National News August 2023
5th Helicopter & Small Aircraft Summit is organized in July 2023
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Pawan Hans, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry will jointly organize the 5th Helicopter & Small Aircraft Summit in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. The event’s theme is “Reaching the Last Mile: Regional Connectivity through Helicopters & Small Aircraft”. It will be inaugurated by Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation & Steel.
The broad objectives of the Summit are:
Provide a common platform for all industry stakeholders, and policymakers to discuss the growth story of the Indian Helicopter and Small Aircraft industry. Enhance the scope of the UDAN Scheme in remote and hilly terrains and expand the country’s rural to urban connectivity. Boost Helicopter & Small Aircraft connectivity to places with existing and potential tourism hotspots by providing uninterrupted services.
Rajasthan Assembly passes Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill
The Rajasthan Assembly passed The Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill, 2023, which seeks to cover the entire adult population of the state with a guarantee of wages or pension. As per the Bill, all families of the state, whether urban or rural, will be able to get employment guarantee of 125 days every year, and a minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month in case of aged/disabled/single women, etc. Importantly, the pension will also be automatically increased at the rate of 15 per cent each year.
Rajasthan:
- Capital: Jaipur
- Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot
- Governor: Kalraj Mishra
- Capital: Bhubaneswar
- Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik
- Governor: Ganeshi Lal
Odisha cabinet approves Mission Shakti Scooter Yojana
Odisha Cabinet approved Mission Shakti Scooter Yojana to provide mobility support to SHC federations. The “Mission Shakti Scooter Yojana” aims at providing mobility support to Community Support Staff (CSS). and Executive Committee (EC) members of SHG federations by facilitating their access to scooters. Under this scheme, eligible individuals will benefit from full interest subvention on bank loans upto Rs 1 lakh to purchase a scooter of their choice, making the transition to sustainable mobility more affordable and accessible than ever before. With a dedicated budgetary provision of Rs 528.55 crore for next 5 years, Mission Shakti is expected to make this scheme widely accessible, empowering more Community Support Staff and EC members across the State.
Odisha:
India to host 23rd virtual summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization
PM Narendra Modi hosted the 23rd edition of the SCO Summit virtually on July 4, 2023. The summit’s theme is ‘Towards a SECURE SCO’. The SECURE representing Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environment. The summit was attended by SCO Members China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia have been invited as Observer States. Turkmenistan has also been invited as the guest of the Chair.
Union Govt Establishes New Panel to Review All Surveys Conducted Under NSO
The government has set up a new oversight mechanism for official data, replacing the Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES) with a Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS). The SCES was tasked with examining economic indicators pertaining to the industrial sector, the services sector, and the labor force statistics. The new panel is said to have a broader mandate to review the framework and results of all surveys conducted under the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Pronab Sen, India’s first chief statistician and the former Chairman of the National Statistical Commission, has been named the new chair of the committee. It has 10 official members, and four non-official members who are eminent academics. The panel can have up to 16 members, the newspaper reported. The SCES was also chaired by Sen. It had 28 members, including 10 nonofficial members.
Kui language inclusion in 8th schedule gets approval of Odisha govt
Odisha state cabinet approved a proposal to recommend the inclusion of the Kui language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India. Inclusion of Kui help in the preservation, promotion, and propagation of the language and culture. Kui is a South-Eastern Dravidian language spoken by the Kandha community. It is primarily spoken in the state of Odisha. Kui is traditionally written using the Odia script, which is also used for writing the Odia language.
Odisha:
- Capital: Bhubaneswar,
- Governor: Ganeshi Lal
- Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik
Gujarat becomes the first state in India to start a welfare scheme on a pilot basis for shramyogis
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda. All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme. It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability. In case of the labourer’s accidental death, Rs. 10 lakh will be given to their family and the same amount will be given to the worker in case of permanent disability. Also, in the event of the death, the deceased’s children will be eligible for education assistance of Rs. 1 lakh.
Gujarat:
- Capital: Gandhinagar
- Governor: Acharya Devvrat
- Chief minister: Bhupendrabhai Patel
Cabinet Approves National Research Foundation Bill, 2023
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the introduction of the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023 in the Parliament. The approved Bill will pave the way to establish NRF that will seed, grow and promote Research and Development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories. The bill, after approval in the Parliament, will establish NRF, an apex body to provide highlevel strategic direction of scientific research in the country as per recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP), at a total estimated cost of Rs. 50,000 crore during five years (2023-28). The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will be the administrative Department of NRF which will be governed by a Governing Board consisting of eminent researchers and professionals across disciplines. Since the scope of the NRF is wide-ranging – impacting all ministries – the Prime Minister will be the ex-officio President of the Board and the Union Minister of Science & Technology & Union Minister of Education will be the ex-officio Vice-Presidents. NRF’s functioning will be governed by an Executive Council chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. The bill will also repeal the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) established by an act of Parliament in 2008 and subsume it into NRF which has an expanded mandate and covers activities over and above the activities of SERB.
UP Police launches ‘Operation Conviction’ for speedy trial
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched Operation Conviction’ to identify 20 cases each in every district related to rape, murder, dacoity, conversion and cow slaughter for speedy trial and conviction within 30 days of framing of charges. Since 2017, the state government has been carrying out a crackdown on mafias under its zero-tolerance policy. After the filing of the chargesheet, charges will be framed within three days and trial will be completed in the next 30 days to ensure speedy justice for victims.
