State PCS - Madhya Pradesh (MP PCS)

• 12 May 2025

'AI Bharat @ MP' Workshop

Why in News? 

 A two-day workshop titled “AI Bharat @ MP” was organized in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. 

Key Points 

• About the Workshop: 
  • It aimed to make governance more efficient, transparent and citizen-oriented through artificial intelligence, Aadhaar and digital innovations. 
  • The workshop was organised by Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation (MPSEDC) and National e-Governance Division (NeGD) in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). 
  • In the technical sessions of the workshop, topics like Data Protection, Cyber Security, Digital Health (e-Sanjeevani), DIKSHA Platform and Digital Education were discussed. 
  • This workshop presented Madhya Pradesh as a model state of digital governance . 
• Achievements of MP in Digital Infrastructure: 
  • Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country where SD-WAN enabled State Wide Area Network (SWAN) is operating at 2 Gbps speed. 
  • The state has its own data centre with 1 petabyte capacity, which ensures secure and quick operation of digital services. 
  • The State has become a leader in digital governance through digital innovations like 'Sampada 2.0' and end-to-end service automation. 
• Policy and Innovation: 
  • The state government has issued policies and guidelines for sectors like AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comics), Drone Technology, Global Captive Centre (GCC) and Semiconductor Manufacturing. 
  • These efforts are likely to create new opportunities for industry, investment and employment in the state. 

  Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

• AI is defined as the ability of machines and systems to acquire knowledge, apply it, and behave intelligently. 
• The term "artificial intelligence" was first used by American computer scientist and cognitive scientist John McCarthy. He is considered the father of AI. 
  • It includes techniques like machine learning, deep learning, big data, neural networks, computer vision, large language models, etc. 
• The ideal characteristic of artificial intelligence is the ability to perform and rationalize actions that have the best probability of achieving a specific goal. 

 e-Sanjeevani 

• e-Sanjeevani is a telemedicine service between doctors in the country, providing an alternative to traditional face-to-face consultation through a digital platform. 
• e-Sanjeevani is an important part of Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission and more than 45,000 Aabha numbers have been issued through e-Sanjeevani application. 
• The ten leading states using it are: Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Gujarat. 

Malwa Festival

Why in News? 

The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh participated in the Malwa Utsav organized at Lalbagh Complex, Indore from 6 to 12 May 2025. 

Key Points 

• About Malwa Utsav: 
  • It is a five-day cultural festival organised by Lok Sanskriti Manch. 
  • This festival has been organised regularly for the last 25 years. 
  • Objective: 
    • Preservation and propagation of folk culture and traditions. 
    • To provide a platform and market to local artists and craftsmen. 
    • To promote national integration and cultural exchange. 
  • Exhibition of Folk Arts and Handicrafts: 
    • In this festival, folk artists from different states of the country and different areas of Madhya Pradesh presented folk dance and music. 
    • Weavers and handicraft artists displayed weaving, clay and metal artefacts. 
    • Murals, Reza work, Batik prints, copper and brass statues, and tribal paintings were the main attractions of the festival. 

Folk Dances of Madhya Pradesh  

• Kathi : This is a dance performed by the Balai community, in which clothes decorated with peacock feathers and a bamboo 'kathi' are used. This dance is performed on the 'Dhak' instrument. 
• Gangaur : In the month of Chaitra, women worship Goddess Parvati by dancing on clapping and thali. Its two forms – Thalaria and Thola are famous. 
• Phaphriya : It is a group dance performed by men and women together to the sound of pungi. 
• Madalya : In this, women dance at a fast pace with hand and foot movements to the beat of the drum. 
• Ada-Khada : This dance is performed by women to the beat of drums on occasions like marriage, birth and death. 
• Danda Dance : It is performed by men with a stick to the beats of drums and plates during the nights of Chaitra-Vaishakh. 
• Matki : Women balance several matkis on their heads and dance in a circular motion to the beat of drums. Aada-Khada is one form of this. 
• Rai : This dance performed by the Bedia tribe is in a conversational form based on makeup and social topics. Ram Sahay Pandey is its main artist. 
• Saira : This dance is performed as a prayer to Lord Indra for rain by young men holding sticks accompanied by dholak and flute. 
• Jawara : Women perform this dance while balancing a crop basket on their head, which shows the importance of crops.