Current Affairs August 2019 - Regional

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1 - Jammu & Kashmir Governor approved operationalisation of 24x7 Free Ambulance Service

Jammu and Kashmir’s administration approved operationalisation of the 102-108 Toll-Free ambulance service in the state. The state government has decided to bring a fleet of 416 Ambulances under the ambit of this service, which will be operationalised through a centralised Call Centre working on a 24x7 basis.

102 Ambulance Service will provide free of cost service to the targeted population. Dedicated centralized Call Centres, one each at Srinagar and Jammu, would be established to run the Service.

2 - Maharashtra becomes first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to aid police investigations

Maharashtra became the first state to adopt Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (or AMBIS) to aid police investigations. It is now integrated with facial recognition from CCTV cameras. An AMBIS unit comprises a computer terminal, a camera, and iris, fingerprint, and palm scanners. It also includes a portable system to dust off and capture fingerprints from crime scenes.

AMBIS replaces the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which has been used by Indian law enforcement agencies to search finger and palm prints. AMBIS will soon be replicated by police forces of other states in the country.

3 - Gujarat CM launched ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched the ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ for the welfare of girl child with a view to raising the female birthrate at par with male to achieve gender equality. Rs.133-crore has been allocated for this scheme.

According to this scheme, the State Government will pay Rs. 4,000 to every girl child at the time of admission to Standard 4^th, Rs. 6,000 at the time of taking admission to Standard IX, Rs. 1-lakh at the time of taking admission for higher education at the age of 18 and another Rs. 1-lakh at the time of marriage.

4 - First set of anti-riot vehicles introduced in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh State Home Minister Bamang Felix flagged of Five Anti-Riot police vehicle, also known as Vajra, from Police Headquarter in Itanagar. This is the first set of anti-riot vehicles introduced in the state police department.

These vehicles come with special features for quick response, automatic multi-barrel launchers for tear gas, with a capacity of 12 persons and a battery backup for long hours stuck in the rioting crowd.

5 - “Aadi Perukku” festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu

The “Aadi Perukku” festival was celebrated in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated on the 18^th day of the Tamil month of Adi (mid-July to mid-August) to pay tribute to water's life-sustaining properties. It is celebrated near river basins, water tanks, lakes and wells, etc.

The festival is to show reverence by the public to rivers, as the traditional season of sowing of seeds for the next crops begin.

6 - UP extends bilateral cooperation MoU with Netherlands in several fields

Uttar Pradesh government and Netherlands have extended the existing bilateral agreement of cooperation in several fields by another five years till 2024.

The MoU, inked earlier, sought cooperation and exchange of the knowledge and techniques in the fields of solid waste management, spatial planning, water management including restoration of water bodies and mobility planning. The MoU is also related to cooperation in fields of transport management, energy efficiency, sewerage and effluent treatment, agriculture, dairy and horticulture, development of smart cities in UP, cultural heritage and the cycle track infrastructure development in various cities of the state.

7 - GoI, Govt. of Tripura and NLFT- SD signed Memorandum of Settlement

A Memorandum of Settlement was signed by the Government of India, Govt. of Tripura and National Liberation Front of Twipra led by Sabir Kumar Debbarma (NLFT-SD).

NLFT has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 1997. NLFT has agreed to the surrender of its 88 cadres with their weapons. The surrendered cadres will be given surrender benefits as per the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018 of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The State Government of Tripura will help the surrendered cadres in housing, recruitment, education etc.

8 - J&K government to host Global Investors Summit in Srinagar from October 12

Jammu and Kashmir government will host a three-day Global Investors Summit from 12^th October in Srinagar. The meet will provide J-K an opportunity to showcase its strengths, strategies and potential.

The summit will be the first ever summit in the state and provide an opportunity to allay fears and apprehensions in the minds of outside trade and business community. Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) signed MoU with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for organisation and management of the event. CII will be the national partner of the event.

