• 17 May 2023

Sugarcane Satta & Supply policy issued for Crushing Season 2023-24

Why in News?

According to the information received from the media on 15 May 2023, the Sugarcane and Sugar Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh, Sanjay R. Bhoosreddy, has released the Satta & supply policy of sugarcane for the crushing season 2023-24.

Key Points:

• On the basis of the sugarcane supply policy, detailed instructions have been given to the sugar mills for sugarcane supply, including the issue of sugarcane slips to the sugarcane farmers of the state.
• Sanjay Bhoosreddy said that in this year's supply policy, the limit of sugarcane betting per farmer has been increased from a maximum of 850 quintals to 900 quintals for marginal farmers (up to 1 hectare), from 1,700 quintals to 1,800 quintals for small farmers (up to 2 hectares) and For the general farmer (up to 5 hectares), it has been increased from 4,250 quintals to 4,500 quintals.
• In case of an increase in yield, the maximum limit of Satta has been increased from 1,350 quintals to 1,400 quintals, from 2,700 quintals to 2,800 quintals and from 6,750 quintals to 7,000 quintals respectively for marginal, small and general farmers.
• Giving great relief to the small farmers in the state, instead of 60 quintals, sugarcane farmers holding up to 72 quintals have been included in the category of small farmers. With this, these satta holders will be able to get the facility of sugarcane supply within 45 days.
• In this year's satta supply, transfer of basic quota in cases of land purchase & sale, priority in satta supply to farmers who irrigate through drip method, priority in supply of sugarcane to soldiers, paramilitary forces, ex-servicemen & freedom fighters and their legal heirs, the facility of giving free application for an increase in yield to the best sugarcane farmers and other provisions related to the continuation of the bet are also important if the speculator member farmer dies during the crushing season.
• In order to ensure maximum sugarcane supply to the supplier farmers, out of the average sugarcane supply of the last two years, three years and five years, instructions have been given to consider the maximum average sugarcane supply as a basic quota for the crushing season 2023-24. This will not only increase the sugarcane supply to the farmers but sugar mills will also be able to get more sugarcane.
• Apart from this, the farmers who have become new members in the crushing season 2022-23 and have supplied sugarcane only for one year, their one year's sugarcane supply will be considered as a basic quota. The final calendar will be made available online on Smart Sugarcane Farmers (ERP) website caneup.in and mobile app E-Ganna. An inquiry centre will be set up for the farmers by installing an additional terminal.
• 20 percent priority will be given to sugarcane supply to soldiers, paramilitary forces, ex-servicemen and freedom fighters & their legal heirs in the state on the production of certificates issued by the competent authorities.
• In this year's supply policy, if a double bond (double Satta) of a sugarcane supply farmer comes to light in the middle of the crushing season, then keeping such a case in the meeting of the Cane Implementation Committee, action will be taken to ban the sugarcane supply/sugarcane price payment of the concerned farmer.
• With this system, irregular supply by the sugarcane mafias will not be possible.
• Only the members of the sugarcane societies formed till 30 September 2023, will get the facility of sugarcane supply in the coming session itself. Farmer-wise and village-wise survey satta lists will be displayed from 20 July to 30 August 2023.

6458 Sports Grounds will be built in the villages of Uttar Pradesh

Why in News?

On 17 May 2023, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya has told that 6458 sports grounds will be constructed in the current financial year under MNREGA in order to strengthen the infrastructure related to sports by the state government to enhance sports talents in rural areas.

Key Points:

• Under MNREGA, a target has been set to construct 6458 sports grounds in the current financial year 2023-24.
• MNREGA sports grounds are also being developed as MNREGA parks. There will be made open gyms for teenagers and swings for the entertainment of children as well as for the elderly to walk.
• It is known that in the five years from 2017-18 to 2022-23, 23,576 sports grounds and MNREGA parks have been constructed in the state. Rs 852 crore has been spent on their construction.

