State PCS

• 05 Oct 2021

Eco-Smart Railway Stations

Why in News

• Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has nominated seven railway stations of Uttar Pradesh, including State capital Lucknow, to be identified and developed as eco-smart railway stations.

Key Points

• These seven railway stations are- Lucknow Junction, Badshah Nagar Railway Station, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Basti, Khalilabad, Mankapur Station.
• Identification of eco-smart railway stations, waste management of railway stations, tracks, coaches, removal of encroachments from around the railway station, disposal of electric and plastic junk, use and supply of water, LED lights to save energy, promotion of solar panels etc. standards have to be met.

Purnia: First District in the Country to have Library in All Panchayats

Why in News

• Purnia district of Bihar has become the first district in the country where libraries have been opened in all the Gram Panchayats with the help of the donated books from the education department.

Key Points

• On the initiative of Purnia District Magistrate Rahul Kumar, a book donation campaign is going on from January 25, which was started from Parora Panchayat of Kenagar block.
• Under this campaign, libraries have been opened in all the panchayats of the district.
• The libraries opened under this campaign have also been inspected by a team of NITI Aayog on September 29, 2021.
• This campaign is expected to boost education in this backward district in terms of literacy.

SC & OBC Development Fund

Why in News

• On October 4, 2021, the Rajasthan government approved the formation of Scheduled Castes Development Fund and Other Backward Classes Development Fund.

Key Points

• Works like modernization and strengthening of residential schools and hostels for Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes students, development of facilities, providing sports materials and computers and providing assistance of 5 thousand rupees to the youth of these classes to buy tools for employment purposes will be done.
• Along with this, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the expenditure of Rs.5 crore 57 lakh from the Valmiki Fund constituted with a view to provide proper opportunities to the children and youth of Valmiki Samaj.
• It is noteworthy that with this, modernization and strengthening of hostels of Valmiki Samaj, additional financial assistance of Rs. 5000 on merit basis to the children of those engaged in the profession of cleaning, Rs. 5000 per person assistance for purchase of tools for employment purposes will be done.

Hindi Sewa Samman

Why in News

• Recently, Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel, Executive Director of BHEL and Chairman of Official Language Implementation Committee, C. Ananda was awarded the Non-Hindi language experts Hindi Seva Samman-2021.

Key Points

• The prestigious award of Madhya Pradesh Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti, the non-hindi language experts Hindi Seva Samman-2021 was organized in the Hindi Bhawan complex Shyamala Hills.
• It is noteworthy that C. Ananda, despite being associated with Kannada speaking and technical fields, has achieved special achievement in the field of Hindi.
• He has made invaluable contributions in the field of official language implementation. Also, the use of Hindi in the technical field, special emphasis has been laid on the use of Hindi in digital form.

Inter-State Short Film Festival

Why in News

• The two-day Inter-State Short Film Festival organized under the aegis of Bhartiya Chitra Sadhna at Gwalior on October 4, 2021 concluded with the screening of several acclaimed short films.

Key Points

• The closing ceremony was held at the Indian Institute of Tourism Management located in the city center of Gwalior.
• The themes of the two-day celebration included- India's Freedom Struggle, 75 Years of Independence, Unlock, Vocal for India's Local, Culture and Values, Innovation, Family, Environment and Energy and Education.
• The short film 'Dhuk Tara' on the theme of female foeticide was selected as the best film in the festival.
• Speaking on the occasion, Pahlaj Nihalini, former Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) said that prevention of gender-based selective eradication is paramount. He said that selective eradication of unborn girls is still rampant in rural areas.
• It is noteworthy that Bhartiya Chitra Sadhna encourages films that promote the progress of Indian society with timeless philosophy, Indian values and modern development. For the convenience and promotion of such films and filmmakers, it has been organizing Chitra Bhartiya Film Festival since 2016 in various cities of India.

'Cyber Security Awareness' Campaign

Why in News

• Recently, the Haryana Government has decided to run a 'Cyber Security Awareness' campaign in all colleges and universities of the state, so that students, employees and other people of the society can be saved from falling prey to 'cyber fraud'.

Key Points

• On behalf of the Principal Secretary, Haryana Higher Education and Technical Education Department, all the registrars of universities and principals of colleges have been instructed to run 'Cyber Security Awareness' campaigns in their respective institutions.
• A booklet related to 'Cyber Security Awareness' has been published by the state government, in which information about cyber-crime threats, cyber-frauds, cyber-harm etc. is given. Apart from this, ways to avoid these crimes have also been told.
• Cyber security is a type of security, whose function is to provide security to the data of digital devices connected to the Internet. Cyber ​​security prevents the wrong activities happening on the Internet, so that the data of the Internet user is not lost. This protection protects computers, servers, mobiles and networks from cyber attacks on the Internet. Cyber ​​security is also known by the names 'information security' and 'technology security'.

