1) Centre clears Mumbai’s coastal road plan.
- Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar cleared the coastal road project in Mumbai.
- 12000 crore project will cover 35.6 km between Nariman Point and Kandivali, along the western seafront is likely to begin in mid-August.
- The project will help in decongesting Mumbai roads and create 91 hectares of green space.
- The Environment Ministry wanted to ensure three things before approving the project.
These things were:
- Reclamation of land should be minimal.
- No commercial activity should be carried out on reclaimed land.
- The land will be open to public.
2) NMCG, NYKS signed MoU for involvement of youth in restoring the health of Ganga river.
- The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) signed a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a long-term partnership for the involvement of youth in the abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga.
- The MoU is signed with the objective to involve youth in awareness creation, public outreach activities, afforestation drive for medicinal plants and native tree species, promoting sanitation and construction of toilets in rural and urban areas, educating people for tackling pious refuse entering into the river, removal of floating solid waste, promotion of Bio Agriculture & clean village.
About National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):
- NMCG is an autonomous society under Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation that works for the implementation of the projects under National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS):
- Nehru Yuva Kendras were established in the year 1972 with the objective of providing rural youth avenues to take part in the process of nation building as well providing opportunities for the development of their personality and skills.
- Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan(NYKS) was set up as an autonomous organization under the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, to oversee working of these Kendras.
3) Shri Piyush Goyal Launches Energy Efficient Lighting Initiatives in Varanasi.
- Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State (IC) Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy has launched Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) and LED-Based Smart Street Light programmes in Varanasi in the presence of Shri Yassir Shah, Minister of Energy, Government of UP.
- Central and State Government in association with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector entity under Ministry of Power, will distribute about 13 lakh LED bulbs to 2,28,496 Domestic Consumers, and replace 36,077 conventional street lights with energy efficient LEDs in Varanasi.
- EESL in cooperation with Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PUVVNL) will also implement Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme across the city.
- The combined impact of the Government’s two initiatives could help Varanasi achieve energy savings to the tune of nearly 104 million kWh annually. This translates to a total cost savings of about Rs. 68 crore per annum.
4) Chief minister Nitish Kumar launches `Bihar@2025` to prepare vision document.
- Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched a campaign called ‘Badh Chala Bihar’ in Patna to collate ideas from the public to produce Bihar@2025.
About:
- It is a vision document on state’s development between 2015 and 2025.
- Its purpose is to ensure public participation in policy making.
- It will elicit views of people; encourage them to tell about their issues, and what they want in health, electricity, education, employment and other sectors of development.
- It aims to reach out to four crore people residing in 40000 villages in the state, including 10000 government and civil society members over the next eight to 10 weeks.
- All the views and opinions collected as part of the campaign will be documented and included to prepare Bihar@2025.
5) Cabinet approves Rs. 6,000 crore interest-free loan to sugar mills.
- Union Cabinet approved Rs 6,000 crore interest-free loan to sugar mills for making payments to cane farmers.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi approved the proposal.
- Sugar mills in India owe over 21,000 crore rupees to farmers because they were not able to sell sugar stocks which have remained unsold due to falling prices of raw sugar in domestic and international markets.
6) Union Cabinet gives nod to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement.
- The Cabinet approved the signing of a motor vehicles pact between India and three other nations of the SAARC grouping - Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal, which will enable seamless transit of passenger and cargo vehicles among these nations.
- The agreement which is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) seeks to regulate the vehicular traffic of passenger, personal and cargo amongst BBIN countries.
- BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) agreement aims to promote safe, environmentally sound and economical efficient road transport in the sub-region of BBIN.
- BBIN agreement will benefit member nations for mutual cross border movement of passenger and goods for overall economic development of the region.
7) Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and Government of Tamil Nadu launch Migrant Resource Centre in Chennai.
- The MRC (Migrant Resource Centre) in Chennai is the fourth such MRC in India set-up by MOIA (Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs).
- The MRC will provide information, guidance, advice and counselling on all aspects of overseas employment including legal and regulatory requirements; documentation and procedures; policies; and problems faced while working aboard to intending migrants and overseas Indian workers.
- The first Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) was established by MOIA in 2008 in Kochi, Kerala, followed by fully functional MRCs in Hyderabad (Telengana & Andhra Pradesh), Gurgaon (Haryana) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu).
The MRC (Migrant Resource Centre) will support the following functions:
- Disseminate information on safe and legal migration.
- Disseminate information about status of Recruiting Agents and other service providers.
- Register and respond to complaints/ grievances within the redressal forum of MOIA(Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs).
- Offer counseling support (walk in or telephone and email support).
8) Union Government scraps import duties on AIDS drugs and test kits.
- Union Government scrapped customs import duties on drugs and test kits used to treat AIDS. The exemption will remain in effect until March 2016.
