Current Affairs February 2019 - Regional

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1 - Punjab Govt. Approved ‘Smart Village Campaign’ Worth Rs. 385 Crores

The Punjab Government has given its approval to a rural development scheme namely ‘Smart Village Campaign’ scheme worth Rs. 384.40 crores. It would be supplement to the ongoing works to build village infrastructure.

The scheme ‘Smart Village Campaign’ would be financed by the funds from 14^th Finance Commission and MGNREGA works. The project worth INR 2,500,000 would be approved by a committee of deputy commissioner and additional deputy commissioner (Development); however, if the project is worth more than 2,500,000, then approval will be given by a state-level committee headed by the joint development commissioner.

2 - Dolphin of Indus River Declared as Punjab’s State Aquatic Animal

On February 1, 2019, the Punjab Government has declared the dolphin of Indus River as Punjab’s state aquatic animal. Dolphin of Indus River is second most endangered freshwater river species and one of the world’s rarest mammals.

Presently, there are about 1,800 dolphins in the Indus River (in Pakistan); however, in the Beas River, its population is between (merely) 8 to 10. Last year (in the month of May), contaminated water leaked into the Beas River, posed a big threat to all aquatic species in the region. Therefore, a strict measure has been taken to conserve the eco-system of Beas River.

3 - For Enhancing Digital Literacy, Microsoft India Signed MoU with Sikkim Govt.

Microsoft India has signed an agreement with Sikkim Government to improve the education system in Sikkim. As per the MoU, the digital literacy will be introduced to build new age tech capacity among students and faculty especially in government-run schools.

As per the MoU, Microsoft will support the state in the integration of IT content in the state board curriculum for −

• building student capacity,

• ushering in school reforms,

• building teacher capacity,

• enhancing digital literacy, and

• promoting digital citizenship.

4 - Odisha Government Announced New ‘KALIA Chhatravritti Yojana’ For Farmer’s Children

Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, has announced a new scholarship scheme especially for the children of farmers. The name of scholarship is ‘KALIA Chhatravritti Yojana.

It is for all those children (of farmers) who are the beneficiaries of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme. Further, the scheme will provide scholarships for pursuing higher education in professional courses free of cost. Mr. Patnaik has announced that under this scheme, State Government will bear the education expenses of those children who are beneficiaries of KALIA scheme.

5 - Under Operation Smile - V, Hyderabad Police Rescued 325 Children

Under Operation Smile – V, Hyderabad Police has rescued 325 children. Among 325 children, 11 were girls. 272 rescued children have been handed over to their parents; however, remaining 53 children were sent to rescue homes.

Among the rescued children, 100 children were native other states including Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal. As per the report of the Police Commissioner, the rescued children were found working in different types of factories and other such establishments.

What is “Operation Smile – V?”

Launched on January 1, Operation Smile – V, is mission to trace missing children. Under this program, police trace the missing children and rescue the child labour, and the children engaged in begging. To accomplish the mission, 17 teams were constituted each headed by a Sub-Inspector in Hyderabad City.

6 - To Uplift Tribal Group in the State, Maharashtra Govt. Constituted a Committee

Maharashtra Government has constituted a committee to review the work being done for the welfare of the lakhs of tribal population. The underneath objective behind this is to reduce the malnutrition deaths and also help tribes in the State to have healthy life.

Vivek Pandit, the former MLA, will head the committee. Mr. Pandit is the President of the Shramajivi Sanghatana, an organization working for the betterment of tribal groups. The committee will thoroughly study and review the situations (covering every aspect of tribal groups) and attempt to resolve the issue (of tribes in the region). The committee will also ensure the health and education of children in the region.

7 - Mizoram Govt. Banned Import of Pigs & Piglets

By taking precautionary steps in advance, the Deputy Commissioners of all the eight districts of Mizoram have issued orders under which import of pigs and piglets from other countries, is banned.

Officials reported that there is possibility of outbreak of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS); therefore, import of pigs and piglets may affect the health of people. As per the official records of the Veterinary department, in 2013, the PRRS had killed 3,806 swine; in 2016, it killed 4,699 pigs; and in 2018, it killed 2,574 pigs.

8 - Boori Boot Yollo Festival Celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh

Boori Boot Yollo festival was celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh. The festival is celebrated by Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh usually in the month of February every year.

It is about 15 days long festival celebrated to welcome spring and a successful harvest. Mr. Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister and Dr. BD Mishra, Governor of the Arunachal Pradesh greeted the people through personal message.

9 - Ladakh Declared as Third Administrative Revenue Division of J&K

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir, in an announcement, has declared that the cold desert region namely Ladakh as the third administrative division of J&K. The decision may have political touch, for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in J&K.

