1. BJP’s Rahul Narvekar elected Maharashtra Assembly Speaker
Tags: Person in news State News
After the formation of the new government, BJP candidate Rahul Narvekar won the election for the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly during a two-day special session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Rahul Narvekar (164 votes) defeated Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress joint candidate Rajan Salvi (107 votes).
He is an MLA from the Colaba Assembly seat of Maharashtra.
In the assembly elections held in 2019, Rahul became an MLA for the first time.
Rahul Narvekar is the youngest Speaker of the entire country.
In the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the post of the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was vacant since February 2021 after the resignation of Congress leader Nana Patole.
About Maharashtra State
This state was created on May 1, 1960, on the demand of Marathi speaking people.
Maharashtra is the top sugar producing state of India.
Its capital is Mumbai which is also known as the largest city of India and the economic capital of the country.
The only salt water lake formed by the collision of meteorites is Lunar Lake which is in Maharashtra itself.
Asia's first train started on 16 April 1853 between Mumbai and Thane.
Godavari and Krishna are the major rivers of the state.
The highest peak of Maharashtra is Kalsubai Peak.
Governor- Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Chief Minister- Eknath Shinde
Deputy Chief Minister- Devendra Fadnavis
Legislative Council Member - 78
Member of Legislative Assembly - 288
2. Eknath Shinde sworn-in as CM of Maharashtra
Tags: Popular State News
Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was on 30 June sworn in as the 20th chief minister of Maharashtra, while BJP's former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy chief minister.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to Shinde and his deputy Fadnavis at the Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai.
Maharashtra Governor has asked Chief Minister Shinde to prove his government's majority in the state assembly.
The Cabinet decided to convene a two-day special session of the state legislature on 2nd and 3rd July.
The Speaker of the assembly will also be elected during the special session.
Shinde, who served as urban development minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government, had rebelled against Shiv Sena chief and then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
He camped in a hotel in Guwahati and later in Goa with 39 other army MLAs, reducing the Aghadi government to a minority.
After the Supreme Court refused to stay the governor's decision to conduct a floor test, Thackeray resigned from his post.
About Eknath Shinde
Before emerging as the leader of Shiv Sena, Eknath Sambhaji Shinde drove an auto-rickshaw to earn a living.
Born on 9 February 1964, Shinde dropped out of college before completing his graduation.
He is 58 years old and hails from Satara district of western Maharashtra, he started his political career from Thane, Mumbai.
He is a four-time MLA, having handled the urban development and PWD portfolios in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Shinde was appointed the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for a brief period in 2014.
Important facts about Maharashtra
Establishment - 1st May 1960
Official Language - Marathi
Neighbouring States - Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Dadra And Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh
Members of Parliament - Lok Sabaha 48 (Rajya Sabha seats 19)
Legislature - Bicameral ( Assembly 289 and council 78 seats)
Literacy - 82.91%
Districts - 36
Major Rivers - Tributaries of Tapti, Bhima, Godavari and Krishna
Capital - Mumbai
Population - 11.23 crore (2011 census)
3. Entry of medium and heavy vehicles banned in Delhi
Tags: State News
The Delhi government issued an order banning the entry of medium and heavy goods vehicles into Delhi from November to February to check vehicular pollution.
Entry of these vehicles will not be allowed from 1st November 2022 to 28th February 2023.
This is because vehicular pollution worsens air quality in the winter months.
Further, the Delhi government urged neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, to allow only BS VI-compliant buses to enter Delhi from October 1.
This step will help in controlling air pollution.
Air pollution in Delhi-NCR
Air pollution in Delhi-NCR as well as in the Gangetic plains of India depends on the following factors:
1. Change in wind direction – Monsoon returns to North West India in October. During this, the north-westerly winds prevail. This brings dust from northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, causing pollution.
2. Low wind speed – During the month of October (winter), the overall wind speed becomes less compared to the summer months, increasing the potential for air pollution across the region, as the low speed winds disperse the pollutants. are not effective.
3. Stubble burning – Due to stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, Delhi is covered with a thick blanket of mist during winters.
Stubble burning releases toxic pollutants containing harmful gases such as methane (CH4), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
4. Vehicular pollution – The biggest reason for deteriorating air quality in this area is vehicular pollution. About 20% of PM2.5 in winter comes from vehicles.
4. Goa celebrates Sao Joao festival
Tags: State News
Sao Joao is an annual Catholic festival celebrated in an unusual way in Goa every year on 23 June.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Sao Joao is also known as St. John the Baptist.
