09.12.22

Have no land to set up specific vending zones in Guwahati: Minister

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A solution to the hawkers issue in the city seems to be shrouded in uncertainty as urban affairs minister Ashok Singhal said there is no land to create specific vending zones inside the densely populated city.

He said vending zones can be created on the outskirts of the city. Will the street vendors go there? Definitely not. The matter is under consideration. We have to find a middle path to solve the issue, he added.

Creation of vending zones for hawkers and a survey of such traders in the city have been a long-pending demand of the All Assam Street Vendors Association (AASVA).

Odisha-Chicago Varsity pact to set up data centre

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The Odisha Government has signed an MoU with the University of Chicago Trust, India, to set up a Data, Policy and Innovation Centre (DPIC) in the State for rigorous, evidence-based Governance while using new advances in econometrics, data science and machine Learning.

The MoU was signed between Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) CEO Manoj Pattnaik and University of Chicago Centre Bhubaneswar Executive Director Dr Leni Chaudhari here in the presence of Electronics and IT Minister Tusharkanti Behera.

The scope of this programmatic PARTNERSHIP would involve researchers from the University of Chicago providing data analysis and evaluation assistance to the Schemes and Policies to benefit the States districts and blocks.

University of Chicago researchers would aid the Government in conducting research, monitoring, impact evaluation and project implementation in the energy and Environment, Health, Education, Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and water and sanitation sectors.

The creation of this hub for modern data analysis is a pioneering step in using data to advance innovations and drive policy decisions.

Country’s largest debating forum is back for third season in Tamil Nadu

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Speak for India, the country’s largest debating forum for college students is back. Registration has opened for the third season of the Nadu edition of Speak for India.

An initiative by Federal Bank in association with The Times of India, it provides a platform for college students across Tamil Nadu to voice their views and opinions on contemporary issues and become change makers of Society.

It also gives college students an opportunity to explore and realise their awareness, insights and perspective on contemporary topics.

The forum also helps identify top debaters in the state through multiple levels of competitions. College students from across Tamil Nadu can participate in the competition.

Villages marked as forest in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary satellite survey, ESZ in map

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Many enclosure villages located inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) under Noolpuzha panchayat are demarcated as eco sensitive zone (ESZ) in the map published on Thursday. Adding to the confusion, many of these enclosure villages are designated as forest areas in the satellite survey.

“It is totally confusing.Four of our wards (1, 2, 3 and 12) in Vadakkadad area are entirely missing in the satellite survey as these areas are classified as forest.

The panchayat borders with three protected forests spread over three states — the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve — and most of the human habitations there face the prospect of getting included in one-km ESZ if the SC order is implemented.

No merger of Amul & Nandini: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai

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Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai clarified that there was no proposal to merge Amul and Nandini brands and that Union cooperation minister Amit Shah’s statement was being misinterpreted.

There is no merger of brands. Amul will remain as Amul and Nandini will continue as Nandini. There was absolute clarity in his statement that Amul and Nandini can have an exchange of ideas that will help grow both the brands,” said Bommai.

The CM, however, said the only cooperation between the two brands proposed by Shah was an exchange of technical and Marketing models.

Statehood spurs Telangana GSDP, up Rs 6.7 lakh crore

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Comparative figures of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of before and after formation depict a dramatic Growth where the state rapidly added 6.7 lakh crore worth GSDP in the last eight years (from 2014-15 to 2020-21).

In contrast, only 2.67 lakh crore worth GSDP was accumulated in the eight years preceding the formation of the state (from 2006-07 to 2013-14). Statistics of Telangana districts in combined Andhra Pradesh revealed, for the first time, that the state had GSDP worth 1.26 lakh crore in 2006-07 which escalated to 3.91 lakh in 2013-14 (the fiscal year before formation).

In a Parliament reply, it was said that Telangana (in 2021-22) possesses 11 lakh crore worth GSDP, progressing from 4.30 lakh crore worth of GSDP from the year of formation (2014-15).

The figures are intriguing given that chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao during his recent public meeting in Mahbubnagar claimed that Telangana had lost 3 lakh crore GSDP in the last eight years due to the inefficiency of the central government. According to him, the state would have attained 14 lakh crore GSDP had the Centre chipped in.

