Current Affairs Exam

Plea to open tourist info centres at Buddhist sites

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Tourist Guide Association of Bihar has urged the to open tourist information centres at important sites of Bihar under Buddhist circuit. The association has also demanded introduction of bus Services between Bodh Gaya and tourist destinations like Rajgir, Nalanda, Dhungeshwari, Vanavar and Gurpa.

The tourist information centre in Bodh Gaya is at a distance of about 1km from the Mahabodhi temple. It should be located around the Mahavihara near the office of Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee so that tourists can easily get information about other nearby sites and modes of Communication. The centre should provide information about flights, trains, buses and Foreign Exchange.

Gyanesh Sharmatook charge as ChhattisgarhYogaCommission chairman at a swearing-inceremonyorganised in Raipur.

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Chief ministerBhupesh Baghelvirtually attended the swearing in ceremony of the Chairman and members ofChhattisgarh Commissionfrom his residence office.

Newly appointed Chairman Gyanesh Sharma while addressing the programme said to take all possible initiatives to take Yoga to the highest level in Chhattisgarh.

Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore is going to carry out a study of beat policing in Indore to improve the current system. An escalation in the cases of beat police brutality and callousness towards civilians have been reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The six-month study, to understand and analyse existing practices and recommend a framework for the improvement of the system and suggestion for technology intervention for improvement in beat policing, would be led by Professor Himanshu Rai, director of the IIM.The project is part of a larger memorandum of understanding signed between the IIM and Madhya Pradesh Police to strengthen the professionalism of the parties and to contribute to the development of a better security environment and orderliness at public places through a mutual academic-practitioner collaboration system.

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

According to the National Police Commission, 2020-2021, although a Sound beat system is the primary building block for successful policing, in many States in India it exists only on paper. The emerging challenges the police face and the introduction of community policing programmes in several areas have led to a realisation among police forces of the need to have a proper beat system to strengthen both professional policing as well as community policing.

The study will focus on multiple issues, including allocation of Resources, usefulness and impact of the beat system, operational issues and practical implications as well as analyse the existing organization structure, assignment of personnel to beats (territory and timings), understand how the beat personnel maintains records and patrolling/routing of beat personnel and coordination with the command centre, among others.

Gujarat awaits Rs 10,000 crore in GST compensation

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Reflecting a major shortfall in tax collection,Gujaratstill awaitsGST compensationof Rs 10,186 crore from the Centre for the period from April 2020 to May 2021.

The data issued by the Union finance ministry suggests that in 2020-21, GSTcompensationto the tune of Rs 6,583 crore remains pending for clearance from the Centre. Moreover, Rs 3,603 crore is due for clearance for the April-May 2021 period.
A constitutional amendment made states clocking less than 14% year-on-year Growth in their GST collection eligible for compensation for the loss of revenue, over a five-year period from 2017-2022. This was done because several state levies were subsumed under the common national tax.

Higher the compensation amount due, deeper is the tax collection shortfall. Gujarat clocked a total GST collection of Rs 34,561.34 crore in 2020-21, down by 3.75% against the 2019-20 collection of Rs 35,908.64 crore. The tax collection went down due to the pandemic-induced lockdown and a slow recovery in demand.

Gujarat has the fourth highest amount of compensation pending from the Centre after Maharashtra (Rs 23,133 crore); Karnataka (Rs 12,702 crore) and Uttar Pradesh (Rs 11,157 crore). Being a manufacturing-oriented state, Gujarat is at a loss when it comes to GST collection as compared to the circumstances in the previous tax regime.

The state government has prepared a draft action plan for the inclusive development oftransgendercommunity and approved an additional budget provision of about Rs 8.98 crore for the purpose.

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

The chief minister had announced the creation of an upliftment fund for the transgender community with an initial amount of Rs 10 crore in the state budget 2021-22.

In this sequence, on the proposal of department of social and Empowerment, it is proposed to constitute a Transgender Protection Cell (Cell) in the office of the Director General of Police of the state.

According to the proposal, the main function of this cell, constituted under theProtection of Rights of TransgendersAct-2019, is to protect the rights of transgender (bisexual) persons, besides coordinating between the state levelTransgender Justice Boardand district transgender justice committees. This cell will work for prevention and monitoring of crimes against transgenders and ensure investigation and prosecution by timely registration of cases.

