1. Andhra Pradesh announces creation of 13 new Districts
Tags: State News
The Andhra Pradesh government announced the creation of 13 new districts in Andhra Pradesh on the Republic day. This was announced by the state Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan in his republic day speech at Vijayawada.
The new districts will come into being on the Telugu new year Ugadi. The total number of districts in the state will be 26.
2. A new under-bridge in Gujarat’s Rajkot named after Gen Bipin Rawat
Tags: State News
A new under-bridge in Gujarat’s Rajkot was named after General Bipin Rawat to honour the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff who died in a chopper crash in December
- The underbridge located at the Laxmi Nagar area was virtually inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel on 24th January 2022.
- The bridge which will be known as CDS General Bipin Rawat Bridge was built at a cost of Rs 48 crore.
General Rawat died on December 8 when his military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu. All 14 onboard, including the general’s wife, perished in the incident.
3. BSF to launch boat ambulance service in Odisha
Tags: State News
On the occasion of the Republic day,the Border Security Force (BSF) will launch a boat ambulance service in the Malkangiri district of Odisha tomorrow.
Border Security Forces are deployed in the naxal-hit Malkangiri district of Odisha for anti-naxal operations . This service is a part of the BSF initiative to strengthen developmental activities in the naxal hit area of the state.
4. Environment Ministry notice to Telangana on Dindi lift irrigation project
Tags: State News
The Ministry of Environment and Forests has recently issued a show cause notice to the Telangana government seeking explanation on the execution of the Sri Ramaraju Vidyasagar Rao Dindi lift irrigation project without taking appropriate environmental clearance from the ministry.
- This was done by the Ministry after the Andhra Pradesh government lodged a complaint with the National Green Tribunal.
- Dindi is a tributary of River Krishna and the Dindi lift irrigation project is located in Nalgonda, Telangana.
- It was aimed to lift 30 tmcft (one thousand million cubic feet) water from the reservoir of Palamuru Rangareddy at Vattem to provide drinking water to fluorosis affected villages of Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, and Khammam areas and to irrigate about 3.40 lakh acres.
Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)
- Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was introduced in India in 1976-77 with respect to river development projects.
- Developmental activities like building of dams, power plants, setting up of Industries etc has a negative impact on the environment. To assess the damage done to the environment EIA was introduced.
- On 27 January 1994 the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest ,under the Environment (Protection) act 1986 promulgated an EIA notification making environment clearance mandatory for any projects mentioned in schedule I category A from the ministry. There are around 30 projects which need Environment Clearance form the Union Ministry after the EIA has been done .
- Andhra Pradesh complained that Telangana government has not sought environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment for river projects under schedule 1 .
- The projects mentioned in category B are to be cleared by the state government.
5. Jammu & Kashmir the first Union Territory in the country to have District Good Governance Index
Tags: State News
The Union Minister of Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah virtually released India’s First “District Good Governance Index” for 20 Districts of UT of Jammu and Kashmir, prepared by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, in the presence of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Shri Manoj Sinha at Convention Centre Jammu.
- This is in pursuance of the announcements made in the “Behtar e-Hukumat – Kashmir Aelamia” resolution adopted on July 2, 2021, in the Regional Conference on Replication of Good Governance Practices held at Srinagar.
- The National Good Governance Index 2021 indicated that Jammu and Kashmir had registered an increase of 3.7 percent in Good Governance Indicators over the 2019 to 2021 period with noticeable improvements in Commerce and Industry, Agriculture, and Allied Sectors, Public Infrastructure & Utilities, Judiciary, and Public Safety Sectors.
- The District Good Governance Index has helped identify the impact of various governance interventions at the district level and provide a futuristic roadmap for improving district-level governance with targeted interventions.
The Sectors covered are-
- Agriculture and Allied Sector – Universal coverage has been achieved in the Kisan Credit Card scheme, Soil Health Card Scheme, and Animal Vaccination.
- Commerce and Industry Sector – There is a 109 percent increase in credit to handicrafts in the 2019-2021 period.
- Human Resources Development Sector – In almost 10 districts 100 percent of skill training have been imparted to registered students.
- Public Health Sector – Full Immunization represents a significant success story,
- Public Infrastructure and Utilities Sector – Ganderbal and Srinagar achieved 100 percent access to safe drinking water, 18 districts achieved 100 percent access to sanitation facilities.
- Social Welfare and Development Sector – 80 percent Aadhar seeding of ration cards represents a major milestone.
- Financial Inclusion Sector – Financial inclusion under Jan Dhan Yojana has achieved universal coverage.
- Judicial and Public Safety Sector- Disposal of court cases has gone up significantly.
- Citizen-Centric Governance Sector – Almost 100 percent progress in grievance redressal.
