Current Affairs June 2017 - Regional

1 - Delhi Assembly passed state GST Bill

Delhi Assembly passed the state Goods and Services Tax, GST Bill in a special session following an extensive discussion while also adopting a resolution on lowering tax slabs.

Under the GST regime, tax slabs should be 10 per cent, 5 per cent each for the Centre and the states claiming that higher tax slabs may trigger inflation.

The GST bill is a transparent system that will benefit small traders. The Centre plans to launch the GST on July 1. The other states to have passed the Bill are Telangana, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.

2 - Punjab constituted commission to probe into sand mining auctions

Inquiry Commission has been constituted by the Punjab Government to probe into alleged irregularities in the sand mining auctions case involving Cabinet Minister Rana Gurjit Singh.

The one-man Inquiry Commission of the retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, Justice J S Narang, will probe all aspects of the allegations of impropriety against Irrigation and Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh in the multi-crore sand mining auctions conducted recently by the state government.

The commission has also been mandated to inquire whether the Minister has received any undue financial benefit.

3 - Delhi Police launched bicycle patrol

The Delhi Police has launched bicycle patrol to improve policing in congested localities in trans-Yamuna region of the capital. The bicycle patrols would reach narrow roads and heavily congested areas.

The bicycle patrols will move around in pairs and each patrol will cover a distance of two to five kilometres.

The first batch of 65 bicycles were allotted to the Eastern Range of Delhi Police that comprises three districts — east, northeast and Shahdara.

4 - Arun Jaitley inaugurated solar plant in Telangana

Union Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated a grid-connected solar power plant of 16 MW capacity at the Ordinance Factory in Medak district of Telangana. It has been set up at a cost of Rs 105 crore by Bharat Electronics Limited. The plant has been set up for captive consumption of the factory.

The Minister also dedicated a 9 MW capacity windmill project installed at Dammur in Karnataka at a cost of Rs 53 crore by BEML, a defence PSU.

5 - Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis launched portal for job seekers, employers

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a web portal 'Mahaswayam' that will cater to job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs, and training institutes who can avail details regarding skill development and employment.

Mahaswayam portal has been developed by the Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Department. This portal will provide single interface to all the stakeholders to obtain information related to Skill Training, Job vacancies and Entrepreneurship development programs.

At 'Mahaswayam', job seekers will be able to register themselves, search as well as apply for jobs, inquire for training, get information on self-employment and get details of job fairs.

6 - MITS Mega Food Park inaugurated at Rayagada, Odisha

The first Mega Food Park in the state of Odisha M/s MITS Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd was inaugurated at Rayagada by Union Minister Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

The Mega Food Park has been set up in 50.05 acre of land at the cost of Rs. 80.17 crore. Government of India has provided a financial assistance of Rs. 50.00 crore to the project. The food park has facilities of fully operational industrial sheds for SMEs, developed industrial plots for lease to food processing units, Rice Processing Complex of 12 TPH, Dry Ware-House of 10,000 MT, Cold Store of 2500 MT etc.

7 - Odisha to get first automatic coastal warning for disasters in India

Odisha is set to become the first state to get automatic coastal warning for disasters in India. It can warn the residents along its 480 km-long coast by pressing a single button from a control room in the event of the occurrence of natural disasters like a tsunami or a cyclone.

The State government is all set to commission the ambitious Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) that would enable loud sirens go off simultaneously from towers at 122 locations by July.

8 - Telangana Launched T-Wallet

The Telangana state government has launched its T-Wallet as an “anytime anywhere digital payment option for everyone”. T Wallet serves through Online Web Browser, Smart Phone, Feature Phone and even No phone.

It supports Telugu & Urdu besides English. There is no service charge for using T Wallet. It uses two factor authentication, through Aadhaar + Biometric or Aadhaar + OTP to Aadhaar linked mobile number, for feature phone and no phone users.

9 - AP's Vizianagaram won MGNREGA national award

The Union Ministry of Rural Development has selected Vizianagaram for MGNREGA annual award for its effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act during the time period 2015-16. The district was selected among the 17 districts across the nation.

Vizianagaram had generated works for 3,61,668 households in 2015-16 and disbursed ₹483.42 crore as wages to the workers with an average wage of ₹106.

10 - Telangana launched single-woman pension scheme

Telangana state government has launched the single-women pensions scheme across the state, a first of its kind in India. Single women will be given Rs 1,000 per month.

The government had also increased the Kalyana Laxmi and Shaadi Mubarak scheme amount from Rs 50,116 to Rs 75,116. Children of single women would be admitted into all Telangana Residential Educational Institutions without having to write an examination or waiting for the lottery system.

