Meghalaya government got strict against illegal mining

Meghalaya chief ministerConrad K Sangma said as per the law, appropriate action will be taken against those who were involved in illegal coal mining in the state.

Sangma said that illegal activities will not be allowed but one has to realize that the system is huge. Though there are laws to prevent people from committing illegalities, yet these illegal things are happening.

Sangma also said that efforts are being made by the to ensure that no such illegal activities take place.

Govt trying to find middle path for talks with Ulfa-I: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said theCentreand the are trying to find a “middle path” to carry forward dialogue with Ulfa (I) led by Paresh Baruah, which wants talks on its Sovereignty demand. He, however, added that the whole process will take time.

The discussions were held primarily to give the final shape to a peace accord with rebels ofKarbi Anglongdistrict of the state.

Tamil Nadu to frame new guidelines for online classes for colleges

TheTamil Nadugovernment is planning to frame new guidelines for online classes for arts and science colleges and colleges of Education to prevent any form of harassment to the students.
It has set up a seven member committee headed by director of collegiate education C Pooranachandran to prepare draft guidelines for online classes. The ordered the school education department to prepare a new guidelines for online classes following the complaints from students that a teacher from city school attended the online class with improper dress.

Colleges also submitted their suggestions in writing to the regional join directorate of college education. The suggestions varied including astrict dress codefor teachers and students, monitoring and recording of online classes.

Kerala has retained the pinnacle rank in Niti Aayogs 3rd version of SDG India Index 2020-21, whilst Bihar has been adjudged as the worst performer.About the Index:

The Index for Goals (SDGs) evaluates the Growth of states and union territories on social, financial and environmental parameters. Kerala retained its rank as the pinnacle nation with a 75. The 1/3 rendition of Indias SDG Index was once launched via NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on third June.

GST collection went down 42% in April 2021 in Karnataka

Signalling what could be in store for the State in terms of collection of Goods and Service Tax (GST) for the month of May, when the State was in lockdown, the collection fell by 42% from March while the COVID-19 pandemic was raging in Bengaluru.

The total GST collection, including cess, fell from 9,954 crore in March to 5,731 crore in April. This is expected to slide steeply in the month of May, the figures for which are expected this month. The fall in collection for April came after a record collection in the country in March.

For the State, the net collection from State Goods and Services Tax (SGST), Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) settlement, Karnataka Sales Tax, and Professional Tax dipped from 7,123 crore in March to 4,304 crore in April a 40% decline. This is excluding the compensation received.

Sustainable Development Goals: Andhra Pradesh ranked among top 3 states in country

Andhra Pradeshranks among the top three states in the Goals (SDG) ranking in the country. While the state stood third in SDG over all ranking, it has emerged as the leader in clean Energy sector in the country.

NITI Aayog released the list of the latest rankings for 2020-21 in New Delhi. AP improved its score by five points to snatch 72 points to be among the top players in the country.

The index has become the primary tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs in the country and has simultaneously fostered competition among states and Union Territories.

Andhra Pradesh scored 81 points in POVERTY-alleviation”>Poverty Alleviation which is first of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It improved nearly 21 points from the 60 in the previous ranking index. It is significant to snatch so many points when the states finances were severely hit by Covid-19.

AP also improved its tally in SDG-2 which targeted to make zero hunger in the state. The states score has jumped to 52 points from previous 47. APs tally in Health-sector”>Health sector also improved from 74 to 77. The state stood seventh in the good health and well-being index of the people.

For Goas lost forest cover, state eyes afforestation in Madhya Pradesh

To make up for the forest cover lost in Goa over the years to different development projects, the state has proposed to carry out compensatoryafforestationinMadhya Pradeshover an area of 300ha, citing that it faces a shortage of land.

Goa currently has a backlog of 1,600ha of compensatory afforestation to be carried out. Based on Goas request, Madhya Pradesh has made a provision to take up 300ha of afforestation during 2021-22. Goa has proposed to transfer the funds required for the afforestation to Madhya Pradesh.

Goa will, however, have to seek a special permission from the Environment ministry. In 2019, the ministry had altered the norms to allow states to take up compensatory afforestation in another state. But such a proposal is permitted for states that already have over 75% of its area under forest cover. Goa does not meet the criteria as only around 60% of its area is under forest cover, as per theIndia State of Forest Report2019.

Maharashtra to bear cost of drug for kids with post-Covid MIS

The Maharashtra government has decided to bear the cost of the intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), a blood product made up of antibodies and other care components involved in treating Covid-linked multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), at designated hospitals and medical colleges across the state.

The decision has been taken in view of the rising cases of post-Covid MIS-C across the state. Around 500 children are likely to be currently undergoing treatment for post-Covid MIS-C in Maharashtra.

The state-sponsored Health scheme, Mahatma Phule Jana Arogya Yojana (MPJAY), allowed IVIG expenses up to Rs1 lakh to a 5-year-old patient, son of a Bhavani Peth autorickshaw driver. The child is undergoing treatment at Bharati hospital.

Haryana Government will formulate a policy to manufacture electric vehicles and convert petrol-diesel vehicles into electric vehicles in the State for which suggestions will be invited after consultation with vehicle manufacturers and industry experts.

The has decided to formulate a policy to promote eco-friendly electric vehicles instead of diesel-petrol vehicles that cause pollution. He said that apart from the purchase of new electric vehicles, the existing vehicles would also be replaced with electric vehicles at the end of their time. This work will be completed in a phased manner. In order to ensure that there is no problem in charging the vehicle, charging stations will be set up in every city as well as on main roads.