10.06.21

Weather conditions in northeast set to turn favourable for monsoon onset

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Weather conditionsare set to turn favourable in the northeast for the monsoon to set in. The three-month pre-monsoon season did not experience much rainfall this year.

In the northeast, the normal date of the arrival of the rainy season is June 5. After the rains hit the Kerala coast, within a couple of days, the rains may arrive in the northeast. We are keeping a close watch on the movement of the clouds, said a senior official of theIndia Meteorological Department(IMD).

In 2020, the rainfall during the season was normal over Assam and Tripura and it was largely excess (71% more than normal) and over the rest of the region it was deficit.

Assam Muslims have recorded sharpest fall in fertility since 2005-06: Govt data

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WhileAssamchief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has called on the states immigrant Muslim Population to practise decent family planning practice, the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) of 2019-20 released by the Union health minister in December shows that this community has seen the sharpest fall in fertility since 2005-06.

Muslims in Assam have recorded the most dramatic decline in fertility since NFHS-3, which was conducted 14 years earlier. While the number of children who would be born per woman or the total fertility rate (TFR) of the Muslim community in Assam at 2.4 is higher than the 1.6 for Hindus and 1.5 for Christians, the reduction in fertility among Muslims has been from 3.6 in 2005-06 to 2.4 in 2019-20, a drop of 1.3 compared to 0.4 among Hindus for the same period, although from a lower base.

The TFR of 2.4 among Muslims in Assam is only a little over what demographers call replacement level fertility, or the TFR level at which just enough babies are born to maintain population levels constant.

This is pegged at 2.1 and Indias overall TFR is 2.2. NFHS-5 data also shows that cultural and geographical factors as well as level of development are more important determinants of fertility than religion.

The TFR for Hindus too is low in Jammu & Kashmir at 1.32. Of the nine states in NFHS-5, the TFR is above replacement level in the Muslim community in just two states, Kerala (2.3) and Bihar (3.6), which are at two ends of the development spectrum. This shows that beyond just cultural and geographic factors, the level of development of a specific community is also a determinant of its TFR.

Odisha Governments 26 crore aid for urban street vendors

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Chief ministerNaveen Patnaikon Tuesday announced a financial package for urbanstreet vendorswhose livelihood has been affected due to lockdown in the second wave ofCovid-19. Financial assistance worth Rs 26.29 crore to be disbursed from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund (CMRF) is likely to help over 87,657 street vendors in urban centres.

There are around two lakh street vendors in the state but as per the survey of municipalities, a letter of recognition (LoR) has been issued to 87,675 vendors.

Aparna Enterprises to invest Rs 100 crore in its Alteza brand

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Building materials companyAparna Enterpriseswill invest Rs 100 crore towards building itsaluminum windowanddoor systembrand Alteza in next four years.

The investments will be used for strengthening its product portfolio as well as manufacturing facility, Marketing and retailing. The company also launched its latest range of slim aluminum sliding door system – ACA M-19 Series.

The system works on very narrow sightlines and is the slimmest aluminum sliding door system that Alteza offers to its customers. This system is based on minimalistic design, which offers 19 mm of thin aluminum profile throughout the door opening including the interlock, and the system can be used for corner openings as well.

Malabar to have literary tourism circuit

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The state has made its foray into literary tourism by announcing plans to set up a Malabar Literary Circuit, which is billed as the first literary tourism circuit in the country, in the budget. Literary tourism allows travelers with a literary bent of mind to trail their favourite authors and locales associated with their literary works. Countries like the United Kingdom have capitalized on literary tourism in a big way by showcasing a string of locales associated with literary giants like Shakespeares birthplace in Stratford upon Avon and Thomas Hardys Dorset, among many others.

The Malabar Literary Circuit will connect destinations like Thunchan Parambu in Tirur,the birthplace of Thunchanth Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam language, Beypore in Kozhikode, which houses the residences of Beypore Sultan, Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, Thasrak, the village in Palakkad on which the imaginary land of Khasak where O V Vijayans masterpiece novel Khasakkinte Ithihasam is set, and Ponnani, Thrithala and the banks of Bharathapuzha linked to the life and works of eminent writer M T Vasudevan Nair.

The government has earmarked Rs 50 crore for setting up two new tourism circuits in the budget, the other being the circuit connecting places such as Ashtamudi Lake, Munroethuruth, Kottarakara, Meenpidipara, Muttara Maruthimala, Jadayu Rock, Thenmala and Achancovil in Kollam district.

Yediyurappa announces 500-crore package to benefit teachers, weavers, priests

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The announced a second COVID-19 relief package of 500 crore, largely for the unorganised sectors impacted by the lockdown imposed in the State since April 27.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said relief of 3,000 each would be given to power looms weavers, with a maximum of two workers per loom. Around 59,000 power looms are to benefit. Unorganised workers of the film and television Industry would get 3,000 each relief. This will benefit 22,000 registered workers, he said.

Telangana doing well in poverty alleviation

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The recently-released data on states and their rankings based on their performance in reaching goals (SDG) seems to have missedTelanganas data on Percentage ofpopulationliving below thepoverty line(BPL).

The first SDG of ending POVERTY by 2030 had set the target of reducing the number of BPL people to 10.96 per cent but the report mentioned the states data as null. Experts pointed out that the state had actually progressed well in reaching its target.

Interestingly, Telangana is the only state in whose case this data is mentioned as null. The government has taken note of this and sources within the government said that while Centre had applied the Tendulkar Committees figures on poverty as baseline to talk about the numbers, it did not apply the same to Telangana. Telangana achieved 69 marks under this SDG even without BPL sub-parameter.

According to Tendulkar Committee estimates, 21.92 per cent of the Population was living below the Poverty Line in 2011-12. The target is to reduce the percentage of of poverty by half. Six states and seven UTs have already achieved the target of reducing poverty rates to below 10.96 per cent.

Andhra Pradesh: Petroleum, tribal varsities to turn into reality soon

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Two key bifurcation promises will become a reality soon as the Union Government is believed to have given its nod for the establishment of two national universities inAndhra Pradesh Petroleum university in Kakinada and Tribal university in Araku. The two universities, among others, were among the promises made to the state during its bifurcation and were also part of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

While the Petroleum university was supposed to be part of the proposed Petro Corridor at Kakinada in East Godavari district, the location of the Tribal university was left to the . Accordingly, the government decided to have the varsity in Paderu. The government has also acquired land for both the universities. The Petroleum university is proposed to come up at Vakalapudi village in Kakinadau rural mandal.

Tourism sector will open once positivity rate drops under 5%: Goa government to TTAG

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TheTravel and Tourism Association of Goahas said that the government has informed it that the states hospitality sector would open fully only after the positivity rate falls under 5%.

TTAG has insisted that tourism has to be started at the earliest with all protocols in place, and that tourists who are vaccinated must be allowed entry into the state freely.

The TTAG has also placed its various demands seeking help for the distressed . The body of hoteliers and tourist trade stakeholders again asked the government that hikes in license fees and registration charges that came into force a few months ago be kept in abeyance till the industry stabilises.

Mumbai slipped to Level 3 by thin margin of .6%

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Among the worst hotspots in the country during both the Covid-19 waves, Mumbai stabilised in May, but clearly not enough for shops and restaurants to keep regular hours.

The city falls in Level 3 as per the five-point system employed by the to relax restrictions. Malls and theatres will remain shut, and restaurants can operate up to 4 pm, and that too at 50% capacity to ensure social distancing norms are observed.

As per the state rules, a regular review of the criteria will be conducted to assess whether a district can move from, say, Level 3 to Level 2.