Mizoram’s Covid-19 situation has improved following a dip in the daily caseload and active cases, while witnessing the highest recovery rate in the entire northeast region for weeks.

The state logged eight new cases in the last 24 hours and the daily test positivity rate (TPR) was 11.28% as against the national Average of 2.76%. Mizoram reported the second highest number of active cases at 184. The recovery rate stood at 99.62%, followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 99.5%.

Project Sampoorna gets PMs pat for fighting malnutrition

In his monthlyMann Ki Baatradio programme, PM Narendra Modi laudedProject Sampoornainitiated byAssams Bongaigaon district for fighting Malnutrition there. As part of the intiative, a mass awareness drive was undertaken in the district that helped eradicate nutritional deficiencies in 90% of its malnourished children.

The PM said the project has helped eradicate malnutrition in the region in the last one year. He was speaking on the ahead of the Poshan Maah to be celebrated in September.

Earlier also Bongaigaon district was selected for the Prime Ministers Award for Excellence in Public Administration, 2021 for its initiative Sampoorna.

The project employs a decentralised, technology-based model using community participation and Women Empowerment as positive deviance factor to achieve the result. The District Administration stated that it has successfully brought over 90% malnourished children to normal state in just one year after assessment of 2,416 malnourished children and mothers.

New legal aid clinic for transgenders

TheOdishaState Legal Services Authority (OSLSA), along with NGO Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India (SAATHII), launched a legal aid clinic for transgender people.

The legal aid clinic, the first-of-its-kind in Odisha and third in India, will benefit the transgender community in availing of free legal aid services.

Despite an increasingly progressive socio-legal Environment, transgender people continue to face stigma, discrimination and violence in family, Society, accessing public services and inheriting property due to their gender identity.

A large proportion of violence and discrimination was perpetrated by general public (37%), followed by parents, sibling and other biological family members (17%).

NagaI surprises big cities in Swachh rankings

TheSwachhSurvekshan surveys usually dominated by big cities in the state had an unusual topper in the 2022 rankings.Nagapattinamhas secured the third spot among the 23 towns and cities in the state, even surpassing Trichy, Erode andTiruppurin the 1-10 lakh Population cities category.

The coastal town has got 2,483 marks, only next to Salem and Thoothukudi municipal corporations in the state. In the citizen voice and certification categories, Nagapattinam has outperformed many major cities in the state. Meanwhile,Thanjavurrecorded its lowest rank in the survey by securing the 377th spot out of 382 cities, placed at the bottom among the inTamil Nadu. Pudukottai and Kumbakonam local bodies were placed at 267 and 287 ranks, respectively. The below-Average performance of all urban local bodies in the state was also attributed to the conduct of urban local body Elections between January and February early this year.

SEIAA mandates green nod for proposed sewage project

The State Environment-impact-assessment”>Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has mandated environmental clearance (EC) for Kerala Water Authoritys proposed sewage management project in the city corporation areas.

While considering a letter from the KWA superintending engineer, requesting the SEIAA to clarify whether EC is required for a sewage treatment plant or not, SEIAA in its 117th meeting quoted the judgment of (NGT) to cite that EC is required for sewage treatment Plants.

As per the judgment, the authorities should be able to take a scientific view at the initial stages of installation of a sewage plant.

The RKI-implementation committee while considering the proposal of KWA had directed that KWA should consider broadening the scope of study to include hydro-geological survey and technical feasibility of decentralized collection of sewage of low-lying areas and pumping it to the sewerage Network to ensure 100% capacity utilization of 107 MLD plant.

Over 10,000 child marriages attempted in 5 years in Karnataka

Between April 2017 and March 2022, theKarnatakagovernment received complaints or tip-offs about 10,352 attempts of child marriage and 9,261 (about 90%) were prevented. In all, 860 FIRs were registered against people involved in getting minors married or at least tried it in the same period.

Experts and officials point out that most child marriages occur largely due to POVERTY, illiteracy, superstition or to ease what elders see as their burden of having a girl child.

Data of the Karnataka Women and child development department shows that 1,091 child marriages actually took place.

According to sections 9 and 13 of the Act, if the girl is a minor, then the man will be charged with a penalty and severe imprisonment. Sections 10 and 11 provide for imprisonment of at least 1-2 years for those supporting and encouraging such marriages aside from a penalty of Rs 1 lakh.

Telangana: Forestry varsity to function from 2023

As the plans to scale up the existingForest College and Research Institute(FCRI) into India’s firstUniversity of Forestry(UoF), plans are afoot to start affiliated colleges across the state. Officials

expectFCRItransitioning into a university may be completed before the next academic year.

According to officials, once the University of ForestryTelanganaBill, 2022, is ratified, they would be offering 18 more courses, including diploma and technical certificate courses for students.

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launches geoportal-based tourism information system

CMYS JaganMohan Reddy launched geoportal-based tourism information system, asset management and decision support system at his camp office.
He declared 2023 as Visit Andhra Pradesh 2023 year.

To increase tourism revenue and visibility of destinations and efficiently manage the assets, theAP Tourism Development Corporationhad proposed the development of a web GIS portal for tourism information, tourism asset management and decision support system.

In a first for Goa, 46.1 sqkm notified as private forest

The on Thursday notified 46.1 sqkm area in the state as private forest, in compliance with an order by theNational Green Tribunal(NGT). This is the first parcel of land in Goa to be notified as a private forest. However, in the meantime, work is in progress to confirm almost double of the area notified, which has been identified provisionally as private forest for now.

Enumeration of 9,183 ha or 91.8 sqkm area is being carried out at present by 16 sub-committees comprising range forest officers, inspectors of survey and land records, and village talathis, under the supervision of the deputy conservator of forests.

The government panels, while identifying private forests, applied the criteria that the area should be either contiguous to government forest lands or, if in isolation, the minimum area identified should be 5 ha. And, canopy density should not be less than 0.4.

Funds for health sector will be doubled: Maharashtra CM Ekanth Shinde

Chief minister Ekanth Shinde said that he would double the funds for the stateshealth sector, and that over 700 Balasaheb Thackeray clinics will be started all overMaharashtra.

CM Shindesaid that his top priority is to strengthen the rural Health system in the state. He made the announcement during a health programme on a news channel.

Shinde said he would start medical colleges in every district of the state with a focus on child health.