1. Mamata Banerjee awarded the 'Bangla Akademi Award' for her "tireless literary pursuit"
Tags: Awards State News
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was awarded the 'Bangla Akademi Award' for her "tireless literary pursuit".
The award was presented to Banerjee for her book "Kabita Bitan", which pays tribute to the best writers of West Bengal.
This book is a collection of 946 poems written by Mamta Banerjee.
Banerjee was given this award at the "Ravi Pranam" function organised by the Information and Culture Department of the government on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
Mamata Banerjee herself did not accept the award and received it on her behalf by state education minister Bratya Basu.
Bangla Akademi has decided to reward those who work tirelessly for the betterment of literature as well as other sectors of the society from this year itself.
About West Bengal State
Capital- Kolkata
Governor- Jagdeep Dhangarh
Chief Minister- Mamata Banerjee
State Animal – Bengal Tiger
State Bird- Whitethroat Caudilla
State Tree - Chiton
State Flower - Harsingar
Lok Sabha seats- 42
Assembly seats - 294
2. Punjab promoting green manure
Tags: State News
The Punjab agriculture department is promoting the cultivation of green manure these days.
Punjab Agro is providing subsidy on the seed at the rate of Rs 2,000 per quintal, which costs Rs 6,300 per quintal without subsidy.
The farmers can avail its seed from the block level offices of the agriculture department as limited stock is available.
About Green Manure
Green manure is a technique employed in agriculture to raise soil fertility.
It serves as mulch and soil fertilizers.
They are normally incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting.
Types of green manure
Dhaincha
Cowpea
Sunhemp
Also some crops such as summer moong, mash pulses and guar act as green manure.
Benefit of green manure
It helps in enhancing the organic matter in the soil.
it meets the deficiency of the micronutrients and reduces the consumption of the inorganic fertilisers etc.
It is a good alternative to organic manure and it conserves nutrients, increases nitrogen content and stabilises soil structure.
It decomposes rapidly and liberates large quantities of carbon dioxide.
Green manure crops naturally have the ability to suppress weed growth, hence preferred by farmers.
It helps in improving the overall soil structure by providing porosity and aeration in the soil.
3. India's first bio-gas powered EV charging station inaugurated in Mumbai
Tags: State News
India's first EV charging station to run on Biogas was inaugurated in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
It was inaugurated by Maharashtra Environment Minister Aditya Uddhav Thackeray.
The station is expected to generate 220 units of electricity from the food waste collected from its surrounding areas.
This power plant will be used to power street lights and charge electric vehicles.
The project is a joint venture between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Aerocare Clean Energy.
This EV charging plant is connected to the waste-energy unit at Meenatai Thackeray Park.
This is the first project of its kind in the country that uses food waste to convert it into energy.
About Maharashtra State
Formation - 1 May 1960
Capital - Mumbai
Governor- Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Chief Minister- Uddhav Thackeray
Deputy Chief Minister- Ajit Pawar
4. Delhi HC delivers split verdict on criminalisation of marital rape
Tags: State News
A DIVISION bench of the Delhi High Court delivered a split verdict on petitions seeking criminalisation of marital rape, paving the way for the matter to be adjudicated by the Supreme Court.
One of the judges struck down as unconstitutional the exception to Section 375 of the IPC.
He said that sexual intercourse by a man with his wife aged 18 and above is not rape even if it is without her consent.
However, another Judge said that issue requires consideration of social, cultural and legal aspects.
The High Court said that criminalizing marital rape may destabilize the institution of marriage.
What is Marital Rape?
Marital rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent.
Lack of consent is an essential element and does not involve physical violence.
It is considered a form of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Section 3 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 provides the definition of domestic violence, which includes physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse.
5. Controversy over worship program at ASI protected Martand temple in Kashmir
Tags: State News
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has caused controversy over two worship ceremonies held at the ruins of the ancient Martand Sun Temple at Mattan in South Kashmir's Anantnag district.
ASI officials questioned the worship saying that no religious prayer is performed at ASI protected sites across India.
Rule 7(1) of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1959 states that meetings, receptions, feasts, entertainments or conferences cannot be held in a protected monument without the written permission of the Central Government.
About Martand Sun Temple
The Temple is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley.
The temple is said to have been built in the 8th century, but several attempts were made to destroy it between 1389 and 1413.
The Hindu ruler Lalitaditya is believed to have built the Martand Sun Temple in honour of the Sun God or Bhaskara in the 8th century AD.
Lalitaditya was a Surya (Sun) Dynasty Kshatriya.
The style of construction of the temple and the expertise displayed therein was unprecedented in world history.
The temple is built on a plateau from where the entire Kashmir valley can be seen.
