1. Union Ministry of Home Affairs will organize a Chintan shivir of Home Ministers in Haryana
Tags: place in news Summits State News
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs will organises a two day (27-28 October 2022) Chintan Shivir at Surajkund, Haryana. The Chintan shivir will be presided by the Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Amit Shah. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will address the Chintan Shivir through video conferencing on October 28, 2022.
Who will participate in the Chintan Shivir
Home Ministers of all States and Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of Union Territories have been invited to participate in the two-day Chintan Shivir.
State Home Secretaries, Director Generals of Police and Director Generals of Central Armed Police Forces and Central Police Organizations will also participate in the Chintan Shivir.
Objective of the Chintan Shivir
- The objective of the two-day Chintan Shivir is to prepare an Action Plan for the implementation of "Vision 2047" and ‘Panch Pran’ announced in the Independence Day speech of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
- In the conference of Home Ministers, development of eco-system for cybercrime management, modernization of police forces, increase in usage of IT in criminal justice system, land border management and coastal security and other internal security issues will be discussed.
- The role of ‘Nari Shakti’ is important to achieve the goal of 'Developed India by 2047' and special emphasis will be given to the safety of women and creating a safe environment for them.
- The aim of the Conference is also to facilitate national policy making and better planning and coordination in the above mentioned areas.
2. Thundi and Kadmat beaches receives Blue Beaches certification
Tags: Environment State News
In a tweet on 26 October 2022, the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that Thundi and Kadmat beaches in Lakshadweep have received the prestigious Blue Flag certification. Now there are 12 Blue beaches in India.
What is Blue Beach?
The Blue Beach certificate is given by Copenhagen, Denmark based organisation Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). It is an eco-label given to the cleanest beaches in the world.
The beaches have to meet the about 33 stringent requirements or criteria which includes environmental, educational, access and safety-related criteria.
Indian beaches which has been given the certification
Puri's Golden Beach in Odisha is the first Indian as well as Asia's first Blue Flag certified beach.
Other Beaches are Shivrajpur Beach (Gujarat), Kappad Beach (Kerala), Ghoghla Beach (Diu), Radhanagar Beach (Andaman and Nicobar), Kasarkod Beach (Karnataka), Padubidri Beach (Karnataka), Rushikonda Beach (Andhra Pradesh), Kovalam Beach (Tamil Nadu) and Eden Beach (Puducherry).
Last year, the certification was given to Kovalam beach in Tamil Nadu and Eden beach in Puducherry.
3. PM Modi hands over houses built under PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) in Madhya Pradesh to over 4.51 lakh families virtually
Tags: place in news Government Schemes State News
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 October 2022 handed over houses to 4 lakh 51 thousand families of Madhya Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin virtually.
Virtually addressing the state-level program organized in Satna, the Prime Minister said that home brings progress for all as the village also progresses due to construction of houses along with the owner of the house. The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present in the programme..
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, about 38 Lakh houses have been sanctioned so far in Madhya Pradesh and construction of about 29 Lakh houses has been completed at a cost of more than Rs. 35,000 crores.
Housing for All
Government of India has launched Housing for All scheme to provide pucca houses to the eligible person by 2022.
The Housing for All target goal is to be achieved by two central government scheme ; Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -Gramin (PMAY-U) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban(PMAY-U)
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -Gramin (PMAY-U)
It was earlier known as Indira Awas Yojana . It was revamped and relaunched as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -Gramin (PMAY-U) on 20th November, 2016 with effect from 1st April 2016.
The program envisages the completion of 2.95 crore PMAY-G houses with all basic amenities for the identified beneficiaries by the year 2022.
It is being implemented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban(PMAY-U)
It was launched on 25 June 2015 by the Government of India and it is being implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The scheme aims to provide pucca houses to all the eligible beneficiaries by 2022.
Around 1.12 crore houses are to be constructed under the scheme .
4. PM Modi visits last Indian village along Indo -Tibetan border Mana to participate in the ‘Saras Mela’
Tags: place in news Person in news State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is visiting Uttarakhand attended the 'Saras Mela' in Mana village of Chamoli district, on 21 October, 2022.
Mana Village on the banks of river Saraswati is also known as the last Indian village along the India-Tibetan border in Uttarakhand is just 3 kms from Badrinath town.
The Saras Mela is normally organized by the Union Ministry of Rural Development all over India with a focus on a particular state. In the mela products made by the women Self Help Groups (SHG) are displayed and cultural activities are also held.
