State PCS - Chhattisgarh (CGPSC)

• 12 Aug 2025

Chhattisgarh’s Mahatari Vandan Yojana

Why in News? 

The Mahatari Vandan Yojana is bringing significant changes in the lives of women in Chhattisgarh by empowering them economically and socially.  

• Currently, over 69.19 lakh women across the state are benefiting from this initiative. 

Key Facts About Mahatari Vandan Yojana 

• Objective: The Mahatari Vandan Yojana aims to empower women by addressing gender discrimination, inequality, improving health and nutrition levels, promoting economic independence, and strengthening women's decision-making roles in families. 
  • It aims to foster a long-term impact on the overall development and well-being of women in Chhattisgarh. 
• Launch: The scheme was launched by the state government of Chhattisgarh in March 2024. 
• Eligibility Criteria: 
  • Married women who are local residents of Chhattisgarh. 
  • Women must be at least 21 years old. 
  • Widows, divorced women, and deserted women are also eligible for the scheme. 
• Assistance Provided: 
  • Eligible women will receive ₹1000 per month via DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). 
  • Women receiving less than ₹1000 from social assistance programs or various pension schemes will be provided the balance amount to ensure they receive ₹1000. 

State of Women’s Health in Chhattisgarh as per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2020-21 

• Women with BMI Less Than Normal (<18.5 kg/m²): 23.1% of women aged 15-49 in Chhattisgarh have a BMI below the normal threshold. 
• Prevalence of Anemia: 
  • All Women (15-49 years): 60.8% are anemic. 
  • Pregnant Women (15-49 years): 51.8% are anemic. 

World Elephant Day 2025

Why in News? 

On 12^th August 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, hosted the World Elephant Day celebration in Coimbatore.  

• A specialized workshop on Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) was also held, providing a platform for elephant range states to share challenges and discuss mitigation strategies, in line with Project Elephant's focus on community participation and scientific solutions to address human-elephant conflicts. 
• A nationwide awareness program also aims to engage approximately 12 lakh school children from around 5,000 schools across India. 

World Elephant Day 

• World Elephant Day was co-founded on 12th August 2012, by Canadian Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand.  
• Since its inception of global awareness building, it has partnerships with 100 elephant conservation organizations worldwide and reaches countless individuals across the globe.  
• The theme for 2025 is “Bringing the world together to help elephants”. 
• World Elephant Society, established in November 2015 as a nonprofit organization, aims to support the annual World Elephant Day campaign. 
  • The organization educates the public on global elephant conservation efforts, particularly around World Elephant Day. 

Facts About Elephants 

• Three Species: African savannah elephant, African forest elephant, and Asian elephant. 
• Size: African savannah elephants are largest (up to 4 meters tall and 6,800 kg in weight). 
• Lifespan: Wild elephants typically live 60 to 70 years of age. 
• Diet: Elephants are herbivores 
• Trunk: Their trunk is a versatile tool used for breathing, smelling, touching, grasping, and producing sound. 
• Tusks: Elephant tusks are actually enlarged incisor teeth and can be found on elephants at 2 years old.  
  • Elephants have been targeted for their ivory tusks, driving the illegal wildlife trade and causing severe declines in their populations. 
• Intelligence: Elephants have the largest brain of any land animal. 
• Social Structure: Female elephants live in family groups called herds, led by a matriarch.  
• Reproduction: Elephant pregnancies last about 22 months, and calves weigh 200–300 pounds at birth. 
• Conservation Status (IUCN Red List Status):  
  • Asian elephants: Endangered (EN) 
  • Savannah elephants: Endangered (EN) 
  • Forest elephants: Critically Endangered (CR) 

India’s Role in Elephant Conservation 

• India is home to nearly 60% of the world’s wild elephant population.  
• India has established 33 Elephant Reserves and 150 identified Elephant Corridors, according to the Report on Elephant Corridors in India, 2023.  
• India has granted elephants the status of National Heritage Animal.  
• In India, Asian Elephants are categorized under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 

Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana

Why in News? 

The Department of Posts has announced the Deen Dayal SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby) Yojana for the year 2025-26, offering scholarships to students from classes 6 to 9.  

• The selected students will receive a monthly scholarship of ₹500 to promote interest in philately. 

Key Points 

• Eligibility: The scholarship will be awarded based on academic performance, results from a quiz organized by the Department of Posts, and a philately project (philately is the collection and study of Postage stamps). 
  • Students who have secured a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent grades in the previous year's examination are eligible to apply.  
  • A 5% relaxation will be given to students from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.  
  • To apply, students must be members of their school's philately club, or if such a club doesn't exist, they must have an individual philatelic deposit account. 
  • Students can submit their applications at the Philately Bureau at the General Post Office (GPO).  
• Objective: The objective of the scholarship is to "Promote Philately among children at a young age in a sustainable manner that can reinforce and supplement the academic curriculum in addition to providing a hobby that can help them relax and de-stress". 
• Significance: Stamp collection provides educational insight into the socio-economic and political context of its time, serves as a stress-relieving hobby, fosters social connections, and enhances memory skills through organizing and cataloging information.

India Post

• Establishment: On 1st October 1854 by Lord Dalhousie (Governor-General of British India) 
• Historical Timeline 
  • 1766: Robert Clive set up postal system under East India Company (called "Company Mail") 
  • 1774: Warren Hastings opened Calcutta General Post Office- first public post office 
  • 1854: Lord Dalhousie brought postal service under British Crown 
• Current Network Size 
  • Total Post Offices: 164,999 Post Offices (Rural: 149,164 (90% of total) and Urban: 15,823) 
  • Global Status: World's largest postal network 
• Organizational Structure 
  • Ministry: Ministry of Communications, Government of India 
  • Circles: 23 postal circles across India 
• Services: 
  • Banking and financial services 
  • Postal Life Insurance (PLI) 
  • India Post Payments Bank 
  • E-commerce and retail services 
  • Government scheme disbursements (pensions, MGNREGA)