26.06.21

o facilitate transportation of farm produce to the mandis, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday approved Rs 1122 crore for repair of 8198 km link roads and directed the Mandi Board to complete the project by March 31, 2022.

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The Chief Minister ordered the allocation as part of the Link Road Repair Programme 2021-22 (Phase-IV), aimed at strengthening rural in the state.

It may be recalled that the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Government had, immediately after assuming office in March 2017, given approval to the Mandi Board for undertaking repair of the link roads in 12,581 villages across the State, to provide easy access to the farmers for selling their crops in 1872 mandis. As per the state policy, link roads become due for repair after every six years.

Giving details of the link roads or culverts and bridges constructed since April 2017, the Mandi Board secretary Ravi Bhagat said that of total length of link roads of 64,878 km in the State, repair or upgradation of 34,977 Km link roads had been successfully completed in three phases, at a cost of Rs 4,112 crore.

In addition, 1,507 culverts or bridges are being upgraded at a cost of Rs 389 crore. Of these, the upgradation work has been implanted on 966 culverts or bridges.

The maximum power demand in the state has touched 14,225 MW this year, which is 1,425 MW short of the 12,800 MW that the PSPCL has been able to provide. The average shortfall during evening peak hours is 725 MW.

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While the state has its own generation of about 5,500 MW from various sources, including solar, it can import a maximum of 7,300 MW from the northern grid.

Presently, Pspcl is receiving as much as 3,864 MW from the central sector, while it is purchasing 2195 MW from sources outside the state, 1192 MW from Banking. Besides, 950 MW is generated from Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), 1320 MW from Nabha Power Limited (NPL), 492 MW from Goindwal Sahib Power Plant; 579 MW from Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant (GGSSTPP)-Ropar, 844 MW from Guru Hargobind Thermal Power Plant Lehra Mohabbat (Bathinda).

PSPCL is also getting power from hydro stations, including 410 MW from Ranjit Sagar Dam, 110 MW from Shanan Power House (in Himachal Pradesh), 83 MW from Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) Hydroelectric Power Station, 179 MW from Mukerian Hydroelectric Project (Hoshiarpur), 120 MW from Anandpur Sahib Hydel Project. In addition, 398 MW is generated from solar, and 74 MW (Biomass).

Punjab is highly dependent on the private players. The thermal power generation in the state is 1,000 lakh units, comprising 325 lakh units by state sector thermal Plants and 675 lakh units by the private sector. There is a breakdown in one of the units at the Ropar plant, while a 660-MW unit at the Talwandi Sabo plant has been out of operation since March 8.

Hydel supply to the state is 223 lakh units of which the Bhakra dam project supplies about 75 lakh units.

Efforts on to make Himachal natural farming state

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The is promoting natural farming in a big way so as to double the income of the farmers by end of 2022, said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur while addressing the National Webinar on Realization of Mission Natural Farming among Smallholders.

Thakur said to promote natural farming in the state, the government was implementing the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana. He said that this would not only boost the yield of the crops but also reduce farming inputs. He said that Subhash Palekar Natural Farming was emerging as favourite for agricultural practices to reduce farmers direct cost while boosting the yield and farm Health through the use of non-synthetic inputs sourced locally.

He said 9.61 lakh farmers of the state were being encouraged to adopt natural farming so that Himachal could become a natural farming state of the country. As many as 1.28 lakh farmers have already been trained in natural farming and were motivating others to adopt the same.

The CM said the land holdings in the state were limited and most of the farmers fall under small and marginal categories. Natural farming not only gave a better yield but also fetched a good price to farmers. He said that the government was also endeavoring to evolve a mechanism for the certification of natural products so that they could fetch better prices.

Uttarakhand Minister Bishan Singh Chufal on Friday made a strong pitch for the inclusion of the Gangas tributaries in the Namami Gange project, saying 100 per cent cleaning of the river is not possible until its tributaries are also cleaned.

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He said other Himalayan rivers flowing through the State like the Kali, Gaula and Rispana should also be treated as Gangas tributaries because all of them merge in it at one point or the other.

He said Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat responded positively to his suggestions and assured that the tributaries would be incorporated into future projects.

The Namami Gange programme is an integrated conservation mission, approved by the Union Government in June 2014, to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganga river.

Uttar Pradesh bags best state award in Smart Cities contest

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:Uttar Pradeshbagged the first position among states in the India Smart Cities Award contest. In the second round cities, Agra got the first and Varanasi the third position.

Besides, Varanasi got the first position under the theme ‘water’ for eco-restoration of Assi river and ‘Innovation Award’ forCovidinnovation. Besides, Varanasi got the second position in the smart cities’ city Leadership category.

