Maharashtra government sets up task forces on agriculture development and poverty alleviation
i. Maharashtra government on 18 April 2015 set up a task force on agriculture development and poverty alleviation to address the issues.
ii. It will be 12-member panel for agriculture development and will be headed by the state’s additional chief secretary (Agriculture).
iii. Task force for poverty alleviation - State government also has set up another task force for poverty alleviation. It will be headed by principal secretary (Social Justice Department).
Background:
During the first meeting of National Institution for Transformation of India (NITI) Aayog held in February 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested to all state governments to set up panels for agriculture development and poverty alleviation to address the issues.
Vankadarath Saritha, first woman bus driver of Delhi Transport Corporation
i. Vankadarath Saritha, a 30-year-old driver became first woman bus driver to be inducted in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).
ii. DTC has currently posted her at Sarojini Nagar depot and will work in day-time duty at a route in the central part of the city, starting from 20 April 2015.
iii. Saritha hails from Nalgonda district in Telengana. She had started her career as an autorickshaw driver and previously had worked as a bus driver in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Prior to joining DTC, she was working as a taxi driver in Delhi.
iv. Delhi government’s this step will allay its concern regarding women’s security in the capital and also encourage women’s contribution to such sectors where they’re currently not participating.
RVNL Sings MoU with Private Sector Dighi Port Limited for Rail Connectivity
i. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 18 April 2015 between Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Dighi Port Limited.
ii. The MoU will facilitate construction of 34 km of railway link between Roha and Dighi Port in Raigad district of Maharashtra. The project cost is estimated around Rs. 723 crore.
iii. It was signed in the presence of Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.
iv. Dighi Port is the first non- major private sector seaport in Maharashtra located on the banks of Rajapuri Creek in Raigad district over 150 km from Mumbai.
Andhra Pradesh Government inks MoU with IISL Company to replace streetlights in 13 municipalities with LED lights
i. Andhra Pradesh Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the IISL Company to replace the existing streetlights in 13 municipalities with LED lights in the state.
ii. MoU was signed by Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana and IISL’s representatives in Amaravati, the new capital state.
iii. As per the agreement, IISL will maintain replace and maintain LED streetlights in the 13 municipalities for seven years.
iv. The all existing streetlights in all the municipal corporations and municipalities will be changed to LED streetlights in a phased manner.
v. By installing LED streetlights, state government aims to reduce the power consumption by 50 per cent.
International Paralympic Committee derecognises Paralympic Committee of India
i. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has suspended the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for indefinite period.
ii. IPC’s this move comes after PCI had provided shoddy treatment to athletes during the National Para-Athletics Championships held in Ghaziabad from March 20 to 22, 2015.
iii. This is second time PCI has been suspended by PCI. With this suspension, Indian para-athletes will not be able to participate in any IPC-sanctioned competition, including 2016 Paralympic Games at Rio de Janeiro. In this regard, Union Sports Ministry also has issued a show cause notice to PCI.
iv. This notice was issued based upon enquiry conducted by Sports Authority of India (SAI). SAI in its enquiry had reported that the sports venue did not have proper facilities to conduct National Championship and also lacked allied facilities required for differently abled athletes.
About Paralympic Committee of India (PCI)
- PCI was founded in 1992 as the Physically Handicapped Sports Federation of India.
- It was recognized in November 2011, as National Sports Federation (NSF) for promotion of sports amongst the physically challenged sportspersons in the country.
- It is also responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Paralympic Games and other international athletic meets.
Ashish Jakhar from Haryana sets National Youth record in hammer throw
i. Ashish Jakhar from Haryana on 17 April 2015 set a national youth record in boys’ hammer throw event and won gold medal in the 12th National Youth Athletics Championships held in Bambolim, Goa.
ii. In this event, Ashish had hurled 5kg ball-and-chain at record distance of 72.04 metres in a second throw which made a national youth record. In his opening throw he had hurdled at a distance of 71.92 metres.
iii. With this, he broke the previous national record of 70.35 metres which was set by Haryana’s Sukhdev Singh in 2009.
SC appoints CBI SP Vivek Priyadarshi as head of team probing IPL scandal
i. Supreme Court has appointed Vivek Priyadarshi to head an investigating team to further probe the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 6 spot-fixing and betting scandals.
ii. Decision in this regard was taken by a SC bench comprising Justices T S Thakur and F M I Kalifulla. The bench took this decision on the recommendation of a three member panel headed by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) RM Lodha which was appointed in January 2015.
Punjab government approves release of Gharials in Sutlej and Beas rivers to promote eco-tourism
i. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on 17 April 2015 approved release of Gharials in Sutlej and Beas rives in the state to promote eco-tourism. Initially, 10 Gharials (last surviving species of the family Gavialidae) will be released in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of ‘Gharial Recovery Action Plan’.
ii. Decision in this regard was taken after recommendations of the State Board for Wildlife. Union Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) also had given permission for release of Gharials under Section 12 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
About Gharial
- The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is also known as the gavial. It is a fish-eating crocodile and belongs to one of the three crocodilian species found in the Indian Sub-Continent.
- It is listed in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- It is also listed as Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species.
- In historic times it was present in Indus River system, including Beas and Sutlej rivers, indicating healthy river system.
Vijender Gupta appointed Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly
i. Vijender Gupta was appointed the leader of opposition (LoP) in the Delhi assembly on 16 April 2015 with immediate effect. Delhi Assembly Speaker has recognized him as LOP as per Section 2 of the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory ( NCT) of Delhi (Salary and Allowances) Act, 2001.
ii. Gupta is one of three legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has greatest numerical strength as opposition party in the legislative assembly.
iii. Prior to this he was leader of the house of the party in opposition in the house.
iv. In February 2015 Assembly election, BJP had won three seats which is less than one-tenth of the total strength of 70 of the Delhi assembly. While, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won 67 seats.
Gupta is a former BJP state president. In 2015 Assembly election he had won from Rohini constituency by defeating AAP candidate C.L. Gupta by around 5,000 votes.
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