Proposal approved to upgrade Nadbai and Lawan's Ayurveda dispensary to Block Ayush Hospital

Why in News?

On 15 May 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved the proposal to upgrade the Ayurveda dispensary at Nadbai in Bharatpur district and Lawan in Dausa district to Block Ayush Hospital in view of the important role of Ayurveda in the concept of Nirogi Rajasthan.

Key Points:

• The Chief Minister has also given approval for the creation of 41 new posts in these hospitals. The newly created posts include the posts of Ayurveda Medical Officer Specialist, Unani Medical Officer, Homeopathic Medical Officer, Senior Ayurveda Nurse, Junior Ayurveda Nurse, Junior Unani Nurse, Junior Homeopathic Nurse, and Junior Assistant.
• Apart from these, the services of attendant, guard, gardener and cook will be taken on a contract basis.
• The Chief Minister has also approved the construction of the building of the Rajasthan State AYUSH Research Center at Kekri in Ajmer. Where 8 crore rupees will be spent on this work.
• With this decision of the Chief Minister, better medical facilities will be available for health promotion and treatment of diseases through AYUSH medical methods.
• It is worth mentioning that the announcement in this regard was made by the Chief Minister in the budget.

CM approved the increase in the pension for Leprosy Cured Beneficiaries of the Specially Abled Category

Why in News?

On 15 May 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved the financial proposal to increase the pension amount for leprosy-free special persons.

Key Points:

• Leprosy free specially-abled people will now get a pension amount of Rs 2500 per month. The enhanced pension amount will be available from 1st June 2023 (due 01.06.2023).
• It is worth mentioning that at present there are 16,810 leprosy-free social security pensioners in the state, who are currently being given a pension amount of Rs 1500 per month, which has now been increased to Rs 2500 per month.
• It may be noted that an announcement in this regard was made by the Chief Minister in the budget for the year 2023-24.

Homoeopathic Dispensaries will open at 225 Block Headquarters

Why in News?

On 16 May 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot approved the proposal to open homoeopathic dispensaries at 225 block headquarters of the state.

Key Points:

• The Chief Minister has also approved the creation of 450 new posts for homoeopathic dispensaries.
• As per the proposal, a homoeopathic medical officer and a junior nurse/compounder will be appointed in each homoeopathic dispensary to be opened at 225 block headquarters.
• With this decision of the Chief Minister, the state's health infrastructure will be strengthened and homoeopathic treatment will be easily available to the common people at the local level only.
• It is worth mentioning that in the budget for the year 2023-24, the chief minister had announced the opening of a homoeopathic dispensary in each block.

Decisions of the State Council of Ministers headed by the CM

Why in News?

In the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 16 May 2023, several other important decisions were taken along with increasing the annual income limit for the scholarship to Scheduled Caste students from Rs.6 lakh to Rs.8 lakh.

Key Points:

