Current Affairs December 2017 - Regional

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1 - Nagaland celebrated 54^th Statehood Day

Nagaland celebrated 54^th statehood day and 18^th Hornbill festival by organizing various social activities at orphanages, schools and government offices. In 1963, Dr S Radhakrishnan, second president of India formally announced December 1 as 16^th state of the India. The Hornbill Festival is 10 days collaborative celebration of all Naga tribes at one venue and has been coined as “Festival of Festivals. The Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof at a model village built at Kisama, 12 kilometres away from the State Capital Kohima.

2 - India’s largest floating solar power plant to be set up in Kerala

India's largest ever floating solar power plant with 500 kWp (kilowatt peak) capacity will be established on the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad, Kerala. This ultimate 500 kWp solar plant will float on 1.25 acres of water surface of the Banasura Sagar reservoir and has capacity of generating seven lakh units of power annually. It will be established at the cost of Rs. 9.25 crore. Thiruvananthapuram-based Ad tech Systems have constructed solar plant with 17 inverters, 500 KVA transformer a supervisory control and data acquisition system.

3 - 10^th Jaipur International Film Festival

The 10^th Jaipur International Film Festival scheduled from January 6, 2018 for 5 days has released the second and the last list of films selected for the Festival. The list includes a total of 48 films from 13 countries. The first list of selected films was released on November five containing 72 films. A total of 120 films will be screened. JIFF is the first film festival in the country that selects documentary films too.

4 - MP Assembly passed death penalty Bill for rape of girls aged 12 and below

The Madhya Pradesh state assembly has passed a bill aimed at amending the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to impose the death penalty on those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below. The bill will be sent to the state governor, who will then forward it to the President for his assent. Madhya Pradesh becomes the first state in the country where those convicted of such rapes will face the death punishment.

5 - U.P. became first State to endorse Centre’s triple talaq draft bill

Uttar Pradesh has become the first State to endorse the Central government’s draft bill that makes instant triple talaq a cognisable and non-bailable offence. The Supreme Court on 22^nd August had struck down Uttar Pradesh has become the first State to endorse the Central government’s draft bill that makes instant triple talaq a cognisable and non-bailable offence. The centre has sent the drafted ‘Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill’ to the states to send their respective views on it.

6 - MoHUA inked agreement with German firm GIZ for technical cooperation

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry signed an agreement with German firm GIZ for technical cooperation in the implementation of transport projects in Coimbatore, Bhubaneshwar and Kochi. Total amount of around 29 crore rupees through GIZ is envisaged for this purpose over a period of three years. The main objective of the agreement is to improve planning and implementation of sustainable urban transport. The project will give the desired impetus in three major interventions proposed under Smart City Mission of this Ministry viz. ITS based transport solutions, Non-motorised vehicles and Last mile connectivity.

7 - ADB Provides $346 Million to Upgrade State Highways in Karnataka

The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Directors has approved a $346 million loan to upgrade highways in the Indian state of Karnataka. This is the second loan from ADB for improving the state’s road network. The total cost of this project is $655 million, of which the state government will provide $202 million and the private sector will invest an estimated $107 million through hybrid annuity contracts. The project is due for completion at the end of 2023.

8 - Official Logo for Allahabad Kumbh Mela 2019 released in Lucknow

The official Logo and tagline for Allahabad Kumbh Mela scheduled to be held in January 2019 were released in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The new Kumbh logo comprises temples, saints, rivers, kalash (pitcher) and the swastik among other things. Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik launched the event’s tagline ‘chalo Kumbh chalo-chalo Kumbh chalo’. A website to facilitate tourists was also launched. The government had, earlier, announced to rename the Ardh Kumbh held every six years as Kumbh and Kumbh held every 12 years as Maha Kumbh.

9 - Rajasthan became first state to offer e-mail IDs in hindi language

Rajasthan state took initiative to launch free email addresses in Hindi (in Devanagari script) for its residents. It is first such state that has introduced such facility for its residents. The email addresses will be written as ‘name@rajasthan.bharat’ in Devanagari script. First such email id was created in name of Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje. It is done with an aim to promote hindi language as well as providing ease to those residents who are uncomfortable with English e-mail ids. It will ensure maximum participation of people towards e-governance.

