02.09.21

AIDS cases decline 8pc in two years in Assam

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The number of people infected with AIDS in Assam has come down by eight per cent in two years to 19,545 on account of various initiatives by a state agency to control the disease, an official said on Tuesday. As per India’s HIV Estimation 2019 report, the northeastern state had 21,223 people living with HIV, Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS) Assistant Director Rajib Sarma said. The estimated adult HIV prevalence rate of 0.09 per cent in Assam is lower than the national prevalence rate at 0.22 per cent, he added.

Assam is highly vulnerable for HIV transmission as it is the gateway to other northeastern states and is surrounded by the three highly prevalence states of Mizoram (2.32 per cent), Nagaland (1.45 per cent) and Manipur (1.18 per cent), the official said.


Amid the acute shortage of iron ore and reports of closure of several MSMEs, industry experts and associations have appealed to the State Government to expeditiously provide iron ore under its pre-emption scheme for saving languishing Odisha based sponge, pellet and steel units.

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The Odisha Government’s pre-emption scheme of iron Ore has saved many industries, protected thousands of people’s livelihood and resulted in the industrialisation of modern-day Odisha.

The steel sector, especially MSMEs, in the State is struggling for survival. About 44 sponge iron making units out of 106 have been closed, and several companies are operating below their installed capacities due to the unavailability of iron ore at competitive prices.

Recently, several industrial bodies like the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the Odisha Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association (OSIMA) and others have requested for intervention of the to address the iron ore crisis in Odisha.

More than 15 sponge iron and pellet companies are eagerly waiting to receive the allotment of iron ore from the Steel and Mines Department to supply iron ore under the State’s pre-emption policy.

In an attempt to assess the nutritional status of children, thesocial welfare departmentwill measure the Body Mass Index (BMI) of 42.13 lakh children covered under the noon meal scheme in the state. Based on theBMI, those found to be undernourished will be provided with nutritional supplements.

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With schools reopened, the department will take up the exercise at a cost of Rs2 crore, minister for social welfare and Women Empowerment PGeetha Jeevansaid in the assembly on Wednesday, while replying to the debate on the demand for grants to her department.

Going by the 2011 census, the Population of senior citizens inTNis expected to touch 1.5 crore by 2030 and the department is coming up with an exclusive policy to safeguard their rights and wellbeing.

Additional Skill Acquisition Programme(ASAP) Kerala has signed an MoU with Autodesk, a company specializing in3D design, engineering, and entertainment software development, as part of launchingskill development programmesforengineeringstudents studying in the state.Usha Titus, chairperson and managing director of ASAP andHaresh KhoobchandaniofAutodesk(VP, APAC) signed the MoU on Wednesday.

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The collaboration ofASAP Keralawith Autodesk will offer an authorized curriculum in product design and manufacturing that will enable students to stay up-to-date with the rapidly evolving requirements. ASAP always focused on providing skill programmes required by the industry to the youth of Kerala, to enhance their employability. The hands-on experience will help students understand the technologys theoretical and practical applications.

The Karnataka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) here has urgedKarnatakaChief Minister to reduce tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), like done by the Kerala Government, to makeMangaluru International Airport(MIA) attractive for new airlines to come and start operations.

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In a letter to CMBasavaraj S. Bommai, Chamber President Isaac Vas pointed out that ATF is subsidized to as low as 1% in the neighboring state while it is as high as 28% in Mangaluru making it unattractive for new airlines to come and start operations. He said the Chamber has been advocating rationalizing/reducing VAT on ATF in Karnataka for a long time.
In August last year, the Kerala government reduced tax rate on ATF from 5% to 1% for alldomestic flightsin the State to encourage domestic air travel. The tax was reduced for domestic flights operating from the Kochi International Airport and the Kozhikode International Airport for a period of 10 years.

Income fromliquorhas been the largest source of ownrevenueforTelanganasince its formation in 2014.

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Over the past seven years, state has earned Rs 1.35 lakh crore from liquor, with revenue having nearly tripled from Rs 10,833 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 27,888 crore in 2020-21.

The continual increase in revenue fromliquor salescan be linked to the states consumption pattern as well as the recent price hike. Furthermore, sources in the government said the income graph would continue to rise in the future and sales figures since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic confirm this.

For instance, the maximum year-on-year increase has been in the pandemic year of 2020-21 at Rs 5,283 crore. And thats not all. While the pandemic is far from over, in the first four months of this fiscal (2021-22), the state has already generated Rs 9,509 crore from liquor sales.

Ahead of the river board taking over the control of projects,Central Water Commission(CWC) has commenced hydrographical survey inSrisailamto ascertain the latest storage capacity of the dam.The project was designed with a 308 tmc capacity but came down to 215 tmc by 2011 and it is feared would go down further due to silt formation.

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Cwc took up the study following apprehensions about storage capacity of the major Irrigation andhydro-electric projectlocated atAPandTelanganaborder. Srisailam project is the first major irrigation dam afterKrishnariver enters the state.

According to project engineers, the latest capacity might not be more than 180 tmc, which could further intensify the water war between AP and .

Chief ministerPramod Sawanton Sunday invitedstartupsto set up shop in Goa and partner with the state to improve efficiency in governance and service delivery. Sawant, who stressed on the importance of improving Goas IT ecosystem, promised to address concerns surrounding ease of doing business and internet connectivity.

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Sawant said that Goa is fast becoming the preferred base for startups and tech entrepreneurs who are looking at remote working. The priority of my government is to retain Goans in Goa. I call upon all Goan youth and entrepreneurs. Come create a new India, not just technology startups but startups of all kinds, he said.

The state cabinet was presented with the global warming report of the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change, with an overall focus onMaharashtraand an emphasis on its coastal belt, particularly Mumbai.

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Calling for mitigating measures, the Environment department, while making the presentation, reiterated that if temperatures rise by 2-2.5 degrees Celsius on account of https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change, the city and the state will be among the worlds worst-affected spots.

The department warned that if one continues with business as usual then Mumbai and other coastal areas face the prospect of submergence, and central Maharashtra of severe drought. It said that forests, instead of acting as carbon sinks, will burn due to fires.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday gave approval to make negotiation amounting to Rs 172.08 crore with the landowners for the landholdings to be purchased through e-Bhoomi for setting up seven projects in the State.

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The Chief Minister chaired the meeting of the High-Powered Land Purchase Committee (HPLPC) here. The projects are related to the Department of Medical Education and Research, Public Works (B&R), Haryana State Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture Marketing Board and Public Health Engineering Departments in six districts namely Rewari, Nuh, Sirsa, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jind.