17.02.22

Tap water for every village by 24: Sarma

by

Chief minister Himanta BiswaSarma said the state government is committed to implement Prime MinisterNarendra Modis vision of providing clean tap water to all rural households inAssamby 2024 under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

He said to boost the mission in Assam, all the implementing agencies should work in total synergy to bring the remaining 43 lakh households under this flagship scheme. Under the JJM, the water supply scheme will be put in place in every village in the state.

On the need of literature to provide knowledge to every stakeholder on the operation and sustenance of the mission, Sarma asked the implementing departments to publish a handbook.

Govt readies textile park proposal

by

The state government is readying a proposal for the establishment of a textile park inOdishawith the Centre having approved seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) parks for the development of the textile sector in the country.
The Centre has planned to invest around Rs 4,445 crore by 2027-28 to develop these parks with world-class infrastructure, including plug-and-play facility for investors in the sector. The Centre has asked the state governments to send their proposals for the establishment of textile parks under PM MITRA by March 15.

The state-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) has roped in consultancy firm,Grant Thornton, to prepare the preliminary project report (PPR) seeking setting up of the park. It has engaged the industries department as the nodal agency for the purpose.
The state government has identified around 1,000 acres at Neulopoi near Dhenkanal for a greenfield textile park under the PM MITRA Scheme.

The state government source said it is ready to hand over the 1,000 acres of land at a nominal rate to the special purpose vehicle (SPV), to be formed for the development of the textile park.
Under the PM-MITRA, the Centre assures capital support of Rs 500 crore or 30% of the project cost (whichever is highest) for developing common infrastructure in the proposed textile park.
Considering Odishas huge potential for growth of the textile industry, the state government has listed the textile and apparel sector as one of the six focus sectors to draw investments.
Odisha also has skilled manpower in the textile and apparel sectors. The state produces several varieties of saris while some of them are popular globally. It has also proposed to set up cotton processing, spinning and weaving, textile and garment plants to draw investment in the sector.

Tamil Nadu wants Centre to notify 13 wetlands as Ramsar sites

by

TheTamil Nadugovernment has sent a proposal to the Union government to designate 13 potential wetlands of international significance in the state asRamsarsite, Madras high court was informed on Thursday.

A Ramsar site is a wetland designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention established by UNESCO. India is also a signatory to the convention.

The proposal has been made as part of the Tamil Nadu wetlands Mission with a sole purpose of promoting the wise use of wetlands for creating more livelihood opportunities for the local communities, additional advocate-general J Ravindran said.

KSIDC and IISER to set up laboratory animal centre

by

TheKerala State Industrial Development Corporation(KSIDC) has joined hands withIndian Institute of Science Educationand Research (IISER), to set up a state-of-the-art laboratory animal centre that will provide preclinical grade animals and research support for companies setting up research and development facilities at theLife Sciences Parkand also for the academia of the state.

The KSIDC has entered into a MoU with IISER, which is an autonomous institution under theunion ministry of human resource development, to set up the facility by improving its existing facility, which is a very capital intensive initiative and which also needs to follow various guidelines and protocols for its operation and management. The KSIDC will grant Rs 6.32 crore to IISER.

The MoU with KSIDC would facilitate the supply of specific pathogen-free small animals to companies and firms being set up in Life Sciences Park for undertaking research, both academic and clinical, and pre-clinical trials as part of research in the bio-pharma domain.

Karnataka government rules out rollback of APMC law

by

The state government has decided not to repeal the amendment toKarnatakaAPMC law even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced last year that the Centre would repeal the three contentious farm laws.

Several farmers bodies had launched protests and laid siege toVidhana Soudhademanding a rollback of theAPMClaw.

The state will continue with Karnataka Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Act, 2020 that curtails the powers of local APMCs and allows farmers to sell their produce outside APMC premises.

In May 2020, the state government had promulgated an ordinance to amend APMC (Regulation and Development) Act that envisaged opening up the agricultural market, after the Centre suggested it adopt the Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017. The amendment was enacted in January 2021.