9 - Andhra Pradesh to launch YSR Navodayam scheme

The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet has approved a proposal to launch a new scheme titled YSR Navodayam. It will give a boost to the ailing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state. About 86,000 MSMEs in the state have been identified for restructuring of accounts up to March 31, 2020 under Navodayam scheme.

The initiative would benefit the MSMEs, which were facing a financial crisis for three years. The government proposes to provide a one-time grant of ₹3,900 crore for restructuring to the MSMEs so as to ensure that they do not become NPAs.

10 - Rajasthan launched new higher education model

Rajasthan government has launched a new higher education model called RACE - Resource Assistance for Colleges with Excellence, for distribution of faculties and movable assets among the government colleges at the district level to rationalise the availability of resources.

RACE model will create a pool for sharing of facilities which will benefit the colleges lacking infrastructure. The model will help the colleges situated in small towns facing shortage of faculties and infrastructure.

11 - ADB to provide $200 million for rural road project in Maharashtra

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $200 million to upgrade rural roads to all-weather standards in 34 districts of Maharashtra to better connect rural areas with markets and services.

The project will also work with the rural infrastructure agency, the Maharashtra Rural Road Development Association (MRRDA). ADB will also provide a technical assistance grant of $1 million to support MRRDA. The total cost of the project is $296 million, of which the government will provide $96 million. It is due for completion at the end of September 2024.

12 - Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum in Punjab sets record

The Virasat-e-Khalsa museum in Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib town is all set to find a place in the Asia Book of Records for becoming the most visited museum in the Indian sub-continent on a single day. The museum had witnessed a record footfall of 20,569 visitors on a single day on March 20.

Virasat-e-Khalsa was built to commemorate the rich history and culture of Punjab and Sikhism and was inaugurated in November 2011. Earlier, Virasat-e-Khalsa made it to Limca Book of Records in the February 2019 edition and India Book of Records.

13 - National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” celebrated in Leh- Ladakh

Aadi Mahotsav (National Tribal Festival), a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) was celebrated across Leh-Ladakh based on theme “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce”.

The 9-day event from 17^th August till 25^th August, 2019 witnessed 160 Tribal artisans from more than 20 states across the country, actively participating and showcasing their masterpieces. Mahotsav covered food and forest produces, which can be marketed and displayed the rich e-commerce being promoted by Tribes India.

14 - Uttar Pradesh state announced various initiatives on death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Uttar Pradesh state government will set up Atal Bihari Vajpayee residential schools for children of labourers in all 18 divisions of state in remembrance of former prime minister Atal Bihari.

Chief Minister Aadityanath announced that a 'Centre of Excellence' will be established in DAV college in Kanpur where Atal ji had his education. A medical university in Lucknow and a satellite centre of KGMU will be set up in Balrampur, from where Vajpayee had contested elections in 1957.

15 - Assam gets its first ever CNG fuel station in Dibrugarh

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the first ever CNG fuel station of the state at Chowkidingi in Dibrugarh to bring clean and green fuel and reduce pollution. Assam Gas Company will install the station followed by subsequent stations in Tinsukia, Sivsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat and Guwahati.

With this, Assam became the second state in the Northeast after Tripura to get a CNG filling station. State government has planned to launch the service of 15 CNG buses in Guwahati and use of electric vehicles in Assam to keep the state pollution free.

16 - Nagaland State Police Dept gets first Laboratory-cum-Training Centre

Nagaland State Police Department got its first Laboratory-cum-Training Centre named as ‘CCPWC Lab cum Training Centre’ for prevention of cyber crime against women and children. Police personnel skills shall be improved to tackle the threats and increase awareness for prevention of cyber crimes.

Police personnel will be trained in ways to assist women and children victims of such crimes and will be made aware of Cyber Forensic tools and Mobile Forensic tools for extraction, imaging, data recovery, password recovery and analysis of digital devices. The training will commence with 50 police personnel from different police units.

