Data vouchers on anganwadi workers phones expire; digital initiative falters

Both the state and central governments have been aggressively pushing the cause of digital administration, and although the advantages of many such initiatives are evident, the beneficiaries of many such schemes, on the other hand, are complaining of poor implementation on the part of the authorities.

Smartphones were distributed to anganwadi workers with the idea of streamlining the functioning of the Annganwadis including effective implementation of the various welfare schemes including PoshanAbhiyan . Unfortunately for the authorities, with the validity of the prepaid data and

voice vouchers that the phones came with expiring, the scheme has now been rendered moot.

Anganwadi workers alleged that, in some taluks inKarnataka, the validity of the vouchers had expired six months ago. Disgruntled

staff took exception with the fact teachers continue to be held responsible for the failure of such schemes. Anganwadi workers said that the cost of data vouchers was too prohibitive for them to recharge their phones by spending from their pockets.

Telangana inflation rate spirals to 9.45% in May, highest in India

Telanganaclocked the highest rate in May at 9.45% (both rural and urban) among all Indian states, even as the national inflation rate edged down to 7.04% in the same month from an 8-year high in April, as per data of Union ministry

of statistics and programme implementation.
Experts say Telangana‘s inflation is on a spiral and if this trend continues for next six months, the state’s economy could be severely hit. Telangana is closely followed byMaharashtraat 8.52%, sister stateAndhra Pradeshat 8.49%, West Bengal at 8.27% andJharkhandat 7.52% in the month of May.

Accordingly, Telangana’s general consumer indices were also the highest in the country in May at 187.7 points.

Prices are calculated using 2012 prices as the baseline. The general consumer price index stood at 180.7 in May, three points up from 177.7 in April.

AP govt drops laptops for tabs to students to cut costs

Several lakh students of classes 9 to 12 studying in government schools inAndhra Pradeshwere on Monday left disappointed as the state could not keep its promise of delivering them laptop computers. Government sources now say the proposal to distribute laptops has been dropped as “they are costly and many digital Learning apps don’t work on them”.

Now,

the government is contemplating to distribute only Tabs (tablet computers) to students of class 8. Each Tab, loaded with digital learning content, will cost the government Rs 12,000.

Goa celebrates Sao Joao festival 2022

The people ofGoahas celebrated theSao Joao festival,the feast ofSt John the Baptistwith traditional enthusiasm after a two-year coronavirus-induced gap. The festival is dedicated

to Saint John the Baptist, who baptised Lord Jesus on the river of Jordan and is celebrated at the onset of monsoon. Siolim, a village in North Goa, hosts a traditional canoe parade on the occasion of Sao Joao.

A large number of people participated in the boat parade in Siolim village of Goas Bardez taluka, marking the beginnng of revelry in the Sao Joao festival. Traditionally, people jump into the well but since the wells are

fast disappearing, people prefer to celebrate it in swimming pools. The festival is marked to herald the monsoon season in the state every year in June. People are often seen having a great time by enjoying and dancing in the artificial rain which adds charm to the celebrations.

New scorpion species found in western ghats

A new species of scorpion belonging to genus chiromachetes has been discovered by researchers from Thackeray Wildlife Foundation.

This species has been named chiromachetes agasthyamalaiensis as it is endemic to the agasthyamalai mountain

range in the western ghats.

The new species can be easily distinguished from all five known congeners by combination of non-overlapping morphological characters such as chela length-width ratio, femur length-width ratio, chela length-movable finger length ratio, the number of pectinal teeth, and subtle colour differences of both the sexes.

Haryana cabinet approves new state startup policy

The Haryana cabinet chaired by CM Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday approved anew Haryana State Startup Policy 2022formulated by the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication, Haryana.

Through this policy, aims to boost and nurture the vibrant startup ecosystem in Haryana to stimulate independent thinking and innovative ideas and help budding startups at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey.

Haryana government claims to have followed a proactive approach to facilitate Ease of Doing Business for startups in the state. State has carried out extensive policy interventions to position Haryana as a pre-eminent Investment destination.

There are 3910 Haryana-based startups as of June 15, 2022 stand recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. A Startup Haryana Cell is being established in the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication to oversee the implementation and other institutional activities of this revised policy.

It is expected that at least 5,000 new startups would be established in Haryana over the next 05 years (within policy period) providing direct & indirect EMPLOYMENT to 75,000 persons.

Punjab presents 1,55,860 crore budget

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Monday presented the Aam Aadmi Party governments first budget for the year 2022-23 with a total outlay of 1,55,860 crore.

The Finance Minister presented the States first paperless budget, a step expected to save 21 lakh per annum. The budget was presented in the State Assembly, which puts the current effective outstanding debt of Punjab at 2.63 Lakh crore. The budget proposals for the coming year focused on the Education, Health Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and Police modernisation.

Mr. Cheema announced upgrading of 100 schools as schools of eminence, and setting up cyber-crime control units in all districts.

With the States earnings proposed at 95,378 crore against an expenditure of 1,55,860 crore, the State could see a of 12,553.80 crore.

Mr. Cheema said that the AAP government is fulfilling its first guarantee made to the people of Punjab by providing

300 units of domestic power free every month to all citizens of Punjab, with effect from July 1, 2022. The government, he said, will also set up 117 Mohalla clinics, for which 77 crore has been earmarked.

Himachal Pradesh forms 2 safety bodies to monitor & operate dams

For the safety of Dams,Himachal Pradeshgovernment has constitutedState Dam Safety Organisation(SDSO) andState Committee on Dam Safety(SCDS) in the directorate of energy to be headed by chief engineer (energy). TheSDSOwill keep perpetual surveillance, carry out inspections and monitor the operation and maintenance of all specified dams falling under their jurisdiction to ensure continued safety of such specified dams and take such

measures as may be necessary to address safety concerns.

In a recent notification issued, chief engineer (energy) has been appointed as the technical head of SDSO while deputy chief engineer (dam safety) will be the head. There will be six other members. Similarly, chief engineer (energy) will be the ex-officio chairperson of SCDS and there will be 14 other members.

The Dam Safety Act 2021 stated that SDSO, for

the purpose of enabling it to make decisions compatible with public safety, will make investigations and will gather data as may be required for proper review and study of the various features of the design, construction, repair and enlargement of dams, reservoirs and appurtenant structures under their jurisdiction.

Uttarakhand govt to expand Kishor Swasthya programme from six to nine districts

TheUttarakhandgovernment has decided to expand theRashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, a state-run welfare scheme to promote the well-being of adolescents (10-19 years), from six to nine districts.

The welfare scheme was already ongoing in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Pauri,Tehri Garhwaland Nainital districts. It will now be implemented in Bageshwar, Rudraprayag andAlmora.

Under the scheme, which envisages the strengthening of the Health system, awareness is spread among adolescents about Nutrition. Convergence of various institutions from different departments — anganwadi centres, colleges, schools and the health department — is essential for swift and reliable results in reducing health issues among adolescents.

Amazon eyes major expansion in UP to create 1 million jobs in India by 2025

In its journey of less than a decade in India,US e-commercecompanyAmazonhas pledged to create one million jobs in the country by 2025.

Amazon already has significant presence in UP through its fulfilment centresLucknow, Agra andGorakhpurhave a cumulative storage space of over 3 million cubic feetand a huge sorting centre in the state capital, he said that the company has over 1 lakh sellers including artisans, small business owners, Women entrepreneurs and start-up originators in the state.
For efficient delivery,Amazon Indiaworks through three different back-end programmes, all with significant presence in UP.

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