08.07.21

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday said that the state’s excise policy is yielding positive results as during the first quarter of 2021-22, revenue collections from excise have been Rs 1751.04 crore against Rs 1370.86 cr during the same period in the previous year.

by

An increase of about 28 percent has been recorded in the first quarter i.e. April to June 2021 as compared to last year, said Dushyant, who also holds the portfolio of Excise and Department.

Elaborating, he said that during the month of June, 2021, the Excise Wing of the Department has collected a revenue of Rs 1004.70 crore whereas during the month of June, 2020, a revenue of Rs. 586.32 crore only was collected. Thus, excise revenue has increased by 71.36 percent in the month of June over the previous year.

Terming the excise policy of Haryana Government as an exemplary policy, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the policy formulated by the Government for the year 2020-21 has taken due care to introduce transparency in allotment of liquor vends through renewal or e-tendering. A total of 1004 zones of retail liquor vends have been renewed in 2021-22 and the Department has achieved a revenue of Rs 3201.46 crore from renewal of these zones against license fee of Rs 2910 crore in the previous year.

He informed that the process of allotment of remaining 159 zones through e-tendering has already started as per a decision taken by the Government. Till now, 12 rounds through e-tendering have been successfully completed.

GST collection in Himachal rises by 7 per cent in June

by

The Goods and Service Tax (GST) collection has increased by 7 per cent in June this year, compared to the revenue in the same month last year, a spokesperson for the Excise and Department said here today.

He said that despite several relaxations provided in the filing of GST returns due to the pandemic situation, the GST collection in June 2021 stands at Rs 246 crore, compared to Rs 230 crore in June 2020.

The GST collection was expected to improve further in the coming months following increase in business activities, he said. The department was closely monitoring taxpayers through various enforcement activities.

Amidst a power crisis in the state, Pspcl has received an additional amount of Rs.309 crore from Punjab government during current paddy season to purchase power from the open market to mitigate the immediate surge in power demand due to continued dry spells in the state.

CMD of PSPCL, A Venu Prasad said that on 5th July, PSPCL supplied 3022 lac units of power to various consumers in the state touching a maximum demand of 13,162 MW.

He said that PSPCL has purchased 1080 MW of power from power exchange at the rate of Rs.3.98 per unit, adding that the power purchase has been made due to the failure of the second unit of Talwandi sabo thermal plant at Mansa. He also said that despite the generation loss, PSPCL has managed to meet the power requirement of domestic and agricultural consumers of the state.

After making a courtesy visit to the President Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met about half a dozen Union Ministers and discussed various issues and requirements of Uttarakhand.

by

Meeting Union Home minister Amit Shah, he requested that the centre-state ratio for reimbursement for posting of central security forces during famous fairs and festivals in Uttarakhand should be 90:10 as with North Easternb and special category states. Stating that Uttarakhand borders with Nepal and China, he said that remote villages in these areas are being abandoned due to lack of economic opportunities. Removal of inner line restrictions will open tourism opportunities and the resulting economic activity will stall Migration. He requested Shah to consider the proposal for removing inner line restriction in the Niti valley in Chamoli district and Nelang valley (Jadung village) in Uttarkashi district.

The chief minister also met the Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Informing him about the states achievements in education, he said that the state was ranked fourth in education in the Sustainable Development goals report 2020-21 and is included in front runner states. He also sought the centres cooperation for establishment of virtual classrooms in schools, smart classrooms, e-tablets for students in aspirational districts, teachers real time attendance monitoring system, spoken English programme, virtual reality lab, digital Literacy and other initiatives.

National Metallurgical Laboratory ( NML) has penned a MoU to transfer technology of e-waste recycling to M/s Metaore Recycler Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata. NML has transferred a number of technologies to national and international industries and research organisations. M/s Metaore Recycling Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata will process the non-ferrous, valuable and precious metals (Cu, Ni, Al, Au, Pd, Ag, Pt, etc.) and apart of that they will recycle all the materials present in it based on zero waste concepts.

by

Metaore recycling plant will be the first plant in Eastern India which will work on the zero waste concepts and it will be a big gift to the Society after the corona pandemic.

On the occasion, MoU was signed by director NML, Dr. Indranil Chattoraj, Project Leader, Dr. Manis Kumar Jha, Dr. Jhumki Hait, Sr. Principal Scientist, researchers Dr. Pankaj Kumar Choubey, Ms. Rekha Panda, and from the RPBD side, Dr. S. K. Pal and Dr. Beena Kumari were altogether present.

Bihar 8th among 31 states in availing digital health service

by

Bihar has bagged eighth rank in the country among 31 participating states in utilising eSanjeevani, a digital Health service platform of the Union ministry of health and family welfare. As per the data shared by the ministry, around 2,23,197 people from Bihar have so far availed consultation on free telemedicine platform. The 31 states together account for 70 lakh doctor-to-patient tele-consultation since the launch of the scheme.

Of total consultations recorded in Bihar, 2,22,482 took place through Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWCs) programme and 715 through online OPDs. The technology-based health service is currently operational in 31 states/union territories in the country and widely used for telemedicine advice by non-Covid patients across the country. Andhra Pradesh has topped in utilising the facility with 16 lakh consultations, followed by Nadu (12.6 lakh) and Karnataka (12.1 lakh).

