1. Uttar Pradesh government plans to develop a theme park on the lines of Disneyland
Tags: Government Schemes State News
The Uttar Pradesh government plans to develop a theme park named 'Ramland' in Ayodhya on the lines of Disneyland to showcase the story of Lord Ram and attract tourists.
An Overview of the News
The park aims to provide visitors a unique learning experience with entertainment, catering to both children and adults.
The development of Ayodhya as a global tourism hotspot is part of the 'Ayodhya Vision 2047' initiative, which includes around 260 projects covering various sectors such as tourism, infrastructure, housing, medicine, energy, culture, urban development and transport.
Around Rs 30,000 crore is expected to be spent on the rejuvenation of Ayodhya, and this expenditure will be borne by the Center and the UP government.
Some of the projects under the initiative include Smart City Mission, modernization of bus terminals, widening of roads, cleaning of overhead power supply cables, beautification of ghats and setting up of cultural centres.
About Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is a state located in the northern part of India.
It is the most populous state in India as well as the most populous subdivision in the world.
The state was officially established in 1950.
Chief Minister - Yogi Adityanath
Capital - Lucknow (Executive Branch)
Governor - Anandiben Patel
Rajya Sabha - 31 seats
Lok Sabha - 80 seats
2. Government launches Vivad se Vishwas scheme
Tags: Economy/Finance Government Schemes National News
The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has launched the scheme, “Vivad se Vishwas I – Relief to MSMEs” for providing relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for COVID-19 period.
An overview of the news
The scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The relief provided under this scheme is in continuation to the efforts of the government in promoting and sustaining the MSME sector.
Under the scheme, ministries have been asked to refund performance security, bid security and liquidated damages forfeited/ deducted during the Covid pandemic.
Additional benefits to eligible MSMEs, affected during the COVID-19 period
95% of the performance security forfeited shall be refunded.
95% of the Bid security shall be refunded.
95% of the Liquidated Damages (LD) deducted shall be refunded.
95% of the Risk Purchase amount realized shall be refunded.
Eligibility Criterion
Registered as a Medium, Small or Micro Enterprise as per relevant scheme of Ministry of MSME on the date of claim by supplier/ contractor.
MSME could be registered for any category of Goods and Services.
3. Total enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana crossed 5.20 crore mark
Tags: Government Schemes National News
The Finance Ministry has said that the total enrollment under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has crossed the figure of five crore 20 lakh till March 31 this year.
An overview of the news
The scheme envisages enrollment of more than one crore 19 lakh new subscribers in the financial year 2022-23 as compared to 99 lakh in the previous financial year, showing a growth of over 20 per cent.
According to the ministry, the total assets under management in APY is more than Rs 27 thousand 200 crore and the scheme has earned an investment return of 8.69 per cent since the inception of the scheme.
In the public sector banks (PSBs) category, nine banks achieved the annual target, while Bank of India, State Bank of India and Indian Bank opened more than a hundred APY accounts per branch, according to ministry data.
Under the category of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), 32 banks achieved the annual target, while Jharkhand State Gramin Bank, Vidarbha Konkan Gramin Bank, Tripura Gramin Bank and Baroda Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank opened more than 160 APY accounts per branch.
About Atal Pension Yojana
Atal Pension Yojana is a guaranteed pension scheme of the Government of India administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
The scheme allows any citizen of India between the age group of 18-40 years to join through bank or post office branches where the person has a savings bank account.
Under this scheme, a subscriber will receive a minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 per month from the age of 60 years, depending on his contribution.
On the death of the subscriber, the pension is guaranteed to the spouse for life.
In the event of death of both the subscriber and his/her spouse, the full pension amount is paid to the nominee.
4. 20th anniversary of SWAGAT initiative
Tags: Government Schemes State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 20th anniversary of the State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (SWAGAT) initiative in Gujarat on 27th of April via video conferencing.
An overview of the news
The Gujarat government is celebrating SWAGAT week to mark the successful completion of 20 years of this initiative.
ABOUT SWAGAT Initiative
It was started by the Prime Minister in April 2003, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
The launch of the program was inspired by his belief that the biggest responsibility of a Chief Minister is to solve the problems of the people of his state.
With this resolve, along with harnessing the potential of technology to make life easier, the then CM Modi launched a first of its kind technology-based grievance redressal programme.
