Current Affairs Exam

Vanavil Mandram (Rainbow forum), a unique initiative to foster scientific interest among school students was launched byTamil NaduChief MinisterM K Stalinhere on Monday. It is aimed at promoting interest among the students of standard 6 to 8 to learnScience Technology Engineering and Mathematics(STEM).

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

The event, attended among others by Ministers K N Nehru, Thangam Thennarasu, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Tiruchirappalli Mayor M Anpahagan, was inaugurated at the Pappakurichi Government Girls Higher Secondary school, Kattur.

Also, the Chief Minister flagged off 100 mobile science and mathematics laboratories on behalf school Education department to stimulate the scientific temper among students.
They would teach students science experiments and mathematics, on a monthly basis, with proper guidance, and display science tools made by students.

The scheme will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore to benefit 25 lakh government school students.

About 710 STEM facilitators have been selected across Nadu to implement this programme and they will act as mobile science and mathematics experimenters.

States measles vax coverage remains unchanged in 3 yrs

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Vaccination coverage for measles has remained unchanged betweenNational Family Health Survey(NFHS)-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-20) inKerala. While 89% children in the 12-23 months age group received the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV) in both the survey periods, those who got the second dose (24-35 months) was 16%.

ThoughMalappuramdistrict is now getting all the attention due to the latest detection of cases there (140 measles cases till date), the fact is the no district in the state has achieved 100% vaccination.

Meanwhile, the rural-urban coverage gap in the state is not much. While in urban Kerala, 86% children got the first dose, in rural areas it is 90%. For second dose, the coverage is 17% in urban and 14% in rural areas.

Private schools in K’taka seek to draft their own textbooks

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

TheHigh Court of Karnatakahas reserved for judgment a 1995 petition challenging the various provisions of theKarnatakaEducation Act, 1983. The provisions challenged include the reservation for appointment of staff in unaided schools and prescription of syllabus by the .

Private schools in Karnatakahave approached the High Court of Karnataka, seeking among other things, permission to draft textbooks on their own.

The Karnataka Unaided Schools Managements’ Association (KUSMA) in their petition have sought “the State government ought not to prescribe any particular publication or textbook as the sole and exclusive reading material in private unaided schools; and that, private unaided schools are free to choose a textbook of their choice so long as such textbooks adhere to the syllabus prescribed by the State government.”

The provisions of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983 in this regard has been challenged.

KUSMA has also challenged several other provisions of the Karnataka Education Act including Section 5 read with Section 41(3), which prescribes reservation in the matter of appointment of TEACHING and non-teaching staff in private unaided schools.

Telangana has collected 4,228 crore asGoods and Services Tax(GST) in November, among the lowest in southern states. However, the state logged an 8% increase (3,931 crore) compared to the same period in 2021. However, the state showed buoyancy inGSTcollection, despite the fact that the state had a negative growth (-5%) in November 2020 compared to the corresponding period in 2019.

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Among southern states, Kerala had registered a negative Growth (-2%) from the previous years collection.Andhra Pradeshled the way with 14% growth rate followed by Karnataka (13%), Nadu(10%), and Kerala (9%). Apart from three southern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Haryana, andMaharashtrahad showed a 10% or higher increase in GST collection in November 2022 compared to 2021.

Meanwhile, the finance department has reported to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that the state earned 23,493 crore in GST revenue till October this year. GST collection was estimated to be 42,189 crore in the budget for 2022-23, with 55% of the budget already earned. This is also a 5% increase over the November 2021 figures, when only 50% of the budgeted GST was achieved. Till October, the state had earned tax income of more than 70,000 crore. In November 2022, the countrys GST hiked by 8% compared to Nov 2021.

Andhra Pradesh: Centre to grant advance of Rs 10,000 crore for Polavaram project

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

The Centre has in principle agreed to grant the advance fund to put thePolavaram project workon fast track. The has been lobbying for the release of advance grant of 10,000 crore for the past several months in order to complete the project as per the deadline in 2023.

The state government already submitted a detailed report on the issue to the Centre. Jal Shakti ministry secretary Pankaj Kumar, reviewed the project progress with the senior officials of Cwc and PPA in New Delhi.

