1. New species of flying lizard found in Mizoram
Tags: Science and Technology State News
Mizoram's flying lizard species has been officially named as Gecko mizoramensis.
An Overview of the News
The research for this discovery was done through a collaborative effort between Mizoram University and the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Tübingen, Germany.
The study detailing the findings of the research on the gliding gecko species was published in a renowned German journal on herpetology.
Specimens of Gecko mizoramensis were collected from different places of Mizoram.
Collection sites include the Wildlife Sanctuary in Kolasib District, Dampa Tiger Reserve, and Lawngtlai District.
Mizoram:
It is a state located in Northeast India.
The name "Mizoram" is a combination of two words: "Mizo" and "Ram."
"Mizo" refers to the self-described name of the original inhabitants of Mizoram.
Establishment - 20 February 1987
Capital - Aizawl
Chief Minister - Zoramthanga
Official flower - Renanthera imschootiana
Official Animal - Sumatran Serow
Official Tree - Ceylon Ironwood
2. Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Sittwe Port in Myanmar
Tags: International Relations International News
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal and Deputy Prime Minister of Myanmar Admiral Tin Aung San jointly inaugurated Sittwe Port in Myanmar on 9 May.
An overview of the news
Admiral Tin Aung San also received the first Indian cargo ship which was flagged off from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata.
The development of Sittwe port will reduce the cost and time of movement of goods between Kolkata and Agartala and Aizawl by 50 per cent.
It will promote trade links and people-to-people ties between India and Myanmar and the wider region and help boost the economic development of the northeastern states.
About Sittwe port
The project was envisaged to provide alternative connectivity of Mizoram with Haldia, Kolkata or any Indian port through Kaladan River in Myanmar.
Sittwe Port has been developed as a part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) funded under grant-in-aid assistance from the Indian government.
Once the waterway and road components of the KMTTP are fully operational, the east coast of India will be connected to the north-eastern states through the Sittwe port.
The commissioning of Sittwe port will increase bilateral and regional trade as well as boost the local economy of Myanmar's Rakhine state.
The greater connectivity provided by the Port will lead to employment opportunities and enhanced growth prospects in the region.
About Myanmar
It is a country located in Southeast Asia and is bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand.
The capital city of Myanmar is Naypyidaw, which was officially designated as the capital in 2005.
President - Myint Swe (Acting)
Prime Minister - Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing
Currency - Myanmar kyat
3. India to showcase organic farming of Sikkim at B20 conference in Gangtok
Tags: Summits State News
The vibrant organic farming of Sikkim will be prominently showcased to the world through the 3rd B20 Summit to be held in Gangtok, Sikkim from 15 to 17 March 2023.
An overview of the news
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is organizing four B20 conferences in the North Eastern Region to showcase the untapped potential and opportunities within the region.
Out of which two conferences have already been held in Imphal and Aizawl.
The third and fourth conferences are to be held in Gangtok and Kohima respectively.
The hosting of the B20 summit in Sikkim is important to showcase the vibrant organic farming of the state to the world.
In addition, the B20 event to be held in Gangtok will throw light on organic farming.
G20 Tracks
G20 has two Tracks- Sherpa Track and Finance Track.
Sherpa Track has 13 working groups and 11 engagement groups.
DPIIT is the nodal ministry for two working groups namely Startup 20 and Business 20 (B20).
Working groups consist of non-governmental participants from each G20 member who provide recommendations to G20 leaders and contribute to the policy-making process.
Business 20 (B20)
It was formed in 2010 and is the official G20 dialogue platform with the global business community.
The B20 aims to provide concrete actionable policy recommendations on each Presidency's priorities to drive economic growth and development.
The B20 has scheduled a total of 100 meetings, including 65 in-person meetings and 35 hybrid meetings.
B20 summit to be held in New Delhi from 26 -27 August 2023.
The Startup 20
Startup 20 has been established under the G20 Presidency of India.
It aims to act as a dialogue platform with stakeholders of the global startup ecosystem.
It aims to represent the global startup ecosystem with G20 leaders to raise macroeconomic concerns and challenges faced by entrepreneurs.
A total of 60 meetings of the Start-up 20 Engagement Group will be held, of which 5 are in-person meetings.
The upcoming event is Startup 20 Gangtok, Sikkim on 18-19 March 2023.
The Startup 20 Summit will be held in Gurugram from 2 -4 July 2023.
4. Second Business-20 program organised in Aizawl between March 1-3
Tags: Summits
Aizawl is hosting the second of the four Business-20 (B20) India events scheduled in the Northeast from March 1-3, 2023.
An Overview of the news:
B20 is the official G20 dialogue forum for the global business community.
As one of the G20's most notable cooperation groups, the B20 represents the G20 business community and consolidates the views of global business leaders on global economic and trade governance.
The B20 provides concrete policy suggestions to each rotating presidency to promote economic growth and development.
