The transit project, spanning 882.21 km, was launched in April, 2008 by the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government as part of the ‘Look East’ (now Act East) policy.
The route, which was initially scheduled to be completed by 2014, will bring the NE region closer to Kolkata by half the existing distance. Of the 87.51 km stretch of the project to be constructed within Mizoram, 84.19 km has been completed so far.
24.11.21
Black rice cultivation brings hope to Assams tribal farmers
Blackricevarieties brought from Manipur and Odisha toAssamhave infused new hope among tribal farmers in Goalpara district of Assam.
Veteran farmerUpendra Rabhafrom Goalpara, known for popularizing the black rice variety in lower Assam has been roped in by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to promote the premium varieties of black rice that have the potential to give international market linkage to the farmers of Assam. Ravaged by elephants every year, the black rice varieties have been planted under the World Bank-supported Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART), implemented by the state agricultural department. This aims to give relief to the farmers with high returns even from lesser yield.
Branded under the name,Upendra RiceI, the variety has already been supplied to the markets of Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Rabha received one kg black rice seed sample from a Rajasthan agricultural fair through theKrishi Vigyan Kendra, Goalpara, several years back but only one seed germinated. He did not lose hope. From one seed, the variety later became the popular Upendra Rice I and it has spread to several districts of Assam, Rabha said. This year, he claimed Upendra Rice II and III, evolved from Upendra Rice I, have been distributed to local farmers.
The seeds were sown on a total area of 17.6 bighas of land comprising Manipuri black rice on 10 bigha, Kalavati on 3.6 bigha and Kalamalifula on 4.0 bigha. The crop is expected to be harvested in the next one week.
Odisha electronics policy granted cabinet approval
The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the maidenOdisha Electronics Policy2021 to promote the development of the electronics and electronics manufacturing sector.
The policy has been conceptualised to positionOdishaas an attractive destination for the electronics industry by providing a congenial, industry-friendly and proactive industrial climate with class-leading infrastructure, supporting facilities and policy initiatives, said state electronics and IT secretary Manoj Mishra.
The policy aims to promote innovation in the electronics sector and augment availability of skilled manpower with focus on fostering a culture of research, innovation and entrepreneurship by building an ecosystem of interlinked academia, industry and professional leaders and to ensure growth of micro, small and medium enterprises, said Mishra.
The policy also offers incentives in other areas like power, land, assistance to women entrepreneurs and persons with disabilities and incentives for local enterprises. Others benefits assured by the policy include green and self-power generating incentive and reimbursement of state GST.
The 20th edition of Connect 2021 In Chennai
In Chennai, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will host the 20th edition of ‘Connect 2021.’
Highlights:
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will hold its flagship event, Connect 2021, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from November 26 to 27.
Connect is an international information and communication technology conference and expo (ICT).
“Building a Sustainable Deep T’ech’N’ology Ecosystem” is the theme of the conference.
The goal of ‘Connect 2021’ is to increase the state’s GDP to $1 billion by 2030.
All govt hospitals will come under ehealth project: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Chief ministerPinarayi Vijayanhas said with theehealth projectbeing implemented in all thegovernment hospitals, a queue management system will be introduced to avoid crowding at the OPs.
He said at present it has been implemented in 311 hospitals where this queue management system has been set up. The people can take the appointments of the doctors through the ehealth portal and it will also be easy for the doctors to refer patients to other hospitals. All the health records of the patients can be accessed by the treating doctors sitting in any of the government hospital.
The aim is to provide electronic health card to each individual in the state. This card will store the health data of a person right from birth to death. By networking all the hospitals, the details stored in this electronic health card can be assessed by the doctors from any hospital.
Vijayan said the government has given sanction to launch the ehealth programme in 349 more hospitals. In the last five years, Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned by the government for implementing this programme. Of the total 1,284 hospitals, 707 hospitals will have this facility in the near future.
Karnataka govt forms task force to develop R&D policy
The state government has formed a task force to develop the state’s research and development policy. AshokShettar, the vice-chancellor ofKLE Technological University, will lead the task force as its chairman.
The task force is made up of 13 people from various walks of life, including industrialists, educationalists, and scientists.
He said that science, technology and innovation are key drivers for development of society as well as economic growth. “Innovation comes from research, so, for us to progress as a state our own R&D policy is important. Our main focus is to make Karnataka a global R&D hub,” said Shettar.
Over 3 crore voters in Telangana
Telanganahas added 22 lakh new voters in the last seven years. As on date, there are over three crore electors in Telangana compared to 2.81 crore when elections were held to the assembly in April 2014.
And, the numbers of voters are expected to increase after the special summary revision of electoral rolls is completed and the final voters list is published in 2022. Though the latest population census is yet to be conducted, it is estimated that the total population in Telangana has gone up to four crore from 3.50 crore in 2011.
As per the draft electoral rolls published earlier this month, Telangana has 3,03,56,665 electors of which 1,52,57,690 are males and 1,50,97,292 females.
Of the total voters in the state, there are 1,683 transgenders and 14,501 service voters. More importantly, there are over five lakh voters under the category of persons with disabilities (PWD).
A special summary revision (SSR) of the photo electoral rolls, 2022, was announced in Telangana from November 1, with January 1, 2022 as the qualifying date for enrolment, as per the instruction of theElection Commission of India(ECI). The final publication of electoral rolls would be on January 5, 2022.
Best Marine State Award Won By Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh wins the award for Best Marine State in the country by the Department of Fisheries.
Highlights:
The Department of Fisheries has rated Andhra Pradesh the greatest marine state in the country.
On the occasion of World Fisheries Day on November 21, 2021, the Department of Fisheries, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, recognised top-performing States for 2021-22 to recognise their achievements in the area and commitment to the sector’s growth.
Goa gets cleaner, rises to 3rd position
Goa notched up an impressive performance in the nationwideSwachh Survekshan 2021 cleanliness survey, climbing up the ranks to the third position among 14 states that have less than 100 urban local bodies.
Jharkhand continued to top the list, followed by Haryana. Goa was in the seventh position in the 2020 edition of Swachh Survekshan.
The state capital, Panaji, improved its rank marginally, climbing to 208 of the 304 cities with a population between 25,000 and 50,000. Panaji was placed at 213 in the 2020 edition of the nationwide exercise. Mapusa also made it to 238 among the 304 cities.
The ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) organised the Swachh Amrit Mahotsav as part of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, in order to recognise the good work done by states and cities.
Pune university plans cell to implement NEP
The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) will form a cell to decide the strategy for implementation of theNew Education Policy(NEP) and its mandates in the university and its affiliated colleges as per the guidelines of theUniversity Grants Commission.
The university will decide upon an academic credit bank, incorporating 40% courses from Swayam platform, introducing degrees based on experiential learning among others as laid down in the policy.
The UGC has suggested that the universities and higher education institutions to start implementing the quality mandate under the NEP which included empowering graduates with vital skills requisite for global employment and successful life, orientation to new students through student induction programme, social responsibility and community engagement, industry-academic linkage, development cell and start up incubation centre, friendly campus for the physically challenged, translation of books / course materials for degree programme in Indian languages among others.