1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. MP’s famous ‘Collarwali’ tigress dies at 17
Tags: State News
T15 or Collarwali, the legendary big cat of Madhya Pradesh’s Pench Tiger Reserve in Chhindwara district who earned the title of “super mom” after giving birth to 29 cubs, died after prolonged illness at the age of 17.
- She was also known as Mataram.
- She gave birth to 29 cubs in eight litters during 11 years - between 2008 and 2018 out of which 25 survived.
- She was cremated on Sunday at the hands of Shanta Bai, a local tribal leader who heads the Ecovikas Samiti and has played an important role in improving living conditions among tribals.
- According to the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, the tiger population in India had risen to 2,967 in 2018 from a record low of 1,411 in 2006.
- Madhya Pradesh was home to 526 tigers, the highest in any state of the country.
- India is home to around 75 percent of the world's tigers.
5. Delhi Police starts its Podcast ‘KISSA KHAKI KA’
Tags: State News
Delhi Police is making its first foray into the world of Podcasts – a digital audio presentation. The title of the podcast is Kissa Khaki ka.
- The first Podcast was aired on 16 January 2022 digitally on the Social Media handles of Delhi Police.
- The Podcast will create a new bond between Delhi Police and citizens and enable better understanding among people of challenges the police force faces.
- The Delhi Police comes under the Union Home Ministry.
6. Tamil Nadu to install Pennycuick’s statue in U.K.
Tags: State News
The Chief Minister of Tamilnadu M. K. Stalin has announced that the government will install a statute of Col. Pennycuick in Camberley, United Kingdom.
- Col. Pennycuick was born in Camberley and he is the British Army Engineer, who was instrumental in constructing the Mullaperiyar reservoir in present state of Kerala.
- The Mullaperiyar dam is constructed on the Periyar River.
For details on the Mullaperiyar dam see the 1 December 2021 post.
7. Odisha tops the list of states with maximum lightning fatalities
Tags: State News
According to a report compiled by the Climate Research and Services (CSR) of the Indian Meteorological Department, Odisha lost 213 human lives due to lightning strikes, the highest in the country in 2021 followed by Madhya Pradesh (156),Bihar (89), Maharashtra (76), West Bengal (58), Jharkhand (54), Uttar Pradesh (49) and Rajasthan (48).
- The majority of victims are rural (96%) which include farmers, women, and children. They have been found to be vulnerable because of working in the open.
- There are 71 percent people who are struck by lightning due to standing under trees during rains, thunderstorms, or lightning.
- The regional Met office scientists pointed out that there are only two radars in Odisha - at Paradip and Gopalpur - and there is a dire need to install more such equipment in the state to issue area-specific lightning and thunderstorm warning.
8. Pilgrims start arriving for Ganga Sagar Mela
Tags: State News
Thousands of pilgrims started arriving in West Bengal for the annual Ganga Sagar Mela even as the COVID19 infections continue to remain a cause of concern in the State.
Directions by Calcutta High Court to control Covid Spread
- Only those who are having COVID negative in RTPCR report within 72 hours, will be permitted to enter the Sagar Island for Ganga Sagar Mela.
- The Court had also set up a committee to ensure that COVID19 protocols are followed on the ground.
About Gangasagar Mela
- Gangasagar is a place of Hindu pilgrimage. Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti (14 January), hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of the river Ganges and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers (puja) in the Kapil Muni Temple.
- The Gangasagar pilgrimage and fair is the second largest congregation of mankind after the triennial ritual bathing of Kumbha Mela.
- Gangasagar is a village in the Kakdwip subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
9. Petta Thullal held at Erumely
Tags: State News
Petta Thullal, the ritualistic sacred dance marking the last leg of the annual two months-long Sabarimala pilgrimage season was held at Erumely,Kerala on 11th January 2021.
Teams of Ayyappa devotees from Ambalappuzha and Alangad performed the ceremonial mass dance.
Sabarimala Temple
- The Sabarimala Temple is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Pathanamthitta District, Kerala.
- It is one of the largest annual pilgrimage sites in the world with an estimate of over 40 to 50 million devotees visiting every year.
- The temple is dedicated to a Hindu Brahmachari deity Ayyappan also known as Dharma Shasta, who according to belief is the son of Shiva and Mohini, the feminine incarnation of Vishnu.
- The traditions of Sabarimala are a confluence of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and other Śramaṇa traditions.
10. Protest against Kerala’s Silverline Project
Tags: State News
The Opposition parties in Kerala, are spearheading the agitation against the Pinarayi Vijayan’s government-led Silverline Semi high-Speed Railway Project in some parts of the state.
What is the Silverline Project
- The Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod Semi High-Speed Rail Corridor, also known as the Silver Line, is a proposed higher-speed railway in India that would connect Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, with Kasaragod, the northernmost district of Kerala.
- The 529.45 km corridor, with an operating speed of 200kmph, eases the transport between the North and south ends of the state and reduces the total travel time to less than 4 hours, compared with the present 10 to 12 hours.
- The intermediate stations include Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Kochi Airport, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode and Kannur.
Who is funding the project
The ₹63,941crore Silverline project is a joint venture of the State government and the Ministry of Railways.
Why are there protests against Kerala’s Silverline project
Opposition parties are protesting against the project stating various reasons-
- It is not financially viable and will pull the state further into debt.
- As per environmental activists' assessment, the project will lead to the displacement of at least 20,000 families and around 50,000 commercial establishments.
- Furthermore, environmentalists are of the view that the project will cause great environmental harm because its route cuts through wetlands, almost 145 hectares of paddy fields, and hills. The building of embankments on either side of the major portion of the line will block natural drainage and cause floods during heavy rains.
According to the Ministry of Railways, rail routes that can run trains at the speed of 160 Km per hour to 200Km per hour are considered Semi-High speed trains.
