Table of Contents
Rajasthan
Centre approves Scheduled Areas extension in Rajasthan
-With the assembly elections due this year end, the Union cabinet approved extension
of the scheduled areas in Rajasthan, covering 3.7 lakh people in a number of districts to
bringing in more developmental funds for the tribal belt in south Rajasthan.
-The cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an approval to the
declaration of Scheduled Areas in Rajasthan under the Fifth Schedule to the
Constitution of India by rescinding the Constitution Order (C.O.) and promulgation of a
new Constitution Order.
-The promulgation of new C.O. will ensure that the scheduled tribes (ST) of Rajasthan
will get benefits of protective measures available under the Fifth Schedule to the
Constitution of India.
-The scheduled areas will now cover the entire districts of Banswara, Dungarpur,
Pratapgarh, nine tehsils, one block and 46 gram panchayats covering 227 villages in
Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittorgarh, Pali and Sirohi districts.
The Rajasthan government had in 2014, approved expansion of the scheduled areas
due to re-organization and creation of new districts and changes in population of the
scheduled tribes as per the 2011 Census.
The government had proposed to increase the number of villages under the
scheduled area to 5,706 from 5,034 while the number of municipalities was
increased to nine from six.
The state government had sent the proposal for extension of the scheduled areas to
the Centre for approval.
-Scheduled tribes in these areas will get benefits of the protective measures
in the fifth schedule of the Constitution such as 12.5% funds over the budget ear-marked for the area and reservation in jobs.
The Centre had in 1981 declared 5,034 villages of the southern part of Rajasthan having tribal population of more than 50% as scheduled areas.
After the 2011 Census, the total population of scheduled area is 57.24 lakh of which the scheduled tribes population is 41.88 lakh, constituting 73.17%
of the total population of the scheduled area.
First mega food park in Rajasthan -Rajasthan’s first mega food park, inaugurated at Roopangarh village near Ajmer,
will benefit thousands of farmers by providing them with the primary and central processing and storage facilities and enabling them to get remunerative prices
for their produce.
The park has been set up at a cost of Rs. 113.57 crore, while its annual turnover is likely to be Rs. 450 crore.
Food park would connect the farmers with the e-national agricultural market and
enable them to sell their produce directly in 550 mandis.
The mega food park, which has been set up in an area of 85.44 acres,
would have a central processing centre as well as well as four Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) at Jaipur, Nagaur, Tonk and Churu.
The park would also have facilities for primary processing and storage near the farms and would not only benefit farmers of Ajmer but also
those of nearby districts of Jaipur, Nagaur, Tonk and Churu as well.
The union minister said the mega food park would leverage an additional investment of about Rs 250 crore in 25-30 food processing
units in the park and would eventually lead to a turnover of about Rs 450-500 crore annually.
BrahMos missile successfully tested fired with indigenous seeker
-India successfully test fired the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile with an indigenous seeker at Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.
-Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the missile hit the target with “pin-point” accuracy and the success will further bolster India’s national
security.
The test firing comes three months after the Brahmos cruise missile was successfully test fired for the first time from the Indian Air Force’s frontline
Sukhoi-30 MKI combat jet.
-The range of the missile, an Indo-Russia joint venture, can be extended up to 400 km as certain technical restrictions were lifted after India became a full
member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) last year.
-Brahmos is a joint venture between DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) of India and NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of
Russia.
Jaipur witnessed 8th Theatre Olympics Jaipur was one of the co-hosts of the 8th Theatre Olympics, the largest international
theatre festival to be held for the first time in India.
The Jaipur chapter of Theatre Olympics 2018 was organised by
the National School of Drama (NSD) under the aegis of Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India in collaboration
with Ravindra Manch Society and Art & Culture Department,Government of Rajasthan.
“The 8th Theatre Olympics is a great opportunity to highlight
the cultural heritage of Rajasthan
Rajasthan passes bill to award death penalty for those who rape girls under 12 years
of age.
Rajasthan assembly passed an amendment bill awarding death penalty for convicts involved in the rape of girls below 12 years of age.
State Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria introduced ‘The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2018’ in the assembly, which was passed in the House by a voice vote
following a debate.
The new amendment added sections 376-AA and 376-DD to the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The amendment says that a person who is convicted of raping/gang-raping a girl up to
twelve years of age will be given a death sentence or rigorous imprisonment, which shall not be less than fourteen years and 20 years, respectively.
The amendment bill will award life sentence and life imprisonment to child rapists and will
ensure that the convict doesn’t get out of the jail even after completing 14 years of sentence.
-By doing so, it became the second state after Madhya Pradesh to award death penalty to child rapists.
As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) 2016 report, cases of crime against children have become rampant in Rajasthan in the recent past.
The BJP-ruled state recorded 4,034 such cases in 2016, which is 3.8 percent of the crimes
against children (98,344) registered across the country. In 2015, the state had registered
3,689 cases of crime against children.