10 - Safe City Surveillance scheme launched by Bihar state government

In order to ensure women’s safety, Bihar state introduced ‘Bihar Safe City Surveillance Scheme’. Under this scheme, all major public places will be covered with close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to keep a close watch on crime happening in the state. This will not only help in controlling crimes against women but also against all types of crimes. The scheme is launched at the cost of Rs 110.68 crore. There will be set up of 9 Yatayat thanas (emergency traffic police stations).

11 - UP Cabinet approved UPCOCA Bill

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has passed a new Bill named UPCOCA to combat land mafia, mining mafia and organised crimes in the state. The Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill, 2017 or UPCOCA, was also passed in the State Assembly. The bill will allow the government to attach “illegal” property of those booked under it. Similar laws are already in existence in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.

12 - Maharashtra Government to adopt Clinical establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act

Maharashtra Government has started efforts to adopt Clinical establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act by registering and regulating all clinical establishments in the state with an aim to ensure the minimum standards of facilities and services provided by them. This bill will pave way to control unethical practices adopted by some of the private hospitals. The draft Clinical Establishment Bill has been pending in the state since 2010 due to opposition from medical fraternity.

13 - Government laid foundation stone for 32 projects in Uttarakhand

The Union Government has laid the foundation stone for 32 projects with an approximate cost of about Rs 905 crore in Uttarakhand under Namami Gange programme. Out of 32 projects for which foundation stone was laid, 20 projects worth Rs 871.74 crore pertain to sewage treatment and infrastructure in different parts of Uttarakhand. Six are in Haridwar that includes construction of STPs in Jagjeetpur and Sarai under PPP based Hybrid Annuity model. The total cost of projects in Haridwar is Rs 414.20 crore.

14 - PM dedicated 60 MW Tuirial Hydroelectric Power Project in Mizoram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the 60 MW Tuirial Hydro Electric Power Project (HEPP) to the Nation and launched ‘MyDoNER App’. He distributed cheques to the Start-up Entrepreneurs Aizawl. The Tuirial HEPP has been constructed as a Central Sector Project and implemented by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power. The Project built at a cost of Rs.1302 crore, is the biggest power project located in the State of Mizoram and will feed the entire energy to be generated to the home State.

15 - Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated Eastern India’s first CNG stations

Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated two Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations for scooters and three-wheelers at Chandrasekharpur and Patia area in Bhubaneswar. The two CNG stations are Eastern India’s first CNG stations. A total of 50 CNG-run auto-rickshaws will ply in the city. The rate of 1 kg of CNG is Rs 59. The CNG stations were part of GAIL’s Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga and City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

16 - Union Government gave final green nod for Kaleswaram project

The Union Forest and Environment Ministry has given green nod to the Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project in Telangana. However, the ministry has put some conditions before granting the clearance. The Telangana government needs to report the micro-climatic change conditions in the project area during construction/post-construction period at regular intervals. Solid waste generated should not be disposed off as landfill material. The state government has acquired 3,100 hectares of forest land and showed alternative land elsewhere for reforestation.

17 - Andhra Pradesh government inked agreements with Alphabet X

The Andhra Pradesh Government and Alphabet X have signed an agreement to bring the breakthrough Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology in order to provide internet through the government Fibergrid project. The asssociation is a first of its kind in the world to provide wireless internet connection at a higher speed of up to 20Gbps and to a distance of up to 20kms. The state government has aimed to provide broadband connectivity to 12 million households and thousands of businesses by 2019.

18 - Two-day regional conference on 'Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices' held in Guwahati

A Regional Conference on 'Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices' held in Guwahati to create a common platform to share experiences in the formulation and implementation of citizen centric governance, improved public service delivery, Good Governance Index etc. The themes of the various sessions were 'Responsive Public Delivery', 'State Collaboration Initiatives in Administrative Reforms', 'PM awarded Initiatives 2017', 'Presentations from North Eastern States on Governance Initiatives by Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya’.