The uniqueness of SWAGAT is that it helps the common man to convey his grievances directly to the Chief Minister.
It is held on the fourth Thursday of every month in which the Chief Minister interacts with the citizens for grievance redressal.
It has been helpful in bridging the gap between the people and the government through speedy resolution of grievances.
Proceedings of all applications are available online. More than 99% complaints registered so far have been resolved.
Purpose of the SWAGAT Initiative
The main purpose of this programme was to act as a bridge between the citizens and the government using technology by solving their day-to-day grievances in a quick, efficient and time-bound manner.
Over time, SWAGAT brought about atransformative impact in the lives of people and became an effective tool to solve woes in a paperless, transparent and hassle-free manner.
Components of SWAGAT Initiative
The State SWAGAT
District SWAGAT
Taluka SWAGAT
Gram SWAGAT
5. Vibrant Villages Programme to be Integrated with PM Gati Shakti
Tags: Government Schemes National News
The Centre’s ambitious Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), which aims to develop infrastructure and open up villages along the China border to tourists, will be integrated with the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti mega project.
An overview of the news
The Vibrant Villages Program (VVP) aims to develop infrastructure and promote tourism in villages bordering China.
The program will be integrated with the Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti mega project, which brings together 16 ministries for coordinated infrastructure planning.
The Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N) will provide satellite images and GIS mapping of the projects for real-time monitoring.
The objective of VVP is to prevent migration of border population and to gather intelligence from the people of border villages.
The program will cover 2,967 villages in 46 border blocks of 19 districts in four states and one union territory.
About Vibrant Villages Programme
This program was announced in the budget speech 2022.
It aims to improve infrastructure in villages along India’s border with China.
Under the programme, states such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh will improve infrastructure and build residential and tourism hubs.
The focus areas of the programme are livelihood, road connectivity, housing, rural infrastructure, renewable energy, television and broadband connections.
About PM Gati Shakti initiative
It is a transformative approach to economic growth and sustainable development.
It was launched on 13 October 2021 to provide multimodal connectivity infrastructure to various economic zones.
Its targets are to cut logistic costs, increase cargo handling capacity and reduce the turnaround time.
Economic zones like Textile Clusters, Pharmaceutical Clusters, Defence Corridor, Electronic Park, Industrial Corridor, Fishing Clusters, Agri Zone will be covered under this program to improve connectivity.
PM GatiShakti National Master Plan was implemented on 21st October 2021.
The approach of PM Gati Shakti is driven by 7 engines-
Railways
Roads
Ports
Waterways
Airports
Mass Transport
Logistics Infrastructure
Significance
It will give a boost to the overall infrastructure of the country.
It will strive to build next generation infrastructure that improves ease of living as well as ease of doing business.
It will provide integrated and seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services as a mode of transport.
It will create many employment opportunities and boost the economy.
It will improve the global competitiveness of local products by cutting logistics costs and improving the supply chain.
6. Ministry of Civil Aviation Launches UDAN 5.0
Tags: Government Schemes
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched the 5th phase of Regional Air Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) to further enhance connectivity in remote and regional areas of the country and achieve last mile air connectivity.
Key Features of Udaan 5.0
This phase of UDAN focuses on Tier-II (20-80 seats) and Tier-III (80 seats).
The 600 km limit of the first phase has been done away with and there is no restriction for the distance between the origin and destination of the flight.
The Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to be provided will be capped at a distance of 600 km for priority and non-priority areas, which was 500 km.
No predetermined route will be offered. Only the network proposed by the airlines and the individual route proposal will be considered.
A route shall not be assigned to an airline more than once, whether on different networks or within the same network.
Airlines will have to start operations within 4 months of being granted the route. Earlier this time limit was 6 months.
About UDAN scheme
Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) was launched in 2016 as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Its objective is to provide affordable, economically viable and profitable air travel on regional routes to the common man even in small towns.
7. Union Cabinet Approves National Quantum Mission
Tags: Government Schemes National News
Union Cabineton 19th April approved the National Quantum Mission to nurture and scale up scientific and industrial research and development in quantum technology.
An overview of the news
The Union Cabinet approved Rs 6,003.65 crore for the mission from 2023-24 to 2030-31.