6. Arvind Kejriwal announces startup policy for Delhi
Tags: Latest State News
The cabinet chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approved the proposal related to the Delhi Startup Policy-2021 of the Industries Department.
Under this policy, the Delhi government aims to encourage, facilitate and support 15,000 startups by 2030.
A Startup Policy Monitoring Committee will be constituted to oversee this policy, which will be headed by the Finance Minister of Delhi Government.
Through the Startup Policy-2021, the Delhi government will also provide loans and other facilities to the people starting their enterprise without guarantee.
Incentives under Start Up Policy
Reimbursement of up to 50% on lease rentals. This can be up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh every year.
Reimbursement grants up to one lakh rupees (in India) and three lakh rupees (abroad) for making patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs.
Reimbursement of cost of exhibition stall or rent once in a year up to Rs.5 lakh or up to Rs.5 lakh for 100 percent for women, disadvantaged class or persons with disabilities and 50 per cent for others.
30 thousand per month as monthly allowance for operation or employee for one year.
7. Haryana launches app to track movement of sand, mining vehicles
Tags: State News
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched a Vehicle Movement Tracking System mobile app to track vehicles carrying sand and other mining materials.
The Vehicle Movement Tracking System app will be used at different checkpoints in all the districts of Haryana.
All vehicle details including vehicle type, vehicle number, commuting and driver details will be stored on the app.
This app is designed and developed in-house by National Informatics Centre, Haryana.
About Haryana State
Formation - 1 November 1966
Capital- Chandigarh
Governor- Bandaru Dattatreya
Chief Minister- Manohar Lal Khattar
Assembly seats- 90
Lok Sabha seats- 10
High Court- Punjab and Haryana High Court
8. Rakhigarhi skeletons’ DNA samples sent for analysis
Tags: Popular State News
DNA samples collected from two human skeletons found in a cemetery at a Harappan-era town site in Haryana have been sent for scientific examination.
The DNA test results can tell about the ancestry and food habits of the people who have lived in the Rakhigarhi region for thousands of years.
Skeletons of two women were found a few months ago at mound number 7 (designated RGR 7 by the Archaeological Survey of India), believed to be around 5,000 years old.
Pots and other artefacts were also found buried next to them in a pit, part of the funerary rituals back in the Harappan Civilisation era.
About RakhiGarhi
The ancient sites of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur are collectively known as Rakhigarhi.
It is located on the right bank of the now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati.
It is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain in the Hisar district of Haryana.
There are seven mounds located here.
The site has given rise to various phases of the Harappan culture and is one of the largest Harappan sites ever discovered in India.
The site represents the gradual development of the Indus culture in the now-dry Sarasvati Basin.
9. Telangana govt extends insurance coverage to handloom & power loom weavers under ‘Nethanna Bima’ scheme
Tags: Government Schemes State News
Telangana State Government has announced the extension of insurance coverage for handloom and power loom weavers under the 'Nethanna Bima' (Weaver's Insurance) scheme.
The Telangana government has issued orders to increase the insurance coverage for weavers to Rs 5 lakh under the insurance scheme.
Under the Scheme
More than Rs 29 crore have been sanctioned for implementing the scheme during this year. The cabinet sub-committee had proposed to cover more than 55 thousand handloom and powerloom and allied weavers in the state.
The insurance coverage will be extended to weavers in the age group of 18 to 59 years. The insurance benefit will be given to the family on the death of the weaver or ancillary worker. This scheme is likely to start in June 2022.
About Telangana State
Telangana is the 29th state of India, carved out of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Formation- 02 June 2014
Capital- Hyderabad
Governor- Tamilisai Soundararajan
Chief Minister- K. Chandrashekhar Rao
Assembly seats - 119
Lok Sabha seats - 17
10. Delimitation Commission finalises Delimitation Order for Jammu and Kashmir
Tags: Popular State News
The Delimitation Commission headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retired Judge of Supreme Court of India) has finalised the delimitation order for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Of the 90 assembly constituencies in the region, 43 will be part of the Jammu region and 47 will be for the Kashmir region.
After consultations with Associate Members, representatives of political parties, citizens, civil society groups, nine assembly constituencies have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
Of these, six are in the Jammu region and three in the Kashmir Valley.
There are five parliamentary constituencies in this region.
The Delimitation Commission has kept the Jammu and Kashmir region as a single union territory.
The last delimitation of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir was done in 1995, on the basis of the 1981 census.
The Commission, chaired by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commissioner KK Sharma, met in New Delhi and finalised the delimitation order.
About Delimitation Commission
The task of delimitation has been entrusted to a high power body.
Such a body is known as Delimitation Commission or Boundary Commission.
In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted 4 times – in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, in 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962, in 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972 and in 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002.
The Delimitation Commission in India is a high powered body and its orders cannot be questioned before any court.