11 - Kerala government implemented ‘green protocol’ for weddings

The Kerala state government has implemented a green protocol to make wedding and other auspicious occasions more nature-friendly. As a part of the protocol, plastic and other non-biodegradable articles including disposable glasses and plates and thermocol decorations will be kept at bay from such functions.

The government has asked people to use tumblers, plates and other utensils made of glass and environment-friendly metals. Inspections will be held at marriage halls, convention centres and hotels and other venues of the wedding ceremony. Suchitwa Mission, the state nodal agency for sanitation, has already launched the initiative.

12 - Tamil Nadu government signed MoU with Aviation Ministry for UDAN Scheme

The Tamil Nadu state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Civil Aviation Ministry for the implementation of the Centre’s UDAN scheme which seeks to promote regional air connectivity.

The government plans to start flight services to towns like Hosur, Salem and Neyveli in the first phase under the "Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik" (UDAN) or regional connectivity scheme. The UDAN scheme aims to stimulate regional connectivity with flights covering distances up to 800 km through a market-based mechanism.

13 - India's first underwater Metro to be launched in Kolkata

India is all set to get its first underwater metro in ‘City of Joy’ Kolkata. Metro rail will run beneath the Hooghly river. The train will run 30 metres below riverbed, just a few metres away from the famous Howrah Bridge. Metro will connect Howrah and Sealdah - each of which has a footfall of about 10-12 lakh passengers per day.

It is for the first time that earth pressure balancing tunnel boring machines and standard gauge with better technology have been used. The project is expected to finish by December 2019.

14 - Arunachal Pradesh demanded for separate time zone

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu demanded for a separate time zone for the northeastern states to save electricity in the region.

Bengaluru-based National Institute of Advanced Studies survey concluded that a separate time zone for the northeastern states could help in saving 2.7 billion units of electricity per year, as people begin their day at 4 am but government offices start at 10 am, due to which several day light hours are wasted.

A separate time zone called as chai bagan time is followed in some regions, which is one hour ahead of the Indian Standard Time.

15 - CRY Report: Uttar Pradesh ranks First in Number of Child Labourers

According to CRY Report on child labour, Uttar Pradesh was found to have the highest number of 2,50,672 children engaged in labour, followed by Bihar with 1,28,087 children and Maharashtra at 82,847.

It was surveyed that over 8 lakh children in India between the age group 5 and 6 years are engaged in child labour for the sake earning livelihood.

However, it was found that Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) suffers many limitations and is now covering only 50% of the child labourers. Government has been trying to introduce new schemes so as to avoid children from child labour.

16 - Sikkim inked MoU with British Council for education sector

In order to improve education sector of Sikkim state, Human Resource Development department of Sikkim government signed an MoU with the British Council. The MoU was signed by G P Upadhaya, additional chief secretary cum principal Human Resource Development department and Alan Gemmell, Head of British Council.

The MoU will boost the capacity of the teachers and other professionals, working with youth in the state and support its cultural economy.

In order to improve teaching, learning and research pedagogy of teachers, UK higher education experts will train Social Science teachers from undergraduate colleges and universities in Sikkim.

17 - Telangana launched website for online cattle sale

In order to ease facility of online sale or purchase of cattle, Telangana government launched a website named as pashubazar.telangana.gov.in.

This will not only save time for farmers to bring cattle every time to shanties but also save transportation cost on cattle. The farmer is permitted to keep maximum five registrations for sale at any time.

The new cattle rules issued by the Central government would be applicable to online sale too. The website is developed with NIC’s support.

18 - PM Modi inaugurated Kochi Metro

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Kochi Metro, and travelled briefly on the new metro line. He later addressed a large gathering at the function to dedicate Kochi Metro to the nation.

Kochi Metro Rail Limited is a fifty - fifty Joint Venture of Government of India and Government of Kerala. The Union Government has so far released over two thousand crore rupees for Kochi Metro.

The phase will operate from Aluva to Palarivattom. It will cover 13.26 kilometres and eleven stations.

19 - Uttarakhand and Haryana declared 4^th and 5^th ODF States in the country

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and rural Haryana have declared themselves as the 4^th and 5^th Open Defecation Free (ODF) States of India.

The two states joined the league of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, which were the first three states to be declared ODF.

Nationally, the sanitation coverage has increased from 42% to over 64% in just two and a half years since the launch of SBM.

20 - World Bank sanctioned 44 million dollars loan for ASPIRe

World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan assistance of 44 million dollars for the Assam State Public Finance Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe) Project. The loan was sanction by World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development).

The project aims at improving predictability and transparency in budget execution and efficiency in tax administration in Assam.

ASPIRe project is based on three important components - Strengthening public finance institutional capacity, strengthening expenditure and revenue information systems and on project management, monitoring and evaluation, and coordination.

