APSC Current Affairs

Centre's nod to tunnel under river Brahmaputra:

         The Central Government has given-in-principle clearance for construction of a strategic tunnel under the Bharhmaputra River of Assam. The four lane tunnel will run close to China border.

        The tunnel will be longer than the underwater tunnel being built by China below the Taihu Lake in Jiangsu province.

        It will provide better connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, to helping in transporting military supplies.

        The project will be executed by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited(NHIDCL).

       The construction of the 14.85 km long tunnel will begin in December and it will be built in three phases. It will also have ventilation system, fire-fighting mechanism, footpath, drainage system, emergency exit and will also be equipped with crash barriers.

Chhattisgarh Organizes India's first e-Lok Adalat:

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       Chhattisgarh High Court and Legal services Authority pioneered e- Lok Adalats in the state during the lockdown time and through video conferencing facilities amicably settled over 2,200 cases.

In an unique attempt, litigants were connected from their homes to concerned district and tehsil courts as well as to the High courts which took up 156 cases and settled 155 of them.

All court in 23 districts, from Bastar and Dantewada to Raipur, were connected through video conferencing systems to litigants.

 Raipur saw the highest 515 of 848 cases getting settled. It was followed by Durg where 293 cases of 300 got settled.

About Lok Adalat:   Lok Adalat (people's Court) is one of India's alternate dispute resolution mechanisms.

      It is where the cases that are pending or at the pre=litigation stage in a court of law are settled.

This system, based on Gandhian principles, aims to settle disputes through arbitration at the grass-root level.

Lok Adalat has jurisdiction on any case pending before or any matter falling within the jurisdiction of and is not brought before any court for which the Lok Adalat is organised. It can deal with cases like compoundable civil, revenue and criminal cases, motor accident compensation claims, partition claims, matrimonial and family disputes, land-related cases, labour cases, bank unpaid loan cases and so on.

Set up the first Bamboo Industrial Park in Dima Hasao

        The central government has decided to set up the first Bamboo Industrial Park in the Northeast in Dima Hasao district for tapping the immense potential of bamboo sector in the state.

     Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that Bamboo Industrial park would immensely benefit the bamboo growers of the state which has come close on the heels of the Bamboo Cane Policy. And works were going on for setting up the ethanol production unit at Numaligarh Refinery for a total amount of Rs.1,500 Cr as a special initiative of PM Narendra Modi.

     The park covering an area of 75 hectores. Apart from developing the bamboo based industries, it would contribute to the over all economic development of the State.

     The set up the Bamboo Industrial park has been taken at the initiative of the DoNER Ministry and the direction of PM Narendra Modi.

Haryana government launches 'Samadhan se Vikas' scheme

        Recently, the Haryana government has introduced a one-time settlement scheme called 'Samadhan se Vikas' for the recovery of long pending dues on account of External Development Charges(EDC) and Infrastructural Development Charges(IDC). The scheme is modeled on the central scheme of 'Vivad se Vishwas-2020'.Similar EDC Reschedulement Policy offer was also made in 2018. Hundreds of real estate builders/developers in Haryana are yet to pay the state government over Rs. 10000 cr as EDC and IDC.

      Vivad se Vishwas scheme:  The bill provides a mechanism for resolution of pending tax disputes related to direct taxes(Income tax and Corporate tax) in simple and speedy manner.

   The bill in current form allows taxpayers to settle cases pending before the Commissioner (Appeals), Income Tax Appellate Tribunals(ITATs), Debt Recovery Tribnals(DRTs), High Courts and the Supreme Court.

    Under the Vivad se Vishwas scheme, a taxpayer would be required to pay only the amount of the disputed taxes and will get complete waiver of interest and penalty provided he pays by March 31, 2020.

    But, if the tax arrears relate to disputed interest or penalty only, then 25% of disputed penalty or interest will have to be paid.

The Assam government decided to upgrade Dehing Patkai wildlife Sanctuary

              Recently Assam government decided to upgrade Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary into a National Park. The announcement comes just months after the National Board of Wildlife's (NBWl) conditional clearance to a coal mining project by coal India Limited(CIL) in the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve Sparked a spate of virtual protests in the state.

             Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary:    The Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as the Jeypore Rainforest. It is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam. Dehing is the name of the river that flows through this forest and Patkai is the hill at the foot of which the sanctuary lies. Fauna: Rare fauna found in the region include Chinese pangolin, flying fox, wild pig, sambar, barking deer, gaur, serow and Malayan giant squirrels.It is the only sanctuary in India which is home to seven different species of wild cates-tiger, leopared, clouded leopard, leopard cat, gloden cat, jungle cat and marbled cat.

