NORTH- Justice Sandeep Mehta to be sworn in as Chief Justice of Gauhati High CourtThe Central Government on Sunday appointed Justice Sandeep Mehta of Rajasthan High Court as the new Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court. Law minister Kiren Rijiju in a tweet notified about the appointment of four judges as Chief Justices in different High Courts of India.As per reports, he practised in Trial Courts, High Court as well as Supreme Court. He was the Counsel for Commission in 3 Judicial Enquiry Commissions headed by the Retired as well as Sitting Hon’ble Judges of High Court. Mehta was a member Bar Council of Raj. from 2003 to 2009 & 2009 till the date of elevation.

EASTERN STATES

Mizoram Assembly adopts resolution against UCC

The Mizoram Assembly unanimously adopted an official resolution opposing any move to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country.

Home Minister Lalchamliana moved the resolution which said “That this House unanimously resolved to oppose any steps taken or proposed to be taken for enactment of UCC in India.”

While moving the resolution Lalchamliana that the UCC, if enacted, “would disintegrate the country as it was an attempt to terminate the religious or social practices, customary laws, cultures and traditions of the religious minorities, including the Mizos.”

He alleged that several attempts had been made in the past to implement the UCC but is pending till now due to its “controversial nature.”

Declare Mahendragiri a Biosphere Reserve soon

The Mahendragiri hill terrain forest ecosystem in Odishas southern district of Gajapati, in its Rayagada Block, on the Eastern Ghats, is located within east longitudes 83045 to 84045 and north latitudes 18015 to 18030. The Mahendragiri with more than 1,500 meters is the second tallest hill in Odisha after Deomali in Koraput district. The watershed of Mahendragiri hill complex drains into Rushikulya, Vamsadhara, Bahuda, Mahendratanaya river systems and numerous big and small streams.

The hilly terrain, endowed with dense tropical semi-evergreen forests, composes a unique ecological marvel in harbouring the genetic diversity. The flora and fauna here is interesting as it represents Himalayan as well as peninsular Deccan Plateau species. Because of unsustainable anthropogenic activities in the area the population of wildlife including elephants and big cats is on the decline. Many of the plant and animal species here find their place in the IUCN Red Data Book as Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered and Rare. Over a period of time many more species may add to the list, it is feared. In view of the fact that the ecosystem is yet potent in sustaining wildlife in the wild, immediate intervention is needed for its eco-restoration.

The hill complex is the natural habitat of the tribes including the primitive Lanjia saura, Sudha saura and Bhima saura. The other tribes include Kondh, Gond, Santal and Kolh. Their livelihood security is intricately linked to the biodiversity and other local natural resources of the hill complex.

Govt plans to make state waste-free by 2025: CM

Chief ministerPinarayi Vijayanhas said that the government plans to make the state waste-free by 2025. To achieve the goal, a comprehensive programme to improve waste collection, treatment and disposal would be implemented, he said.

The CM said that the programme would be implemented in a phased manner and incentives and awards would be given for best performing local bodies at each level.

The CM said that the Global Expo would help create new perspectives and awareness about waste management. He said that toilet waste treatment plants would be constructed in all districts and joint efforts of local self-government bodies are required for timely completion of the project. The chief minister also released a book titled Putting Waste to Work, which explains the best waste management models being implemented in the state.

Over 300 drones registered in Tamil Nadu in two years

The state is on the fifth place in the country after Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka for registering drones.This hints that the private and the government agencies have started to use more drones

There has been an increase in the number of drones that were registered with unique identification numbers.In Tamil Nadu, 10 drones were only registered in 2021, this increased to 328 in 2022, as per a written reply presented in the .

There is a tremendous increase in the number of registrations after the union government brought out a drone policy and also specified a map for different cities demarcating the areas where drones could be operated with or without permission.

The interest was quite low in 2021 with only less than 30-40 registrations across the country, but this has shot up in 2022.

Delhi tops the states with 1,263 drones registered in the last two years.The written reply said that 5,335 drones were registered in the country as of December 14 this year.

Centre approves revised Kalasa project: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai

Months before the Karnataka assembly polls, the Centre has approved a modified detailed project report (DPR) of the Kalasa-Banduri Nala drinking water project, which was one of the key poll promises made by BJP during the 2018 assembly election, report Sandeep Moudgal & Gururaj Jamkhandi.