The Mission will accelerate quantum technology-led economic growth and nurture the ecosystem in the country.
The Mission will be implemented by the Department of Science and Technology in partnership with other departments.
India will be the sixth country to have a dedicated quantum mission after the US, Austria, Finland, France and China.
The mission will help develop high-sensitivity magnetometers in nuclear systems and atomic clocks for precise timing, communication and navigation.
The mission envisages developing an intermediate-scale quantum computer with a capacity of 50-1000 physical qubits in eight years on various platforms such as superconducting and photonic techniques.
What is Quantum Technology?
Quantum technology is based on quantum theory, which explains the nature of energy and matter at the atomic and sub-atomic level.
With the help of this technology, data and information can be processed in minimum time.
8. Namami Gange: 8 Projects Worth Rs 638 Crores Approved
Tags: Government Schemes National News
The 48th meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was held on 18th April under the chairmanship of Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) G. Asok Kumar.
An overview of the news
Eight projects worth around Rs. 638 crore were approved in the meeting.
In an attempt to clean River Hindon, which is a tributary of River Yamuna, four projects worth Rs 407.39 crore were approved for pollution abatement in the Shamli district.
These projects are part of the comprehensive Hindon Rejuvenation Plan.
Hindon river is identified as Priority 1 polluted river stretch.
The projects which were sanctioned are to prevent theflow of polluted water into Krishna River.
Krishni is one of the major tributaries of Hindon which discharges pollution from Shamli district into River Hindon.
Two more sewerage management projects were approved in the meeting, one each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
In Bihar, a project for construction of 3 STPs (7 MLD, 3.5 MLD and 6 MLD in Zone 1 and 2 respectively) along with other works was approved at an estimated cost of Rs 77.39 crore.
These projects will arrest the flow of polluted water into theKiul River, a tributary of the Ganges.
About Namami Gange
It was approved as a 'Flagship Programme' by the Central Government in June 2014.
It was launched to serve the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of the national river Ganga.
It is being operated under the Ministry of Water Resources, Department of River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its State Program Management Groups (SPMGs).
9. Govt launches 'Sangathan se Samriddhi' scheme to bring marginalised rural women into SHGs network
Tags: Government Schemes National News
Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh launched the 'Organization to Prosperity' campaign on 18 April.
An overview of the news
It will empower marginal rural households by bringing all eligible rural women into Self Help Groups (SHGs).
The government is targeting to bring the existing 9 crore to 10 crore women under the ambit of SHGs.
The number of members, which was only 2.35 crore in May 2014, has now crossed nine crore.
The government has set a target that every woman associated with self-help groups should be able to earn one lakh rupees annually.
What are SHGs?
Self-help groups (SHGs) are informal associations of people who choose to come together to find ways to improve their living conditions.
It can be defined as a self-governing, peer-controlled information group of people having a similar socio-economic background and desiring to collectively serve a common purpose.
SHGs rely on the concept of "self-help" to encourage self-employment and poverty alleviation.
Its objective is to build the functional capacity of the poor and the marginalized in the field of employment and income generating activities.
10. Minister Purushottam Rupala launches Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI)
Tags: Government Schemes National News
.png)
On 14 April, the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Purushottam Rupala launched the Animal pandemic Preparedness Initiative to holistically address animal pandemics.
An Overview of the News
The initiative aims to enhance the country's preparedness and response to animal pandemics with a focus on zoonotic diseases that pose a threat to both animal and human health.
The initiative will help in improving veterinary services and infrastructure, disease surveillance capabilities and awareness among farmers through community outreach.
World Bank funded Animal Health Systems Support for One Health has also been launched, which aims to create an ecosystem for an improved animal health management system, covering five states.
India is home to a diverse animal species and the livestock sector plays an important role in the country's economy and food security.
The Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative is a proactive step to protect animal resources and ensure the safety and health of people.
About Zoonotic Diseases
Definition: Zoonotic diseases are infections that can be transmitted from animals to humans through various means such as direct contact, consumption of contaminated food or water, inhalation of droplets, or bites from infected animals.
Examples: include rabies, anthrax, Ebola virus, salmonella, Lyme disease, and avian influenza.
Causes: Can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites that are found in the environment or spread by animals.
Symptoms: May include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, diarrhoea, and respiratory symptoms.