Other states that have passed the bill are Haryana (3rd state) & Arunachal Pradesh (4th )
Uma Bharti launches 2nd project of Swajal Yojana in Rajasthan
Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Sushri Uma Bharti, launched the Swajal pilot
project at Village Bhikampura, Karauli, Rajasthan.
Besides ensuring the availability of clean drinking water to every household round the year, the project would also generate employment.
She inaugurated the pilot Swajal Project at Bhikampura with a budget of more than 54.17 lakh
rupees.
Swajal is a community owned drinking water programme for sustained drinking water supply.
Under the scheme, 90% of the project cost will be taken care by the Government and
the remaining 10% of the project cost will be contributed by the community.
The Operations and management of the project will be taken care by the local villagers. As per the plan, four reservoirs will be constructed in the village and common tap
connection will be given to almost 300 households.
Bhikhampura village has scarcity of drinking water and villagers have to walk to at least
3 kilometers to collect it.
During the lean season, water is supplied by tankers.
The new project will ease the lives of the people and ensure that potable water is
available for every individual round the year
Karauli is one of the 115 aspirational districts with the aim of ensuring overall
development by proper implementation and convergence of central and state government in the district.
She reviewed the progress in 6 key sectors including health, nutrition, education, skill development, agriculture, financial inclusion and basic
infrastructure and suggested the officials to take necessary action to expedite for early implementation of the program.
MDWS will closely monitor the progress.
India Signs Second Loan Agreement with New Development Bank for USD
100 Million for Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for Desert Areas.
The Loan Agreement for financing of Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for the Desert Areas was signed between Government of India and the New Development
Bank (NDB) on 13th February 2018 at New Delhi.
This is the first tranche loan of USD 100 million approved by the NDB under the Multi Tranche Financing Facility of USD 345 million for this project.
The objective of this Project is to rehabilitate the 678 km long Indira Gandhi Canal
system built during 1958-63 to prevent seepage, conserve water, and enhance water use efficiency as mandated by both national and state level policies on water use.
The execution of the project would have multiple benefits such as:
Arresting the seepage by rehabilitating the deteriorating canal lining of the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP) which needs urgent attention;
Rehabilitation of waterlogged areas;
Modernization and optimization of the irrigation management practices in the project area by involvement of the water users’ associations (WUA) in the command
area.
Strengthening of drinking water supply and irrigation facilities in the project area.
The project implementation period is 6 years. Government of Rajasthan will
implement the project primarily through Rajasthan Water Resources Department.
PM inaugurates Rajasthan’s first oil refinery at Barmer.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd (HRRL) project commencement of oil refinery in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.
It is first oil refinery to be set up in Rajasthan.
The project is undertaken as joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Rajasthan government. HPCL owns 74% stake in the project,
while the state government owns 26%.
The project includes refinery and petroleum complex of 9 MMTPA capacity.
It is expected to be operational in 4 years (2022-23) at a cost of Rs 43000 crores.
It is expected to give major impetus to state’s economy and will bring to the state an
additional income of Rs 34000 crores.
Rajasthan Sundar Singh Bhandari Swarojgar Yojana
Rajasthan government has announced Sundar Singh Bhandari Swarojgar Yojana for
Economically Backward Classes. Subsequently, govt. will provide loans of up to Rs. 50,000 to
EBC (Economically Backward Class) candidates.
Accordingly, EBC candidates will get these loans at 4% interest rate. The state govt. has announced this scheme in Rajasthan Budget 2018-19.
This scheme will facilitate poor sections of the society to generate self employment.
Moreover for the welfare of EBC category people, govt. has reduced the interest rate on
Home Registry from 2% to 1% and has announced various other welfare schemes.
Other Decisions for Poor – Rajasthan Budget 2018-19
Rajasthan govt. is going to provide Rs. 2 lakh interest free loans for skill development and thus to generate self employment to the people from economically backward
classes (EBC). These includes Hair Stylists, Plumber, Rickshaw Pullers & Cobblers.
Apart from Sundar Singh Bhandari Swarojgar Yojana, govt. will also start a similar
scheme on the name of late Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. This Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat Antyodaya Swarojgar Yojana will provide loans of upto Rs. 50,000 @ 4%
interest rate to 50,000 families belonging to SC / ST / OBC category.
Rajasthan govt. has also announced the distribution of Free Scooty to the 200
meritorious girl children who secures 85% or above marks in 10th & 12th class.
Furthermore, Rajasthan govt. has also annonced Pre and Post Matric Scholarship
with a total outlay of Rs. 273.50 crore under EBC Scheme
Rajasthan Farm Loan Waiver Scheme – Fasal Rin Mafi / Karj Mafi
Yojana for Farmers.
Rajasthan government has announced the much awaited Farm Loan Waiver Scheme / Fasal Rin Mafi Yojana for farmers.