- Tax exemption will be applicable to certain first-line and second-line antiretroviral drugs which are used to treat adults and children. Apart from drugs certain diagnostic kits and equipment are also exempted from tax.
- In India more than 2.1 million HIV/AIDS patients are provided with daily antiretrovirals for free from state-run distribution centres which are operated by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
- At present, Mylan Inc, a firm of US and Aurobindo Pharma of India supply ARV (antiretroviral drugs) under the NACP.
9) Ministry of Railways has decided to run Suvidha trains.
- Ministry of Railways has decided to run Suvidha trains on the following terms and conditions. Tickets shall be issued only for confirmed and RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation passengers accommodation. There shall be no provision for waiting list in the train.
About:
- The maximum Advance Reservation period will be 30 days while the minimum Advance Reservation period will be of 10 days. Zonal Railways may decide the exact ARP for each train within this limit.
- Apart from e-ticketing the sale of tickets shall also be allowed through PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counters.
- Only General quota bookings will be applicable.
- Upgradation option shall not be applicable in these trains.
- Passenger should produce one of the prescribed Identity Cards during journey for verification purpose for both e-ticket & PRS ticket.
- On the basis of demand pattern, Suvidha train services may run during peak seasons like winter rush, summer rush, Dussehara rush, Holi rush and on other occasions as jointly decided by COMs and CCMs of the zonal Railways.
- There shall be no First AC/Fist Class/Executive class/general class/2nd sitting coach in the train composition of Suvidha Trains.
Three types of Suvidha Trains services are proposed:
- Fully air-conditioned services with or without stoppages: Base Price: (Rajdhani base fare+Tatkal charges).
- Mixed services having no enroute commercial stoppages on mixed Duronto pattern: Base price: (Mixed Duronto base fare+ Tatkal charges).
- For mixed services having some stoppages enroute and running as Mail/Express: Base price: (Mail/Express base fare+Tatkal charges).
10) Second border Haat opens in Tripura.
- The second border haat (rural market) was opened for common people at Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh.
- The border haat was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina via video conferencing from Dhaka.
About:
- Twenty five vendors from both countries will be able to sell their produces within the five kilometre radius of the haat on market day, which will be observed on every Thursday.
- This market is set up at the zero line of the international border with one part on the Indian side and the other in Bangladesh. Initially it will facilitate bilateral trade of 16 shortlisted locally produced goods.
- No local taxes would be imposed on the items to be sold in the haats and currencies of both the countries will be accepted.
- The border market is expected to increase business among the border population, reduce smuggling and increase people-to-people contact.
11) 1,191 Persons with disabilities provided high quality aids and assistive devices under the ADIP(Assistance to Disabled Persons) scheme.
- Union Minister for Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot inaugurated a camp for free of cost distribution of assistive aids and appliances at Ballia in U.P.
- The Camp was organized by Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur working under Department Of Empowerment Of Persons With Disabilities.
- A total of 1,191 Persons with different kind of disabilities were provided with high quality aids and assistive devices valuing more than Rs 86 Lakhs under the ADIP (Assistance to Disabled Persons) scheme.
- Govt sets up Rs. 1,500 crore nuclear insurance pool.
- The government has launched an insurance pool to the tune of Rs. 1,500 crore which is mandatory under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND).
- Announced by Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh.
- Features of India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP):
- It will cover the risks of liability of nuclear operators and suppliers under Section 6(2) and Section 17 of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act, 2010 respectively.
- It provides three types of policies viz., tier 1 policy for operators, tier 2 policy for turn key suppliers and tier 3 policy for suppliers other than turn key suppliers.
- The pricing of premiums will depend on factors such as risk probability, possible severity of damage and exposure to people and property around nuclear installations.
- It will be administered by the General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), the sole reinsurance company in the Indian insurance market.
12) Govt launches Mobile Blood Bank Locator App.
- The government has launched a Mobile Application for easy access of information regarding the nearest blood bank in the country.
- The National Blood Transfusion Council has made available directory of all 2760 licensed blood banks at National Health Portal.
- Data of all 76 blood banks in Delhi NCR and 524 blood banks from across the country has been made available. The process of uploading data of remaining licensed blood banks in the country is under process and will be made available soon.
13) `selfie with daughter` to focus on girl child.
- Bibipur panchayat((Haryana) launched a contest for parents across the State to take selfies with their daughters and send it to the Sarpanch by WhatsApp.
- The best three selfies will get a trophy, certificate and cash prize.
- The photographs will be judged by a team of 30 women sarpanchs and anganwadi workers from Punjab who will be visiting the village on June 19.
- Haryana is among the bottom five States in sex ratio 871 in 2014, a marginal increase from 868 in 2013.
- To mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Ram Prasad Bismil, the panchayat has decided to develop a “Bismil selfie spot” at Lado Sarovar.