      About Assam:  state: 26 January 1950

   Capital: Dispur

    Number of District: 33

   Governor: Jagadish  Mukhi

   CM: Sarbananda Sonowal

   MLA Seats:  126

   Lok Sabha Seats: 14

  Rajya Sabha Seats: 7

Karnataka Government launches “Nekar Samman Yojane”

          The Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yediyurappa has launched a scheme for the weaver's community in the state of Karnataka. The name of the scheme is “Nekar Samman Yojane”, which means Weaver Samman Yojona.

           For becoming a beneficiary of the scheme, Silk, Cotton, Woolen and other handloom weavers in the state of Karnataka have to register themselves at the Seva Sindhu Portal (an initiative  to deliver the various schemes and services of the Karnataka State Government at the doorstep of the citizens).

         Under the scheme, the state government is transferring Rs 2000 of support to all weavers in the state registered with the Seva Sindhu Portal.

        About Karnataka:   Capital: Bengaluru

                                        Chief Minister: B.S. Yediyurappa

                                        Governor: Vajubhai Vala                  

Plasma Bank Started at GMCH:

          Recently, Plasma Bank has been started at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), announced by the State health and Family Welfare Minister of Assam Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma. The first convalescent donor is a doctor himself, a COVID-19 patient Dr. Lithikesh.

     ABOUT PLASMA BANK: A plasma bank functions like a blood bank and it has been created specifically for those who are suffering from Covid-19. The bank will coordinate with patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and are eligible to donate plasma.

MoU  signs between Maharashtra Government and UKIBC

        A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed virtually between the non-profit organization UKIBC(UK India Business Council and the MIDC(Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation). MIDC is the Maharashtra government's premier agency for industrial infrastructure development.

        The MoU will help in strengthening the collaboration of Maharashtra Government with the business in the United Kingdom(UK), also it will proactively improve the business environment in the state.

       UKIBC is headquarter in London and was founded in 1993 to foster , promote and increase the business relations and the bilateral trade between the two countries (the United Kingdom and India).

Homogenized Assamese Nationalism- triggered by recent moves of Assam Govt:

       The Assamese Language Learning Act, 2020. Its objectives to provide of Assamese as one of the language in all schools in schedule areas Assam except school in sixth, Bodo medium schools of Bodo inhabited areas and Barak valley areas. ( 6^th schedule areas – districts of Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Dima  Hasao and BTAD areas).

     From Nursery and Class 1 to 10, Assamese will be taught as a compulsory language from Academic year 2021.

   Education Minister of Assam announced that government is considering a separate legislation regarding eligibility for government jobs in Assam- only those who learned Assamese till their Matriculation.

Government of India sanctioned RS. 190 cr for augmentation of healthcare facilities in North Eastern States:

          Union Minister of state of Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Jitendra Singh has sanctioned Rs. 190 cr for augmentation of healthcare facility in the Eight North Eastern States viz of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland And Tripura for developing infrastructure for management of infectious diseases.

   The decision has been taken during a virtual meeting to review the COVID-19 status and health care facility in Aspirational districts with special focus on North-East . It was attended by the Health Secretaries as well as Deputy Commissioners and Health officials of the 14 Aspirational district of North East.

   Ministry of DONER has also given the NE states the option to send proposals for health related projects to be funded up to over Rs. 500 cr from North East special Infrastructure Development Scheme(NESIDS).  Proposal have been received from 7 states except Tripura.

   About NEISDS:   It is launched in 2017. NESIDS is a 100% centrally funded scheme to provide financial aid to the state Governments of NE Region for the  project of physical infrastructure relating to water supply, power and connectivity enhancing tourism and social infrastructure relating to primary and secondary sectors of education  and health.

SBI opens 26 ATM in Tea garden areas of Assam:

          On SBI's 65^th Bank Day, State bank of India inaugurated 26 ATMs in the tea garden areas of Assam. These ATMs were virtually inaugurated from local Head Office by RS Ramesh (Chief general manager of SBI, North Eastern circle, Guwahati).The 26 ATMs are located in tea garden of 12 districts of Assam. These are kokrajhar, Dibrugarh,Lakhimpur,Jorhat,Golaghat,Sonitpur,Sivasagar,Hailakandi,Cachar,Biswanath,Tinsukia and Udalguri.

   About State Bank of India: SBI is an Indian public sector banking and financial services statutory body. It’s headquarter in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It Founded on 1 July 1955.The tag line of SBI is “The Banker to Every Indian”.