students of all colleges in conducting surveys to find out dropouts in all classes.
Rs 500 will be given to each volunteer if they enroll a dropout student in the same school.
Anganwadi teachers will help volunteers to make the program a success
About Tripura
Tripura joined the Republic of India in 1956 and got statehood in 1972.
Capital - Agartala
Governor - Satyadev Narayan Arya
Chief Minister - Manik Saha (11th)
State Bird - Green Imperial Pigeon (Ducula ania)
State Tree - Agar (Aquilaria malaccensis)
State Flower - Nageshwar (Mesua Ferrea)
Boundaries - Bangladesh, Mizoram and Assam
Connected to the rest of India - by NH-44 which passes through Assam, Meghalaya, North Bengal, Kolkata and other parts of India.
Number of Districts - 08
5. Andhra Pradesh government decides to re-join Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
Tags: State News
The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to re-join the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Important facts
The Andhra Pradesh government has taken this decision after talks between Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan.
Andhra Pradesh has decided to implement PMFBY from the Kharif-2022 season.
With this decision, crops of more than 40 lakh farmers of the state will get insurance cover in case of natural calamity.
Andhra Pradesh had opted out of PMFBY in 2020 citing high premium prices.
Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Telangana and Jharkhand are still out of the scheme due to low claim ratio and financial constraints.
About 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana' (PMFBY)
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched on 13 January 2016.
The scheme provides a comprehensive insurance cover to the farmers in the event of crop failure, which helps in stabilising the income of the farmers.
This includes all food and oilseed crops and annual commercial/horticultural crops for which past yield data is available.
Central and state governments pay more than 95% of the premium amount, while farmers bear 1.5-5% of the premium amount.
A 2% premium will be paid for Kharif crops (Paddy or Rice, Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Sugarcane etc.).
For Rabi crops (wheat, barley, gram, lentil, mustard etc.) 1.5% premium will be paid.
A 5% premium will be paid for annual commercial and horticultural crops insurance.
This scheme was mandatory for farmers who received institutional finance before the year 2020, but by changing it, it has been made voluntary for all farmers.
In order to ensure more efficient and effective implementation of the scheme, necessary reforms in PMFBY were made by the Central Government in the Kharif season of the year 2020.
6. Uttarakhand first state to implement NEP at pre-primary level
Tags: State News
For the first time in the state of Uttarakhand, the new National Education Policy-2020 has been implemented in primary education under school education.
Important facts
In the Directorate General of Education, the new education policy has been formally launched in the state by the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami by inaugurating the Balvatikas.
With this, Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to implement NEP.
In the first phase, operation of Balvatikas classes under NEP will be started in five thousand Anganwadi centres operating in government primary schools under the education department.
At the pre-primary level in the state, children will be educated in Balwatikas under the provisions of NEP.
New Education Policy, 2020
The new education policy was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 29 July 2020, which has been prepared in consultation with everyone.
Current Policy Space scientist K. Based on the report of the committee headed by Kasturirangan.
Under the new National Education Policy, 2020, a target has been set to bring the Gross Enrollment Ratio to 100% by the year 2030.
Under the new education policy, a target of 6% of GDP has been set for public expenditure on the education sector in collaboration with the central and state governments.
With the announcement of the new education policy, the name of the Ministry of Human Resource Management has been changed to Ministry of Education.
In education up to class V, emphasis has been laid on adopting mother tongue/local or regional language as the medium of instruction.
Along with this, it has been suggested to give priority to mother tongue for class 8 and further education.
The 'National Curriculum Framework for School Education' will be prepared by the 'National Council of Educational Research and Training' (NCERT).
School Education Provisions
The new education policy proposes a 5+3+3+4 design educational structure that covers children in the age group of 3 to 18 years.
Five Years Foundational Stage - 3 Years of Pre-Primary School and Grades 1, 2
three year preparatory stage
Middle (or upper primary) stage of three years - grades 6, 7, 8 and
4 year higher (or secondary) stage - grades 9, 10, 11, 12
The last National Education Policy was formulated in 1986 which was amended in the year 1992.
7. Natural farming conference held in Surat
Tags: State News
Natural Farming Conference was organised on July 10, 2022 in Surat, Gujarat.
Important facts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the conference in virtual mode and said that 'Sabka Prayas' is the basis for promoting India's development.
It saw the participation of thousands of farmers and other stakeholders who have successfully adopted natural farming in Surat.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the "Natural Farming Model".
