15.02.22

Mizoram CM Zoramthanga to present state budget on February 24

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Mizoramchief ministerZoramthangawould present the statebudgetfor 2022-23 on February 24 with the assemblysessionscheduled to commence from February 22, Houseofficialssaid.

The assembly’s (BAC), chaired by speaker Lalrinliana Sailo, on Tuesday chalked out the programme for the upcoming budget session summoned by governor Hari Babu Kambhampati from February 22. The committee decided that Zoramthanga, who also holds the finance portfolio, would present the state budget on February 24, which would be passed by the assembly before March 10. This would be the fourth time that Zoramthanga would present the budget during the present assembly term for which Elections were held in 2018. The budget session would begin with the governor delivering his customary address on the first day and, unless extended by the BAC, would be adjourned sine die on March 10.

Ayurveda gets a boost with new centres for research, training in Guwahati

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Union minister for AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, on Saturday laid the foundation stones for thePanchakarmaBlock at theCentral Ayurveda Research Institute(CARI) in Borsajai and the Panchakarma centre of Excellence at the StateAyurvedaCollege in Jalukbari here, which will be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore.

It added that the Panchakarma block will be a G plus two building and the pharmacology and chemistry laboratories will be G plus three buildings. The built up cost for these two buildings will be Rs 10 crore.

The new buildings will help in providing world class training courses for Skill development, whereas the pharmacology and chemistry building at CARI will help in pre-clinical experimental procedures, drugs standardisation, chemical testing for any herb and animal-related toxicology reports.

IIT Bhubaneswar developed mobile solar pumps distributed among farmers

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IIT Bhubaneswarwith the help of Odisha government has specially designed and developed mobile solar pumps for the rural farmers of the state. As many as 13 solar pumps have been distributed among farmers of different districts after development.

The project is funded by the state directorate of Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and food production under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) scheme. It is an affordable movable solar photovoltaic (MSPV) system for water pumping in remote and non-accessible areas of Odisha. The project work was started in 2017.

The villages which do not have electricity connection or load shedding can use these pumps for Irrigation purposes.

The solar pumps have been installed in 13 locations in various districts including Angul, Dhenkanal, Puri, Bhadrak, Korput, Keonjhar, Nayagarh andMayurbhanj. It includes three systems for Podapada, Kanaspada andKhudupurvillages in Khurda district. IIT Bhubaneswar has adopted these villages under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA). Besides the 13 solar pumps, one has been installed in the institute.

Tamil Nadu CM launches eighth phase of Keeladi excavation

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Naduchief minister M K Stalin on Friday inaugurated the eight phase of excavation atKeeladiin Sivaganga district, the third phase atSivagalaiin Tuticorin district and the first phase at Vembakottai in Virudhunagar district and Thulukkarpatti in Tirunelveli. Excavations are being taken up in these four places and three others at a cost of Rs 5 crore this year.
The Tamil Nadu state archaeology department is conducting the excavations.

The eighth phase of the excavation at Keeladi and its cluster villages of Konthagai, Manalur and Agaram would work towards identifying the continuations of brick structures found in the earlier excavations at the site. It would focus on finding evidence of the trade connections that Keeladi had with different parts of India and other nations and also more evidence of this urban civilization which had flourished on the banks of the river Vaigai.

Keeladi disproved a theory that Tamil Nadu did not have a riverbed civilization like theGangescivilization. In addition, it has been proven that the people who lived there were literate as early as in the 6th century BCE.

Kerala: QR-code labels on liquor bottles soon

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In a major step towards ensuring transparency in liquor sales, the government has decided to inscribe e-labels with QR codes on liquor bottles being sold in the state.

The move is aimed at reducing the illegal sales of liquor as the QR code will help the authorities to easily scan and track the point of origin, point of sales and authenticity of liquor bottles. The order in this regard was issued by the taxes department.

As per rule 26 of the foreign liquor rules, 1953, it is mandatory to affix security labels over the liquor bottles being sold in the state. At present, the security labels are fixed manually at warehouses ofKeralastate beverages corporation. TheIMFLbottles, which are stored in the warehouses, are taken out only after affixing the security labels issued by the excise department and verified by excise officials posted in each warehouse.

Karnataka HC: Ban on Online Gaming Unconstitutional

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Karnataka struck down provisions ofKarnatakaPolice (Amendment) Act, 2021, that had banned online games.

The division bench was headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Krishna S. Dixit.

According to the bench, Karnataka Act number 28/2021 to the extent the provisions ultra vires the constitution, however not the entire Act.

This judgment was interpreted for preventing an appropriate legislation concerning the subject like betting and gambling in line with the provisions of constitution.

A writ of Mandamus was issued to restrain the respondents from interfering with online gaming business and allied activities of the petitioners.

Telanganas Medaram Jatara Festival 2022

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The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, has sanctioned Rs. 2.26 Crores for Medaram Jatara 2022 Festival in .

Highlights:

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, has sanctioned Rs. 2.26 Crores for Medaram Jatara 2022 Festival in Telangana.

In 2022, the festival is being held from 16 February to 19, 2022. Medaram Jatara is the second-largest fair in India, after the Kumbh Mela.

Medaram Jatara is conducted in honor of the Goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma. It had been declared a State Festival in 1998.

The four-day tribal festival is widely known once in two years within the month of “Magha” (February) on the whole moon day, in Medaram Village of Mulugu district in Telangana.

The festival is organized by the second-largest Tribal Community of Telangana, the Koya tribe, and the Tribal Welfare Department, the Government of Telangana.

White Cheeked Macaque In A.P.

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Scientists recently found a white-cheeked macaque in Arunachal Pradesh.

Highlights:

The discovery adds a replacement species to the mammal list of India. The White Cheeked macaque was first discovered in southeastern Tibet.

These macaques are different from the opposite macaques mainly due to their white cheeks.

Also, they need an extended tail, long, thick hairs within the neck area. It’s not yet been included within the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The primary threat to the species is hunting, habitat degradation, development, and consumption by the locals.

When they find humans, the white-cheeked macaque gives out an alarm call, climbs trees, and flees.

The frequency of its alarm call is different from that of the Assam macaque.

It lives in tropical forests, evergreen broad-leaved forest, mixed broad-leaved conifer forests. It’s usually found at an altitude of 1395 meters to 2420 meters.

They sleep in multi-male and multi-female groups. With the invention of the White Cheeked macaque, the entire mammal count has increased to 438.

Rs 76 lakh grant for Khandola govt college from Centre

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Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Khandola, is soon expected to receive agrantof Rs 76 lakh from the Union governmentsdepartment of Biotechnology(DBT).

Thescience departmentsof Microbiology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science at the institute have been found eligible and recommended for the financial support by DBT.

DBT will provide the grant for strengthening of the science departments under the central Star College Scheme.

The proposal was submitted at the 11th task force meeting in December 2021.
DBT launched the scheme in 2008 with the goal of encouraging more students to pursue science-related Education at the undergraduate level.

The department uses the Star College Scheme to identify colleges with high potential for excellence and gives support for development of academic and laboratory .

Mumbai International Film Festival 17th Edition From May

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The 17th edition of the Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation films (MIFF-2022) is scheduled to occur from 29 May to 4 June 2022.

Highlights

The 17th edition of the Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation films (MIFF-2022) is scheduled from 29 May to 4 June 2022, at the Films Division complex Mumbai.

Those films completed between 1 September 2019, and New Year’s Eve, 2021, are eligible.

The festival’s best documentary will receive a Golden Conch and 10 lakh during a cash award.

As India is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the current edition has instituted a special award for the most straightforward short film on the themeIndia@75.