• In compliance with the Chief Minister's announcement, the cabinet has increased the annual income limit for the scholarship to scheduled caste students. With this, the students belonging to the Scheduled Caste category will be able to get many opportunities to get an education.
• The cabinet gave administrative approval of more than Rs 41 thousand 923 crore under the 3-year budget and financial provisions of Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana-2023 (from the financial year 2023-24 to the financial year 2025-26).
• The cabinet ratified the departmental order issued on 22 April 2023 regarding the management of agricultural lands of temples maintained by the government.
  • According to the order, the priests will be able to use the income from the government-maintained temples, which have agricultural land up to 10 acres attached.
  • Remaining agricultural lands will be auctioned for agricultural purposes by adopting a transparent process, informing the District Collector. The proceeds from the auction will be deposited in the temple's account.
• To ensure the availability of chemical fertilizers in the state and to avoid any inconvenience to the farmers, the Council of Ministers decided to make advance storage of 10 lakh 80 thousand tonnes for the year 2023-24 during the period from February 1 to May 31.
  • It is worth mentioning that in the advance storage scheme of chemical fertilizers (Urea, DAP, Complex and Potash), Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation has been declared as the state nodal agency for the arrangement of DAP, Complex, Potash and Urea fertilizers in the state.
• The cabinet approved the computerization of 4534 PACS of the state under the Centrally Sponsored Project for Computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (PACS) implemented by the Union Ministry of Cooperatives.
  • According to the BharatNet scheme by the Department of Science and Technology, optical fibre-based internet connectivity will be made available at the headquarters of 4534 PACS on a priority basis.
• The cabinet approved the Central Government's integrated child protection scheme 'Mission Vatsalya' to be implemented in all the districts of the state according to the new norms.
• The cabinet approved an amendment in the Madhya Pradesh Sand (Mining, Transport, Storage and Trade) Rules-2019.
  • Instead of 'e-tender', the sand clusters of 44 districts in the state will be decided by group-wise contract through an 'e-tender-cum-auction' process.
  • The period of the contract will be fixed for 3 years (extendable for two additional years) from the date of the contract.
  • Statutory permissions (mining plan/environmental permission/climate consent etc.) will be obtained by the State Mineral Corporation.
  • A tripartite agreement will be executed between the successful MDO (Mines Developer and Operator), collector and corporation in the tender.
  • The contract amount will be payable in the form of monthly instalments instead of quarterly and an annual increase of 10 percent in the contract amount will be done on completion of 1 year of contract operation instead of July every year.

Haryana government's gift to Dwarfs and Eunuchs

Why in News?

On 17 May 2023, Haryana's Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Om Prakash Yadav said after a review meeting of the department that after the elderly and disabled, the state government has now increased the allowance of dwarfs and eunuchs to Rs 2,750 per month. The increased allowance will be applicable from 1 April 2023.

Key Points:

• For dwarf allowance, the height of the male should be 3 feet 8 inches and the height of the female should be 3 feet 3 or less. To get the allowance under both categories, the applicant will also have to produce a certificate from the civil surgeon.
• Apart from this, the amount of assistance given to destitute children has also been increased to Rs.1850 per month. This assistance will be given to a family of up to a maximum of two children.
• The assistance given to disabled children who do not go to school up to the age of 18 years has also been increased to Rs.2150.
• To get the allowance under both these schemes, the person should be a domicile of Haryana and his age should be at least 18 years.
• The Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment informed that the assistance amount for Kashmiri families coming to Haryana displaced from Jammu and Kashmir has been increased to Rs 1250 per month per member but this amount will not exceed Rs 6250 per month per family.

Proposal approved to open Yoga & Ayush centres in Netarhat & Patratu

Why in News?

On 15 May 2023, in the meeting chaired by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Jharkhand Ministry of AYUSH, for the approval of the annual action plan for the financial year 2023-24, the proposal to open Yoga & AYUSH centres in Netarhat and Patratu of the state was approved.

Key Points:

• In this meeting, along with the proposal to open Yoga & AYUSH centres in Netarhat and Patratu, eighteen schemes including four new schemes worth Rs 59.36 crore were approved for Jharkhand AYUSH.
• It is known that last year also the Government of India sanctioned 50-bedded Ayush Dhanwantri Hospitals in Ranchi and East Singhbhum and five 10-bedded Ayush Dhanwantri Hospitals in Gumla, Palamu, Deoghar, Dumka and Bokaro districts.
• The Ministry of AYUSH aims to open a total of 745 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centers to take AYUSH medicine to the last person in the rural areas of the state. So far 550 AYUSH health & wellness centres have been opened. The remaining AYUSH Health and Wellness Centers will be opened by September 2023.
• Till now Jharkhand has received a total amount of 85.38 crores from the Government of India. In this, the utility certificate of the amount of 4.77 crore was provided.