Subsequently, CM made announcement about farm loan waiver in the Rajasthan Budget 2018-19.
Under this Karj Mafi Yojana, govt. is going to waive off the entire overdue / interest on loans till 30 September 2017.
Moreover, govt. will waive off debt / outstanding loan of up to Rs. 50,000 of
each farmer taken from cooperative banks.
Rajasthan state govt has allotted a budget of Rs. 8000 crore for the successful
implementation of Rajasthan Kisan Rin Mafi Yojana.
In 2018-19, govt. will provide Rs. 384 crore as subsidy for distribution of short
term interest free Loans / Fasal Rin.
In addition to this, govt. will also provide subsidy of Rs. 160 crore as damage
fulfillment interest.
Rajasthan govt. has spend Rs. 2814 crore to procure 5,51,000 metric tonne of
Moong, Urad, groundnut and soyabean to provide appropriate prices of their
crops to farmers
Rajasthan all set to be declared ODF (Open Defecation Free) ahead of deadline.
Rajasthan has achieved 100% toilet construction target before time and is all
set to be declared ODF about one-and-a-half years before deadline.
In the last four years, the state has constructed over 79.29 lakh toilets in the
rural areas covering 43,344 villages, under 295 panchayat samitis and 9,894
gram panchayats to achieve the onerous task.
Already 10 districts have been declared ODF and for remaining 23 districts only
the formality of verification –district, state and third party – remains.
In 2014 when the Swachh Bharat scheme was launched, the percentage of
toilets was only 34% which were mainly in the urban areas.
According to government of India’s target for states, October 2,
2019 is the deadline to achieve 100% ODF status.
But Rajasthan is all set to achieve the target in about one-and-ahalf-years
before time.
CM Raje inaugurates e-library in High Court premises
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the e-library located in the High
Court premises.
CM Raje also took the information about the functioning of e-library through computer.
This library is the first e-library in Rajasthan, where the lawyers of High Court will be
able to study the various law books for free.
Chief Minister also released the directory related to the information of the members of
the Jaipur High Court Bar Association State gets its first child-friendly police station
Sadar Dholpur has become the state’s first child-friendly police station with a
colourful room for children at the police station.
The room was inaugurated by Manan Chaturvedi, chairperson of Rajasthan State
Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and Rajesh Singh, Dholpur
superintendent of police (SP).
“Abandoned children, children accused of crimes, etc. who are brought to the police
station will be made to sit in the room.
The idea behind creating this room was to give the children, who spend a few hours
at the police station, a lively and playful atmosphere.
The room’s renovation and development were being done through crowdfunding
and activist Rakesh Tiwari played an instrumental role in the same.
Almond-shaped trace fossils found in Barmer
In a first of its kind discovery for India, some rare kinds of almondshaped
trace fossils have been discovered in Barmer.
This is the fourth such discovery in the world after America, Mexico
and Argentina
Professor SC Mathur, who was the former head of the department for Geology at
JNV University, Jodhpur, discovered these peculiar almond-shaped traces during
field work around Barmer with his teammates.
These strange shapes turned out to be a rare trace fossil colony created by
Mayflies.
These clusters of millions of iron rinds preserved in Barmer sandstone dates just
after the extinction of Dinosaurs in the early Paleocene period in western
Rajasthan.
These are the first fossils of its kind in India to be spotted at Gehun colony of
Barmer town and these trace fossils are almost perfectly intact and but now
extinct
These two-dimensional almond, lozen and J shaped trace
fossils are known as Asthenopodichnium lithuanicum and
lignorum and that these fossils stayed well preserved in
wood logs (stems).
This new find also gives insight into how Mayflies constructed their colonies in the wood log for shelter and
how they dispersed about 55 to 65 million year ago
Three govt hospitals get Kayakalp award
Three government hospitals of the state bagged Kayakalp
felicitation award at a ceremony organised to award government hospitals
in New Delhi.
Union health minister JP Nadda gave away awards to district hospital Jhunjhunu, district hospital Chittorgarh and Udaipur district’s community
health centre situated in Nai.
Kayakalp awards are part of Swachh Bharat Mission.
There are six parameters on which district hospitals are judged.
These parameters are hospital upkeep, sanitation and hygiene, bio medical
waste management, Infection control and hygiene promotion.”
The top two district hospitals securing highest marks are felicitated by
union health minister every year.
One best CHC of the state is also felicitated along with two top district hospitals.
In 2017, Centre had awarded Hanumangarh and Pali district hospitals
along with Bisau CHC in Jhunjhunu district.
Air connectivity to Delhi from Swai Madhopur, Kota, Kishangarh to
begin With the expansion of intra-state air connectivity, Swai Madhopur, Kota and
Kishangarh will be connected to New Delhi.
Efforts have been made to connect the tourist city (Swai Madhopur), the education
city (Kota) and the marble city (Kishangarh) with the national capital
Efforts have been made to connect the tourist city (Swai Madhopur), the education
city (Kota) and the marble city (Kishangarh) with the national capital.
