RAJASTHAN

Three inRajasthanincluding world famous Ranthambore, Sariska and Mukundra Hills have shown a steady improvement in the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) scores, indicating that our conservation efforts in the state are bearing fruit. TheMEEreport was released on Sunday at the commemorative event to mark 50 years of Project Tiger inaugurated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.

The report highlighted that the state has been able to manage its tiger reserves effectively as is reflected by the fact that all the reserves fall in the Good management category and there has been a substantial improvement in the fifth cycle of assessment. Newly declared tiger reserveRamgarh Vishdhariwas not included in the assessment.
Ranthambore topped the chart in the state by securing 73.91 %, MEE score and categorised as ‘good’. There has been an improvement in the MEE score as in the 3rd cycle of MEE report (2018), Ranthambore was put under fair category after it scored 59.38 %.

Similarly, Sarsika also showed improvement as it was categorised as ‘fair’ but now it got into the ‘good’ category with a MEE score of 64.15.%. Mukundra Hills, which was declared as a tiger reserve in 2013 received a tag of Good category too after it scored 60.16 %.

The Rajasthan Police will set up Suraksha Sakhi at every police station on the lines of community liaison group (CLG) to act as a bridge between Women and police and create awareness on crime against women.

Recently, Rajasthan has been news for increasing crimes against women, particularly rape cases. As per the police records, nearly 34,000 cases of crime and atrocities against women were registered in the state in 2020, which means on an Average 95 cases were registered daily.

The Suraksha Sakhi members would be bestowed with the responsibility of informing local police about crimes against women such as eve teasing, domestic violence, dowry harassment, child marriages, missing girl child, narcotic drug trafficking and other crimes.

Umeed helpline, which was launched by thestate child rights commissionin collaboration with NGOs in January last year to helpchildrendeal with mental Health issues, received approximately 4,000 calls in the last 12 months.

The callers included parents as well as children who want to seek help for problems like Stress, anxiety, addiction to mobile phone, etc.

So far, more than 2.5k callers have received counselling.
More than 1,000 children required counselling for academic issues, which had cropped up during the pandemic.

While 44% of the counselled callers were children between 12 and 18 years, 24% parents were among those councelled. The maximum number of callers were from Dungarpur with over 900 calls. Till last year, the helpline worked six days a week but from this year it will be operational between 10am and 7pm on all days.

A day after Delhi witnessed its worst air quality of the season, Jaipurs Air Quality Index (AQI) also plunged to 337 (very poor category), the second-most polluted day in the recent past after touching 364 a day afterDiwalion November 5.

On Friday, Delhis AQI touched 471 on a scale of 500, higher than 462 reported a day after Diwali. Smog with cocktail of noxious gases engulfed Jaipurs sky affecting visibility.
Health experts said it was causing breathing discomfort and respiratory illness among most people on prolonged exposure.

Bhiwadis AQI was the worst inRajasthanat 446. Kotas air quality was also in very poor category clocking 337.

Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot approvedRajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigams (RRVUN) proposals for setting up two units of thermal power projects with 660 MW and 800 MW capacity based on ultra-supercritical technology atChhabraandKalisindhrespectively.

The two units will be part of the Chhabra Thermal Power Project. They will be set up at a cost of Rs 9,606.06 crore. Besides, expanding the Kalisindh Thermal Power Project, a unit of 800 MW will also be set up based on ultra-supercritical technology at a cost of Rs 6054.58 crore.

At an event to celebrate the International Day of Girl Child, Chief Minsiter AshokGehlotsaid the government would request the governor to send back the Bill to amend the Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Act 2009 for a review by experts.

A row had broken out after civil Society and rights activists alleged that the amendment encouraged child marriage and accused the government of promoting it.

Breaking his silence over the Bill, Gehlot in his address at the event, Hoslon Ki Udaan, clarified, The Supreme Court had given an order to register all marriages to safeguard the legal rights of children born out of wedlock and widows.

The Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021 passed by the assembly had opened a can of worms after legal experts and activists claimed that it promoted child marriage by giving it validation.

Although a child marriage is voidable, it is also a punishable as well as a nonbailable offence against those who solemise it.

A private company is already mining the mineral on a lease over 18 hactares and a total of 98,879 tonnes of manganese Ore has been produced since the start of the operation. As per the mine plan of the lease area, a minable resource of 2.12 lakh of manganese has been established.

Manganese ore with 20 to 34% Metal content in Kalakhunta and Tambesra-Rupakhedi is considered to be high.