ASSAM
Distribution of free foodgrains under PMGKAY-IV begins; 14,700 tonnes distributed so far
The Centre said distribution of free foodgrains under the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantra Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has started in seven states and about 14,700 tonnes have been given to beneficiaries so far.
About 70.6 lakh tonnes of foodgrains were distributed in the third phase of PMGKAY between May and June, it said.
On ration card portability facility, the government said the remaining four states — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and West Bengal — are expected to come on board soon.
PMGKAY was first introduced in 2020 for eight months to provide relief to 80 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from Covid-induced economic hardships.
The scheme was reintroduced this year for third phase implementation for two months till June and later extended till November under the fourth phase.
Free grains are provided under PMGKAY over and above the quota allocated at highly subsidised rates under NFSA to these beneficiaries.
NORTH-EASTERN STATES
Smart City work uproots Agartala ’71 war memorial
Removal of the war memorial of the 1971 Bangladesh ‘Liberation War’ from the heart of Agartala has sparked strong reactions across Tripura. Opposition parties, historians, intellectuals, poets, writers and social activists raised their voices against the move of the Agartala Smart City Mission, demanding the memorial’s re-installation as well as “bringing back” all historical monuments that have been affected by the its works.
The activists of Tripura Cultural Coordination Committee alleged that more than Rs 700 crore have been invested for renovation work, destroying the heritage of the city’s socio-cultural icons in the name of making the city smart.
INTERNATIONAL
The World Drug Report 2021 – UNODC
In its World Drug Report 2021, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated that the lockdown restrictions imposed during Covid-19 accelerated drug trafficking via the Internet.
Highlights:
The number of people using drugs increased by 22% between 2010 and 2019, owing in part to an increase in the global population.
Approximately 275 million people used drugs globally last year, with over 36 million suffering from drug use disorders.
Opioids continue to bear the greatest burden of disease associated with drug use.
During the coronavirus pandemic, there was also an increase in the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs.
NATIONAL
Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day – 27th June
The United Nations Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day is held on June 27, considering 2017, to rejoice the work of MSME in nearby and global economies and their contribution to sustainable development. The day additionally recognises the contribution of these industries in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In 2021, the theme is “MSME 2021: a key to an inclusive and sustainable recovery.” That is why the UN will be internet hosting a sequence of activities to discover how Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises – the backbone of our economies – can be outfitted to make certain an equitable and sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery.
National Statistics Day – 29th June
The government of India celebrated National Statistics day on the twenty-ninth of June on the delivery anniversary of Prof. P C Mahalanobis. The Day is celebrated to create focus among early life about statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation. The Day to popularize the use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitize the public about how Statistics helps shape and frame policies.
End Hunger, Achieve Food Security & Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture (Sustainable Development Goal or SDG 2 of the UN) is the theme of this year’s National Statistics Day.
Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis is known as the father of Indian Statistics. He used to be born on 29 June 1893, an Indian statistician and scientist. He devised a measure of evaluation between two statistics sets that are now known as the Mahalanobis distance.
He was once a member of the planning commission(1956-61), and he gave a two-sector Input-output model for the Second Five Year Plan, which later grew to become regarded as the Nehru-Mahalanobis model. He founded Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in December 1931 in Kolkata. Those are Padma Vibhushan (1968), Weldon Memorial Prize from the University of Oxford (1944), Fellow of the Royal Society, London(1945).
Implementation Strategy of BharatNet Project
The BharatNet Project’s implementation strategy has been revised.
The Cabinet approved the revised BharatNet implementation strategy through Public Private Partnership mode in 16 states across the country.
The programme will be expanded to include all inhabited villages outside of Gram Panchayats (GPs)
The revised strategy also includes the creation, upgrade, operation, maintenance, and utilisation of BharatNet by the concessionaire, who will be chosen through a competitive international bidding process.
The Cabinet has given in-principle approval to cover all inhabited villages in the remaining states/UTs of the country. The Department of Telecommunications will work out the details separately.
Saral Sanchar Portal – DoT
The Saral Sanchar Portal has been expanded by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
‘SARAL SANCHAR’ (Simplified Application For Registration and Licenses) is a web-based portal for issuing various licences and registration certificates.
It is part of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India’s various digital initiatives.
The portal ensures greater transparency and efficiency in the issuance of licences and registration certificates.
The portal assumes that applicants will receive prompts and alerts at all stages of application submission so that all necessary requirements can be met before the application is submitted.
The Ganga River Basin Glacial Lake Atlas has been Published
Due to growing concerns about the impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has released an updated Atlas of Glacier Lakes, which are part of the Ganges River Basin.
In the Ganga basin, approximately 4,707 glacial lakes have been mapped.
A similar exercise was carried out for the Indus River basin in December 2020.
The current study used Resourcesat-2 (RS-2) Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor-IV (LISS-IV) satellite data to map glacial lakes with a water spread area greater than 0.25 ha.
Glacial lakes are classified into nine types, which are further divided into four categories based on the process of lake formation, location, and type of damming material.
The mapped area extends from the Ganga River’s orgin to the Himalayan foothills, covering a catchment area of 2,47,109 square kilometres.
The study of the Ganges River Basin partially covers India and a part of the transboundary area.