Catholic men jump into the water to find gifts thrown into wells, ponds and rivers to pay tribute to St. John the Baptist.
This festival is celebrated every year in June to mark the beginning of the season.
People wear crowns of fresh fruits and wild flowers traditionally called 'kopels' to celebrate the occasion.
About Goa -
Goa is the smallest state in India by area and the fourth smallest by population.
The Portuguese ruled Goa for about 450 years and it was handed over to the Indian administration on 19 December 1961.
Panaji, the capital of Goa, is situated on the banks of the Mandovi river.
Governor- PS Sreedharan
Chief Minister- Pramod Sawant
Assembly seat - 40
Rajya Sabha Seat-1
Lok Sabha seat - 2
5. Rajasthan's Menar bird village will become a wetland
Tags: State News
Menar village in Udaipur district, recognized as "Bird Village" after various conservation efforts, has been decided to be notified as the new wetland of Rajasthan.
This will pave the way for this rural area of Mewar region to get the status of Ramsar site.
About Menar Wetland
The two lakes of Menar village- Brahma and Dhandha host a large number of migratory birds every year.
More than 150 species of local and migratory birds reside in both the lakes during the winter season.
These include the Greater Flamingo, White-tailed Lapwing, Pelican, Marsh Harrier, Bar-headed Goose, Common Teal, Greenshank, Pintail, Wagtail, Green Sandpiper and Red-Wattled Lapwing.
Bird lovers and tourists visit this village after the arrival of migratory birds from Central Asia, Europe and Mongolia.
Presently there are two wetlands recognized as Ramsar sites in Rajasthan-
Keoladeo Ghana in Bharatpur District.
Sambhar Salt Lake in Jaipur District.
What is wetland?
Wetlands are seasonal or permanent ecosystems located in water.
These include mangroves, swamps, rivers, lakes, deltas, floodplains and floodplains, rice fields, coral reefs, marine areas (places with high tides less than 6 m) as well as man-made wetlands such as wastewater treatment ponds and Reservoir etc. are included.
More than 1 billion people depend on wetlands for subsistence and 40% of the world's species live and breed in wetlands.
30% of land-based carbon is stored in peatlands (a type of wetland).
6. Rajasthan's entry into the field of uranium mining
Tags: State News
Rajasthan has entered the field of uranium mining with the issuance of Letter of Intent (LOI) for uranium exploration in the state on June 26, 2022.
This LOI has been issued for mining lease to Uranium Corporation of India for mining of Uranium Ore at Rohil in Khandela Tehsil near Sikar.
Huge deposits of uranium have been found in an area of 1086.46 hectares in Rohil of Khandela tehsil of Sikar district. According to preliminary estimates, about 12 million tonnes of uranium reserves are possible in this area.
Uranium is currently being mined in the country at Jaduguda in Singhbhum in Jharkhand and in Andhra Pradesh.
Most of the uranium produced globally is in Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia. Apart from this, uranium minerals have also been found in Russia, Namibia, Uzbekistan, USA and Ukraine.
Uranium is mainly used to generate electricity. However, apart from nuclear power, uranium is also used in medicine, defence equipment, photography, among others.
About Uranium -
Uranium is the third element of the actinide series, an intermediate series of the periodic table.
The element uranium was discovered in 1789 by Klaproth from an ore called pitchblende.
In 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity in uranium.
Uranium is a shiny white metal. Its symbol is U, atomic number 92, atomic weight 238.03.
7. 17th 'Shala Praveshotsav' started from Banaskantha in Gujarat
Tags: State News
In Gujarat, the 17th edition of 'Shala Praveshotsav', an annual campaign for enrollment of students in class I, was launched by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on June 23 at a government primary school in Vadgam taluka of Banaskantha.
The Shala Praveshotsav has been organised by the state government from 23rd to 25th June, 2022 in the entire state.
The dropout rate of students has come down drastically after the massive enrollment drive of children in the state after the launch of 'Shala Praveshotsav' campaign.
The drop out rate of the state has come down from 37.22 per cent in 2002 to just 3.07 per cent.
About 32,000 government primary schools were covered by officials and elected representatives during this three-day campaign.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started 'Shala Praveshotsav' in 2003, when he was the chief minister of the state, with the main objective of ensuring maximum enrollment in schools.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
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 (BJP)
Assembly seats-182
Rajya Sabha seats- 11
Lok Sabha seats- 26
8. Three-day workshop on 'Gender Responsible Governance' organized in Dharamshala
Tags: State News
A three-day workshop on 'Gender Responsive Governance' ie 'Gender Responsible Governance' is being organised in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
The workshop is being organised in collaboration with the Women's Commission and Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
116 women MLAs from five states and one union territory of North India will participate in this workshop.