Centre seeks report on Andhra, Telangana power utility dues

by

The Centre has asked AP andTelanganagovernments to submit reports regarding dues to power utilities. The Centre also directed the state governments to get comprehensive reports from key departments that were involved in disputes in order to resolve them.

A high-level committee headed by Union joint secretary in the home ministry, Ashish Kumar, held the first meeting on resolution of disputes between the Telugu states on Thursday. AP special chief secretary (finance), S S Rawat, and Telangana special chief secretary (finance), K Ramakrishna Rao, attended the session held in virtual mode from New Delhi.

It is learnt that Telangana special chief secretary said that AP had to pay dues to Telangana. AP had also demanded the Centre to amend the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 to remove the anomalies in the tax division between both the states.

Pasuvula Panduga Cattle Festival

by

Pasuvula Panduga is a cattle festival that is observed annually during Kanuma (3rdday of the Sankranthi Festival), to appease the gods for improving and protecting livestock. This festival is held in the Rangampet village of Andhra Pradesh. Around 30 people were injured during the recently held festival with the police booking several cases against the organizers.

Before the start of this event, the cows and bulls are colourfully decorated with trophies being attached to the horns. After that, the animals are forced to go through the narrow road leading to the fields, with villagers on either side.

The purpose of this sport is to snatch the trophies from the horns of the cattle as it runs via the snaky path of the village. At times money ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 is also tied to the horns with a winner takes it all policy. Organizers provide all the prizes that are attached to the horns of the cattle.

Mumbai Water Taxi

by

The water taxi service between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The Belapur Jetty project began in January 2019 and was wrapped up in September 2021. This project, which was funded under the Sagarmala program, cost a total of Rs. 8.37 crore.

The newly inaugurated waterway will connect the water taxi service, with Belapur, Nerul, and Elephanta Islands. For the first time, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai will be linked by dependable and fast transportation services, which will help to cut travel time.

About Water Taxi

A water bus or water taxi is a type of watercraft that is used to provide private or public transportation in urban areas. Service may be planned with multiple stops, similar to a bus, or available on-demand to many locations, similar to a taxi. The first known water taxi service began operating around the area which later became known as Manchester, England.

Bolster industrial competitiveness: Assocham to Hry

by

The trade body AssochamsHaryanaState Development Council has submitted a memorandum to Haryana government, suggesting enhancement of competitiveness and sustainable industrial growth. These suggestions were made byAssochamduring the pre-budget meeting preceding the state budget with the chief minister of Haryana.
The memorandum was submitted by Assocham to bolster the industrial competitiveness in areas like skill development,MSME, infrastructure and tourism.

Lot of efforts, allocations & schemes have been made by the Centre and state for MSME upliftment. ButUdyamregistration of just 11% at India level and 23% at state level is an indicator of MSME indifference & reluctance towards availment. Simplistic digital mobile-based ecosystem is the need of the hour.

Govts new proposal for sale of liquor in state draws flak

by

The retail liquor sellers ofJharkhandhave urged the Hemant Soren government to scrap its plan of taking over the liquor sales in the state.

The Jharkhand Khudra Sharaab Vikreta Sangh (JKSVS), the umbrella organisation of 1,400 retail liquor sellers in the state, has handed over a memorandum to chief secretarySukhdev Singh, citing that the government should learn from the bitter experiences of controlling retail sales between 2017 and 2019.

The state excise and prohibitions department roped in theChhattisgarhState Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) earlier this month in a bid to boost the gross annual revenue through liquor sales. CSMCL has been tasked with preparing a roadmap for the states target of grossing Rs 2,300 crore in revenue in the upcoming financial year.

Jharkhand has grossed revenue of Rs 1,900 crore through liquor sales in the ongoing year while Kerala, with nearly the same population as Jharkhand, has grossed nearly Rs 14,000 crore. Chhattisgarh has grossed Rs 5,000 crore in the ongoing year despite having a population of 2.5 crore, as per CSMCLs draft report.