The Chhattisgarh government has decided to procure Kodo, Kutki and Ragi on support price and to include these crops under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. It is also set to implement the ‘Chhattisgarh Millet Mission’ to increase their production.

by

The government has declared the support price of Kodo-Kutki as Rs 3,000 per quintal. The government will give an incentive at the rate of Rs 9,000 per acre to the farmers for cultivating Kodo-Kutki crop, an official Communication said on Friday. The government has also provisioned Rs 10,000 per acre for the farmers who take Kodo-Kutki crop, instead of paddy. Chhattisgarh is the only state in the country to take a decision like this.

The main focus of the Millet Mission will be in the districts of the most Malnutrition-affected Bastar region. These are produced naturally in these districts.

But over time and due to non-availability of good quality seeds and lack of technical guidance, farmers turned away from the production of millets.

Now the Millet Mission will not only promote production of millets in tribal areas but will financially empower the farmers. It will also contribute towards eradicating malnutrition in these areas.

Under the Millet Mission, the area and production of different types of millets like Kodo, Kutki and Ragi will be increased in the tribal areas, various products will be prepared and consistent efforts will be made to increase the consumption of millets in the state. The demand for nutritious millets is now increasing significantly in the country and abroad.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expressed happiness over Madhya Pradesh coming first in the country under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. He said that the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is being operated to provide financial assistance during pregnancy to the women engaged in labour works and to provide cash amount to the pregnant women to compensate for the loss of wages.

by

Madhya Pradesh has come first in the country for the third consecutive time in the successful implementation of the scheme. 5 thousand rupees are given on the birth of the first child. Under the scheme, Rs 991 crore 89 lakh was paid to 23 lakh 7 thousand 880 pregnant Women in the state till June 21, 2021. Against the target set for the state, 148 percent achievement has been recorded in the scheme.

Chouhan has congratulated the Women and Child Development Department for this achievement. Himachal Pradesh that got second place recorded 139 percent achievement.

Andhra Pradesh at third place, 11 lakh 69 thousand 730 women were given the benefit of the scheme. For the last three years, Madhya Pradesh has been ranked first in the entire country in the scheme.

The objective of the scheme is to improve the Health of pregnant women and lactating mothers. This scheme is helpful in reducing maternal mortality rate.

Under the scheme, on the birth of the first child, an assistance of Rs 5,000 is given in three installments for safe motherhood.

Export of Bhalia Wheat

by

To promote wheat exports, the first batch of Bhalia wheat certified by Geographical Indication (GI) was exported from Gujarat to Kenya and Sri Lanka.

About Bhalia Wheat:
Wheat has a high protein content and a sweet taste.
The crop is primarily grown in Gujarat’s Bhal region, which includes the districts of Ahmadabad, Anand, Kheda, Bhavanagar, Surendranagar, and Bharuch

About Geographical Indication (GI):
It is a label placed on products that have a distinct geographical origin and have evolved over time in terms of special quality or reputed attributes.

It serves as a guarantee of authenticity, ensuring that only registered authorised users, or those residing within the geographical territory, are permitted to use popular product names.

India’s GI label is governed by the (Registration and Protection) of Goods Act 1999.

It is granted by the Geographical Indications Registry (Chennai).

A new app called Chendavia is gaining popularity among kalbeliya dance students, because of the Covid-19-Pandemic,About kalbeliya dance:

by

Kalbeliya dances are an expression of the traditional way of life of the Kalbeliya community.
In 2010, it was added to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List consists of intangible heritage Elements that help to showcase the diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness of its importance.
It was founded in 2008.
The dance form is characterised by swirling and graceful movements.
The movements associated with the make it one of India’s most sensual forms of folk dance.
It is typically performed for any joyful occasion.
Another distinguishing feature is that it is only performed by Women, while men play instruments and provide music.

UDISE+ 2019-20 Report – Education Report

by

The report on the United Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019-20 for School Education in India has been released by the Union Education Minister.

Highlights:

When comparing 2019-20 to 2018-19, the Gross Enrollment Ratio at all levels of schooling increased.

For students in Classes 1-8, the GER is 98 percent. The GER for secondary and senior secondary students was 78 percent and 51 percent, respectively.

The pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) has also improved across the board in all levels of schooling.
Girls’ enrollment increased at all levels of schooling in 2019-20 compared to 2018-19. The pre-primary level saw the greatest increase.

The Gender Parity Index (GPI) at both the Secondary and Higher Secondary levels improved between 2012-13 and 2019-20.

About UDISE:

UDISE is one of the largest school education management information systems.

The Ministry of Education established UDISE in 2012-13 by combining DISE for elementary education and SEMIS for secondary education.

Purpose: It aids in the measurement of educational parameters from classes 1 to 12 in government and private schools throughout India.

UDISE+ is an enhanced version of UDISE. It was created in 2018-19 to speed up data entry, reduce errors, improve data quality, and simplify data verification.

The data for the reference year 2019-20 are covered in this publication.