The initiative will lead to an increase in domestic and international tourists availing
air service and the government aims to double the foreign tourist footfall by 2020.
Rajasthan Tourism And FHTR Signed MOU to Organise a Domestic Travel Mart
Government of Rajasthan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) for organizing the ‘Rajasthan
Domestic Travel Mart’ 2018.
The event will be held on July 20 and 22 at the B.M. Birla Auditorium in Jaipur.
The primary objective of ‘Rajasthan Domestic Travel Mart’ is to exclusively
focus on the domestic tourists from various parts of India and establish
Rajasthan as one of the leading domestic tourist destinations in the
country.
The vision 2020 initiated by the CM had an objective of 5 crore tourist footfall in the state by
the year 2020.
But the State has attained close to 5 crore tourists in the year 2017 itself and with new
initiatives like this, the State intends to achieve the set goal and probably outperform our own
predicted numbers
Rajasthan IT Day 2018
The Department of Information Technology and Communications under the
Government of Rajasthan organised the third edition of the Rajasthan IT Day
from March 18-21 at Jaipur.
This year’s theme for the IT Day celebration revolved around providing
a platform to e-mitras, education providers, students as well as startups.
The four-day event hosted five programmes for the different community of
individuals.
This included TechRush, Hackathon 4.0, Eduhack, Green-a-thon and
eMitra/ITGK Connect.
On March 18, 2018, the tech startups of the state took part in the Tech Rush – a 5 km
marathon that is being organised to commemorate the technology acceleration in the state.
The marathon took forward the agenda of making Rajasthan the digital
supremo of the nation.
Here Are The Top Three Startup Teams Of Rajasthan Hackathon 4.0
AK Pal Robotic: In the non-stop 36-hour coding marathon, Jalandhar-based AK Pal Robotic
won the first prize of a project worth $22.9K (INR 15 Lakhs)
The winning startup of Akshay Kumar Pal and Atul Sharma focuses on artificial intelligence
and machine learning and used these new-age technologies to build an automatic robotic
arm locomotive platform.
Ministry of Railways plans upgradation of 90 stations showcasing local culture
or history
In an attempt to increase passenger amenities and to give an aesthetic makeover to the most
visited stations across Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways has formulated the plan to
redevelop 90 stations across Indian Railways.
The redevelopment plan of 90 stations is assigned to different zones/ nodal agencies.
Given that some stations are important pilgrimage hubs and report over 45,000
footfalls per day, Indian Railways would strive to ensure that passenger’s get best services at
the stations even during peak seasons.
It may be noted that Indian Railways is in the process of redevelopment of more than 600
stations. While doing this, efforts would be made to showcase local culture or history to
reflect in the station façade
Five stations are from Rajasthan that too will be upgraded :
No toll tax for private vehicles on state highways
Beginning April 1, private vehicles in Rajasthan will not pay toll tax on state highways,
transport minister Yunus Khan.
He said that private vehicles will not be charged toll tax on almost 143 tool booths of PWD,
RIDCOR and RSRDC on 56 state highways.
The toll free travel will give direct benefit of Rs 250 crore to public and it will also save time.
The private vehicles, however, will continue to pay the toll tax on national highways
The state has 15,354km state highways out of which toll is being collected on around 4,954
km. The stretch has 35 toll booths of PWD on 15 roads, 81 booths of RSRDC on 28 roads and
27 booths of RIDCOR on 13 roads.
Rajasthan setting up largest start-up incubation hub in the country
Move over Bengaluru and Pune.
Udaipur in Rajasthan is aiming to set up the biggest start-up hub in the country with a
capacity to accommodate 700 newcomers.
The state plans to create a strong start-up ecosystem, taking a leap to match the top
tech cities in the country.
The incubation centre, coming up in Udaipur, will give start-ups and entrepreneurs
space, internet connection and other infrastructure facilities — all free.
The incubation centre will not charge any kind of fee from start-ups as
well as entrepreneurs and shall provide free facilities unlike T-Hub
in Hyderabad which charges a fee for different facilities.
An incubation centre in Jaipur is already running with 45 operating
start-ups.
The Udaipur one was recently inaugurated — to be operational soon
UNESCO awards CLIx programme
The UNESCO has awarded its prestigious King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize, an
international recognition for the Use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) in the field of education to a programme Connected Learning
Initiative (CLIx) recently.
The programme is being run in Rajasthan has helped in improving learning
outcomes in 101 government secondary schools covering 248 teachers and
13,277 students in Rajasthan.
The initiative is a joint effort of Tata Institute of Social Sciences
(TISS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tata Trusts.
The CLIx was chosen out of 143 applications from 79
countries, and the only Indian initiative to have been
honoured, since 2006 when this award was instituted.