During the B20 summit, the B20 sends its final recommendations to the G20 Presidency.
The B20 event, scheduled from March 1-3, 2023, will highlight the opportunities for multilateral business partnerships that state delegations can present in urban planning, infrastructure, bamboo, startups, skill development, nursing and paramedics.
Around 500 participants comprising ministers, senior government officials, diplomats and representatives of the business community will participate in the event.
On March 3, the last day of the summit, Chapchar Kut, a spring festival of Mizoram, will be performed before the delegations at AR Ground to conclude the B20 summit in Aizawl.
5. Puducherry and Aizawl (Mizoram) adjudged best performing State and District in Social Progress Index
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The Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) on 20 December 2022 released the Social Progress Index (SPI) for States and Districts prepared by the Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative.
The index assesses states and districts based on 12 components across three critical dimensions of social progress - Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. The index uses an extensive framework comprising 89 indicators at the state level and 49 at the district level.
- Basic Human Needs assess the performance of states and districts in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation, Personal Safety and Shelter.
- Foundations of Wellbeing evaluates the progress made by the country across the components of Access to Basic Knowledge, Access to Information and Communication, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Quality.
- Opportunity focuses on Personal Rights, Personal Freedom and Choice, Inclusiveness, and Access to Advanced Education.
Based on the SPI scores, states and districts have been ranked under six tiers of social progress. The tiers are Tier 1: Very High Social Progress; Tier 2: High Social Progress; Tier 3: Upper Middle Social Progress; Tier 4: Lower Middle Social Progress; Tier 5: Low Social Progress; and Tier 6: Very Low Social Progress.
Top Ranked States/Union Territories
State /Union Territories | SPI | Rank |
Puducherry | 65.99 | 1 |
Lakshadweep | 65.89 | 2 |
Goa | 65.53 | 3 |
Sikkim | 65.10 | 4 |
Mizoram | 64.19 | 5 |
Bottom Ranked State
Jharkhand was ranked at the bottom, 36th with SPI score of 43.95 and Bihar was ranked at 35th with a score of 44.47.
Uttar Pradesh with a SPI score of 49.16 was ranked 31st and was put in the Low Social progress category.
Top performing districts
Aizawl (Mizoram), Solan (Himachal Pradesh), and Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) are the top 3 best-performing districts.
6. Indian Navy and Royal Enfield organises motorcycling expedition across North east India
Tags: place in news National Defence
The Indian Navy Motor Bike team, ‘The Sea Riders, in partnership with Royal Enfield, the world’s oldest motorcycle brand, embarked on an motorcycle expedition, as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Celebrations’, commemorating the 75th year of independence, across the seven states of North East India from 25 Nov - 14 Dec 22. Royal Enfield is the owner of the famous brand ‘Bullet’.
The expedition was flagged off by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, by Video Conferencing from South Point School at Guwahati. Fifteen Sea Riders rode out on Royal Enfield Meteor 350 cc bikes on their journey to cover a total distance of 3500 kms over a period of 24 days across the seven states of NE India.
The expedition is being conducted over two phases across seven states with each phase covering some of the toughest and most breath-taking terrains in North East India. The riders will traverse along the Indo-Bangladesh border, visiting historical Unakoti sculptures, , the only floating national park in the world Keibul Lamjao National Park (Manipur) and witness the famous Hornbill festival (Nagaland). The expedition will pass through Guwahati (Assam), Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Imphal (Manipur), and Kohima (Nagaland).
North Eastern States
States | Capitals |
Assam | Dispur |
Manipur | Imphal |
Mizoram | |
Meghalaya | |
Sikkim | Gangtok |
Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
Nagaland | Kohima |
Tripura | Agartala |
7. 3-day International Tourism Mart begin in Mizoram
Tags: place in news State News
The three-day International Tourism Mart (ITM) began in Mizoram on November 17, 2022.
Important facts
It is the 10th edition of the International Tourism Mart, jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism, GOI and the state tourism department.
State Commerce and Industries minister Dr. R Lalthangliana inaugurated the event.
The event will focus on "G20 Priorities for Tourism Track", as India will assume the upcoming G20 Presidency for one year starting from 1st December 2022.
The Mart was inaugurated at R Dengthuama Indoor Stadium in Mualpui, Aizawl in the presence of Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State for Tourism Ajay Bhatt and Chief Minister Zoramthanga.
On the occasion, a mega exhibition and food court pavilion was inaugurated at the Assam Rifles Ground in Aizawl by State Commerce and Industry Minister Dr. R. Lalthangliana.
The exhibition has hundreds of stalls set up on local food processing, cuisine, handloom and handicrafts and tourism.
It will have business-to-business sessions and panel discussions between buyers, sellers, government agencies and other stakeholders.
About International Tourism Marts
International Tourism Marts are organised on rotation basis in the North-Eastern States.
Mizoram is hosting this Mart for the first time.