17 - Rajasthan state bagged award at World Education Summit 2019

Minister of State for Higher Education Bhanwar Singh Bhati received “best innovation and initiative leadership award” for Rajasthan state at 14^th World Education Summit-2019 in Delhi. Bhanwar Singh Bhati promoted various schemes on higher education, developing skills to face competitive exams, free education for girls to improve sex ration in higher education and inculcating ethical values among the students.

World Education Summit is international platform to honor innovations and creative actions in the education sector.

18 - Vice President launched 'Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana' in Jharkhand

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched the Jharkhand government's 'Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana' under which money will be directly transferred into the bank accounts of farmers in the state. Under the scheme, beneficiaries having farm land of less than one acre to five acres, will get 5,000 to 25,000 rupees in their bank accounts.

Under the Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana, approximately 35 lakh farmers will benefit and by October, 3000 crore rupees will be sent in the accounts of the beneficiaries. The launching ceremony was also held in other 23 districts, apart from Ranchi.

19 - Manipur Chief Minister launched “School Fagadaba” scheme

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched “School Fagadaba” (Make education bettter) scheme. The aim of the scheme is to improve infrastructure of government schools in the state.

The project is aimed at improving 60 government schools, one school from each of the 60 Assembly constituencies, across the state. The overall objective of the mission is to improve the government schools in terms of physical and manpower gaps and increase in enrollment of students.

20 - Bihar state to implement several measures to ban single use of plastic

Bihar government has taken several measures to ban single use of plastic. Such measures include cancel of licence of those factories producing single-use of carry bag, collection of milk pouch from customers for recycling, restriction on distribution of single use of plastic, etc.

Bihar State Pollution Control Board chairman Ashok Ghosh announced penalties ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500 in case of household and Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 in case of public places on violation of the ban from December 23 onwards.

21 - Maharashtra launched Super 50 programme

Taking an inspiration from the work of Patna’s Anand Kumar and his Super 30, Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Department in association with the Pace Educational Trust launched Super 50 programme. It is an academic programme for young tribal students aspiring to be doctors and engineers.

The students will be trained at the Vagad Pace Global School, Virar. It will be a two-year residential programme, where the students will be provided hostel and mess facilities, a tablet, NCERT books and career counselling.

22 - Punjab CM dedicated 3^rd phase of ‘Jung-E-Azadi’ memorial to victims of Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh dedicated the third phase of the 'Jung-E-Azadi' memorial in the memory of the people who were killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and freedom fighters who were incarcerated in the Andaman Cellular jail.

Amarinder Singh dedicated Rs 20 crore for third phase of the Jung-E-Azadi memorial. The first and the second phase of the memorial were constructed at cost of Rs 290 crore. The memorial will display India's glorious past and the sacrifices made by the national heroes so as to connect youth with national freedom struggle.

23 - Maharashtra Transport Minister launched live tracking system for MSRTC buses

Maharashtra Transport Minister Diwakar Raote launched a live tracking system for MSRTC buses which will allow people to have real-time information about their commute. The mechanism will help the corporation to efficiently deploy services, inform passengers about delays, and provide the driver information about congestion on the route and suggest alternatives.

The cost of the project, including deployment of GPS machines, tracking software, and putting up screens to display information at bus stops is 32 crore rupees.

24 - Punjab launched "Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana" health insurance scheme

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh launched his government's flagship universal health insurance scheme " Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana" to let public avail annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year. The scheme with 1,396 treatment packages will benefit 46 lakh families to cover 76% of the state’s population.

With this scheme, Punjab became the first state in the country to offer medical insurance cover to the maximum number of its people. The cost will be borne by Centre and state in the ratio 60:40.

25 - Tamil Nadu education dept launched exclusive 24-hour tv channel for students

The Education Department in Tamil Nadu has launched an exclusive 24-hour television channel named as 'Kalvi Tholaikkatchi' for the school students. Channel programmes would cover syllabi from pre-KG to 12^th standard. Interviews and motivational programmes on joining civil services, defence forces and banks would be aired by the television as a form of career guidance.

