11.01.21

Northeast rebel groups regrouping in China-Myanmar borderlands: Security experts

by

Security experts believe a resurgence in militant attacks, which have rocked India’s northeast in recent months, have come about as militants work to regroup in China’s borderlands with Myanmar, and expect more to follow even as to Manipur and peace talks in Nagaland are held. Naga splinter groups impatient with stalled talks as well as rebel Manipuri groups who have a stake in disrupting upcoming elections to the state assembly, are believed to be regrouping in the borderlands of China’s Yunnan province and Myanmar, taking advantage of the turmoil in the latter by using it as a transit corridor.

Groups such as the United Liberation Front of Assam (I), People’s Liberation Army of Manipur and splinter factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (K) who are against peace talks, are believed to be regrouping in the borderland.

Tea production in Assam dips by 8% in 2021: NE body

by

Assams total tea production witnessed a plunge of nearly 8% last year as compared to 2019 for the period of January to November. The states tea production in 2020 was hit by the Covid-19 lockdown, and hence not taken into account by the tea . For the period of January to November, the total tea production in 2021 was 641.23 million kg as against 593.58 million kg in 2020 and 693.62 million kg in 2019.

Significantly, Assams tea production for the entire year of 2019 was 716.49 million kg, which constituted 51.54% of the countrys total production of 1,390.08 million kg. In 2020, due to the Covid lockdown, Assams total tea production declined to 618.20 million kg, which was about 100 million kg less compared to 2019. The countrys total tea production was 1,257.53 million kg that year.

Odisha tops national skills competition

by

Odishatopped the charts with 51 medals, followed byMaharashtra(30) andKerala(25) at the IndiaSkills 2021 Nationals organised by theNational Skill development Corporation(NSDC) in New Delhi from January 7 to 9.

Odisha won 10 gold, 18 silver, nine bronze medals and 14 medallions of excellence in the countrys biggest skill competition that concluded on Sunday. The closed-door competition witnessed participation in 54 skills.

CM unveils roadmap to enhance incubator ecosystem in state

by

Chief minister M KStalin unveiled aroadmapfor enhancing the incubator ecosystem in Naduthat seeks to spread industries and generate EMPLOYMENT across all the districts. The roadmap, prepared by Indian STEP & Business Incubator Association, was unveiled during ISBACON 2022, inaugurated by Stalin.

The roadmap envisions promoting one big Industry, 10 medium sized industries, 100 startups and 1,000 self-employed people coming up in each district every year and adding Rs 400 crore per district per year to the states GDP towards the broader vision of making Tamil Nadu a $ one trillion economy.

It suggested constituting a think tank which would advise the government on continuously improving the startup ecosystem, establishing at least five incubators per district based on the potential, creating innovation hubs as a starting point for encouraging made in Tamil Nadu products and enhancing the seed funds for startups.

Tamil Nadu prides itself on being a state that is at the forefront of Education, economy, industrial development and culture, besides being the great knowledge capital, thanks to the youth power of the state. Tamil Nadu is blessed to have a very large number of youth with high intellectual ability. The state is leading in creating the right ecosystem required for fostering technology and Entrepreneurship development. Many effective initiatives are being implemented throughTamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission(TANSIM), Stalin said.

Health dept to launch scheme to reduce lifestyle diseases

by

Health ministerVeena Georgesaid that thehealth departmentwould launch a special scheme to reduce lifestyle diseases among people.

The minister was addressing the audience after the online inauguration of the renovated mother and child block and modern operation theatres atParassalataluk headquarters hospital.

The scheme aims at reducing the risk of diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and other related diseases.

To reduce the diseases, each panchayat will be selected from 140 constituencies. The scheme will be implemented in three panchayats in the coming year and it will be completed in all the panchayats and local bodies by the third year, she said.

15-17 years: 50% of target population gets first dose in Karnataka

by

The on Monday said 50% of the target Population in the 15-17 years age group has been inoculated with the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Health minister K Sudhakar said: Of the estimated total of 31. 7 lakh children in this age group in the state, we have administered the first dose to 15. 6 lakh across the state.

Data shows percentagewise, Kodagu vaccinated the highest number at 70%. Eighteen districts in the state clocked more than 50% coverage, including Bangalore Urban (51%). Bangalore Rural clocked 47%, while the lowest vaccination Percentage was reported from Yadgir district at 29%.

Telangana govt seeks RBI nod to raise Rs 13,000 crore loan in final quarter

by

government has requested permission from theReserve Bank Of India(RBI) to raise another Rs 13,562 croreloanin thefinal quarterof the current financial year.

With this, the total loan raised this year will be Rs 48,562 crore and the cumulative loan burden will reach 2.86 lakh crore. But Telangana’s fiscal Health seem reasonable when compared nationally as it will still be second last in terms of the ratio of gross domestic product as a Percentage of loans.

The loan requirement is mostly to feed the state’s ambitious welfare programmes. Despite the economic slowdown due to Covid-19, the state had managed to achieve a good Growth rate, but the income is not enough to finance its schemes as payments for it have also increased proportionately.

This fiscal year the State Government intends to implement the Dalit Bandhu scheme and has also begun releasing funds for Rythu Bandhu.

The state government was scheduled to raise Rs 8,000 crore, Rs 6,000 crore and Rs 6,295 crore in the first, second and third quarter of the year respectively, according to the original indicative loan calendar. The rest of the requirements were to be raised in the fourth quarter.

Instead, the state borrowed more than planned. In the first quarter it was Rs 15,000 crore, in second and third quarters it touched Rs 10,000 crore and in the fourth it has proposed to borrow 13,562 crore.

According to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 25% of the state’s total GDP can be considered the upper limit of the total loans raised by the state.

Rs 13,000 crore Nabard loan for 16 medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh

by

In a big relief to the cash-strapped ,NABARDhas agreed to grant loan to the tune of Rs 13,000 crore for construction of 16 new governmentmedicalcolleges in the state. Nabard will release the funds in a phased manner which will help the state government to put the medical college works on fast track. The works on three medicalcollegeswhich were cleared by the Centre have already commenced.

After giving an in-principle Consent to grant the loan for construction of medical colleges, Nabard is reported to have asked the state medical and Health department to submit theDetailed Project Reports(DPRs) of each and every college.

Though the Centre had sanctioned three medical colleges to the state, the works on the proposed healthcare institutions were lagging due to the paucity of funds.

Implement food security scheme, civil supplies told

by

The GoaStateCommission forProtectionof Child Rights has directed thedepartmentof civilsuppliesto implement the PHH (Priority Household) scheme of the National Scheme effectively.

The anxiety of the commission is to see that the poor and destitute and weaker sections of the Society, especially children in vulnerable circumstances, whose conditions are aggravated by Covid-19, do not suffer from hunger and starvation. The prevention of the same is one of the prime responsibilities of the government.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recognises that all children upto 18 years of age are human beings in their own right, and are entitled to inalienable rights, inherent to human dignity including the right to healthy food and adequate Nutrition, the right to non-discrimination, and the right to consider their best interests in all matters that affect them.

Colleges and universities in Maharashtra to set up exam helpline

by

All colleges and universities in the state will have to establish a helpline to answer exam-related queries of students, the has directed.

The semester exams are scheduled by end of January and will be held online following which the government has directed the colleges to establish a mechanism to address the doubts of students.

Higher Education ministerUday Samanthad announced the shutdown of colleges and universities till February 15 and also said that the exams would also be conducted online.