The chief guest of the workshop is Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel.
Ms. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, National Commission for Women said that the workshop has been organised with the idea of 'Strong Women Leadership, Strong Democracy'.
The program was conceptualised and developed with the aim of promoting capacity building of women leaders.
About Himachal Pradesh
The literal meaning of Himachal Pradesh is "Province of Snowy Mountains", Himachal Pradesh is also known as "Dev Bhoomi".
Himachal Pradesh was made a union territory in 1956, but in 1971, it was made the eighteenth state of India on 25 January 1971 under the Himachal Pradesh State Act, 1971.
Himachal Pradesh is part of the Shivalik range of the Himalaya Mountains.
Four of the five rivers that flow in Himachal Pradesh are mentioned in the Rigveda.
At that time they were known by other names such as Arikari (Chenab), Purushni (Ravi), Vipasha (Beas) and Shatdui (Satluj) The fifth river (Kalindi) which originates from Yamunotri has a mythological connection with the Sun God.
Capital- Shimla (summer), Dharamsala (winter)
Governor- Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Chief Minister- Jai Ram Thakur
Legislative Assembly seats - 68
Rajya Sabha seats - 3
Lok Sabha seats - 4
9. Maharashtra political crisis and anti-defection law
Tags: Popular State News
The anti-defection law has once again come into the limelight after 34 MLAs wrote to the Maharashtra Governor promising their support to Shiv Sena's 'rebel' MLA Eknath Shinde.
Some MLAs have formed an alliance with the rebel party leader and are camping in Guwahati.
The party has warned its MLAs that their absence from the meeting would lead to speculation that they want to leave the political party.
Therefore, action will be taken against them under the Anti-Defection Act.
What is the Anti-Defection Law?
The Tenth Schedule, popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act, was included in the Constitution via the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985.
It lays down provisions for disqualification of elected members on the ground of defection to any other political party.
The anti-defection law provides for the disqualification of legislators who, after being elected on a political party ticket, "voluntarily give up their party membership".
This law also applies to independent MLAs.
But this law does not apply when the number of legislators leaving a political party is two-thirds of the party's strength in the legislature.
These MLAs can merge with another party.
Rule of two thirds in Maharashtra
According to reports, 30 MLAs are with the rebel leader.
Shiv Sena has 55 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly, if the rebel MLAs want to merge, then two-thirds of the 55 i.e. 37 MLAs will have to go to another party together.
If this happens then there will be no constitutional action against those MLAs.
But if this does not happen, then action can be taken against these MLAs under the anti-defection law.
10. One Nation, One Ration Card scheme implemented in Assam
Tags: Government Schemes State News
Assam has become the 36th state of the country to implement the One Nation One Ration Card scheme.
After being implemented in Assam, this scheme has been successfully implemented in 36 states and union territories across the country.
The scheme has made a significant contribution in ensuring subsidized food grains to the beneficiaries especially the migrant beneficiaries during the COVID pandemic.
In a very short span of time, it covered 80 crore beneficiaries.
Since the scheme's implementation in August 2019, around 71 crore portable transactions have taken place under it, food grains equivalent to Rs 40 thousand crore have been distributed as food subsidy.
Mera Ration mobile app
Mera Ration mobile application was launched to make this scheme more seamless and faster.
This mobile app is providing useful real time information to the beneficiaries and is available in 13 languages.
About ‘One Nation, One Ration Card' scheme
It was launched by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in 2019 on a pilot basis in 4 states.
It aims to ensure hassle free delivery of subsidized food grains to all migrant beneficiaries anywhere in the country under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Under this scheme, migrant beneficiaries are entitled to get food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of their choice anywhere in the country using their existing ration card with biometric authentication.
Benefits of the scheme
This will help in reducing the number of dual ration card holders.
This is in line with the motto of Minimum Government Maximum Governance.
Centralised authorised shop data can be used to formulate policies on inter- and inter-state migration.
It will help to improve India's ranking in the Global Hunger Index.
National Food Security Act, 2013
It was introduced by the Government of India in 2013.
The Act is in line with Goal Two of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly.
Goal 2 aims to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and create sustainable solutions to achieve food security.
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), Public Distribution System (PDS), and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) are covered under this Act.
