Table of Contents
Rajasthan
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
lock-in 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
all-women railway station.
Five other stations – Ajmer, Udaipur, Abu Road, Bikaner and Sadulpur – have sanitary
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.
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