The Election Commission (EC) is focusing on 929 polling booths across Tripura, setting a target of 92 per cent voter turnout in the assembly elections due early this year (2023).

* These booths recorded a voter turnout of less than 89 per cent, which was the average across 3,328 booths in the 2018 assembly polls. The EC is also working on ‘Mission Zero Poll Violence’ to make the assembly elections peaceful.

 

* According to the ECI, these booths recorded a voter turnout of less than 89 percent in the 2018 assembly polls. Except for these booths almost all the booths in the state recorded a voter turnout of 91 % or more .The voter turnout was 89.5% in the 2018 Tripura assembly election.

 

* The Election commission plans to launch an awareness campaign, poll officials will visit senior citizens and persons with disability, and appeal to them to cast their votes.

 

* The ECI will make requisite arrangements such as ramps, wheelchairs and separate queues will be arranged at every polling station to felicitate senior citizens and persons with disability. This will also ensure that voters can cast their votes peacefully in the assembly election to be held in 2023.

 

About Tripura’s Assembly And the Elections : The Tripura Legislative Assembly has 60 seats. The election to constitute the 12th Legislative Assembly of Tripura was held on 18 February 2018.

The 12th legislative assembly term will end on 22 march 2023.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party with 36 seats and it formed the government for the first time in Tripura..

Source : Economic Times

Kerala Chief Minister "Pinarayi Vijayan" on Sunday (1st January 2023) inaugurated Indian Library Congress at the Collectorate Ground in Kannur.

 

The People’s Mission for Social Development and Library Council organized the event in association with Kannur University.

 

The program was presided over by Dr V Shivdan, and Higher Education Minister Dr R Bindu announced 100 new libraries to be dedicated to the Kannur district.

 

Ramachandran Gadnapally MLA, Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya, Kasaragod District Panchayat President Baby Balakrishnan, MV Jayarajan, Prabir Purkayastha, TK Govindan, PK Vijayan, Dr KV Kunhikrishnan, Pramod Vellachal, and others were present..

Source : The Print

The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the two prominent institutions under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India for regulating medical education and conducting scientific research respectively, have launched (2nd Jan 2023) ‘SMART’ (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research in Teaching Professionals).

The program aimed to boost scientific research in priority healthcare research areas through Ayurveda colleges and hospitals.

 

* The proposed initiative is conceptualised with an objective to identify, support and promote innovative research ideas in healthcare research areas including Osteoarthritis, Iron Deficiency Anaemia, Chronic Bronchitis, Dyslipidemia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, Psoriasis, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)”.

* The eligible Ayurveda academic institutions may apply by 10 January, 2023. All details regarding contact information, eligibility criteria and application process has been shared to all recognized academic institutions and hospitals through NCISM”.

* The large network of Ayurveda colleges and hospitals across the country is an asset for the country in terms of its healthcare needs. This network has not only been offering healthcare services in hardest times, but it also has contributed significantly in terms of healthcare research in the country.

* The ‘SMART’ program will certainly motivate teachers for taking up projects in designated areas of healthcare research and create a large database...

Source : PIB

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah 31st Dec 2022 laid the foundation stone of the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) at Devanahalli in Karnataka and inaugurated the residential and administrative complexes of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). 

 

* The residential complexes of ITBP inaugurated by Shri Amit Shah include Residential Quarters, Joint Building, Barracks for 120 Jawans, Staff Officers’ Mess and Officers' Mess.

* On this occasion, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Shri Prahlad Joshi and many other dignitaries were present.

 

* Shri Amit Shah said that with the laying of the foundation stone of the CDTI, a link has been initiated to make facilities for police forces more accessible. Shri Shah thanked Chief Minister Shri Basavaraj Bommai for providing suitable land for the BPR&D’s Central Intelligence Training Institute.

 

* The Union Home Minister said that BPR&D strengthens the police institutions of the country, but its work was not being given due importance. He said that with the passage of time, societal thinking, its form, goals and path have changed and if police do not change accordingly, they can gradually become irrelevant.

* Shri Shah said that research is essential for police to adapt to the continuous changes in society, BPR&D is responsible for conducting this research for the police and Central Armed Forces..

