28th, December, 2021

 

 

Topic: PM visited Himachal Pradesh

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

 

What is the news?

• PM dedicates development projects worth Rs 11,581 Crore to the state.

 

 

Few Highlights:

1) The Prime Minister inaugurated the 111 MW Sawara Kuddu hydropower project from Mandi, built by HP Power Corporation Ltd (HPPCL) at a cost of 2,082 rupees. Constructed near the famous Hatkoti temple on the Pabbar river in Shimla district, this project would generate 386 million units of power per annum and generate annual revenue of about Rs 120 crore to the State through HPPCL.

2) He also laid foundation stones of Rs 7000 crore Renuka ji Dam on Giri river in Sirmour district and 66 MW Dhaulasidh Hydro Electric Project, a joint venture between the Government of India and the State Government located on the Beas river in Hamirpur and Kangra districts. This project, implemented by Satluj Jal Vidhut Nigam Ltd., would be completed with the expenditure of Rs 688 crore.

3)In addition to this, he laid the foundation stone of 210 MW Luhri Stage-I hydro-electric project to be constructed by spending an amount of Rs 1811 crore on the Satluj river Shimla and Kullu districts of the State.

4) In 2016, India set a target to reach 40 percent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030.

5) Prime Minister Narendra Modi also presided over the second inauguration ceremony of the Himachal Pradesh Global Investors’ Meeting in Mandi.

6) In the event, 287 Investible Projects worth Rs 28,197 Crores were grounded. These projects are expected to stimulate economic development in the region and create approximately one lakh of jobs.

7) Amongst the Mega projects were Renukaji Dam project worth Rs 7000 crore by SJVNL, States first Defense Park worth Rs 2,000 crore by M/s SMPP Pvt. Ltd., API unit worth Rs 850 Cr by M/s Kinvan Pvt. Ltd.

8) State’s first Defense Park worth Rs 510 Cr by M/s Indo Farm Equipment.

9) Also, Other than Industries and Energy sector, there were other grounded projects from various sectors such as Tourism, Health, Ayurveda etc.

10) He also unveiled the ‘Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy’ of the State on the occasion. Prime Minister also released Coffee Table Book, ‘Seva aur Siddhi Ke, 4 Saal Samridhi Ke’, highlighting the four years achievements of the present State Government, brought out by the Information and Public Relations Department. A documentary film based on various achievements of the present State Government brought out by the Department was also screened on the occasion.

 

What Chief Minister said:

 

1) Chief Minister said that over 4.25 lakh families of the State have been covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojna of Government of India and 1.16 lakh beneficiaries have been provided free treatment of Rs. 139.13 crore.

2) Similarly, under the Mukhy Mantri Health Care Yojna- HIMCARE, 5.13 lakh families have been registered and about Rs 200 crore spent on providing free treatment to 2.17 lakh people, he added.

3) He said that under Sahara Yojna Rs. 3000 per month was being provided to families having a critically ill patient. He said that till date Rs 56.13 crore have been spent to benefit 16,820 beneficiaries.

4) Jai Ram Thakur said that over 6.09 lakh people were being provided social security pension from the State and about 1.95 thousand new cases of social security pension have been sanctioned during the tenure of the present State Government.

5) He said that schemes like Jan Manch and Chief Minister’s Helpline 1100 have proved a boon to the people of the State for speedy Redressal of their grievances nearer to their home and by making a telephone call.

6) He said that as many as 1.36 lakh families have benefitted under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojna by spending an amount of Rs. 21.81 crore and 3.23 lakh families of the State have been covered under the Mukhya Mantri Grihini  Suvidha Yojna by spending Rs.119.90 crore.

(Source: HP Government)

 

 

Topic: Child Health

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• Increased stunting in children in Himachal Pradesh: Study.

 

Recent Report:

• The stunting ratio has risen from 26 per cent in 2015-16 to 31 per cent in 2019-20, while the wasting ratio has grown from 14 per cent to 17 per cent during this period.
• According to a study, the overweight rate among children tripled from 2% to 6% from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
• The state has 12 districts and only a few have recorded an improvement in these criteria in the last four years. While the Hamirpur and Shimla districts showed an improvement in stunting, the trend in the remaining 10 districts has deteriorated over the last four years.
• In wasting criterion, only four districts namely Lahaul-Spiti, Bilaspur, Kinnaur and Sirmaur have shown an improvement. In the overweight criterion, only Hamirpur showed an improvement. Shimla, Sirmaur and Solan showed an improvement in the underweight criterion, while Hamirpur alone showed an improvement in the overweight parameter.

 

Initiatives:

• The state has directed the officials of various departments such as Health and Family Welfare, Ayurveda as well as Women and Child Health to coordinate this trend by monitoring the growth of children in the first two years.
• Anganwari workers will be assisted by healthcare staff to control malnutrition in children, with a focus on controlling diarrhea and respiratory diseases. Child marriage, particularly among the migrant population, has also led to malnutrition, health experts said.

What is Stunting?

• Stunting is the impaired growth and development of children due to poor nutrition, repeated infections, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median.

(Source: HP Tribune)

 

 

Topic: Safety Measures

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the planned landslide surveillance and early warning system.

 

Which organization developed this?

• By the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi.

 

How does this work?

• The Landslide Monitoring System provides soil movement alerts via hooters and blinkers installed on the road remotely via text message. In addition, the system sends rain alerts in advance if more than 5mm of rain is expected. Landslides are predicted 10 minutes before they actually occur through monitoring changes in ground motion. The system is also forecast extreme weather events using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
• The prototype device was first deployed in July-August 2017 in an active landslide area on the Gharpa Hill near IIT Mandi’s Kamand campus. The first field deployment took place in a Kotropi Landslide in 2018, supported by the Mandi District Administration.
• The device’s utility was witnessed on July 27, 2018, when a tragedy was averted at Kotropi along the Mandi-Joginder Nagar national highway due to rain and a flash flood by the system.

(Source: HP Tribune)