This is the first time that states are being awarded under the smart cities mission. Madhya Pradesh bagged second position while Nadu grabbed third place.

UP was given the first prize among the states for taking up development of seven cities under the state smart cities scheme, which are Meerut, Ghaziabad,Ayodhya, Firozabad,Gorakhpur, Mathura-Vrindavan and Saharanpur. State Government has implemented a statesmart cityscheme in seven municipal corporations on the lines of the central scheme. CMYogi Adityanathtweeted that it was under the guidance of the Prime Minister and because of the committed effort of the UP government that the state has got the first position in the Indian Smart Cities Award contest.

Under the theme `economy‘, Agra won the award for the micro Skill development centre. Saharanpur got the first position for Covid innovation in the fourth round. Urban development minister Ashutosh Tandon said that it has been made possible because of the continuing guidance and review by the chief minister.

Deoghar airport is likely to be operational from September as the Union Civil Aviation Ministry is chalking out a plan for the formal inauguration of the airport on September 17 coinciding with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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This airport is being jointly developed by the Authority of India (AAI), DEFENCE Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Jharkhand government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of this airport on May 25, 2018.

Spread over 653.75 acres of land the project cost of this airport is Rs 401.34 crore. Its terminal building is being built over an area of 4,000sqm whereas the runway is 2,500 metres long.

Investment proposals worth Rs 528 crore for Nalanda: Minister

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Bihars industries minister Shahnawaz Hussain on Sunday said his department recently receivedinvestment proposals worthRs528 crore for setting up industries in district.

Giving information about the outcome of the Mukhyamantri SC/ST Udyami Yojana, the minister said so far 5,100 beneficiaries have been selected out of which 3,732 got the first instalment of the financial assistance. Under this Scheme, total 1,418 beneficiaries have started operations after setting up industries.

Under the Mukhyamantri EBCs Udyami Yojana, 1,918 beneficiaries have been selected so far, out of which 1,266 received their first instalment of the financial assistance. Altogether 576 beneficiaries have been given first and the second instalments.

The minister further said the industries department has introduced effective schemes for promoting Entrepreneurship among all classes of the Society, including Women and youth, even the transgenders.

He said the Mukhyamantri SC/ST/EBCs Udyami Yojana had already been implemented. CM Nitish Kumar recently launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyami Yojana and the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Yojana exclusively for developing entrepreneurship skills among women and youths, respectively.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel virtually launched works worth Rs 25.80 crores to increase the number of tigers in the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. This happened at a meeting here of the Chhattisgarh State Wildlife Board held under the chairmanship of Baghel. The Chief Minister laid special emphasis on the safe habitat of wildlife. He gave instructions to ensure adequate food, water and fodder for wild animals in the forests, an official communication said. Forest and Climate Change Minister Mohammad Akbar, Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey, School Education Minister Dr. Premsai Singh Tekam and Industries Minister Kawasi Lakhma were among those who attended the meeting.

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Various proposals related to conservation and promotion of wildlife were approved at the meeting. The discussions covered Guru Ghasidas , Tamor Pingula Sanctuary,

Gomarda Sanctuary, Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, Tamor Pingla Sanctuary, Indravati Tiger Reserve, Kanker Valley National Park and Bhoramdev Sanctuary.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a one-to-one discussion with Water Resources Minister Tulsi Silawat and Tourism and Culture Minister Usha Thakur at Mantralaya.

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During discussion with Chief Minister Chouhan, Resources“>Water Resources Minister Tulsi Silawat told that the area under Irrigation in M.P. will be increased from 35 lakh hectare to 41 lakh hectare in the next four years. The work is being done at full speed on the resolve of the to make Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture a profitable business.

Silawat thanked Chief Minister Chouhan for the Ken-Betwa project. This project will change the picture of Bundelkhand region. Silawat expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Chouhan for the achievements of M.P. in Covid control, vaccination and smart city Awards in the state.

Gujarat: Charging stations key to electric vehicles push

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The FAME2 portal onelectric vehiclesin India indicates the presence of 1,319 e-vehicles inGujaratof the total 77,511 in India. Out of the total, the share of two-wheelers and three-wheelers was very high. As the state unveiled the electric vehicle policy on Tuesday, experts pointed tocharging stationsas a crucial part of converting commuters to e-mobility.

According to the state policy, the FAME Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India scheme had approved 278 charging stations for Gujarat. Thats among the highest in the country according to the electric vehicle (EV) sector experts. The CM, moreover, announced an increase of 250 more stations and a capital subsidy of 25% up to Rs 10 lakh for setting them up.

Charu Lata, lead consultant (electric mobility and clean energy access) of Delhi-based https://exam.pscnotes.com/natural-Resources“>Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), welcomed the policy.