Telanganas GSDP growth rate was projected at 10.88% in the last fiscal year (2021-22), the second highest, after 2014. Post formation, Telangana had the highest GSDP growth rate in the 2015-16 fiscal year at 11.58%, a massive push from the initial GSDP growth rate of just 6.76% in 2014-15.

The plan is to achieve this with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5% as against the actual GSDP growth rate of Gujarat at 12.3% in the last decade.

Andhra Pradesh’s tourism dept plans Shakti Peethas Circuit

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The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department has mooted a plan to attract north Indian tourists with a circuit of ‘Shakti Peethas’ in the state. Out of the total 18 Shakti Peethas, three Shakti Peethas are in Andhra Pradesh.

Most of the Shakti Peethas are in north India, but no state has three Peethas. Even Uttara Pradesh has only two peethas. By taking advantage of this, the AP Tourism department is now planning the Shakti Peethas circuit.

The state has has Srisaila Peetham, Draksharamam Peetham, and Pushkarini Peetham. Srisaila Peetham has goddess Bramarambika Devi in Bramaramba Mallikharjuna Temple in Srisailam of Kurnool while Draksharamam Peetham has goddess Manikyamba Devi in Bheemeswara Temple in Draksharamam and Pushkarini Peetham has goddess Puruhutika Devi in Kukkuteswara Swamy temple in Pithapuram in East Godavari district.

The Tourism department would release its mission 2023 plan to attract tourists, including the Shakti Peethas circuit. The circuit may come into reality in five to six months, tourism authorities said. Apart from this, a pilgrimage circuit would also be introduced soon.

The Srisailam temple is dedicated to the deities Siva and Parvati. It is significant to the Hindu Sects of both Shaivism and Shaktism as a temple referred to as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Siva and as of the eighteen Shakti Peethas. It is existing since the second century as there is inscriptional evidence from the Satavahana dynasty, the AP Tourism regional director Srinivasa Pani said.

Goa Govt to analyse impact of IT, startup policy

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The department of information technology, electronics and communications has moved to identify the number of startups and IT firms operating in the state.

Info Tech Corporation of Goa (ITG) has been asked to appoint an agency that will carry out a study of Goas IT ecosystem and also prepare a research report recommending best practices that can benefit startups and IT companies.

The comprehensive report needs to analyse the effectiveness of the departments policies and schemes, and the impact that Goas startups and IT firms have on the local economy.

The year-long study will also identify the competitive advantages of Goa and list out possible focus sectors that can help the Growth of startups and IT companies.

New system formulated to increase powers of panchayats: CM

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that a new system has been formulated to increase the powers of new panchayats. Whatever grant-in-aid is given to institutions, these institutions have the right to spend it, because they are autonomous institutions.

He said that Panchayat, Block Committee, Zilla Parishad, Municipality, Municipal Council, and Municipal Corporation will also be given more autonomy.

Now the sarpanch will be able to get the work done at his level based on quotations up to Rs. 2 lakhs. The works of more than Rs. 2 lakhs, will be done through tender invited on the Haryana Engineering Works portal, he said.

Under the new system, only the SDO will be able to approve works ranging from Rs. 2 lahks to Rs. 25 lahks at the sub-divisional level, and the sarpanch and Chairman of Block Samiti and Zilla Parishad will be able to give administrative approval for this. Earlier the files regarding approval of works used to come up to the headquarters level, now all approvals will be given at the local level only, said Khattar replying on the last day of the winter session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here.

Punjab targets to increase area under shrimp culture to 5000 acres in five years

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To further promote pisciculture in the state, Punjab Government has decided to increase area under profitable agri-allied occupation, shrimp culture, to 5,000 acres over next five years.

Farmers are getting an income of Rs three lakh per acre by adopting shrimp farming which is being practiced on the saline-affected water-logged land. It has proved a boon to supplement the farmers income,

Bhullar said that for the development of shrimp culture, a dedicated Demonstration Farm-cum-Training Center is being run at Ena Khera village in Sri Muktsar Sahib district, where free training and -water testing facilities are being provided to shrimp farmers.

The Minister urged the farmers to adopt aqua-culture to further increase their sources of income. The government is providing 40 to 60 percent subsidy for adopting aqua-culture, he said, adding that 40 percent subsidy is being provided for general category and 60 percent subsidy is being given to SC/ST/Women and their self-help groups.