23.12.21

Haryana faces urea shortage, farmers issue ultimatum

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With the main Rabi sowing period set to end in a month, aureacrisis seems to be brewing inHaryana. Though state Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture minister JP Dalal has claimed that the state boasts of ample stock of urea,farmersin his own Loharu assembly constituency in Bhiwani district who are forced to stand in long queues to get the fertilizer tell a different story.

In fact, the entire sowing season has been marred with the shortage of the crucial fertiliser while the government has been claiming that all is well. Farmers in Bhiwani have now given the agriculture minister an ultimatum, stating that if urea is not available by December 23, they will not allow him to enter his constituency and would launch a protest.

Urea is a source of nitrogen. According to Baljeet Singh Bhayan, an expert, nitrogen is the most important of the 16 nutrients since it boosts crop Growth. Urea is given first during the sowing period, followed by a 30-day interval till the first Irrigation.

Punjab CM, Cabinet meet Governor, demand nod for 12 Bills

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Faced with protests by contract staff and attack by the Opposition over delay in enactment of laws on important Bills passed by the Channi-led government, the Punjab Cabinet today met Governor Banwarilal Purohit, seeking his Consent to the Bills.

Among the 12 Bills pending for clearance are The Punjab Protection and Regularisation of Contractual Employees Bill and another allowing the to terminate and re-determine power tariff paid to private power Plants through power purchase agreements (PPAs).

HP CM: PM to dedicate developmental projects worth Rs 11,279 crore

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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate developmental projects worth Rs 11,279 crore to the people of the State in Mandi on December 27 on the occasion of completion of four years of the tenure of the present .

Thakur inaugurated the Eat Right Mela at the Dhalpur ground in District Kullu today and addressing the public meeting, he said that the Prime Minister would address a massive public meeting at Mandi on December 27. He said the PM would dedicate 111 MW capacity Sawra-Kuddu Hydro Electric Project to the people of the state at a cost of Rs. 2082 crore and would alsolay foundation stone of 148 meter high Renuka ji dam to be built on Giri river at a cost of Rs 6,700 crore.

The Chief Minister said the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone of 210 MW Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project of Rs.1811 crore in District Shimla and Kullu and 66 MW Dhaulasiddh Hydro Power Project to be constructed with an expenditure of Rs.688 crore. He said that this is the first time in the HISTORY of the State that development projects worth Rs. 11,279 crore are being dedicated to the people of Himachal Pradesh by any Prime Minister.

Overall ranking of UKhand in SS21 is poor, ULBs must work on efficient waste management for future challenges

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Releasing a detailed analytical report on Uttarakhand’s performance in the Swachh Survekshan 2021 (SS21), the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation articulated that the state has performed poorly at the national level in the survey and (ULBs) must bring systematic changes in Waste Management to improve the rankings in SS22 and tackle other upcoming waste-centric challenges in future.

According to the report, the general performance of the state in various categories like Citizens Voice, Service Level Progress, Garbage Free Cities and Open Defecation Free (ODF) are far lower than the national Average. Uttarakhand got 1,531 scores out of 6,000 points in SS21 and the national average score is 2,072 that clearly shows the states overall poor performance in the survey at the national level. The report mentioned that though Dehradun has become the first city in the state with 82nd position to rank in the top 100 cities in the 1-10 lakh Population category, it should be noted that this position was achieved only amongst 369 cities and not amongst 4,320 cities that participated in SS21. Dehradun ranked 375 amongst these 4,320 cities. Such misunderstandings must not mislead people about the current sanitation situation of the cities across the state as it can be fatal for future sanitation efforts.

According to the report, the state generates annual waste of over 125 crore kilogramme excluding the waste generated by pilgrims and tourists and this quantity will certainly increase with the increasing footfalls of tourists when the projects like Delhi Dehradun economic corridor and the Char Dham All weather Road will get completed. According to the recommendations in the report, the ULBs first need to address the shortcomings found in SS21 and make efforts to improve the conditions irrespective of rankings attained in the survey. The administration should also implement policies like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and tourism policy to facilitate waste management besides adopting sustainable waste management practices as the current system is inefficient and poses a consistent risk to public Health, the Environment and the economy.

Yogi directive to set up a drone manufacturing unit

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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to prepare a concrete action plan for setting up a drone manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh and also directed them to chalk out plans to compile the rich HISTORY of villages and cities of the state.

Yogi also directed the officials to chart rules and regulations on the use of drones.

Meanwhile, in a bid to document the rich mythological, historical and cultural history of cities and village panchayats across the state, the chief minister sought compilation of data in this connection and directed the Urban and Rural Development departments to chalk out plans to celebrate ‘Gram Diwas’ and ‘Nagar Diwas’ respectively on lines of Uttar Pradesh Day.