Until now, the region was the part of the administrative division of Kashmir. Surprisingly, the cold desert region (Ladakh) of J&K remains cut off from the main life of the world for almost six months because of extreme cold conditions. Further, Ladakh is one of the most sparsely populated regions located in the northern side of the State. It is the highest plateau situated at an altitude of about 9,800 feet above sea level.

10 - First Ever Aqua Mega Food Park Commissioned in Andhra Pradesh

Country’s first Mega Aqua Food Park has been commissioned in Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh. It was inaugurated by Pushpa Subrahmanyam the Secretary of Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

At this food park, the modern infrastructure is set up especially to benefit farmers, processors, and also consumers of Andhra Pradesh as well as neighborhood areas.

The park covers an area of 57.81 acres and at its Central Processing Centre, it offers the facilities such as −

• Pre-processing line

• Freezing and cold storage of fish and shrimp

• An ice plant

• Food testing laboratory

11 - Bihar Govt. Announced Universal Old Age Pension Scheme for All

Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, has announced a universal old age pension scheme namely “Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension Yojana” (MVPY). The scheme will benefit all old aged people who are above 60 years. 400 INR will be given as monthly pension. However, one who retired from the government job will be excluded from the scheme.

Mr. Kumar further told in the state assembly that the pension scheme will come into force from the April 1, 2019. The scheme would not bar any person based on religion, caste, or community rather everyone will be included. However, the pension scheme is applicable only for the people who fall under the category of BPL (Below Poverty Line).

Besides, Mr. Kumar also announced that the journalists above the age of 60 years who are not getting pension will get 6000 INR as monthly pension under the scheme of Bihar Patrakar Samman Yojana (BPSY). However, the scheme will include those journalists who have been in regular service in the field of mass media and no source of income.

12 - Rajasthan Assembly Passed the Bills to Scrap Criterion of Minimum Education Qualification for Civic Polls

On February 11, Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan, has passed two Bills in order to abolish the minimum education criterion for panchayat and civic polls candidates. These two Bills namely Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Rajasthan Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed through voice vote.

In 2015, the Vasundhara Raje government had introduced the education criterion; based on this, a candidate must have class 10 pass certificate for contesting Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, and Municipal elections.

And, for contesting elections of Sarpanch of a panchayat in scheduled and other than scheduled areas, candidate must have passed class 5 and 8 respectively. While discussing on the Bills, Panchayati Raj Minister Sachin Pilot said that the present government would not discriminate based on education criterion, as it is committed for the development of every section of the society.

13 - Telangana Government Announced to Form Two New Districts

Telangana Government in a meeting announced to form two new districts namely Mulug and Narayanpet. At present, the total number of districts in Telanaga is 31; it would be 33 after forming these two new districts.

The Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has given direction to the Principal Secretary (Revenue) Rajeshwar Tiwari to initiate the process of carving out two more districts namely Mulugu and Narayanpet.

Besides, Mr. Rao also announced that (as he promised during the election campaign), every person on completion of 57 years would be provided old-age pension, which will be effective from April 1, 2019.

14 - Himachal Pradesh Made Sanskrit as Second Official Language

On February 16, Himachal Pradesh Assembly has passed a Bill to Make Sanskrit as the Second Official Language of the state. Mahender Singh Thakur, the Irrigation and Public Health Minister, has introduced the Bill namely the Himachal Pradesh Official Language Bill, 2019. The Bill is passed without any discussion.

15 - Kerala to Host Attukal Pongala, World's Largest Religious Congregation of Women

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, is all set to host the Attukal Ponkala festival. The Attaukal Ponkala festival is one of the world’s largest religious gathering of women on a single day.

On this occasion, women prepare ‘Pongala’ – i.e. the offering in makeshift brick stoves to worship the presiding deity of Attukal Bhagavathy temple. Pongala is mix of rice, jaggery and scraped coconut. The women cook it about two hours in fresh earthen or metal pots by lining up on either side of the roads around the shrine.

16 - Dog Deployed to Check Liquor Smuggling in Bihar

Bihar government deployed 20 liquor-tracker dogs in the state to stop smuggling of liquor. Three years back, Bihar Government has (total) banned liquor in the state; however, smuggling is still going on.

All these dogs have been given rigorous training for nine months in Hyderabad. Until now, sniffer dogs were being used in detecting substances such as explosives and other illegal drugs, but this is the first time that special dog squad is deployed to detect alcohol hidden or smuggled in Bihar.

17 - Boat Ambulance Service Launched in Odisha

In order to give swift medical service to the people living in remote areas, Odisha Government has launched a boat ambulance service. This service especially benefits people living in remote areas during emergency.

At the cost of Rs 5.40 crore, government has added six boat ambulance to the road fleet. It will be a part of ‘108’ ambulance service. As per the report, such new facility will be a sort of a “vessel of hope” for the people living in numerous far-flung, river locked pockets of the state.