The program offers quality teaching and learning through the use of modern technology to improve the
academic prospects of high school students from underserved communities of India.
E-Mitra plus Kiosk installed at 400 centres in Udaipur
Department of Information Technology and Communication has installed 400 E-Mitra plus kiosks at 400 centres of Atal Seva Kendra.
These self service kiosks will provide the same facility as any ATM machine.
Public can now benefit from these kiosks which have similar functions as any
ATM. It will be very convenient for the public to get copies of their deposits,
original residence proof, birth and death certificates etc. at a fixed service charge from these kiosks.
Water and electricity bills can also be paid through these kiosks. Print outs
can also be taken from the thermal printing machine which functions on
thumb impression. These kiosks can also be used for depositing amount.
The self service kiosks have 2 screens of 17 and 32 inches
respectively. 17 inch screen is a touch screen meant for availing various services.
32 inch screen has all the relevant information related to administration.
A web-cam facility is also available for video conferencing.
AIIMS Jodhpur gets state’s first surgical robotics system
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) , Jodhpur, got Rajasthan’s first
surgical robotics system.
Installed at a cost of Rs 28 crore, the machine was commissioned in front of a
committee led by Dr Arvind Sinha, hospital’s medical superintendent.
Dr Sinha said a training session for the surgeons will be held soon before
planning the first surgery with the help of the robotics system.
Soon, Jaipur police to setup e-unit to curb cyber crime
To deal with cyber crimes such as financial frauds, circulation of communal and
pornographic contents, Jaipur Police will be setting up a specialized Cyber
Crime unit in coming days.
It’s a specialised crime and we need special equipment and skills to tackle such
crimes. Cyber cell will dedicatedly deal with such activities.
The Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had announced in the state budget a
provision of Rs 10 crore for setting up cyber crime units in the state.
Half the money – about Rs 5 crores – would be used for setting up and running
the special cell in the Jaipur Commissionerate.
The new unit would be developed as a model unit in the state. We will
replicate this cell in other cities also.
There is already a Cyber police station located at State Crime Records Bureau,
which deals with economic offences over Rs 5 lakh
In case you fall victim to a cyber crime, you need not travel to the
Commissionerate and register your complaint.
“Any person can approach the local police station and give their complaints
there. The matter would be referred to the cyber unit which will initiate
investigation.
Jaipur Wax Museum installs solar power project
Jaipur Wax Museum at Nahargarh Fort recently installed a solar project – generating 30
kilowatt-hours (kWh) electricity per day.
It has become the first solar operated archaeological monument site in the state.
The entire museum uses around 40-45 kW electricity per day and in an effort to reduce its
carbon footprint, we installed a 30-kilowatt rooftop solar plant with 125 solar panels.
The solar panels are set up on the terrace of around 3,000 sqft area at the existing museum
building
This installation will help cover 60% of the electricity needs of the museum and
will save around ₹12 lakh every year in electricity cost.
The cost of the entire solar project is around ₹24 lakh
Chittor’s human milk bank best in Rajasthan
Human milk bank in Chittorgarh has been adjudged as the best in all 16 such
banks operational in the state.
In a state level function organised at Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sansthan for
celebrating first annual function of milk banks in the state, 14 persons received
awards in different categories associated to mothers’ milk bank in different
ways.
So far, 49 lakh millilitres of milk has been donated by 23,048 lactating mothers.
From the donated milk, the milk banks produced 1.58 lakh units of milk having
30ml of milk in each unit.
Out of 1.58 lakh units, 1.27 lakh unit of milk has already
been provided to needy neonates (under-28 day infants).
The milk banks are situated at Beawar, Banswara, Baran,
Bhilwara, Bharatpur, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu, Tonk,
Udaipur, Barmer, Jalore, Rajsamand, Karauli and Dholpur.
In Sawai Madhopur and Sirohi, the construction work for
mothers’ milk bank is in progress.
Government nod to foundation on Mukundra tiger reserve
The state government has given its nod to constitute Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve
(MHTR) foundation ahead of shifting tigers by March.
Once tigers are relocated to Mukundra, Rajasthan will be able to boast to have
foundations in place for big cats in all three reserves, including Ranthambore and
Sariska.
It was further informed, as provided under Section 38 X of the Wildlife (Protection) Act
1972, the department will constitute foundation for MHTR with the general objectives
to facilitate and support the management for conservation of tigers and biodiversity and
to take initiatives in eco-development by involvement of people in such development
process.
The tiger foundation will also open the door for MHTR authorities to raise funds
through its own resources.
The foundation is a registered body under the Society Registration Act, 1860 and is
authorized to accept assistance from from individuals and companies for the
purpose of fulfilling its objectives.
The MHTR administration has now shifted the deadline to March 5 to complete the
infrastructure and relocated the tigers from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR).
In Darrah range, the department is building enclosure to help animals acclimatize
with the habitat before releasing them into the wild. For the same, in Darrah,
enclosure is being developed over 24 hectares.