21 - 53 New Projects for 9 Cities Approved in Odisha under Amrut

Odisha Government approved 53 additional projects under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme. The total projects to be carried under Amrut scheme has reached 148 in Odisha.

The new projects would be carried out in nine cities including Bhubaneswar, Puri, Baripada, Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak, Berhampur, Rourkela, Baripada and Sambalpur.

The main objective of Amrut is to provide basic services (e.g. water supply, sewerage, urban transport) to households and build amenities in cities which will improve the quality of life for all, especially the poor and the disadvantaged.

22 - Mizoram launched scheme for better treatment of HIV-Hit people

The Mizoram state government has launched the ‘Test and Treat Strategy’ of the Mizoram state AIDS Control Society (MSACS) to improve treatment for HIV affected people in the state.

Under the ‘Test and Treat Strategy’, the HIV affected people would be given free Anti Retrovira Therapy (ART) irrespective of the CD4 count. ART has been found to be able to resist TB and other bacterial diseases. The Test and Treat Strategy is a new initiative of the Centre to combat the HIV/AIDS disease.

23 - India’s biggest municipal bonds programme launched in Maharashtra

Pune Municipal Corporation has launched India’s biggest municipal bonds programme to finance its 24x7 water supply project.

On June 19, the Pune Municipal Corporation raised Rs. 200 crore by selling ten year bond, becoming the first civic body to beat money from this route in 14 years. The project looks to raise Rs 2,264 crore in five years.

Municipal bonds are debt instruments through which a corporation or municipality raises money from individuals or institutions.

24 - Maharashtra government announced Rs 34,000 crore farm loan waiver

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a mega farm loan waiver package of Rs 34,000 crore for farmers in distress in the state since 2012 due to continuous drought.

Named after the Maratha warrior king Shivaji Maharaj, the programme will benefit 89 lakh farmers and make 40 lakh agriculturists debt-free.

Farmers who have taken loan up to 1 lakh 50 thousand will be waived off completely and those farmers who have paid back their loans regularly, will get 25 per cent loan return benefit.

25 - MSMEs minister announced Technology Centre for Tripura

Union Minister of MSMEs Kalraj Mishra announced sanctioning a Technology Centre for Tripura. For that, around Rs 20 crores will be provided to the state Govt. This centre will be utilized for bamboo and rubber related enterprising works, which, in turn, will benefit the youth of the state.

Rubber growers will also help in increase of earnings. Tripura Govt. will look into the coir sector and suggested to establish coir industry in the state.

MSMS-DI will provide training to youth for different enterprising activities in setting various micro and small scale industrial units as entrepreneurs.

26 - Haryana to implement health insurance scheme for poor

Haryana government will implement a health insurance scheme in the state to provide free health services to the poor. The state government will bear the cost of the premium.

The state government is establishing medical colleges in every district to meet the shortage of doctors in government hospitals and as many as 28 colleges will be established in the state over the next two years.

Also, private organizations have been invited to establish Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy colleges in the state.

27 - Government doctors in UP to retire at 62

In Uttar Pradesh, the government extended the retirement age from 60 to 62 years of the doctors working under provincial medical service. In view of non-availability of medic practitioners across the state, the government has taken the decision.

More doctors are needed to open new units at different hospitals, to set up new hospital, to open new 100 bed hospital and to run trauma centre and women hospitals qualified medical practitioners are needed.

About 3 to 4 hundred doctors are being retired every year but qualified doctors are not available to fill up the vacancies.

28 - UP government signed pact with ADB for strengthening of roads

Uttar Pradesh Government has signed an agreement with Asian Development Bank ADB for a loan of 1950 crore rupees for strengthening of roads in different district.

As per agreement, ADB will provide the loan amount for Uttar Pradesh Main District Roads Development Project of 2782 crore rupees cost.

The State government will spend 832 crore rupees form its own resources on the project. Project is scheduled to be completed by 2024 and ADB will provide the loan for the period of 25 years on the interest rate of 2%.

29 - India signed Loan Agreement with the World Bank for USD 35 Million for "ASPIRe Project"

The Government of India, the Government of Assam and the World Bank signed a $35 million loan agreement for the Assam State Public Finance Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe) Project. It will be implemented over a period of five years. The programme size is USD 44 million.

It will help the Government of Assam put in place a financial management architecture that will support it in utilizing its public resources more efficiently through better management of its finances, increasing the efficiency of its tax administration as well as improving the transparency and predictability in the execution of its budget.

30 - Odisha to set up the first Blood Bank in the country for cattle

Odisha is all set to become the first state in the country to set up a blood bank for the cattle. The project will have a 60:40 sharing between the Centre and the state government.

The blood bank would be established on the premises of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) at a cost of Rs. 3.25 crore. The National Agriculture Development Programme (NADP) has already accorded its approval.