Decision to Amend 'DC Rate' in Different Districts

Why in News

• On October 4, 2021, the Haryana Government decided to revise the 'DC Rate' in various districts of the state.

Key Points

• The DC rate is the wages of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers, which is decided by the district level committee headed by the Deputy Commissioners.
• After reviewing the matter, the state government has decided to fix the DC rate on the principles of minimum wage and district specific consumer price. The General Administration Department, headed by the Chief Secretary of Haryana, will fix the DC rate for all categories and districts. This will rationalize these rates and will benefit the employees.
• The initial purpose of the DC rate was to be a readily available labor rate, which could be used in case of time constraints not making it possible to invite tenders, emergency situations such as employing labor for flood control works, etc. could. Over time the DC rate was recognized as the standard rate for the appointment of adhoc/temporary workers/employees even in non-emergency times.
• This methodology involves various factors, such as the cost of rented accommodation, vegetable prices, school fee rates, etc.
• In this, the districts have been classified into three categories, in Category-A includes Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula and Sonipat districts, Category-B includes Panipat, Jhajjar, Palwal, Karnal, Ambala, Hisar, Rohtak, Rewari, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Yamunanagar, Bhiwani and Jind districts and Category-C includes Mahendragarh, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Nuh and Charkhi Dadri.
• Wages will be group wise, i.e. Group-B (Skilled), Group-C-1 (Semi Skilled Non-Technical), Group-C-2 (Semiskilled II-Technical) and Group-D (Unskilled), as applicable. An increase of 5 per cent per annum will be allowed to keep pace with inflation.

Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA)

Why in News

• On October 4, 2021, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar chaired the first meeting of the Board of Directors of the newly formed Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA).

Key Points

• In the meeting of the Board of Directors, permission was given to sign MoU with Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy for training of drone pilots.
• It is noteworthy that Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA) has been formed in the state for quick disposal of various types of survey, girdawari and imaging work.
• Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has been nominated as the Chairman of DRIISHYA and Chief Secretary Vijay Vardhan has been made the Senior Vice Chairman. Apart from this, 10 directors have been appointed on the board.
• With its formation, the problems faced in the work of manual survey every year in Haryana will be removed and surveys can be done in a scientific manner.
• This is a unique start in the state. Apart from revenue, it can be used in the departments of mining, forest, traffic, town and planning department, agriculture etc.
• The headquarter of this company has been made in Karnal and it will be the nodal agency for the procurement of drones. This will help in mapping, maintaining land records, disaster management and emergency services and planning development in urban areas.

Fiber Internet Connection in Jamshedpur

Why in News

• Recently, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has decided to install 1 lakh new fiber internet connections in Jamshedpur in the next three years.

Key Points

• At present there are 35,000 subscribers of BSNL's 'Fiber to the Home' (FTTH) or ‘Ghar Tak Fiber’ internet service in Jharkhand, out of which 17,000 are in Jamshedpur only.
• Jamshedpur accounts for about 45% of the total development of BSNL's fiber internet service in Jharkhand circle. As a result the main focus of the company is Jamshedpur.
• BSNL is also focusing on expanding this service to three other districts, namely, Seraikela, Kharsanwan and West Singhbhum adjoining East Singhbhum falling in the Jamshedpur commercial area.

National Security Act

Why in News

• The Uttarakhand government has extended the National Security Act (NSA) in the state for another three months in view of the recent unrest and violence in some parts of the state.

Key Points

• According to the order issued by Anand Vardhan, Additional Chief Secretary of the state, various anti-social elements are trying to obstruct the security of the state by indulging in adverse activities, due to which the NSA has been expanded.
• Under this Act, the District Magistrates (DMs) will have the power to take action against those who can cause violence and disturb the peace in their respective districts till December 31.
• It is noteworthy that the state government had implemented this act on June 4 this year.
• It is believed that the recent farmers' agitation, increasing aggression of political parties in the wake of upcoming elections in the state and law and order issues prompted the state government to expand the NSA.

Expansion of Education Scholarship Programmes

Why in News

• Recently, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued a mandate to increase Dr. Shivanand Nautiyal Scholarship from Rs. 250 per month to Rs. 1500 per month and State Merit/Sridev Suman Scholarship from Rs. 150 per month to Rs. 1000 per month.

Key Points

• Dr. Shivanand Nautiyal Scholarship which was earlier given to 11 children, will now be provided to 100 children.
• Under the 'State Merit/Sridev Suman Scholarship Scheme', every year 475 students (5 students from each development block) from across the state will be given the benefit of this scholarship.
• Both these scholarships are administered by the Department of School Education, Uttarakhand.