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Pb. Current Affairs

7th January 2021

Topic: Punjab Govt Scheme(Slum Development Program)

Slum Development Program – ‘Basera’ wherein every slum house-hold occupying land in a slum as of 1st April, 2020 will be given propriety rights for inclusive development.

‘Basera’ under which we are giving proprietary rights to almost 1 lakh families living in the slums across Punjab.

Already 2,816 families have received this right which will lead to their social & economic empowerment and proper development of these slum bastis.

Youth and the girl child have been earmarked as the beneficiaries of the two other schemes launched virtually by the Chief Minister, dedicated the month of January to the girl child as `Dheeyan Di Lohri’ and also paved the way for distribution of 2500 sports kits to promote health awareness and sports culture among youngsters.

One study found that the risk of transmitting COVID-19 is low if there is no close contact.

New research undertaken by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has found fresh evidence that the risk of airborne transmission of Coronavirus is low if sufficient physical distance is maintained and prolonged interaction with an infected person is avoided.

The study, conducted in hospitals by the Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, has revealed that while the risk of exposure through airborne transmission in closed rooms is higher if more infected persons are present, in a normal situation the virus is not found more than four feet away from an infected person.

Researchers collected 64 air samples from different locations in six hospitals in Chandigarh and Hyderabad and another 17 samples from closed rooms occupied by infected people who were without masks and asked to speak to each other. Four samples collected from COVID-19 affected hospital rooms and one sample from the closed room contained the virus. The virus was not detected in any of the non-Covid areas.

According to the research, the virus could not be picked up at a distance of even four feet when Covid-positive persons spent a short time of about 20 minutes in the room, suggesting that short duration of exposure may not put an individual at high risk. Samples collected at eight feet and 12 feet were also negative.

 (Source: The Tribune)

The election of the state’s 118 civic bodies could be postponed for at least two weeks.

Municipal or local governance refers to the third level of governance in India, at the municipal or local urban agency level.

Following the promulgation of the 74th Amendment, there are only three categories of local urban organizations: Mahanagar Nigam (Municipal Corporation), Nagar Palika (Municipality), Nagar Panchayat (Notified Sector Council or Municipal Council).

Elections for municipal bodies and Panchayats also occur after specific five-year terms.

In case, any representative of a particular constituency, block or Mandal resigns before his term is completed or due to natural or unnatural reasons dies before the completion of his/her term, bypolls are held.

India’s municipal bodies have a long list of functions delegated to them by state governments in accordance with their respective municipal laws.

Municipal Corporation of India, Nagar Nigam or Mahanagar Palika or by some other names in different states(translated in English as Municipal Corporation) in India are state government formed departments that work for the development of a metropolitan city, which has a population of more than 1 million. The growing population and urbanization in various cities of India needed a local governing body that can work for providing necessary community services like health centres, educational institutes and housing and property tax. They also replace street lights.

In India, a municipality of Nagar Palika is a local urban organization that manages a city with a minimum population of 100,000 but less than 1,000,000. However, there are exceptions to that, as previously Nagar Palika was constituted in urban centres with population over 20,000 so all the urban bodies which were previously classified as Nagar Palika was reclassified as Nagar Palika even if their population was under 100,000.

A Nagar Panchayat or Notified Area Council or City Council is a form of an urban political unit in India comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 11,000 and less than 25,000 inhabitants is classified as a “Nagar Panchayat”.

Founder of Patiala state Baba Ala Singh ji on 7th Jan birthday. 1763 E.
Baba Ala Singh Ji lay the foundation stone of Patiala fort called Kila Mubarak, surrounding which is settled in Ajoka Patiala city.