Tripura trade body seeks repeal of restrictions on Indo-Bangla export-importIndia Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday sought withdrawal of trade restrictions imposed on 44 items for transborder export-import through Tripura.According to Roy, the biggest problem of trade through Tripura is the restriction imposed on certain goods. “In other border checkpost there is no such restriction. But for Tripura there is a long list of 44 items that are not allowed to be brought to Tripura. This must end as we all should get the opportunity to do trade in a fair manner”, added Roy. He also mentioned that the operations through Maitri Setu are yet to be commenced as roads in the Bangladesh side are not fit for movement of cargo shipments.

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

World Bank’s $391-million aid for Assam healthcare and Tripura roads

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

TheWorld Bank’s Board of executive directors approved a total of $391 million to improve access to high-qualityhealthcareservices and boost economic opportunities forAssamand Tripura.

The World Bank‘s (WB) focus in Assam will be improving the Health-sector”>Health sector while in Tripura, road Infrastructure and adding technology boost to Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture are in the pipeline. The $251 million variable spread loan for Assam and $140 million loan for Tripura are from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), administered by WB, with a maturity of 10.5 years, including a five-year grace period.

The bank observed that Assam has made strides in increasing access to essential healthcare Services, with 87% of Women giving birth in a facility today compared to just 24% in 2005.

Rs 168.30 cr for Green Mahanadi Mission

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

Under the Green Mahanadi Mission (GMM), the so far released over Rs 168.30 crore. The Mission was launched during 2018-19 with an aim to create a green belt in 1 km width on both sides of the river Mahanadi, Tel and IB on all available and suitable forest land, revenue forest land, District Level Committee (DLC) area and private land through massive participation of peoples representatives and all stakeholders.

Preparatory activities of the Mission like identification of villages, selection of plantation sites, nursery sites, identification of Mahanadi Sevaks and mass motivation were taken up during 2017-18 in 16 districts covering 1,303 villages under the jurisdiction of 20 forest and wildlife divisions.

The scheme is being implemented with the funding sources under the State Plan. The scheme has been approved in the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) meeting from 2018-19 to 2022-23 and their maintenance up to 2025-26, sources said.

The scheme was implemented during the Phase II in 2019-20 with inclusion of four more rivers namely Brahmani, Baitarani, Rushikulya and Vanshadhara and left-over area of Mahanadi, Tel and IB at a total budget provision of Rs 51 crore.

In 2022-23, 576 hectares of AR, 424 hectares of bald hill, 3,000 hectares of ANR plantation, 2.89 lakh saplings under urban tree plantation were taken up and 5.48 lakh seedlings were distributed with a cost of Rs 26.82 crore.

FaMe TN signs MoUs to get Rs 1,510 crore in MSME sector

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

FaMe TN, an autonomous agency of theTamil Nadugovernment, has entered into MoUs with 100 MSME companies to attract investments up to 1,510 crore.

These units are to be established in multiple sectors including automobile, aerospace, DEFENCE, electric vehicles (EV), pharma and textile across the state and are expected to generate EMPLOYMENT opportunities for around 7,400 people.

The MoUs were exchanged in the presence of chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday to mark International MSMEs Day. FaMe TN also signed one with to facilitate loans for MSMEs.

Stalin said, Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme offers 35% capital subsidy on the project cost including land, plant, machinery, testing equipment and computing devices, besides 6% interest subvention for loans offered for up to 10 years. No state has such a high subsidy scheme for beneficiaries belonging to SC/ST communities. Sanction orders for 127 entrepreneurs covering a loan of 45 crore have been obtained in a short span of three months since the scheme was announced, he said. Stalin gave away the sanction orders for 100 beneficiaries on the occasion.

Kerala: Civil dept to deliver ration goods through auto rickshaw

June 14, 2024 by rawan239

The Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has implemented a new scheme in Kerala called ‘OPPAM’ which aims to deliver ration articles at the doorsteps of extremely poor families with the cooperation of auto rickshaw employees.

According to the statement, the scheme aims to deliver ration articles by obtaining the acknowledgement of beneficiaries for the receipt of stock and on the same day the issue details are recorded in the E-POS machine under the supervision of concerned Rationing Inspectors, by which the department can ensure error-free distribution without arising any complaints.