14.12.22

Assam zoo installs heaters in enclosures to keep animals warm during winter

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The Assam State Zoo-cum- in Guwahati has prepared to keep the animals and birds in the enclosure warm in the biting chill by installing heaters in the enclosures.

Zoo keeperRajnikanth Dekasaid the zoo is taking all precautionary measures to keep the animals warm during winter.

Deka said the zoo has installed heaters for the tigers, lions as well as other big animals.

However, the heaters are placed in such a way that it keeps their enclosure warm but at the same time prevents the risk of the animals directly coming in contact with the machines.

It also has a botanical garden spread over 82 hectares. It has varied Flora and Fauna species and houses 112 species in all.

Established in 1957, theAssam State Zoo, commonly known asGuwahati Zoo, was opened to the public in 1958.

No rhino poaching incident took place in 2022: Assam CM

While interacting with media during the first day of the year, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that in the year 2022, no rhino poaching incident took place across the State. The last poaching incident took place on December 28th 2021 at Hilakunda, Kohora in Golaghat district. The State govt has taken strict measures to prevent poaching of one-horned rhinos. A huge campaign was launched which was followed by the burning of 2,400 rhino horns seized from poachers. A special anti poaching task force was constituted by the Assam Government Special DGP (Law and Order) to protect the one-horned rhino.

Free rice scheme extended for 1 yearby Odisha government

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Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the will provide rice free of cost to the beneficiaries of the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) for one more year from January to December this year.

As per the direction of the chief minister, the state government has now decided to provide 5 kg rice per month to the beneficiaries. The total expenditure of Rs 185 crore will be met from the state exchequer.The state government has been distributing rice to the left-out eligible beneficiaries covered under the SFSS at Rs 1 per kg since October 2018. Now it will be free of cost for the next 12 months.

The SFSS beneficiaries have also been provided with additional rice and pulses during the last 28 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, Rs 1,000 cash incentive was given to each family under National Food Security Act and SFSS twice.

Tamil Nadu third best in promoting startups: Minister TM Anbarasan

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Nadu has risen from 14th to third position in the list of favourable states for industrial Investment, and from fifth to third position among states promoting startups, said state Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) minister T M Anbarasan.

Listing out initiatives of the State Government to help MSMEs, he said work was progressing at a brisk pace to establish export guidance centres in 10 places across the state, including Chennai, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Tirupur, Hosur, Karur, Madurai and Kancheepuram. This apart, work was on to set up export facilitation centres in all the districts, he said.

Cabinet decides to register space park as a society

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The cabinet has decided to register Kerala Space Park as a Society by the name K-Space, under the Travancore Cochin Literary Scientific Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955.

The government also decided to hand over 18.56 acres from the land owned by the Technopark in the capital for the space park society. The cabinet has also decided to grant Rs 2 crore as seed capital for the society.

The draft agreement and the rules of the proposed society have been cleared by the government. The cabinet also decided to create 10 posts on contract basis in the new society. Those employees who are in excess in the IT parks, Kerala Startup Mission and Kerala State IT Ltd will be given priority for appointment in the society on contract basis.

The Space Park was launched by the State Government to attract global startups working in the space sector, under the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Ltd. The state government had also joined hands with the VSSC to develop the Space Park. Later, when the gold smuggling row hit the government, one of the main allegations was that Swapna Suresh, one of the key accused in the case, was employed in the Space Park despite that she did not have required qualifications.

Implement National e-Vidhan application in Karnataka, demands litigant

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The ordered notice to the State Government in a Public Interest Litigation seeking implementation of National e-Vidhan (NeVA) application in the state.

NeVA is a work-flow system developed by the Centre to enable smooth conduct of legislative proceedings and house business in a paperless manner. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale directed the government to submit its response by the next date of hearing.

The Central government sponsored scheme, NeVA, which envisages to cover all state assemblies has a total comprehensive outlay of Rs 674 crore as against Karnatakas scheme which covers only the states assembly and council with an outlay of Rs 254crore.

