15.07.21

Rural power consumers to pay 2% panchayat tax

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Power consumers in the rural areas of the state will finally shell out more, with the BJP-JJP government finally imposing 2% panchayat tax on the power bills of the consumers falling within the limits of the gram panchayats.

Over one and a half years after the Haryana Cabinet okayed the proposal, the Power Department has decided to implement the decision aimed at netting an amount of Rs 100-125 crore annually for rural development.

The blueprint for the implementation of the decision was chalked out at a recent meeting of the board of directors of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN).

Sources said it was decided at the meeting that the amount of the panchayat tax shall first be adjusted against the electricity bills of the respective gram panchayats. The balance amount would be refunded to the panchayats through the Power Department for development works in the rural areas.

Punjab to develop smart playgrounds in govt schools: Vijay Inder Singla

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Punjab government has decided to develop smart playgrounds in government schools, said Punjab School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla on Saturday.

In an official statement to the press, the Cabinet Minister said that the education department has approved a grant of Rs 9.10 crore for the development of smart playgrounds in primary and middle schools in the first round of smart playground project.

The cabinet minister said that apart from introducing new initiatives and reforms, their government has also ensured transparency at every administrative step of . He said that more than 21,000 transfers have been made on the basis of Online Teacher Transfer policy which provides chances to the teachers to get transferred on better locations on the basis of their performance only. He added that the parents have also reposed trust in the government schools as around 5.5 lakh children have been shifted from private to government schools.

Kumarhatti’s MM hospital gets NABH accreditation

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Maharishi Markandeshwar (MM) Hospital, Kumarhatti, has received the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals accreditation, which is the highest body which monitors hospital quality and safety standards.

It is the second hospital in the state to attain this accreditation. MM medical college is the lone such college to get this accreditation in the state. It is a 810-bed tertiary care hospital providing Services in all specialties besides RT-PCR lab (accredited by NABL) and 24-hour emergency, besides intensive care units, 10 operation theatres and labour room services. The hospital also organizes regular Health camps in rural areas of Solan, Sirmour and Shimla districts.

Indias first cryptogamic garden opens in Uttarakhand

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Located at an altitude of over 8,850 feet atDeoban, nearly 99 kilometres fromDehradun, and spread over around three acres,Indias first cryptogamic gardenopened for tourists on Sunday. It houses almost 76 different species of cryptogams, a primitive plant species found since the Jurassic era. Cryptogams are considered among the best bioindicators, as they grow only at places without pollution and with ample moisture.

The garden has been developed in Deoban as it has a majestic pristine forest of Deodar and Oak trees, besides being pollution-free, said Sanjiv Chaturvedi, chief conservator of forests (research).

Notably, Uttarakhand is Home to 539 species of lichens, 346 species of algae, 478 species of bryophytes and 365 species of pteridophytes.

Hitherto famous across the country for its laddoos, Sandila township of Hardoi is well on its way to becoming a business hub as a number of Indian and multinational industrial houses have decided to set up their factories there.

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An official communiqu released in Lucknow said that major players like Pepsi, British Paints, Berger Paints, ITC Ltd., Haldiram’s and Webley & Scott have taken the initiative to set up their factories in Sandila.

Handgun biggie Webley & Scott’s world famous revolver is already being manufactured in Sandila and soon British Paints and Berger Paints will also start manufacturing their products which do not need any introduction. The release attributed the encouraging development to the Yogi Adityanath governments investor-friendly policies in the last four years that has acted as a Catalyst, making the industrial houses to head to Sandila.

The Uttar Pradesh government received Investment proposals worth over Rs 6,000 crore for setting up various industrial units in Sandila of which projects worth Rs 5,000 crore have already got off the ground. Webley & Scott has set up its plant, the maiden foreign arms manufacturing unit in UP, at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Similarly, Berger Paints Limited is setting up its factory on 35 acres of land at a cost of about Rs 850 crore. As per estimates, as many as 2,500 people will get EMPLOYMENT in the Berger Paints factory, which will start producing various types of paints by April, 2022.