The forest department is finally relocating tigers to Darrah range of MHTR
after 14 years.
The project was first initiated in 2003 and notified in 2013, shortly
before Vasundhara Raje became chief minister for the second time.
The relocation project is expected to be completed during the present BJP
government’s tenure.
Though MHTR is spread over 759.99 sq km, covering the four districts of Kota,
Bundi, Chittorgarh and Jhalawar, initially, only 200 sq km in Jhalawar will be
dedicated to tigers.
Rajasthan passes bill to exclude buffalo from bovine Act
The state assembly adjourned sine die after passing seven bills in a span of
around eight hours.
This included the bill on excluding buffalo and progenies from the definition
of bovines to protect transporters and traders from cow vigilantes and
another that makes rape and gang rape punishable by death.
The last two bills included the Rajasthan Cooperative Society (Amendment)
Bill, 2018, and the Rajasthan Electropathy Medicine System Bill, 2018.
The Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of
Temporary Migration or Export) (Amendment) Bill, 2018, clarified that
“bovine animal” means and includes cow, calf, heifer, bull and bullock.
The bill expressly excludes buffalo and progeny from the definition, which would
come as a relief for cattle/meat traders and transporters facing harassment by
cow vigilantes.
At the same time, the amendment gives more powers to authorities to crackdown
on cow smugglers.
The bill amends the Act of 1995, which has a similar title, and allows authorities
to seize vehicles used for cow smuggling and arrest persons involved in the crime.
The bill’s statement of object reads: “At present, there is no provision in this Act
(of 1995) under which the competent authority can arrest any person who in his
presence commits an offence punishable under this Act.”
The amendment bill has added Section 12-A to the Act of 1995 to allow
authorities to make arrests
Another important bill—the Rajasthan Technical Universities’ Laws (Amendment)
Bill, 2018—changes eligibility conditions for appointment of vice-chancellors
at Bikaner Technical University and Rajasthan Technical University.
Now, only academicians with technical qualifications can be appointed to the post.
Even in case of stop-gap arrangements, non-academic persons, especially
bureaucrats, will not be given additional charge of a V-C in universities.
The assembly also passed Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal
Sciences(Amendment) Bill, 2018, and a private university bill, titled the Shri Kallaji
Vedic Vishvavidyalaya, Kamdhaj Nagar, Nimbahera (Chittorgarh) Bill, 2018.
Parched Shekhawati region in Rajasthan to get Yamuna water
The Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, largely comprising Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu districts,
will get the Yamuna water through a carrier system from Tajewala headworks following the
resolution of a 24-year-old dispute with Haryana over water sharing.
The Centre will provide financial assistance for laying pipelines from Tajewala to major
towns in the region.
Full share
The Upper Yamuna Review Committee had decided that 1,917 cusecs of water would be
released from Tajewala headworks to the Shekhawati region for drinking and irrigation.
With this, Rajasthan will get its full share of 1.119 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water in the
Yamuna river.
Public Works Department Minister Yunus Khan said that the pipelines
would be laid at an estimated expenditure of ₹20,000 crore.
In addition to the Centre’s assistance, the help of external financial
institutions may also be sought for the project’s execution.
Detailed project report
Mr. Khan said a detailed project report for the work would be prepared
within the next four months.
The project’s foundation stone will be laid by this year-end. The water
supplied through the project will be utilised for drinking and irrigation in an
area measuring 1 lakh hectares.
As per an agreement signed between the Chief Ministers of five States in 1994,
Rajasthan was allocated 9% share in the Yamuna waters.
However, the desert State was not getting its share even when the excess water
was available in the river between July and October every year.
Rajasthan will now be getting its full share from both Tajewala and Okhla headworks
on thr Yamuna river.
The State’s share in Yamuna waters will be reserved even after the construction of
Lakhwar, Kishau and Renuka dams on the river.
The entire region, situated at the edge of Thar desert, has been facing water scarcity
since long. The supply of water will provide much-needed succour to the villagers
and farmers.
Smart transmission management system launched in Rajasthan
Pushpendra Singh, minister of state for energy, launched the smart transmission
operation management system through web in the state.
Through this system, functions of scheduling of generation and demand, deviation
settlement, energy accounting and billing, approval of open access, etc., are
automated through web-based services.
As per the regulations issued by Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission
(RERC), deviation charges based on deviation of generation/demand of every block
(15 min) and grid frequency for power generators, discoms, railways, etc.,
connected to transmission system is finalized.
After implementation of this system, all the power generators/users who are
covered under the above regulation will be able to make their scheduling online.
Their bills for deviation charges will also be issued online.
Russian machinery museum inaugurated in Suratgarh
India and Russia celebrated 70 years of bilateral relations in the field of agriculture
at Suratgarh in Rajasthan.