National Ramayana Festival' organized for the 1st time in Chhattisgarh

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on 16 May 2023, on the special initiative of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, a three-day grand National Ramayana Festival will be organised in Raigarh from 1 June to 3 June of the next month on the lines of the National Tribal Dance Festival.

Key Points:

• The Department of Culture is making vigorous preparations for this event. Like the tribal dance festival, foreign artists are being invited along with different states of the country. Very soon a unique presentation of Ramayana will be seen by artists from India and abroad on the land of Chhattisgarh.
• Lord Shri Ram has a deep relation with Chhattisgarh. It is believed that Lord Shri Ram had passed through Dandakaranya during his exile and the part of the forests of Chhattisgarh was the part of Dandak Aranya (Dandakaranya). Keeping this in view, there will be special presentations on the events of Aranya Kand during the event.
• Officials of the Culture Department said that in the Ramayana Festival, the artists of Manas Mandali coming from different states of the country will perform from 2 pm to 6 pm and the Manas Mandali coming from abroad will perform from 8 pm to 10 pm.
• In this grand event, Ramayana will be presented by Manas teams from different states as well as foreign teams on themes centred on the Aranya incident.
• Collective Hanuman Chalisa and grand Kelo Aarti will also be organised in the National Ramayana Festival, in which thousands of lamps will be donated.
• Culture Department officials said that for the first time in the state, the National Ramayana Festival will be organised by the Culture Department at Ram Leela Maidan in Raigarh.
• Manas troupes participating in this festival will be rewarded, in which the first prize of Rs 5 lakh, the second prize of Rs 3 lakh and the third prize of Rs 2 lakh have been fixed.
• This national-level event by the state government will be a unique initiative in the direction of preserving the culture of the state.
• It is worth mentioning that the story of Ramayana has been written in many languages and it is staged in many countries. The stage for their beautiful presentation will be the Ramlila Maidan in Raigad. There has been a continuous tradition of Ramlila in the country. When Ram Katha is presented through the festival, a large number of people will be able to learn about his ideals through Ram Katha.
• Tulsidas ji's RamcharitManas is widespread in Chhattisgarh. Now through Ramayana Mahotsav, the audience will get an opportunity to see the glimpse of the ideals of Lord Ram from Valmiki to Bhavabhuti.
• The expansion of the Ramayana ranges from the Tamil Ramayana of Kamban to the Bangla Ramayana of Kritivas. Along with this, many forms of it are prevalent in South-East Asian countries as well. The audience will be able to get a glimpse of these beautiful forms of the character of Shri Ram through the Ramayana Mahotsav.

Bills of Branded Products will also be included in the 'Bill Lao, Inam Pao' Scheme

Why in News?

On 15 May 2023, Uttarakhand State Tax Commissioner Iqbal Ahmed said that along with extending the 'Bill Lao Inam Pao' scheme till November 2023, the state government has abolished the condition of non-branded bills. Now bills for branded products will also be included in the scheme.

Key Points:

• It is known that the 'Bill Lao Inam Pao' scheme was launched on 1 September 2022, with the aim of encouraging customers to collect GST bills.
• Till now, GST bills for non-branded clothes, sweets, restaurants, dry fruits, beauty parlours, laundry services and products were being included in the scheme but now GST bills for the purchase of all goods including branded ones will get a chance to get the reward in the scheme. The mega lucky draw of the scheme will be drawn in November 2023.
• State Tax Commissioner Iqbal Ahmed said that if the consumer buys household items other than branded company goods, he can upload the GST bill on the BLIP app. After that every month 1500 winners will be given smartphones, smartwatches and earphones as prizes through the lucky draw.
• Mega lucky draws will be drawn on the bills uploaded from 1 September 2022 to 30 November 2023, in which the winners will be given many attractive prizes including cars, motorcycles, laptops, and smart TVs.
• GST bills received from online purchases will not be included in this scheme. Bills for goods/services directly from vendors will be included in the scheme. These bills have to be uploaded on the BLIP app. Points will be given to consumers on every uploaded bill, which will be in the form of rewards, cash back, and discount coupons.
• Under the scheme, such GST-registered traders will also be rewarded, from whose establishment maximum bills will be uploaded.

