01.03.22

Assam eyes Guinness record with 11,000 Bihu participants on April 14

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Assamwill attempt a shot at Guinness World Records for the “largestBihu dancein a single venue” by over 11,000 participants on April 14 here with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The will also invite governors and CMs of all states and all the ambassadors and high commissioners of the G20 countries and Southeast Asian nations in India to witness the spectacular programme, Sarma said.

The event will be held atSarusajai Athletics Stadiumhere on the first day of theAssamese New Yearand the start of the seven-day-longBohag Bihu festivities.

Odisha govt plans to verify certificates of doctors

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The on Thursday came out with a plan to verify certificates of doctors by May 31 following anOrissahigh court order to identify fake medical practitioners.

According to the notice, the allopathic doctors will submit their certificates to the authorities concerned by March 10. The CDMPHOs will submit a consolidated report along with the list of non-respondents to director of Health Services (DHS), Odisha and list of doubtful cases to registrar, Odisha Council of Medical Registration (OCMR) for verification by March 31.

5,000 GPS devices to help track Tamil Nadu fishers

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The Union Government has given GPS devices to 5,000Tamil Nadufishermen, minister of state for , animal husbandry and dairyingL Murugansaid.

The devices would help track fishermen out at sea and warn them when they cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), he said at a function here, adding that they would also help prevent incidents where Indian fishermen are detained bySri Lankannaval forces.

After launching the second phase of National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases, Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying,Parshottam Rupalasaid that the first phase, launched in 2013 and ended in 2022, involved researchers identifying aquatic animal diseases and finding solutions, in the second phase, suggestions of all stakeholders would be taken and improvements made.

On the genetic improvement programme of Indian white shrimp (Penaeus indicus), he said currently most hatcheries buy brood stock of American white shrimp L vannamei, which is pathogen free, and export it after raising it.

Recognising this initiative, the Union government sanctioned the genetic improvement programme and allocated 25 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.

Kerala state biodiversity board to enforce ABS provision for bioresources

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Any or cooperative or buyer using bioresources for commercial purposes will have to get a NOC from theKeralastate Biodiversity board (KSBB). The State Government has decided to strictly enforce the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Provisions of the Biodiversity Act under which they will have to pay for using a bioresource for commercial purposes.

According to officials, the National biodiversity board has asked the states to implement the ABS and several states are already earning huge revenue from this. Under Section 7 of the Biological Diversity Act 2002 and Section 16 of Kerala Biological Diversity Rule, 2008, any Indian citizen or body corporate or association or registered organization in India should seek approval of KSBB for access to the collection of biological Resources from Kerala for commercial utilization or bio-survey and bio-utilization for commercial utilization.

Karnataka losing Rs 20,000 crore to illegal mining: PAC

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Karnatakalegsilature’s (PAC), in a report tabled on Tuesday, pegged loss due toillegal miningof minor Minerals at Rs 18,000-Rs 20,000 crore annually.

The report said it extrapolated a recent case study cited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) that identifed a revenue loss of Rs 2,324 crore in Chikkaballapura taluk alone due to illegal mining.

The committee recommended Karnataka use technology to identify mining areas and track activities, while suggesting that the state can triple its present non-tax revenue of Rs 6,300 crore through minor minerals mining.

Per capital devpt spend of state 2nd highest in country: Survey

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Telanganais second in the country in terms of per capita development expenditure (PCDE), according toSocio-Economic Survey(2023) released by finance minister T Harish Rao.

Goa tops the list with PCDE of 59,770, followed byTelangana(26,897) and Karnataka (24,040). On the other hand, the countrys PCDE is 20,233, on an Average. A states PCDE is calculated by dividing its development expenditure by its Population.

The development expenditure component of includes spending on both social (Education, Health, welfare, and housing) and economic Services (Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, Forestry, Industry, transport, etc.). Spending on general services is included in non-development expenditure (fiscal services, administrative services, etc.). Telangana has the highest share of development expenditure in total expenditure (78.1%) among Indian states during the 2018-21 period. During the same period, the average share of development expenditure average of the country was 68.4%.

Capital expenditure, on the other hand, is usually one-time and spread over a long period of time, either resulting in the creation of an Infrastructure asset. The states estimated capital expenditure for financial year 2022-23 is 67,584 crore (26%).

During 2018-21, the states economic services expenditure, as a share of development expenditure, was 46.3%, which was close to Indias share of 44.6%. Similarly, during the same period, the states social service expenditure, as a share of development expenditure, was 53.7%, which was close to Indias average of 55.4%.

At 7.7%, dementia cases in Andhra Pradesh higher than national average

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The prevalence of dementia has been estimated at 7.7% in the 60-plus age group inAndhra Pradesh, while the national Average stood at 7.4%. About 8 lakh people may contract dementia – a medical condition that can affect memory, thinking, Personality, and reasoning – by 2036 in Andhra Pradesh.

The number of people battling this syndrome in AP in 2016 stood at about 4.5 lakh. These numbers are based on a nation-wise study that was conducted by using representative data collected in India between 2017 and 2020.

As per the study, dementia is considerably more prevalent among individuals with lower Education. As is the worldwide trend, this longitudinal research work also found that the number of Women being affected by dementia is almost twofold compared to their male counterparts.

Notably, Jammu and Kashmir has a 11% dementia prevalence in the senior citizens, the highest for any state/Union Territory in the country, while Delhi has the lowest at 4.5%. The study – namely ‘prevalence of dementia in India: national and state estimates from a nationwide study’ – was published in the ‘Alzheimer’s & Dementia’ journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Soon, circle road to connect Goas border checkposts

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Aiming to boost hinterland tourism and the rural economy, the is planning to connect all five of the states border checkposts with a circle road. The project is expected to ease the traffic congestion created by heavy vehicles passing through the state.

We have received a letter from Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari on the circle road, and soon, he will appoint a consultant to prepare a detailed project report, chief minister Pramod Sawant said.

He said that the state will ensure that the project is put on the fast track to boost the rural economy. Half the land for the circle road is with the government, and in case it passes through forests, an elevated road will be constructed, Sawant said.

Our budget will please women, farmers, all stakeholders: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

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Chief minister Shinde on Monday said the upcomingbudgetof the state would make all stakeholders happy.

Addressing a gathering after performing the bhoomi pujan of theManmadwater project, Shinde said the state budget for 2023-24 to be tabled on March 9 would make Women, farmers and other stakeholders happy.

Citing examples, Shinde said 38,000 water supply schemes in rural Maharashtra were approved by his government. Similarly, around 22 Irrigation projects were given the go-ahead, and they will enable an additional 5 lakh hectare to be brought under cultivation.

22 more air monitoring stations in Haryana in a year

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In a year’s time, the pollution board will set up another 22 stations to monitor air quality in parts ofHaryana, taking the total in the state to 51, officials said.

Currently, Haryana has 29 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS). Of this, 21 are located in districts that are part of the National Capital Region (NCR) – Gurgaon, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat.

According to rules, cities with a Population count of 1 to 5 million should have at least five CAAQMS and three manual air quality monitors. Gurgaon has four CAAQMS and no manual monitoring stations.
Though both types of stations are used to gather data on pollutants, CAAQMS are more advanced monitors that cover a broader range of parameters than the manual ones.