Union minister of state for agriculture Gajender Singh Shekhawat and his Russian
counterpart Sergey Beletskiy inaugurated a Russian machinery museum and visited a
cattle breeding centre there.
The old agriculture machinery donated by the then USSR has been placed in a museum
inaugurated jointly by both the ministers of the two counties.
The Central State Farm (CSF) was set up in Suratgarh in 1956 with the assistance from
erstwhile USSR. The USSR had donated machines and appliances worth Rs 70 lakh for the
farm then.
The Russian scientists helped in laying the foundation of modern agriculture in the
deserts of Thar, which brought about a change in the agriculture farming in nearby areas
including fringe areas of Punjab.
Currently the farm under the National Seeds Corporation (NSC) is producing various high
quality breeds, custom hiring center, cattle breeding centre etc.
NSC with the help of National Fishery Development board has started Fish Seed
Production at CSF,Suratgarh.
It currently produces around 1 crore of fingerlings. These quality fingerlings will be
provided to farmers at reasonable price.
University for specially abled to come up soon in Rajasthan
A government-run university for specially abled persons will start functioning in Rajasthan soon to
provide them with education and skills.
The university will come up at Jamdoli on the outskirts of Jaipur from the next academic session.
A proposal for establishing the university has been sent by the department to the cabinet for
approval.
The proposal was made by chief minister Vasundhara Raje in 2017, and Rs 6.5 crore has been
earmarked for the university in the 2018-19 budget. The state has 15 lakh specially abled persons,
according to the 2011 census.
The aim is to provide education to the differently abled; there is no divyang-friendly school or
college to cater to those with disabilities, such as speech, hearing impairment, blindness, or mental
illness.
There is a shortage of special teachers for educating specially abled persons as per their
requirements and the university will bridge that gap.
The university would be open to all, but around 50% seats would be reserved for
specially abled students.
Those who graduate from the university will be employed in educational and other
institutions for those with disabilities as well as managing the government-run
residential homes for the specially abled.
The university will offer B.ed, M.ed, diploma and certificate courses. To start with, it will
offer two-year B.ed courses in visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental
retardation and learning disability.
The courses have been approved by the Rehabilitation Council of India
Rajasthan gets its fourth liquor-free village
Through a referendum, the villagers voted to shut a decade-old liquor shop in Foga in Churu district
With over 97% votes going against the shop, the verdict was crystal clear.
The polling was organised by the excise department.
Only 46 votes were polled in favour of the liquor shop, and 30 votes were
cancelled.
With this, Foga joins the league of three other villages—Kachhbali, Rojda and
Mandawar—which have already been declared liquorfree villages over the past
two years.
Raj Prashasti – India’s longest stone etchings in Rajasthan cry for upkeep
Rajsamand Lake attracts visitors not only for its natural beauty but also for historical
reasons. One of the major attractions being ‘Raj Prashasti’, the largest and longest stone
etchings in India, on the embankment of the lake.
Sadly, the heritage stone inscriptions are in a state of utter neglect with no serious
preservation efforts made in past 40 years.
Some of the iron angles put up years ago, to keep the inscriptions safe, have been taken
away by miscreants and those that remain, more than protecting the slabs, block the
vision for the visitors who want to have a look at the etchings.
The priceless treasure of the past has been craving for the modern technique of upkeep.
There is not a single signage anywhere to inform visitors on the importance of the
etchings, acclaimed as the largest and longest in the country.
Raj Prashasti is one of the most authentic and dated histories of the Mewar royals
and ‘Guhil Rajvansh‘.
On 25 marble slabs are inscribed in 24 chapters-1,106 Sanskrit shlokas narrating the
minutest details of rulers from the 7th to 17th century.
Maharana Raj Singh got it made to commemorate the construction of Rajsamand
Lake, however, Maharana Jai Singh got the Raj Prashasti installed.
The inscription was written by king Ranchhod Bhatt, a Telengana Brahmin from
Karnataka who prefixed ‘TelanganadhiPati’ title before his name.
Perhaps this is a reason, the writer had established a south connect in the
etchings.
Each marble slab is 3 feet long and 2.5 feet wide.
The letters are remarkably well-sized and can be easily deciphered.
“The etchings not just contain praises of the Mewar rulers but also
portray the entire lifestyle, culture, social-economic pattern of civilization
of the 1,000 years mentioned.
Besides Mewar, the inscriptions also have details of royals of Jaipur, Bikaner,
Bandhavgarh and Sironj (Madhya Pradesh), Brajbhoomi and Sauronji (Uttar
Pradesh), Pratapgarh, Banswara and Dungarpur.
Every slab carries chronological narration of important events, victories and
sufferings.
It also contains physiological details, rivers, flora-fauna of Mewar. The
etchings even carry details of how ponds and lakes were constructed in those
days.
The irrigation methods, mode of payment for labourers, the people’s way of
dressing, ornaments etc are the part of interesting narration here.
