BIHAR

Bihar government released digital content with UNICEF to ensure continuous learning during Covid times

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TheState Educationdepartment of the Bihar government released online Learning content on the e-Library of teachers and students( e-LOTS) in May 2021. The measure was taken with the auspices of UNICEF to ensure continuous learning of children during the second wave ofCovid. The e-LOTS portal can be used on both android and laptops and it was also launched in May 2021, to bring all the e-content from e-books to audio-visual learning material on a single digital platform.

The web portal e-LOTS has been jointly designed by theBihar Education Project Council(BEPC) and UNICEF to create a digital library for both students and teachers. The platform was created to ensure continuous learning for the students studying from Home.

Biharreceived 3% surplus rainfall in four-month-long monsoon season which concluded on Thursday. Last year, the state had received 25% above normal rainfall during the monsoon season from June to September.

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A red alert stipulates that the authorities concerned should take necessary action with respect to expected extreme weather conditions. The orange alert, on the other hand, asks the authorities to be alert and yellow alert suggests them to be watchful for extreme weather conditions.

Solar panels installed atvital railway installations

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The East Central RAILWAY (ECR) has switched over to use of panels at its vital installations in a bid to ensure zero Carbon Emission. Under the save energy mission, railways has taken several steps to maintain ecological balance,ECRCPRO Birendra Kumar said.

According to Kumar, Danapur division of the ECR has completely switched over to solar panels to save unnecessary expenditure on electricity. The division is has 1400kw solar energy power capacity. Thanks to solar energy facility, there is hardly any chance of power interruptions at major stations and office buildings of the division, he said.

Books distribution begins at schools in Bihar

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‘Pustakotsav’, a festival for distribution of textbooks among students of classes I to VIII in government schools for the session 2023-24, kicked off across the state on Tuesday as school kids and parents queued up at the counters set up at different schools for this novel initiative.
The Education department has set the target to complete the distribution of textbooks and almanac by May 15.

The initiative has been taken by the to improve TEACHING–Learning process in the government-funded schools. For last few years, the department used to transfer an amount equivalent to the cost of textbooks to student’s bank account, but it was discontinued due to some issues.

Multi-modal connectivityneed of hour, say experts

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The eastern zone conference on PMGati ShaktiYojana was held under the joint aegis of the East Central RAILWAY (ECR) and the .

The conference was aimed at executing the master plan for developing multi-modal connectivity for movement of people, goods and Services from one mode of transport to another. The Gati Shakti Yojana is likely to facilitate the last-mile connectivity of Infrastructure and reduce travel time.

The PM Gati Shakti national master plan for multi-modal connectivity is a digital platform to bring at least 16 ministries including the railways and the roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects, the CPRO said. The participants discussed threadbare all aspects of the master plan and stressed on the need for early execution of the plan as faster connectivity is the need of the hour to promote commerce and trade in the country.

Darbhanga air quality worst across country

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The air quality remained in the ‘severe’ category in several cities ofBiharon the first day of 2023, owing to calm winds and dipping temperatures, fuelled by firewood.

Twelve cities of Bihar, including Patna, out of the 176 across the country had their air quality index (AQI) in severe zone, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin on Sunday. Darbhanga was the most polluted town in the country with the Average pollutant reading of 475, closely followed by Bettiah with 464.
According to the CPCB’s bulletin, Samastipur recorded 460 AQI, Rajgir 455, Muzaffarpur 453, Katihar 452, Purnia 445, Bhagalpur 426, Begusarai 424, Chhapra 421 and Aurangabad 406. Patna also registered the AQI at 413. The AQI level of five cities of Bihar was in ‘very poor’ category while Kishanganj was in ‘poor’ zone.

Number of ICU beds to be increased in all Bihar hospitals, says health minister

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Health minister Mangal Pandey said all medical colleges, district and sub-divisional hospitals in the state have been asked to increase the number of beds in their intensive care units (ICUs) in view of emergence of Omicron, the new variant of Covid.

He said the government has succeeded in making all the hospitals and medical colleges self-dependent as far as Oxygen generation for medical purpose is concerned.

Action plan for clean air soon, says BSPCB

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As the blanket ofsmogengulfs several cities leading to deterioration in air quality with the onset of winter season, theBiharStatePollutionControl Board (BSPCB) has been preparing the state specific action plan to tackle various sources of pollutants in order to prevent, control and reduce Air Pollution across the state.
According to officials, the action plan is in the final stages of preparation by tweaking the comprehensive clean air action plan made for Patna. All the government departments will be assigned different responsibilities on the prescribed action plan to fight air pollution and seasonal factors that result in the deterioration in air quality.

The air pollution continued to spike to unhealthy level in various cities of north Bihar, like Siwan, Darbhanga, Bettiah and Katihar.

The BSPCB has pointed out excessive vehicular movement, narrow lanes in various cities of north Bihar, dependency on diesel fuel, alluvial and deposition of silt after floods recede as some of the reasons behind the rise in pollution level.

Bihar: Government schools to hold P-T meet for Class 1 students

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For the first time, all the government primary schools of the state will hold parent-teacher meetings for Class I students on October 20 with a view to apprising the guardians of the academic progress of their wards.

According to an initiative taken by theBihar Education Project Council(BEPC), parents of about 20 lakh children enrolled in Class I of different government primary schools in the state have been called in schools to discuss their wards’ progress with the teachers. The guardians would be apprised with the shortcomings or weaknesses, if any, of their wards and also the ways for improvement.

It may be mentioned here that on the pattern of Nipun Bharat Mission (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) initiated by the Union education ministry under the SamagraShiksha Abhiyan, the launched Nipun Bihar Mission this year to ensure foundational Literacy and numeracy skills of children.

Under this, children will be made proficient in reading and writing, recognizing alphabets, interpreting its meaning, addition and subtraction and solving other numerical activities related to age.

TheIIIT-Bhagalpurwill prepare course materials in Hindi language for the engineering students from rural background with less exposure to English language. The step has been initiated following a survey of a section of students facing difficulties in technical institutions across the nation and subsequent recommendation by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to introduce the course in Hindi language for at least one year in the higher educational institutions.

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It may be mentioned here that the Delhi Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, in reference to Article 343 of the Constitution, had been advocating for introduction of study in Hindi language for at least one year in the higher educational institutions in the country and had petitioned to the PM in March 2021 in this regard.