Natural farming helps in providing food to millions of people.
It also protects people from deadly diseases, which are caused by pesticides and chemicals.
Natural farming
Natural farming is a traditional indigenous farming method based on livestock.
It does not use any chemical fertilisers or pesticides or organic manures, vermicompost, biofertilizers, bio-pesticides.
This farming is done with the aim of reducing the cost of cultivation and thus provides benefits mostly to the small and marginal farmers.
Natural farming in India is being promoted under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in the form of Indian Natural Farming System Program (BPKP).
The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana has received 4.2 times (as compared to the previous year) allocation of Rs 10,433 crore in the budget for the year 2022-23, which will earmark funds for on-the-ground implementation of chemical-free farming.
Sikkim is the first organic state in India.
8. Smriti Irani inaugurates Sealdah metro station of East-West corridor
Tags: State News
Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare and Minority Affairs Smriti Irani on 12 July inaugurated the Sealdah Metro Station of the East-West corridor.
Important facts
It will help people living in Kolkata’s suburbs to reach the IT hub of Sector-5 without hassle.
He inaugurated the station literally from Howrah Maidan, which is the terminal station of the 16.6 km long corridor on the other side of the Hooghly river.
Till now trains were running between Sector-5 and Phulbagan.
Commercial services till Sealdah will begin on 14 July, taking the total operational length of the corridor to nine kilometres.
The 2.33 km extension up to Sealdah will help about 35,000 commuters in their daily commute.
The metro station will connect suburban train services at Sealdah, one of the busiest terminal railway stations in the country.
The entire length of the East West Metro corridor will be completed by the year 2023.
East-West Corridor
It connects Assam’s Silchar to Gujarat’s Porbandar.
The 3,300-km-long corridor is part of the Golden Quadrilateral, a dream project of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The East-West Corridor is related to National Highways 27.
North - South Corridor
It connects Srinagar to Kanyakumari (about 4000 km)
National Highways 44 is related to the North-South Corridor.
9. Kharchi Puja Festival 2022
Tags: State News
Kharchi Puja or Kharchi Puja is a Hindu festival of Tripura. In this festival, 14 Hindu deities are worshipped, who are considered to be the deities of the Tripuri people.
Important facts
The festival includes 14 deities- Shiva, Durga, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik, Ganesha, Brahma, Abadhi (god of water), Chandra, Ganga, Agni, Kamadeva and Himadri (Himalaya).
Kharchi Puja is mainly a tribal festival but its origin is from Hinduism.
The annual 'Kharchi Puja' and festival is meant to cleanse the sins of mortal souls.
Kharchi Puja is the biggest festival for the Hindu tribals in the Northeast region.
Thousands gather from all over the country and neighbouring Bangladesh to attend the 'Kharchi Puja'.
The temple of 14 deities was built during the reign of Maharaja Krishna Manikya.
This is an age-old tradition that has been celebrated since around 1760 AD.
Major Festivals of North Eastern States
Sikkim - Losar, Saga Dawa, Losang
Nagaland - Hornbill Festival, Motsu Festival
Assam - Bihu, Ambubachi Fair
Manipur - Yaoshang, Porag
Mizoram - Chapcharkut Festival
Meghalaya - Pomblang Nongkrem, Cherry Blossom Festival
10. Gujarat will host the 36th National Games in September, 2022
Tags: State News Sports News
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced that the 36th National Games will be held in Gujarat for the first time from 27 September to 10 October.
Important facts
The prestigious event is being organised after a gap of seven years, last held in Kerala in 2015.
Competitions will be held in six cities of the state namely Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar.
Around 7000 players from across the country will participate in 36 sports.
Indoor and outdoor events like Athletics, Hockey, Football, Volleyball, Lawn Tennis, Table Tennis, Judo, Kushmi, Kabaddi and Kho-Kho etc. will be organised.
The 36th National Games were to be held in Goa in May 2020 but were postponed indefinitely due to the spread of COVID-19.
About Gujarat State
Formation - 1 May 1960
Gujarat is also known as 'The Land of Legends'.
The Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat is home to the only wild population of Asiatic Lions in the world.
Gujarat is the main producer of cotton, tobacco and groundnut in the country.
Garba is the main traditional dance of Gujarat.
Lothal was the ancient city of Gujarat where India's first port was established.
Capital- Gandhinagar
Governor- Acharya Devvrat
Chief Minister- Bhupendrabhai Patel
Assembly seats-182
Rajya Sabha seats- 11