The earlier editions of this mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok, Agartala, Imphal and Kohima.
The objective of the event is to showcase the tourism potential of the North-Eastern Region in the domestic and international markets.
8. “Aibawk cluster” in Mizoram becomes the first cluster to be completed under the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
Tags: place in news Government Schemes
According to the Government of India, Aibawk cluster in the Aizawl district of Mizoram has become the first cluster to be completed under the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM).
SPMRM was launched by the Government of India with a vision to provide amenities to rural areas which are perceived to be urban and have the potential to stimulate local economic development.
300 clusters has been selected under the mission for well-planned and holistic development.
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM)
The Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) scheme was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kurubhat, in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh on February 21, 2016. The mission is of five years duration.
The mission follows a cluster based approach for rural development instead of focusing on a single village unit.
Aim of the Scheme
The Aim of the Mission are:
- Bridging the rural-urban divide in the economic, technological and those related to facilities and services.
- Stimulating local economic development with emphasis on reduction of poverty and unemployment in rural areas.
- Spreading development in the region.
- Attracting investment in rural areas.
What is a Rurban Cluster?
A ‘Rurban cluster’ is a cluster of geographically contiguous villages with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain and coastal areas and with a population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas.
Under the Mission, presently, out of 300 selected clusters spread across the country, 109 are tribal clusters and 191 non-tribal clusters.
Nodal ministry for the SPMRM scheme
The Union Ministry of Rural Development is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission.
Who identify the Rurban Clusters?
The Union Rural Development Ministry proposes a suggestive list of sub districts to the State. The State Governments then select the clusters following a set of indicated principles included in the Framework for Implementation of the scheme.
Funding pattern of the scheme
Various rural development schemes of the Central and the State government are converged in the clusters. The funding meant for those schemes are spent into the cluster.
The SPMRM also provides an additional funding support of upto 30 percent of the project cost per cluster as Critical Gap Funding (CGF) as Central Share to enable development of such Rurban clusters.
Union Minister for Rural Development: Giriraj Singh
9. President Murmu inaugurates the permanent Northeast Campus of IIMC in Aizawl
Tags: place in news State News
President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) North East campus located at Aizawl in Mizoram University in virtual mode on 3 November 2022.
The IIMC North East Campus began functioning in 2011 from a temporary building made available by Mizoram University. The construction work for the campus began in 2015 and was completed in 2019.
Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)
The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is a premiere Journalism Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
It was inaugurated in 1965 to cater the training needs of media professionals in the country and other developing countries.
It has set up five regional center in India to cater the need of five regions of India
The Regional centers of IIMC are;
Eastern Regional Center : IIMC Dhenkanal near Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Western Regional Center: Amravati, Maharashtra
Northern Regional Center: Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir
Northeastern Regional Center: Aizawl, Mizoram
Southern Regional Center: Kottayam, Kerala
Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairman of IIMC: Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
State of Mizoram
It was created as a Union Territory on 21st January 1972 by bifurcating Assam.
It was granted statehood on 20 February 1987.
Chief Minister of Mizoram: PU Zoramthanga
Governor of Mizoram: Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati
Capital: Aizawl
10. Legislative Assembly’s can impose a tax on other States’ lotteries
Tags: State News
The Supreme Court of India held that a State legislature has the right to impose tax on lotteries conducted by other States within its jurisdiction
The apex court observed that ‘lotteries’ is a “species of gambling activity” and ‘betting and gambling’ is part of the State List as per Entry 34 of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
Court clearly mentioned that lotteries, irrespective of whether it is conducted or organised by the Government of India or the Government of State is ‘betting and gambling.
So, the power to tax is on all activities which are in the nature of ‘betting and gambling,’ including lotteries, as per Entry 62 of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution under State List.
The judgment came on appeals filed by the Karnataka and Kerala governments against the decisions of their respective High Courts to quash laws enacted by their legislatures to tax lotteries organized and promoted by other States.
Important Note for Exam-
Kerala High Court is a common High Court established in 1948 and located at Kochi. It is the highest court both for the state of Kerala and also the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.
Common High Courts can be formed by Parliament as per provisions of 7th Amendment Act, 1956
List of other common High-Courts-
Estd | High Court | Territorial Jurisdiction | Location |
1862 | Bombay | Maharashtra Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Goa | Seat: Mumbai Bench: Panaji, Aurangabad, and Nagpur |
1862 | Kolkata | West Bengal Andaman & Nicobar islands | Seat: Kolkata Bench: Port Blair |
1862 | Madras | Tamil Nadu Pondicherry | Seat: Chennai Bench: Madurai |
1948 | Guwahati | Assam Nagaland Mizoram Arunachal Pradesh | Seat: Guwahati Bench: Kohima, Aizawl, and Itanagar |
1975 | Punjab | Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh | Chandigarh |
2019 | Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh | Srinagar - Summer Jammu - Winter |