Jharkhand, 3rd state to pass anti-lynching bill in country

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After West Bengal and Rajasthan,Jharkhandbecame the third state in the country to pass a bill for preventing mob lynching incidents.

On Tuesday, the state assembly passed the Jharkhand (Prevention of Violence and Mob Lynching) Bill of 2021. The bill was introduced on the penultimate day of the ongoing winter session and was passed within an hour without any major amendments and debates.
Chief ministerHemant Sorensaid the bill was introduced to ensure an Environment of harmony and peaceful existence among all communities in the state and punish the anti-social Elements who attempt to disturb it.

The draft bill proposes that in case of a lynching victims death, the guilty will be imprisoned for life and will have to pay a penalty of Rs 5 lakh (penalty can go up to Rs 25 lakh).
In case of minor injuries, the guilty will be imprisoned for three years with a maximum fine of Rs 3 lakh. In case of grievous injuries to the victim, the guilty will be punished with life imprisonment (or 10) years with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh.

Bihar checks readiness of oxygen plants

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Ahead of theOmicronthreat looming over the country, the state conducted a mock drill of allpressure swing adsorption(PSA) Plants in Bihar to ensure their functionality and readiness to provide Oxygen in the event of an emergency.

The state can now produce over 490 metric tonnes of oxygen per day through a variety of techniques.

In response to a question about Bihars oxygen-generating capacity, Singh stated, According to a calculation conducted on December 6, the states oxygen-generating capacity was 489 metric tonnes per day. During the peak of the second wave, 377 metric tonnes were required. Now, if we add 30% to that, we will require 490 metric tonnes. We added two more PSAs following the December 6 calculation, and it is certain that we have now exceeded 490 metric tonne capacity.

Singh added that 62 of the PSA plants were established under the PM CARES Fund, 10 by public sector units under the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, and the remaining 55 were set up by the and other organisations, including a couple by individuals.

BARC to transfer technology for food irradiation parks

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The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) has agreed on technology transfer for establishing food irradiation parks and power generation from biogas in the government sector in Chhattisgarh.

Irradiation processing of food involves controlled application of energy from ionizing radiations such as gamma rays, electrons and X-rays for food preservation.

Irradiation works by disrupting the biological processes that lead to decay. In their interaction with water and other Molecules that make up food and living organisms, radiation energy is absorbed by the molecules they contact.

The interaction of radiation and radiolytic products of water with DNA impair reproducing capacity of microorganism and insects as well as the ability of food grain and vegetables to sprout.

Annual intake of IMFL increased by 23 percent in MP

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The annual intake of the Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) in Madhya Pradesh has increased by 23 per cent in the past one decade, while the consumption of beer has gone up by 14 per cent, Madhya Pradesh excise minister Jagdish Devda said in the state assembly.

He submitted a written reply in the House on Tuesday to a question raised by Congress legislator Jitu Patwari, who had asked about the status of liquor consumption in Madhya Pradesh between 2010-11 and 2020-21. In the reply, the minister stated that the annual intake of IMFL rose to 420.65 lakh proof litres in 2020-21, registering an increase of 23.05 per cent, as compared to 341.86 lakh proof litres in 2010-11.

The intake of country liquor during this period (decade) went up by 8.52 per cent to 899.16 lakh proof litres from 828.59 lakh proof litres in 2010-11, he said. Also, the consumption of beer in the state went up by 14.19 per cent to 840.77 lakh bulk litres in 2020-21 from 736.27 lakh bulk litres in 2010-11, the minister informed.

During the decade, the highest consumption of country liquor was recorded in 2015-16 at 1,170.52 lakh proof litres, he said in the reply. The highest intake of IMFL was recorded in 2019-20, when 583.48 lakh proof litres were sold. In the same year, the beer intake was the highest at 1,099.67 lakh bulk litres during this decade, he added. The minister also informed that there was no liquor ban proposal pending before the .

Gujarat government to observe Nadi Utsav

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In a bid to conserve rivers, the willobserve Nadi Utsavfrom December 26 to 30, with various programmes being planned on the banks of major rivers of the state. The government will also take up a drive to clean rivers in the last week of the month.

Chief minister Bhupendra Patel will flag off the state-wide river conservation programme at a function to be organised on the banks of the Tapi in Surat on December 26, government spokesperson JituVaghaniinformed on Wednesday. A number of programmes including marathons, aartis and debates will be held on the banks of the Sabarmati, Narmada and Tapi. The government will pay its respects to rivers that are the lifeline of our people, the minister said.

The state government will observe December 25 the birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Governance“>Good Governance Day and a number of functions will be organized through the week in different districts, Vaghani said.