19 - Jairam Thakur sworn in as new CM of Himachal Pradesh

Jairam Thakur has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. He became the 14^th chief minister of the state. The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Governor Acharya Devvrat. Rajiv Bindal was nominated as speaker of the legislative assembly of the state. Thakur had earlier served as minister from 2009 to 2012. He was state BJP chief from 2006 to 2009. He is a five-time BJP MLA from Seraj constituency.

20 - Vijay Rupani sworn in as CM of Gujarat Chief Minister

Vijay Rupani was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a second consecutive term. He became the 16^th Chief Minister of Gujarat and was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Om Prakash Kohli. Nitin Patel was elected as Deputy Chief Minister. BJP won the elections for the sixth consecutive time with 99 seats securing clear majority in the 182-member assembly. The Cabinet has one female face, Vibhavriben Dave as MoS.

21 - Bihar decided to develop Guru Circuit destinations of Sikhs in state

Bihar government decided to develop Guru Circuit connecting important religious destinations of Sikhs in the state. It was announced at the three-day Shukrana Samaroh (thanks giving) of 351^st Prakash Parv (birth anniversary) of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10^th Sikh Guru in Patna. The development of Guru circuit will improve connectivity and other tourist facilities and opportunities which will help in attracting tourists. Takht Harmandir Saheb of Patna Sahib, Guru Ka Bagh and Bal Leela Saheb, all in old Patna, Handi Saheb of Danapur among other spiritual places will be part of Guru circuit.

22 - Lakshadweep to have India's first runway on 'Sea Bridge'

Airports Authority of India has planned to extend Lakshadweep's Agatti Airport by building an RCC platform on the beach and shallow sea. The RCC platform will be built by erecting pillars on shallow sea area. The project has costing of about Rs 1,500 crore. The new project will provide facility of operation of ATR-72 aircraft instead of only smaller turboprops. Also, new airport will come up with affordable air fares.

23 - Uttar Pradesh inked MoU with South Korea

In order to develop skills in tourism and farming, Uttar Pradesh inked MoU with South Korea. MoU was inked to provide more employment opportunities and development, improve cooperation in the field of technology, aptitude advancement etc. A delegation from Gimhae city of South Korea discussed with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about tourism co-operation. In 2000, a MoU was signed to develop Ayodhya and Gimhae as sister cities and build a memorial in Ayodhya, which is visited by South Korean tourists.

24 - Union Government, TN Govt and World Bank sign 318-million-dollar loan agreement

The Centre, Tamil Nadu Government and the World Bank signed a 318-million-dollar loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project to promote climate resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market opportunities for small and marginal farmers. The project will benefit about 5 lakh farmers. It will rehabilitate and modernize about 4,800 irrigation tanks and 477 check dams, spread across 66 sub-basins, in delivering bulk water to irrigation systems.

25 - Rajasthan government sets up Automatic service ATMs at nearly 9900 Atal Seva Kendras

The Rajasthan state government is setting up Automatic service ATMs, ‘E-Mitra Plus’, at nearly 9900 Atal Seva Kendras and 2500 urban locations with an aim to deliver services through e-governance. People will be able to access 380 services of over 80 government departments and over 100 services of private sector. This service will be available 24 X 7 for 365 days. E-plus is a completely human-less interface, which has linked with AADHAR and has provision for payment by cash and card. The e-Mitra network enables over 60 lakh transactions every month with turnover of about 700 crore rupees.

26 - Uttar Pradesh government introduced new power scheme

The Uttar Pradesh state government has launched a free household power connection scheme for the poor people of the state. The scheme was launched to mark former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birth anniversary. The UP government has a target of covering 16 million by 2018-end, driven by its slogan ‘Prakash hai to vikas hai’. The government has also introduced Kisan Uday Yojana where the existing 5 HP/7.5 HP submersible and coupling sets of farmers will be replaced free of cost.

27 - India signed loan agreement with the World Bank for USD 40 Million for “U.P. Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project”

The Government of India, the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the World Bank signed a $40 million loan agreement for the Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project to increase tourism-related benefits for local communities. The programme size is approximately USD 57.14 million, of which USD 40 million will be financed by the Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget. The programme duration is 5 years.