RAJASTHAN

To promote electric vehicles in the state, the urban development and housing (UDH) department will allot government land on concessional rates.As per the order dated September 28, land will be allotted at 50% concession for first 500 renewable energy based EV charging stations installed within five years.

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In the budget speech, the chief minister Ashok Gehlot announced Rajasthan policy, 2019 and Rajasthan Wind and Hybrid Energy Policy-2019. The provisions to allot land on the concessional rates are made under these policies.

As per the calculations, for slow charging stations in urban limits minimum 800 square feet land is required where at least 10 vehicles can be charged at a given time. Similarly, fast-charging stations require a set-up on minimum 460 square feet land where it can have capacity of six vehicles.

As per a survey, there are 15,000 EVs in the city. In the coming days, these stations will be as ubiquitous as petrol pumps in the JDA region. “The tentative cost of running an e-vehicle is between Rs 1.25 and Rs 1.50 per km.

In an indication that people of the state breathe polluted air for most part of the year, the cities in Rajasthan have recorded a particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration more than the Central Pollution Control Boards (CPCB) safe limits of 40 ug/ m3 with only a few exceptions.

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For the first four months (January-April) of this year too, all the monitored cities of -Ajmer, Alwar,Bhiwadi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur and Pali have seen a PM 2.5 concentration of more than safe limits of 40 ug/m3 and more than triple the WHO limits of 10 ug/m3, according toNational Clean Air Programme(NCAP), the countrys flagship programme for better air quality in 122 cities, launched in 2019.

Among the operational Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in the state, the highest monthly Average PM 2.5 concentration of 103 ug/ m3 was reported at Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Corporation in Bhiwadi.

According to an assessment by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and theRajasthan Pollution Control Boardin December 2020, the Bhiwadi Industrial Area contributes around 65% to the industrial pollution load of the region (Jaipur-Alwar-Bhiwadiair shed). Bhiwadi has a total of 328 air polluting industries.

PHED to implement Danish water projects in 3 districts

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A team of Danish experts visited the state to chalk out a plan of action for the development of urban water sector over the next three years inRajasthan.

Prior to this, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the administrators of the City of Aarhus inDenmarkand Rajasthan on May 19.

Besides Jaipur, the team visited Bhilwara and Jhunjhunu districts Nawalgarh to study the water supply systems.

PHED is planning to form a steering committee to improve the quality of urban drinking water, reduce non-revenue water or sewage, plan recycling of Waste Water Management and devise solutions for rejuvenation of rivers. The ground water aquifer mapping is also an important aspect of the agreement.

Rural tourism units get fiscal incentives

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The industries department issued an order giving fiscal incentives to the rural tourism units registered with the tourism department.

In the amendments, the department said rural tourism units with investments of over Rs 1 crore can take benefits offered under theRajasthan Promotion Scheme. Earlier, units making investments of over Rs 2 crore were eligible for the benefits.

Besides, the order also increased additional investment subsidy from 25% to 100% for these units. It also increased the duration of the benefits from seven years to 10 years.

Khadi commission plants 5,000 bamboo saplings to help tribal economy in Udaipur

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In a bid to reduce , provide livelihood opportunities in tribal areas and support rural Industry,Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) planted 5,000bamboo saplingsin tribal village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur.

Bamboo plantation drive on such a large scale will create additional income for the local tribal Population while supporting the local bamboo-based industries and boosting the rural economy. In three years, thesebamboopatches will be able to meet the requirement of agarbatti manufacturers inRajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Bamboo can be used for making agarbatti sticks, furniture, handicraft, Musical instruments and paper pulp while the waste can be used in making charcoal and fuel briquette.

Bamboos are also known for conserving water and reducing Evaporation of water from the land surface, which is an important feature in arid and drought-prone regions.

Dholpur Tiger Reserve plan finalised, awaits NTCA nod

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Rajasthanis poised to establish its fifth tiger reserve. The expert committee led by the chief wildlife warden has submitted its proposal tothe NationalTiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for officially designating the Karauli-Sarmathura-Dholpur sanctuary areas as Dholpur Tiger Reserve (DTR).