State Government announces framework for Rs 500 crore Startup Fund
In a further boost for startups based in Rajasthan, the State Government has
announced the framework through which it will provide loans and equity funding from
its Startup Fund of Rs 500 crore.
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, had announced the fund in August
last year at Kota.
The framework, shared by Rajasthan’s Principal Secretary of IT and Communications,
has ensured that funds are especially set aside for women entrepreneurs and ‘green’
startups.
Of the Rs 500 crore overall fund, Rs 100 crore is set aside for “Women Startups” and
Rs 50 crore for “Green Startups”.
The Rs 50 crore for Green Startups will be payable from funds available with
Rajasthan state pollution control board.
The Fund will provide both loan and equity to startups that are registered in
Rajasthan based on recommendations of the Committee set up for this purpose.
The Principal Secretary of lT and Communication will be the sanctioning authority
for grant of loan or equity, based on the recommendation of the Committee.
There is a funding cap of Rs 25 lakh per startup.
The amount will be based on the ranking of the startup on the state’s portal, istart.rajasthan.gov.in.
Here startups are ranked in Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Signature categories.
Bronze and Silver startups will get a maximum of Rs 15 lakh, Gold and Platinum get a
maximum of Rs 20 lakh and Signature startups get a maximum of Rs 25 lakh.
In case of equity funding, the maximum period of funding will be seven years with a lockin
of three years from the Government.
Startups will have the share buyback option from the time of receiving funding. A
Government representative will be on the Board of Directors.
In case of loan, the maximum period will be three years, with no lock-in period.
Startups can repay the security-free loan at anytime in this period without any
additional charges.
The interest rate is set at five percent with reducing balance. Startups will have to
start the loan repayment six months after disbursal and the repayment needs to be
done in six monthly instalments.
The loan needs to be utilised for the object for which it was taken.
Startups will need to furnish P&L accounts and balance sheet, show the main source
of income and furnish other documents as required.
The government will also provide Seed Funding of up to Rs 2 lakh as loan, with the
same requirements as the regular loan.
All-Women Railway Station In Jaipur’s Gandhinagar A First For Rajasthan
Women run the show at Jaipur’s Gandhinagar railway station.
From operation, reservation and booking staff personnel to railway protection force, 40
women have been tasked with the responsibility to operate and manage the important
railway station, making it an “all-women railway station.
The women employees working at this station have been trained to manage all
operations at the station.
CCTV cameras and sanitary napkin vending machines have also been installed at the allwomen
railway station.
Five other stations – Ajmer, Udaipur, Abu Road, Bikaner and Sadulpur – have samitary
napkin vending machines.
The Gandhinagar railway station is the second in the country to be
managed solely by women – the first being Matunga in Mumbai.
Apart from this, other all-women-run railway stations are located in
Matunga in Mumbai, Gandhinagar in Jaipur, Chandragiri in Andhra
Pradesh’s Chittoor district and Ajni in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Banaswadi railway station in Bengaluru become fifth all-women run
railway station in the country,
Rajasthan’s first rowing academy to be set up in Kota
Decks have been cleared for setting up of the state’s first rowing academy in Kota
with the state government appointing a coach and floating tenders purchasing boats
and equipment.
Conceptualized by the former Congress government in 2010, with a budget of more
than ₹50 lakh, but the setting up of the academy was put on hold with the change of
government in the state.
The state government has appointed Arjuna awardee and international rowing
champion Bajrang Lal Takhar as the rowing coach.
Rajasthan born Takhar (37), who bagged three medals, including
gold, silver and bronze in three Asian Games in the past.
The academy will train a total of 25 boys and 25 girls, which is likely
to be set up in the next couple of months.
The training will be held at the city’s Kishore Sagar Lak
Rajasthan to get international educational institution for minorities
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said an international educational institution for
minorities will be built in Rajasthan’s Alwar city as part of the Centre’s ambitious plan to set
up five such institutes across the country.
The plan for building these institutes was initially prepared in 2016 and an 11-member
committee was formed under former bureaucrat Afzal Amanullah to oversee it.
The committee submitted its report to the minority affairs ministry and after March 2017 the
work on this ambitious project started, he said.
“For setting up a world-class educational institution for minorities, 100 acres of land has been
allotted for an institute in Alwar, Rajasthan.
The government is mulling to proffer 40 per cent reservation for girls at
these institutes.
Meanwhile, the ministry is also going to open more than 100 schools on
the lines of Navodaya Vidyalaya for the students belonging to minority communities
By the end of this year, 32 of these schools will be functional. Special
attention will be given to girls.
It is a matter of concern that literacy rate among minorities, especially
Muslims, is much below than the national average rate.
The school drop-out rate among Muslim girls, which is more than 72 per
cent, is a matter of concern for the government.
Chief minister Vasundhara Raje presents the last budget of
her current tenure.
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