Bio-fencing to be done to Protect Crops from Wildlife

Why in News?

On 16 May 2023, Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand Forest Department, Dr. Sameer Sinha said that bio-fencing will now be promoted in place of solar power fences to reduce the loss of crops caused by wildlife in the state.

Key Points:

• In order to promote bio-fencing, instructions have been given by the state government to set up a cell as well as appoint special officers for this. Apart from promoting bio-fencing, this cell will also conduct research on these subjects.
• Budget will be arranged for this in the Campa Fund itself. Plant species will be studied for different fencing.
• It is known that till now only solar energy fencing was used to protect crops from damage, but the cost of installing it is high. Once the fencing is done by the department, it is handed over to the villagers. Due to a lack of proper maintenance, this fence wears out quickly and the beneficiaries do not get the expected results.
• In order to avoid this problem, Chief Secretary Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, in the meeting of the Steering Committee of CAMPA (Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority), directed the forest officials to promote bio-fencing.
• Wild boars, elephants and monkeys especially harm the crops in the state. Bio-fencing will be done accordingly in the area where the terror of wildlife is more.
• Depending on the weather, climate and geographical conditions, different bio-fencing is done at different places. These commonly include black bamboo, thorn bamboo, ram bamboo, geranium, lemongrass, various types of cactus, Euphorbia antiquorum (tridhara), devil's backbone, eastern red, Clerodendrum inermis, bougainvillaea, gooseberry, Jatropha curcas, Duranta erecta, hybrid vine tree, Leyland Cypress and Hemelia etc.
• Dehradun Forest Division's forest officer Nitishamani Tripathi said that bio-fencing was used in Lansdowne in the year 2015, which was successful. Some time ago this method was also adopted in Ramnagar. This type of fencing is being used in many countries.
• Under this, beekeeping is used as bio-fencing. In this, instead of keeping the bee boxes on the ground at the edge of the field, with the help of trees or pegs, they are suspended above the ground with the help of a wire. As soon as an animal moves this wire, bees come out and attack it. This method has proved effective in keeping elephants away from the fields.
• That's why bio-fencing is better:
  • Solar power is cheaper than fencing and there is not much hassle of maintenance after installation.
  • Different types of fences also yield different types of production.
  • Prevents soil erosion.
  • It is a cheaper deal than building a wall or digging a pit.

A grand bronze ‘Om’ weighing 60 quintals will be installed in Kedarnath Dham

Why in News?

On May 16, 2023, Mayur Dixit, District Magistrate of Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand said that a grand bronze Om (ऊँ) figure weighing 60 quintals will be installed in the Gol Plaza of Lord Ashutosh's Dwadash Jyotirlinga Kedarnath.

Key Points:

• The District Magistrate said that the District Disaster Management Authority and the Public Works Department, with the help of a Hydra machine, conducted a trial to install the figure in the round plaza, which was completely successful. Soon it will be installed permanently.
• It is known that under the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kedarnath is being grandly decorated along with securing it. These days the work of the second phase is going on in full swing in the Dham. In the first phase, the Temple Road and Gol Plaza were constructed along with the expansion of the temple complex.
• The figure of Om is being installed at the Gol Plaza in Kedarnath, which is situated just above the Sangam, about 250 meters before the temple. The grandeur of Kedarnath Gol Plaza will increase even more if the shape of Om is established.
• The bronze figure of Om weighing 60 quintals has been made in Baroda, Gujarat.
• To completely secure the Om shape, welding will be done with copper from all four sides. Also, the middle portion as well as the edges will be protected so that it does not get damaged due to snowfall. Om shape will be installed permanently in a week.