Source : PIB

Coffee shipments from India, Asia's third-largest producer and exporter, rose 1.66 per cent to 4 lakh tonne in 2022 on rise in instant coffee exports and re-exports, according to the Coffee Board. Exports stood at 3.93 lakh tonne in 2021.

 

* In value terms, coffee export was higher at Rs 8,762.47 crore in 2022 as against Rs 6,984.67 crore in the previous year (2021).

* India ships both Robusta and Arabica varieties, besides instant coffee. According to the Board’s latest data, shipment of Robusta coffee declined marginally to 2,20,974 tonne in 2022 from 2,20,997 tonne in the previous year (2021).

 

* Similarly, export of Arabica fell 11.43 per cent to 44,542 tonne from 50,292 tonne. However, export of instant coffee increased 16.73 per cent to 35,810 tonne in 2022 from 29,819 tonne in the previous year. About 99,513 tonne of coffee was re-exported in 2022, higher than 92,235 tonne in the previous year, the data showed.

 

* The unit per value realisation remained higher at Rs 2,18,923 per tonne as against Rs 1,77,406 per tonne in the period.

* Italy, Germany and Russia are the major export destinations for the Indian coffee.

* Some of the major exporting companies are CCL Products India, Tata Coffee, ITC Ltd, Olam Agro, Vidya Herbs, and Sucden Coffee India. Coffee production is pegged higher at 3,93,400 tonne for 2022-23 crop year (October-September), as against the final output of 3,42,000 tonne achieved 2021..

Source : Financial Express

Global Family Day is celebrated on January 1, every year. The day creates a sense of unity, community and brotherhood across nations and cultures through the idea of families.

This day is celebrated to discourage unwarranted negative attitudes towards other cultures, nations, which may breed hatred, encourage social aloofness and lead to violence.

The day highlights the need for all nations to exist in harmony, regardless of cultural or religious differences. The day highlights the importance of family and urges the extension of the idea to a universal scale.

 

 

Global Family Day had its origins in two books. The first was a 1996 children’s book named ‘One Day in Peace, January 1, 2000,’ by American authors Steve Diamond and Robert Alan Silverstein. The story imagines an ideal scenario where the entire world decides to work together to create a peaceful and prosperous planet Earth.

 

The other book was American peace activist and author Linda Grover’s 1998 utopian novel ‘Tree Island: A Novel for the New Millennium.’ Grover, in particular, spent over a decade to establish January 1 as a global day of peace. She passed away on February 10, 2010.

 

January 1 was chosen by Linda Grover as it was the date mentioned in Diamond and Silverstein’s ‘One day in peace’ book, as the day on which the entire world joins hands together to co-exist in harmony.

 

It was 1999 when members of the United Nations were invited to organise a celebration of Global Family Day on January 1, as mentioned in the book ‘One Day in Peace.’ While the annual celebrations of Global Family Day did not begin on January 1, 2000, as mentioned in Silverstein’s novel, it began a year later and has continued ever since.

 

Global Family Day also coincides with the World Day of Peace. The latter was established in 1967 and is celebrated annually by the Catholic Church..

Source : National Today

The central government on Friday (30th Dec 2022) hiked interest rates on various small savings schemes including senior citizen savings scheme during the January to March quarter but kept the rate for Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Sukanya Samriddhi scheme unchanged for this period.

 

The rates on the various instruments have been raised between 20 to 110 basis points and now range from 4.0 % to 7.6%.

 

The small savings interest rates, while set by the government, are linked to market yields on G-secs with a lag and are reviewed, fixed on a quarterly basis at a spread ranging from 0-100 basis points over (100 basis points = 1 per cent) and above G-Sec yields of comparable maturities, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

 

The department of economic affairs under the ministry of finance notified changes in rates in view of the rising interest rate environment. The rate for national savings certificates has been hiked to 7% for Q4, up from 6.8% now.

 

“The rates of interest on various Small Savings Schemes for the fourth quarter of the 2022-23 starting from 1 January, 2023 have been revised," the office memorandum released by the department of economic affairs said.

 

The rates for the post office 1 year, 2 year, 3 year, and 5 year time deposits have been hiked to 6.6%, 6.8%, 6.9%, and 7%, from 5.5%, 5.7%, 5.8%, and 6.7% respectively. The rates for 5 year recurring deposits and savings deposits have remained unchanged at 5.8% and 4% respectively.