However this Saras Mela was organised at the local level with the participation of the local women SHGs. PM Modi also interacted with the local artisans and visited the stalls in the Mela.
He laid the foundation stone for road widening projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore.
The two road widening projects - from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B), will not only provide last-mile all-weather road connectivity to the border areas but are also of strategic significance for the defence forces.
The Prime Minister also visited Badrinath Temple accompanied by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami and the Governor of Uttarakhand, Retd. Gen Gurmit Singh.
Kedarnath
Before visiting the Badrinath temple PM Modi visited Kedarnath temple in Rudraprayag which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Ropeway Projects
The Prime Minister laid the foundation of two ropeway projects in the state to be built at the cost of Rs. 2430 crore.
In Kedarnath he laid the foundation stone of the Kedarnath Ropeway Project. The ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 Km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath.
The Hemkund ropeway project in Chamoli district will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 Km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 minutes. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park in Chamoli.
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand was formed on 9th November 2000 as the 27th State of India. It was formed by carving out the hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh.
It shares international boundaries with China (Tibet) in the north and Nepal in the east. On its north-west lies Himachal Pradesh, while on the south is Uttar Pradesh.
The state is also famous as God’s Land or Dev Bhoomi.
It has a total of 13 districts.
Official state symbols
- State animal – Musk Deer
- State flower – Brahma Kamal
- State tree – Buransh (Rhododendron)
- State Bird – Monal
- State Instrument – Dhol
5. Tamil Nadu forms panel for vulture conservation
Tags: State News
The Tamil Nadu government has set up a state-level committee for conservation vultures on 19 October, 2022.
Important facts
The 10-member committee will be headed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden.
The members include representatives of NGOs.
The committee's tenure is two years, and it will take steps to create safe zones for conservation, monitoring and mapping of vulture populations across the state, and existing vulture sites.
This committee will work to eliminate the use of toxic veterinary drugs, the main cause of death of vultures.
Four species of vultures in Tamil Nadu
Four species of vultures are found in Tamil Nadu -
1. White-tailed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis),
2. Long-billed Vulture (Gyps indicus),
3. Asian king vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) and
4. Egyptian Vulture (Neophron perknopterus)
About Vultures
Vultures are carcass eaters and play an important role in natural mechanisms of infection control.
It keeps the ecosystem clean and healthy.
There are 9 species of vultures found in India.
Most of these 9 species are in danger of extinction.
Bearded, long-billed, slender-billed, white-backed vultures are protected in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
The rest are protected under 'Schedule IV'.
According to the IUCN Red List, out of 9 species of vultures in India, 4 species are critically endangered, 1 species is endangered, 3 are threatened and 1 is least threatened.
6. Dehradun to host 3-day “Akash for Life” Space Conference in November
Tags: Environment place in news Summits State News
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said that the 3-day “Akash for Life” Space Conference will be held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand from 5-7 November 2022.
ISRO and all major scientific ministries and departments of the government of India in collaboration with Vijnana Bharati will organize this National conference. Vijnana Bharati is a dynamic Science Movement with a Swadeshi Spirit, interlinking traditional and modern sciences on the one hand, and natural and spiritual sciences on the other hand.
The Government of India is organizing a campaign “Sumangalam'' across the country for finding solutions to the environmental issues with an Indian perspective based on traditional knowledge .
Panchmahabhoot
In a blend of the modern and the traditional knowledge, the government of India is going to organise five national conventions across the country on the Panchmahabhoot- the five elements for solving environmental issues for the betterment of society.
In the traditional knowledge system the human body or the universe is made of Panchmahabhoot. It consists of Aakash, Vaayu Jal, Prithvi and Agni.
The government of India is organising the first conference based on Panchmahabhoot-Akash or Space in Dehradun.
7. Government to organise Kashi-Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi
Tags: place in news Summits State News
The government of India will organize ‘Kashi-Tamil Sangamam’ from 16th November to 19th December 2022 in Varanasi (Kashi). This was announced by the Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with the Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting , Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying L. Murugan in New Delhi
Aim of the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam’
The main aim of the ‘Kashi-Tamil Sangamam is to rediscover, reaffirm and celebrate the age-old links between Tamil culture and Kashi that have existed since centuries.
The broader objective is to bring the two Knowledge and Cultural traditions closer, create an understanding of our shared heritage and deepen the people-to-people bond between the regions.
The Sangamam to be organised under the overall framework and spirit of “Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat” will create a bridge between ancient India and contemporary generation.
Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
It has been launched by the Government of India to enhance interaction & promote mutual understanding between people of different states/UTs through the concept of state/UT pairing.
The states carry out activities to promote a sustained and structured cultural connection in the areas of language learning, culture, traditions & music, tourism & cuisine, sports and sharing of best practices, etc.
The Union Ministry of Education is the nodal ministry for the programme.
8. Prime Minister Modi lays the foundation stone of the strategic Deesa Air Base in Gujarat
Tags: place in news Defence State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a new air base at Deesa in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat near the India-Pakistan border. The air base is of strategic importance as it will reduce the strategic gap of 355 Kms between the Air Force station in Bhuj and Uttarlai. The air base is expected to be completed by 2024.
Deesa Air Force Base
The project was approved by the Vajpayee government in 2000 but the project actually took off in 2017 when Modi became the Prime Minister. Deesa is a Greenfield air base spread over an area of 4,519 acres being developed in the Banaskantha region.
It is 130 km away from the Pakistan border.
Strategic significance of the Deesa Airbase
Gujarat is economically very important for India and Pakistan is expected to hit the state during a conflict situation. The Deesa base will provide the Indian Air force the capability to take down the Pakistani planes launched from Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, Shahbaz F-16 airbase in Jacobabad.
Deesa will also make Pakistani cities of Hyderabad, Karachi, and Sukkur vulnerable with its deep penetration strike aircraft.
The airbase can also be used to retaliate against Pakistan in case of a major terror strike in Gujarat or along the south-western sector apart from giving support to any land offensive in future.
The Indian fighter plane can cross the international border in mere two minutes at Mach 2.0 speed if there is an emergency.
Indian Air Force Chief: Air Marshal Vivek Ram Choudhary
9. PM launches Gujarat government’s Mission Schools of Excellence at Trimandir, Adalaj, Gujarat
Tags: place in news Government Schemes State News
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched Mission Schools of Excellence at Trimandir, Adalaj, Gujarat on 19 October 2022.The Mission will help strengthen education infrastructure in Gujarat by setting up new classrooms, smart classrooms, computer labs and overall upgradation of the infrastructure of schools in the State. During the event at Trimandir, the Prime Minister also launched projects worth around Rs 4260 crores.
Mission Schools of Excellence
It is a five year Gujarat government project that aims to improve the quality of education in the state. It is a World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) funded project.
Budget of the project
The total budget for the mission is Rs 10,000 crore. World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will provide a loan of Rs 7,500 crore for the Gujarat government's Mission School of Excellence project.
Aim of the Project
- It will cover all 35,133 government and 5,847 grant-in-aid schools in the state.
- The funds will be spent on building 50,000 new classrooms, creating 1.5 lakh smart classrooms, 20,000 new computer labs and 5,000 Atal tinkering labs in 41,000-odd government and grant-in-aid schools across the state.
- It is estimated that nearly one crore school students will benefit directly from this ambitious project in the next five years.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
- It is a multilateral development bank which was set up in 2016.
- Its area of operation is in Asia and it provides loans to build Infrastructure of tomorrow -green infrastructure with sustainability, innovation and connectivity at its core.
- However its members are from around the world. At present it has 104 member countries.
- China is the majority shareholder of the bank and India is the second largest shareholder of the bank
- The United States and Japan are not the members of the bank
- AIIB has given maximum loans to India
Current President of the Bank: Jin Liqun of China.
Headquarters: Beijing, China
10. Madhya Pradesh to develop Meghdoot forest in Ujjain
Tags: Environment place in news State News
Madhya Pradesh government will develop land freed from illegal encroachments in and around Mahakal temple in Ujjain as an urban forest called as Meghdoot. It is being built under the second phase of Shri Mahakal Lok project.
The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan performed bhoomipujan for the proposed Meghdoot forest in Ujjain on 18 October 2022.
Mahakal Lok project has been launched by the Madhya Pradesh Government to develop the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain on the model of Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi. The first phase of the Mahakal Lok project was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 October 2022.
Meghdoot forest
The Madhya Pradesh government has freed about 7 acres of land around the temple area which was under illegal encroachment. This area will be developed by the Ujjain Smart City as an urban forest named Meghdoot, at a cost of Rs 11.36 crore.
In the Meghdoot forest, there will be a beautiful entrance area, greenery area, walkways, along with seating, restaurant and a beautiful environment on the river banks.
Madhya Pradesh
It is the second largest state area wise in India after Rajasthan.
According to the Indian State of Forest Report -2021, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country area wise.
25.14 % of its area is under forest cover.
