30.12.21

Assam amends cattle law, tightens slaughter rules

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TheAssamassembly passed several amendments to the four-month-old cattle preservation law that tightens slaughter guidelines but re-opens inter-district movement of cattle, except to districts bordering Bangladesh.

Cattle will now be allowed to be slaughtered only in a slaughter house duly licensed or recognized by the state and there will be no exemptions which the principal Act, Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, had provided. As per provisons of the the original Act, “the may exempt certain places of worship or certain occasions for slaughter of cattle other than calf, heifer andcowfor religious purposes.” This provision has now been omitted by the amendment.

The amended bill also empowers Police to seize and auction vehicles that were used to transport cattle illegally. The amendments also empower the police to enter the house of an accused and inspect, search and seize properties acquired in the last six years with Money earned from illegal cattle trade.

Odisha: Rape cases, robbery & suicides go up in Bhubaneswar

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Covid-induced lockdown and weekend shutdown didnt help contain crimes as rape, robbery, burglary, theft and swindling cases went up in the capital city during January-November this year than the corresponding 11 months in 2020. Suicide cases too saw an upward trend during the period.

As per the statistics shared by the commissionerate Police, rape cases increased by about 1.8%, robbery cases soared by 65%, burglary rose by 33.5%, theft cases increased by 12% and swindling cases witnessed a rise by 80% during the first 11 months this year as compared to the corresponding period last year.

The data showed around 21% rise in suicide cases in the capital city during January-November as compared to the corresponding period during the last year. While 229 persons had committed suicide during the time in 2020, the figure has climbed to 277 (190 male, 87 female) this year.

Tamil Nadu ranks second in Niti Aayogs health index

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Kerala, Nadu and Telangana emerged as the top three states in terms of overall performance according to theNITI Aayogs Health index, while Uttar Pradesh topped the table on incremental performance despite being at the bottom.

For the fourth consecutive round, Kerala emerged as the best performer in terms of overall performance. Among the smaller states,Mizoramemerged as the best performer in overall performance as well as incremental outcome.

Among Union territories (UTs), Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir ranked at the bottom in terms of overall performance but emerged as the leading performer in terms of incremental performance. Pollbound UP showed a marked improvement in its performance in most indicators. Among the larger states, UP registered the highest incremental change of 5.5 points from the Base Year (2018-19) to reference year (2019-20).

Centre concerned over high positivity rate in Kerala, Mizoram

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The Centre on Friday expressed concern over high positivity rate inKerala(6.1%) andMizoram(8.2%), even as the overall Average daily new cases in the country continue to remain below 7,000 and case positivity below 1% for the last two weeks.

The Centre also cautioned against lowering of guard and said the world is witnessing the fourth surge and and the overall positivity is 6.1% globally.

The government also emphasised on the need for effective containment at the district level and imposition of local restrictions by states wherever required, particularly during the festive season and in the wake of increasing Omicron cases.

Bengaluru Urban first district in Karnataka to clock 100% 2nd dose coverage

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Bengaluru Urban, excludingBBMP areas, has emerged as the first district inKarnatakato have fully vaccinated 100% of its target Population againstCovid-19.

The population of 10.3 lakh has been double jabbed, according to data with the state Health and family welfare department.

However, in first dose coverage, the district has gone beyond its target and reached 129%, as many migrant labourers, workers from Nadu and neighbouring districts of Kolar, BBMP and the floating population have taken Vaccines in the districts primary health centres. The district has administered first dose to 13.2 lakh persons.

The challenge now is to cover the remaining nearly 3 lakh persons who have taken the first shot in the district, with the second dose, said J Manjunath, deputy commissioner, Bengaluru Urban. He added the target was set based on the 2011 census and given that 10 years have passed, the data may not be accurate.

Telanganas low tenant landholding bodes well for crop shift plan

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Among top paddy cultivating states in the country,Telanganahas the second-lowest tenant landholding at 17.3%. The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has the largest tenant landholding at 42% in the country.

At a time when paddy cultivation and farm laws are being hotly debated in the country, data reveals that states with high paddy extent have a minimum of 22% tenant holding. The low figure in Telangana, according to experts, is a positive sign for the state, particularly as crop diversification is being considered.

As per the NSOs Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households, Land and Livestock Holdings In Rural India data, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Assam are the other top paddy producing states in the country.

Villagers in UP lock stray cattle in school over damaged crop

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Residents of a village in Shahjahanpur locked a large herd of stray cattle inside a primary school after the animals damaged standing wheat crop. They subsequently staged a protest and tried to stop the Police from releasing them, demanding shelter for the strays. Ten people were arrested in the incident. They were subsequently released after being given a warning.

The incident occurred in Lehrawar village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Jalalabad police station, near Shahjahanpur city. The cattle were discovered by school teachers inside classrooms. They subsequently called the police.

Karnataka institute to prepare forest working plans

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The state cabinet recently granted approval to the Bengaluru-basedInstituteof Wood Science and Technology (IWST) toprepareaworkingplan for North and South Goaforestdivisions. The plan will help evaluate the status of forests and Resources within a forest division, assess the impact of past management practices and help decide about suitable management intervention for future.

Periodical updating and revision of a working plan is essential to keep pace with the trends emerging out of forest-people interface and to address national and international obligations. Therefore, the Union Environment ministry has adopted a uniform code the National Working Plan Code in 2014 for the purpose.

The working plan for South Goa forest division expired in March 2021 and an extension for two years from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023 was granted by the. Union environment ministry. Further, the working plan of North Goa forest division is valid up to March 2022, following extension. Hence, the revision of workingplansof both the divisions is to be taken up immediately, the cabinet note said.

Maharashtra govt invested Rs 30 crore on upgrading infrastructure for AFC Women’s Asian Cup: Official

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TheMaharashtragovernment invested Rs 30 crore on upgrading to host theAFC Women‘s Asian Cupin Pune from January 20, a senior official said on Tuesday.
“The Maharashtra government has sanctioned around Rs 30 crore to upgrade infrastructure and organize this mega event, OmPrakash Bakoria, Commissioner Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, said.

The tournament will be played at three venues in Maharashtra — Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune.

Haryana to create databank of drug peddlers

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Haryana will soon have a databank of drug peddlers as the state Control Bureau (NCB) has started the process to prepare it with the help of Software HAWK. It would only be used by Police authorities, said an official.

The names of drug peddlers with their photographs, mobile numbers, details of their bank accounts, social accounts, vehicles, relatives and property would be just a click away.

Besides, there will be a map with details of the source of the drugs and the route of the delivery. The phone call details of the accused would also be available on it.

Soon after the arrest of the accused, the district police will upload the photograph, video and other details of the accused with the help of the software designed by the NCB. The district police have to fill a detailed interrogation form designed by the NCB, especially for this purpose.