Although the Centre repeatedly promised to fund the project cost, it had kept the granting the approval for RCE based on 2017-18 price level.
The state government contented that it was not possible to complete the project with 2013-14 price level as it was projected at just around Rs 29,027 crore.

However, CWC estimated the cost at Rs.55,656 crore at 2017-18 price level. Subsequently, finance ministry and Jal Shakti ministry appointed a Revised Cost Committee to study the proposals of Technical Adivsory Committee (TAC) of CWC keeping in view of the escalation of the cost by over 50%.

GST collections in Goa drop by 14%

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

While the country’s GST collections notched up an 11% increase in November, the GST revenue from Goa showed a 14% drop. As against the Rs 518 crore earned in November 2021, tax officials recorded a revenue of Rs 447 crore in the last month.

GST officials and the expects stronger GST collections in December which is the peak tourism season, and since international charters have resumed arrivals in Goa.

Last December, despite the lack of international tourists, Goa still brought in Rs 592 crore as GST revenue, with the resurgence driven by revenge tourism by domestic travellers and uptick in manufacturing.

Vehicles crossing the airport road daily have shot up from 1,000 to 20,000 in five years, according to a study by theministry of road, transport and highways highlighting the congestion on one of the busiest stretches in the district.

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

The ministry report has said a survey was conducted through a company to study the volume of traffic on major roads in each state at peak hours. The time from 9 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm was chosen for the airport road, the hours when the traffic movement was found to be the highest.

Another reason for more vehicles plying on the road, according to the report, was that inter-state traffic heading towardsHimachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Leh, Ladakh and interiors of Punjab has also started taking the stretch by taking a diversion from Singhpura in Zirakpur.

Himachal Pradesh Governor launches telemedicine, meditation schemes for prisoners

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar launched seven new schemes for inmates initiated by the Prisons and Correctional Services Department at the Model Central Prison, Kanda.

The schemes launched today include meditation programme, telemedicine project, financial Literacy programme, Waste Management, free online coaching and audio library. The occasion was also marked by release of a poetry collection Parwaz.

The Governor also launched a financial literacy programme for prisoners in collaboration with the Reserve Bank Of India. Free online coaching for children of prisoners with the help of Smile Foundation was also launched. An audio library was also started for the prisoners, who could not read books due to paucity of time.

Will implement Uniform Civil Code in next 6 months: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Uttarakhand CMPushkarSinghDhamion Friday said that his government will implement the in the next six months and consultations with all stakeholders are being held before finalising the code.

Dhami said, “The first job that we did after forming the government again was to set up the committee to come up with the draft of the UCC. Our Prime Minister always lays Stress on participation of people in framing any policy and we are holding public consultations. Once the draft is ready, we will implement theUCCand we will be the first state after Goa to do so.”

Backward areas to be focused in upcoming budget

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Government of Jharkhand has started preparing the budget estimate for the next financial year 2023-24. Along with this, the revised estimate for 2022-23 is also being prepared. Finance Secretary Ajay Kumar Singh has also written a letter to the departments in this regard and asked them to prepare budget estimates.

Referring to the economic survey of the financial year 2021-22 published by the Planning cum Finance Department Singh said that there is a need to identify such areas by the departments which are still backward in terms of development. He said that while preparing the budget, the departments are expected to prepare relevant plans for the development of such backward areas and prepare a proper budget for those plans. The budget estimate will be on the basis of sanctioned post and working force.

Singh has clarified that in the last financial years, the fiscal space of the state has been consolidated due to the circumstances caused by COVID-19. The State is now recovering from the effects of the pandemic, but Resources are still limited. In such a situation keeping in view the limited resources, the budget for the financial year 2023-24 should be prepared, he added.

From the financial year 2017-18, the budget in Jharkhand is being prepared by dividing it into four categories which is establishment receipts, establishment expenditure. In the scheme under Central assistance, the schemes running in the current financial year under the Central Sector Scheme, Centrally Sponsored Scheme and State Scheme and the new scheme will focus on income-expenditure in revenue receipt. Transport, land revenue, excise tax etc. Royalty, dividends earned from public undertakings, interest on government borrowings and income of departments from other sources will be included.