Highlights-
- The Jammu district has topped the composite ranking, followed by Doda and Samba districts of the Jammu Division.
- Srinagar district has come at the fifth position
- There is very marginal difference among the 20 districts in their composite score, showing all-round development in the UT
- Jammu district ranked best on the ‘Commerce and Industry sector, while Srinagar district ranked best on the ‘Public Infrastructure and Utilities’ sector.
- Kishtwar topped in ‘Agriculture and Allied Sector’, Pulwama topped in ‘Human Resource Development', Reasi topped in ‘Public Health’, Ramban topped in ‘Social Welfare and Development’, and Ganderbal topped in the ‘Financial Inclusion’ sector.
6. Himachal Pradesh-Haryana sign pact to revive Saraswati River
Tags: State News
The governments of Himachal and Haryana on 21st January 2022, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a dam on 77 acres in Himachal near the Adi Badri area of Yamunanagar for the revival of the Saraswati river.
- The MoU was signed at Panchkula by the Chief Secretaries of both states in presence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khatar.
- The project would be useful for Himachal Pradesh as 3.92 hectare metre water per annum would be earmarked for the state for drinking purpose and 57.96 hectare metre for irrigation in the project affected habitations.
- The dam would not only be used primarily for the revival of the Saraswati river but also for water conservation in the region.
- Of the total proposed area, 31.16 hectares fall in Himachal (0.67 hectares of private landowners and 30.49 hectares of forestland).
- The dam would get 224 hectare metre water from the Somb river of Himachal that falls into the Yamuna near Adi Badri in Yamunanagar district.
- The HPPCL would be the executing agency for the Adi Badri dam and its related infrastructure.
- The project when completed would open avenues for tourism and also recharge groundwater.
7. Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura celebrate their 50th Statehood Day
Tags: State News
All three states received their full statehood on 21st January 1972 as per the provisions of the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
From November 1956 till January 1972, Manipur and Tripura were Union Territories whereas Meghalaya was an autonomous part of the state of Assam.
The North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, also created separate High Courts for Meghalaya, Manipur, and Tripura.
Meghalaya | Manipur | Tripura |
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8. Inauguration of Circuit House by PM in Somnath
Tags: State News
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Circuit House at Somnath via video conferencing.
- Somnath Temple is visited by lakhs of devotees from India and abroad every year. The need for the new Circuit House was felt as the existing government facility was located far off from the temple.
- The new Circuit House has been built at a cost of over Rs 30 crore and is located near the Somnath Temple. It is equipped with top class facilities including suites,VIP and deluxe rooms,conference room, auditorium hall etc.The landscaping has been done in such a manner that sea view is available from every room.
- Somnath Temple is located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval in Gujarat, India.
- One of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for the Hindus,they believe it to be the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.
- Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is the chairman of Shree Somnath Mandir Trust.
- It is unclear when the first version of the Somnath temple was built. After India’s independence the present Somnath temple was reconstructed in the Maru-Gurjara style of Hindu temple architecture under the order of the first Home Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel.
- The construction was completed in May 1951.
Maru-Gurjara style of Hindu temple architecture
Maru-Gurjara architecture,Chalukya style or Solanki style, is a style of north Indian temple architecture that originated in Gujarat and Rajasthan from the 11th to 13th centuries,under the Chalukya dynasty(or Solanki dynasty).
- Bhupendrabhai Patel is the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
9. Andhra Pradesh government bans 100-year-old ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’
Tags: State News
The Andhra Pradesh government has banned the popular ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’, play which has fascinated people for almost 100 years .
- The play was written in Telugu language by playwright Kallakuri Narayana Rao in 1920.
- In the play, the writer explains how people neglect their families by falling prey to certain social evils
- The government’s decision to ban the staging of the play was in response to the representation submitted by the members of a particular community objecting to certain dialogues and portrayal of a character in the noted Telugu play.
10. Rajasthan govt launches “I am Udaan” scheme
Tags: State News
The Rajasthan government has launched a women-friendly project, "I am Udaan".Costing Rs 200 crore, under this scheme each girl and woman in the state will receive free sanitary napkins.
- Under the first phase of the project launched on December 19 last year, 26 lakh girls will be benefited as 12 napkins each month will be provided to each girl in senior secondary, secondary and higher secondary schools.
- In the rural areas, 1,412 Anganwadi centers in 282 blocks of village areas have been identified in which sanitary napkins are being distributed to 3 lakh adolescent girls and women in the 18-45 age group.
- Overall 29 lakh women and girls will be benefited in the first phase of the project.
- In the recently released National Family Health Survey 5, 62 percent of the women are unaware of period hygiene and 24 percent of adolescent girl students mark their absence from school during periods. The survey also reveals that only 57 percent of women in the country use sanitary napkins.