The project report was approved despite objections from Goa. “This is PM Narendra Modi’s gift to North Karnataka and this sweet news has come during the legislature session in Belagavi,”Bommaiinformed the assembly hours before the winter session wound up on Thursday. The project had been hanging fire for long, with agitations seeking early implementation going on for at least four decades.

Bring Telangana act on crime in Delhi: LG Vinai Kumar Saxena

To effectively control organised crimes such as snatching, land grabbing, online and gaming offences and white-collar financial frauds, lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has proposed to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to extend Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1986 to the national capital.

Delhi Police, which reports to the ministry via the LG, sought the extension this June, citing a need for stringent legislation for prevention and effective control of criminal activities such as bootlegging, land grabbing, snatching, robbery, arms running, sale of drugs, gambling and sexual offences, particularly by repeat offenders

Over 100 big industries with Rs 46,000 crore worth investments set shop in Andhra Pradesh in last 3 years

The AP government has bagged several big-ticket projects in the last three years. As many as 107 large and mega industries commenced commercial production with a committed investment of 46,002 crore since 2019.

Nearly 1,06,249 MSME units (35,181 manufacturing units and 71,068 service units) were established in the state in the last three years at an investment of 14,656 crore (9,742 crore for manufacturing units and 4,914 crore for service units).

These units provided employment to 7,22,092 people, according to official statistics.

Another 57 projects are under implementation with a committed investment of 91,243 crore and a potential to create employment to 1,09,307 people, officials said. In fact, four central public sector undertakings (PSUs) are going for expansion with a committed investment of 1,06,800 crore in the state. The PSU expansions are expected to create employment for 79,200 people.

Goa ready to host Konkani convention

Goa is ready to host the VishwaKonkaniSammelan or Global Konkani Convention, which aims to bring together all Konkani-speaking people across the globe, under one roof.

He was addressing the gathering, after unveiling the brass statue of founder of World Konkani Centre, late Basti Vaman Shenoy, on Wednesday. He also inaugurated other facilities at the centre atShakthi Nagar, on the occasion.

He said that Konkani-speaking people fled to coastal Karnataka and Kerala, when the Portuguese started conversions

Maharashtra University of Health Sciences signs pact to set up search portal using Harvard tech

The Nashik-basedMaharashtra University of Health Sciences(MUHS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the data science department of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, for developing a search portal on diseases and their patterns.

This year, the plan is to create a search-portal using 12B2 analytical tool developed by Harvard Medical School which will be made available to MUHS and teaching hospitals free of cost. We will conduct joint training programmes for capacity building at Nashik Civil Hospital, and workshops to train our faculty students and staff to use the portal. Projects for health-quality improvement and research, using the portal, will also be undertaken,Dr Madhuri Kanitkar, vice-chancellor, MUHS, said.

Govt working with vision of maximum governance minimum government, says Hry CM

After unfurling the National Flag during the 74th Republic Day celebrations in Yamunanagar, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that in the last more than eight years, the state government has done the work of instilling new hope among its citizens by bringing radical changes in the system while working with a new vision of maximum governance minimum government.

Sending a strong and clear message to those who call Manohar Sarkar a government of portals, the Chief Minister said, We have ensured the maximum use of IT in governance so as to minimize human intervention. The result of this is that today people are getting government services, schemes and other benefits at their doorstep.

Our government is often called the government of portals. I am proud of being called the government of portals, through these portals we have introduced paperless and faceless governance in Haryana. During our tenure, we have launched more than 100 apps and portals that have ensured transparency in the distribution of benefits of schemes and services. Now every eligible person is getting their benefits, while the ineligible ones are being identified, said Khtattar.

He said that it is only because of the portal system that today the benefits of Shagun Yojna, old age pension, and scholarships of students are being directly reached to the accounts of the beneficiaries with just one click.

The subsidy to the farmers for buying fertilizer, seed, machinery subsidy, crop compensation, and crop purchase money is also being directly transferred into the accounts of the farmers. Besides this, it is only because of these IT reforms that now the farmers do not have to make rounds of the offices of the Patwaris to get the Fard (Jamabandi) for their land. Now they can get the same with just one click. Youth wishing to go abroad can also upload the necessary documents online while sitting at home to get their passports, asserted Khattar.