With 7,000 cybercrimes in 2021, Telangana sits atop national list

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leads the country with 7,003 registered cases of cybercrime fraud (credit/debit card fraud, ATM fraud, online Banking fraud, OTP-related frauds, and other frauds) in 2021.

Figures reveal that Telangana is followed by Maharashtra (1,678 cases) and Bihar (1,373 cases). Telangana’s cases increased from 282 in 2019 to 3,316 in 2020 and 7,003 in 2021. According to expert Kotireddy Madhava Reddy, the high number of crimes does not imply higher number of cybercriminals.”It means that there are more victims.

Telangana had the most cases of cybercrime convictions in 2020 at 202.It is the only state along with UP which had so many convicted cases.

AP wins Centres nod for Srisailam ropeway

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The Centre has given green signal for Srisailam-Egalapenta () ropeway project proposed by the State Government. The project will be taken up with a cost of Rs.400 crore.

Union Roadways and Surface Transport Ministry cleared the proposal on Thursday. The Centre has cleared 26 ropeway projects to be taken up in different states along with Srisailam ropeway project.

The state government picked up the location as ideal as Srisailam town is famous for its Sri Bramaramba Mallikarjuna temple and is one of the holy pilgrimage sites for Saivism and Shaktism sects of Hinduism. It is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the state. Average pilgrims visiting the temples is around 18,000 to 26,000 per day and it would be around 50,000 to 55,000 people per day during peak season.

Centre OKs Karnatakas DPR on Kalasa-Bhandura canal

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Months before the Karnataka polls, the Centre has approved a modified detailed project report (DPR) of the Kalasa-Bhandura (canal) drinking water project, which was one of the key poll promises made by BJP in Karnataka during the 2018 assembly . The DPR, which was approved despite objections from Goa, comes as a setback to Goas efforts to stop Karnataka from diverting Mhadei water.

While Goa CM Pramod Sawant tried to make Light of the latest development, his political opponents and environmentalists see the development as a fresh hurdle in the states efforts to contain the neighbouring states claim on the Mhadei.

According to Bommai, 1.72tmcft of water will be diverted from Kalasa stream and 2.18tmcft from Bhandura stream. The project will end the water crisis in Dharwad, Belagavi, Gadag and Bagalkot districts in North Karnataka.

Karnataka accordingly submitted the pre-feasibility report of the Kalasa and Bhandura diversion schemes on June 17, 2022, to the Cwc for technical appraisal. The DPR of the Kalasa project was submitted on November 23 and that of the Bhandura project on November 28, 2022.

The CWC, in its memorandum to Karnataka, also mentioned that environmental flow may be released as stipulated in the Tribunals award. It instructed the project authority to communicate the information related to the daily withdrawal of the Mhadeis waters by the regular basis-to-basin states, and also underscored the need for the constitution of the Mahadayi Water Management Authority.

More than 80% in Maharashtra reluctant to take booster shots: Survey

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The medical has started discussing the need for a second booster or the fourth shot in Light of new Covid waves in countries such as China and the US, but two surveys found people cold to even the third precautionary dose.

This reluctance is apparent in the number of takers so far: In Mumbai, only 16% of those eligible for the booster shot have taken it while 90 lakh are still to take it. In Maharashtra, over six crore people haven’t taken the booster so far.

However, the reluctance for the booster shot is highest among the youth. “It is noteworthy that of the unvaccinated Population in the slums of Cuffe Parade and Colaba, the majority, or 37.7%, are under the age of 20.

Haryana Police to draw up data on unlisted criminals

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The names of lesser known criminals from Haryana surfacing in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewalas killing and perpetrating crime in neighbouring states set the alarm bells ringing in the Haryana Police, which has decided to draw up a list of unknown criminals from the state through participatory policing.

Under the gram prahari initiative being prepared, the state police intend to reach out to the villagers for gathering information about missing youth.

However, with no data available on other criminals whose names cropped up in connection with the gangs and the murder, the police have also decided to tap the villagers to gather information.

The gram prahari scheme is essentially aimed at getting intelligence input about little-known criminals