The forest department claims that the committee has effectively addressed the concerns raised by the NTCA. The expert committee, tasked with defining the boundaries of the proposed DTR, has identified the core or critical tiger habitat and the buffer or peripheral area surrounding the reserve.

According to the primary proposal, the tiger reserve will span 1,058 sq km, including 368 sq km of core area and 690 sq km of buffer area. Of the proposed core area, 197 sq km and 170 sq km are located in the Karauli and Dholpur districts, respectively. Additionally, a small portion of forest in Bharatpur district has been included in the proposed tiger reserve.

Rajasthans genome sequencing centre to come up soon

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Alarmed over increasing Covid-19 cases and in preparation for the expected third wave of the pandemic, the has decided to have its owngenomesequencing facility to study various strains of viruses. The genome sequencing centre, to come up at SMS Medical College, will initially sequence 20 samples per day and soon increase it to 60 samples.

Human genomes are made of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), a virus genome can be made of either DNA or RNA (Ribonucleic acid). DNA and RNA provide genetic instructions for Growth and functioning of organisms. Coronavirus is made of RNA. Genome sequencing is a technique that reads and interprets genetic information found within DNA or RNA.

Jaipur will not be split into north, south districts: Khachariyawas

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Contrary to the announcement made by CM Ashok Gehlot about dividing Jaipur into two districts, Cabinet minister Pratap SinghKhachariyawason Tuesday said there will be no Jaipur North and South.

Since last week, civil Society groups have started a signature campaign batting for a composite Jaipur district comprising areas between Amber and Sanganer tehsils. The body, which includes civil society members, party leaders and retired bureaucrats, has urged the that dividing Jaipur into two districts Jaipur North and Jaipur South will divide the culture, tradition and ethos of the erstwhile state of Jaipur.

Jakson Group to develop $2.8 bn green ammonia and hydrogen project in Rajasthan

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Jakson Green, part of the Jakson Group, said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rajasthan government to invest about 22,400 crore, roughly $2.8 billion , in the State to set up a Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia project in phases.

Jakson Green will set up a 3,65,000 tonnes per annum Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia plant in Kota along with an integrated hybrid renewable power complex in a phase-wise manner.

The project is expected to generate over 32,000 direct and indirect EMPLOYMENT opportunities across various scale-up phases planned between 2023 and 2028. The Rajasthan government would facilitate Jakson Green in obtaining necessary registrations, approvals, clearances, and provide incentives, among others, it added.

The firm is actively developing a pipeline of , green hydrogen and ammonia projects in India and abroad. It has a vision of being a power-to-X player, cumulatively producing over 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of green hydrogen/ammonia by 2030.

Infant mortality rate in Rajasthan dips at a faster rate than national average

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Over the past 10 years,Rajasthanhas improved considerably in saving the lives of infants. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the state has reduced from 59 to 35 which means that for every 1,000 babies born, 35 are dying before turning a year old, just released data from the Sample Registration System (SRS), office of the registrar general, India shows based on the figures of 2019.

The survey shows that national Average reduction in IMR in the past 10 years was 20, but in Rajasthan it was 24from 59 to 35 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Though state has gained more in reduction in IMR in comparison to countrys reduction in 10 years, still the average IMR in the country is lesser than the states IMR. Countrys IMR has reduced from 32 to 30, while states IMR has taken a dip from 37 to 35 from 2018 to 2019. Odisha has reported highest reduction by 27 deaths per 1,000 live births, followed by J&K (25) and Rajasthan is at the third place, sharing it withAndhra PradeshandHaryanaas they witnessed reduction in IMR by 24 deaths per 1,000 live births.

While the state has witnessing significant reduction in IMR but there is still a major concern as the gap between rural and urban areas is quite wide. In urban areas, 25 infants died per 1,000 live births but in rural areas it is 38 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which indicates that a lot of work needs to be done in rural areas to save more lives of the infants.