Rajasthan State PCS

• 06 Mar 2023

President honored Gayatri Devi Yadav with Water Warrior Category

Why In News?

• On March 4, 2023, at held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi the 'Swachh Sujal Shakti' Award Ceremony, President Draupadi Murmu honoured volunteer Gayatri Devi Yadav, who is playing the role of water woman in Rajasthan, with the water warrior category.

Key points

• Gayatri Devi has been honoured for her outstanding work done through rural women self-help groups to make farm ponds in Sambhar block area of Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• It is noteworthy that Gayatri Devi Yadav, along with The Gram Chetna Kendra Sanstha of Jaipur, has done excellent work for rainwater harvesting and conservation by forming 65 women self-help groups in about 68 villages of Sambhar block for the last several years and contributed significantly to making women water literate in rural areas.
• Bansi Lal Meena, member of Gram Chetna Kendra Sanstha, said that Gayatri Devi Yadav worked to help the people in spreading the schemes being run by the state government and the central government for rainwater harvesting and clean water management through women self-help groups.
• He trained the villagers to collect rainwater through farm ponds, especially in rural areas, to make it fit for drinking and farming and to do better water management.
• Gayatri Devi's important work of training rural women to get pure drinking water and other crops from the accumulated rainwater stopped the migration of families in rural areas and increased their income, giving rural women an opportunity to lead a respectable life.

Chief Minister Increased the Amount of Assistance for Marriage Conferences

Why In News?

On March 4, 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has increased the grant amount to encourage mass marriage conferences to be held in the state.

Key points

• Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that under the mass marriage scheme, now 25 thousand rupees will be given per couple. In this, the newly married woman will get a grant of 21 thousand rupees and the institution will get a grant of 4 thousand rupees. This amount will be payable to marriage conferences held from April 1, 2023.
• It is known that at present this amount is being given 15 thousand and 3 thousand rupees respectively i.e., a total of 18 thousand rupees.
• Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced an increase in grants in the budget, taking important decisions towards promoting social activities like mass marriages, preventing malpractices like dowry system and reducing unnecessary expenditure 2023-24.
• A provision of Rs 10 crore has been made on behalf of the Chief Minister for the year 2023-24 as assistance. With this, a target has been set to provide mass marriage grant to about 4000 couples.
• He has agreed to give an additional assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the organizers for the participation of families of different communities, castes and religions in mass marriages. Realizing the spirit of 'unity in diversity', this amount will be given for organizing marriages of at least 25 couples. In this, there is a provision to aid of Rs 2 crore to about 20 institutions.