 

The rate for senior citizens savings scheme (SCSS) will earn 8% from 1 January, compared with 7.6% now..

Source : Mint

The Government of India sponsored the proposal for International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 which was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The declaration has been instrumental for the Government of India to be at the forefront in celebrating the IYM. PM Narendra Modi has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a ‘People’s Movement’ alongside positioning India as the 'Global Hub for Millets'.

 

Recognising the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of India (GoI) has prioritized Millets. In April 2018, Millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals”, followed by the year 2018 being declared as the National Year of Millets, aiming at larger promotion and demand generation. The global millets market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period between 2021-2026.

 

On 6th December 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, organized an opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets – 2023 at Rome, Italy. The event was attended by a delegation of senior government officials from India. Next in the series, prior to the year-long celebration of ‘International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023’, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare hosted a special ‘Millet Luncheon’ for the Members of the Parliament at the Parliament house.

 

Further Development Regarding This : Among central ministries, the activities related to IYM for the month of January 2023 will be kick started by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of India. The ministry has planned 15 activities over 15 days in January which include engaging sports persons, nutritionists and fitness experts through video messages, conducting webinars on millets with leading nutritionists, dieticians and elite athletes, promotion amplification through Fit India App, etc. Some of the other ministries which have planned events in January are Ministry of Food Processing Industries which will be organizing Millet Fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh; FSSAI will organize Eat Right Melas in Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu etc.

 

With respect to states, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan have been allocated the month of January for carrying out specific activities for sensitization and promotion of IYM. The states will be conducting millet centric activities including mahotsavs/ melas and food festivals, training of farmers, awareness campaigns, workshops/ seminars, placement of hoardings and distribution of promotional material at various key locations in the state, etc. Other states that are organizing similar activities in the month of January include Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

 

What are millets : Millet is a common term for categorising small-seeded grasses that are often called Nutri-cereals. Some of them are sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), little millet (kutki), foxtail millet (kakun), proso millet (cheena), barnyard millet (sawa), and kodo millet (kodon). An essential staple cereal crop for millions of smallholder dryland farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, millets offer nutrition, resilience, income and livelihood for farmers, and have multiple uses such as food, feed, fodder, biofuels and brewing.

 

Significance and benefits of millets : Millets are nutritionally superior to wheat and rice owing to their higher protein levels and a more balanced amino acid profile. Millets also contain various phytochemicals which exert therapeutic properties owing to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. Further, besides being climate resilient, millet grains are rich sources of nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre, and good-quality fat; minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc and B complex vitamins. Most importantly, millet production is not dependent on the use of chemical fertilizers.

 

Millet Producing States : India produces all the nine commonly known millets and is the largest producer and fifth-largest exporter of millets in the world. Most of the states in India grow one or more millet crop species. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are the major millets producing states..

Source : PIB

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief Sujoy Lal Thaosen on Saturday(31st Dec 2022) took over the additional charge of Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) that guards 7,419 km of the Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 

Thaosen took the charge as the incumbent BSF Director General Pankaj Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Rajasthan cadre, retired on Saturday after completing his 1.4-year tenure at the post. Singh had taken over the charge of BSF chief on August 31 last year.

 

CRPF chief Thaosen is Singh’s batchmate from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, and an order issued from Union Home Ministry mentions that he will hold additional charge of the BSF DG till further orders.

 

Singh handed over the baton to Thaosen on Saturday afternoon following a farewell parade of the force and giving service medals to BSF personnel at the force’s camp.

 

Singh’s appointment in BSF as its DG created history last year as it was the time when a son had held the topmost position of the force like his father, Prakash Singh, a retired IPS officer of the 1959 batch who also headed the BSF as its DG from June 1993 to January 1994.

 

The BSF is about 2.65 lakh personnel in strength.

 

After taking over the additional charge of BSF DG, Thaosen has been among the list of a few officers who served as Director Generals Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), CRPF and the BSF.

 

Thaosen on October 3 took charge as 37th Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the largest Central armed police force mandated to provide internal security in the country. Earlier, Thaosen was holding charge of Director General of SSB as well as the additional charge of ITBP chief..

Source : The Print