Tamil Nadu Education Department is under process to set up hi-fi laboratories and smart classes in all Government High Schools and Higher Secondary Schools in the state at a cost of 520 crore rupees.

26 - Indian Army established 45 Army Goodwill schools in J&K

Indian Army has established 45 Army Goodwill schools in Jammu & Kashmir as a part of goodwill initiative. These schools have over 14000 students studying at present. Children belonging to low-income group families are given admission for pursuing their studies free of cost.

Besides imparting quality education, the Goodwill Schools are also providing employment to qualified youth of the State. As on date nearly 1000 teaching and non-teaching staff are employed in various Goodwill schools in Jammu and Kashmir.

27 - Annual festival of famous Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple began in Tamil Nadu

The ten-day annual festival of the famous Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, in Tamil Nadu, began with a formal flag hoisting ceremony. One of the interesting aspects of the festival is the enactment of various incidents in the lives of Lord Sundareswara and Goddess Meenakshi.

Music and dance performances as well as processions were held in the brightly lit temple premises including the famous Golden Lotus pond and the Thousand Pillared Hall. The main ceremony of the crowning of Lord Sundareswara will be held on 7^th of September.

28 - Chhattisgarh to open India’s first garbage café in Ambikapur

Ambikapur Municipal Corporation in Chattisgarh will open a first-of-its-kind 'Garbage Cafe’ to make the city plastic free. In this unique Cafe’, poor people and rag pickers will get free food in exchange for 1kg of plastic, while breakfast will be provided if half a kg of plastic is brought to the cafe. The collected garbage will be sold at Solid Liquid Resources Management Centre that turns plastic into granules for construction of roads.

Ambikapur is Chhattisgarh’s first dustbin-free city and has been hailed as the second cleanest city in the country in Swachhata rankings.

29 - Lt. Governor launched 'QR Code Scheme' on Himmat Plus app

Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal launched a QR Code Scheme on the Himmat Plus app to make rides safer for citizens and tourists. A user can scan the QR code of the card pasted on the back of the driver's seat using the Himmat Plus app, verify the identity of the driver and raise an alarm if identity of the driver is not matched.

On user’s 'Report Journey' button instructions, the app sends the location with driver's unique ID to Himmat stations of the Police Head Quarters. Vehicles plying outside airports and railway stations have been registered.

30 - Meghalaya CM launched ‘walk to work’ campaign

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma launched ‘walk to work’ campaign in order to support Fit India Movement launched by the Prime Minister. The Chief Minister took a two-kilometer walk from his residential quarters to his office chamber launching the #WalktoWorkMeghalaya.

The idea of 'walk to work' will have multiple benefits, cuts the cost of fuel including reduction of CO2 emission, reduce congestion in the city and more importantly for health and fitness.

31 - Uttarakhand to set up Special Tiger Force for Corbett Tiger Reserve

The Uttarakhand government has decided to form a Special Tiger Force for Corbett Tiger Reserve to provide a second layer of protection for the big cat. The force will have 85 posts.

The STPF will be effective in checking illegal human intrusion into the reserve through villages located on its fringes. The first layer of protection is provided in the inner range by beat level forest guards while the third layer of protection comes from intelligence-gathering mechanisms.

32 - Final NRC of Assam released

The final list of National Register of Citizens (NRC) has been released in Assam. Names of 3 crore 11 lakh applicants have been included in the final NRC, while 19 lakh 7 thousand have been excluded. The NRC is an exercise to identify Indian citizens living in Assam, a state marked by illegal migration from Bangladesh.

When the NRC was first prepared in Assam in 1951, the state had 80 lakh citizens. According to the 2011 census, the state’s total population is over 3 crore 11 lakh. The first NRC draft was published on the midnight of 31^st December 2017. The process of the updation of NRC is being carried out by the Registrar General of India and is being closely monitored by the Supreme Court.