Similarly, British Paints Limited, a well-known company of England, has also started construction of its unit on over 10 acres of UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) land at a cost of Rs 150 crore. A total of 600 people are expected to get employment in this factory, which is scheduled to start production next year.

Located about 60 kilometres away from Lucknow, Sandila failed to attract attention until the time Yogi Adityanath took over as chief minister of the state. But now big investors are seeking land from the UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) to set up their units in Sandila.

Other prominent investors that are setting up their Plants at Sandila include, Green Ply Company, Austin Plywood Company, Gang Industries Ltd, Varun Beverages Limited, ITC Limited, Hindustan Food Limited, Haldiram and pharmaceutical firm Swarup Chemicals.

Countrys largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has taken on the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and is well poised to deal with any further pandemic-induced disruptions. The Bank is on the recovery in the economy, as business activity has picked up.

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Sources said during the pandemic period the SBI has carried out various CSR activities such as donations of ventilators, PPE kits, masks, sanitisers, Oxygen concentrators, food distribution and other CSR activities. In retail Banking the bank has made doorstep banking, video account opening, positive pay system, SBI Kavach among others.

The bank has reached a large section of the rural Population with 75 per cent operation in rural areas.

Bihar Panchayati Raj Minister Samrat Chaudhary has said that the state government is going to introduce an Act under which a person having more than two children would not be entitled to contest Panchayat elections.

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Chaudharys statement came a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the new Population control policy would not help to check the population of the country. Population could be controlled only through Education and awareness of Women.

Bihar is the first state where such a law was introduced in the past. It has helped to control the birth rate in urban areas. As education is lacking in rural areas, such a law should be implemented there to check population.

CM Bhupesh Baghel releases book promoting state culture

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Chief ministerBhupesh Baghelreleased the book ‘Aani BaniKe Chhattisgarh’ published by the culture department at his residence office.

This book has been written by senior litterateur ArvindMishrain Chhattisgarhi and Hindi languages. Mishra said that this book take you on a trip to real Chhattisgarhits food, lifestyle and occupation.The book is also useful for new generation and students preparing for competitive exams. With the publication of this book, the recognition of Chhattisgarh will increase at the national level.

Food Minister Amarjeet Bhagat, state food and civil supplies corporation chairmanRam Gopal Agarwalwere among those present on the occasion.

Madhya Pradesh: Hallmarking of gold jewellery comes into effect in 8 districts

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Mandatoryhallmarkingof gold jewellery and artefacts has come into force in eight districts ofMadhya Pradeshin the first phase implementation. Though just around 20% jewellers in these districts have taken the hallmarking certificates, prompting theassociation of jewellersto demand better and hallmarking centres in every districts.

Gold hallmarking, a certification of purity of the yellow Metal, has come into force from June 16 inIndore, Bhopal, Dewas,Jabalpur, Rewa, Satna,GwaliorandRatlam, in the first phase.

According to the association, the eight districts where hallmarking is implemented has around 7,000 jewellers. Jewellers with an annual turnover of upto Rs40 lakh will be exempted from mandatory hall marking.

Government to prepare ecology data bank for talukas in Gujarat

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In an ambitious move, theGujarat ECOLOGY Commission(GEC) will be preparing one of the largest ecological and environmental data banks at the taluka level and even down to the village level.
Initially, 10talukashave been chosen for the exercise which will be extended to other ecologically vulnerable areas of the state. Ecological profiling is an exercise that documents rare and endemic species in a region.

At present, the GEC has invited expression of interest from interested agencies. The project was first mooted in 2008, mainly to prepare a comprehensive ecological profile of 49 talukas adjoining Gulf of Khambhat, Gulf of Kutch, SouthGujaratcoast and coastal areas of Saurashtra.