13th, September, 2022

 

Topic: Teams formed for EVM and VVPAT demonstration–awareness campaign

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events (Polity)

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-V: GENERAL STUDIES-II: Unit I: Topic: Parliament and State legislatures.

 

What is the news?

• As per the instructions of the Returning Officer, 38- The officers mentioned for EVM and VVPAT display–awareness campaign for electors, general public and officers of various government departments / organizations of Hamirpur assembly constituency as well as district Hamirpur, including Junior Engineers will assist the identified engineers identified for safely transporting EVMs and VVPATs from strong room to demonstration center.
• According to his order, voters will be given complete information about voting machines (EVMs) and VVPATs in view of the upcoming assembly elections, for this, the Election Department will conduct EVM and VVPAT demonstration–awareness campaign from September 17.

Purpose:

• So that voters can get complete information about the process of using voting machines, EVMs and VVPATs.

 

About EVM machines and VVPAT:

 

Q1: What is an Electronic voting machine? On what way its functioning is different from the conventional system of voting?

•  Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is an electronic device for recording votes. An Electronic voting Machine consists of two Units – a control unit and a Balloting Unit -joined by a five-meter cable.
• The control Unit is placed with the Presiding officer or a Polling officer and the Balloting Unit is placed inside the voting compartment’ instead of issuing a ballot paper, the Polling Officer in-charge of the Control Unit will release a ballot by pressing the Ballot Button on the control Unit. This will enable the voter to cast his/her vote by pressing the blue button on the Balloting Unit against the candidate and Symbol of his choice.

 

Q2: ‘When was the EVM first introduced in elections?

• EVMs were first used in the 7o-Parur Assembly Constituency of Kerala in the year’ 1982.

 

Q3. How can EVMs be used in areas where there is no electricity?

• EVMs do not require electricity. EVMs run on an ordinary battery assembled by Bharat Electronics Limiied/Electronics Corporation of lndia Limited.

 

Q4. What is the maximum number of votes which can be cast in EVMs?

• An EVM being used by ECI can record a maximum of 2,000 votes’

 

Q5. What is the maximum number of candidates, which EVMs can cater to?

•  ln case of M2 EVMs (2006-10), EVMs can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates including NOTA. There is provision for 16 candidates in a Balloting Unit’ lf the total number of candidates exceeds 16, more balloting units can be attached (one per 16 candidates) up to a maximum of 64 candidates by connecting 4 Balloting Units. However, in case of M3 EVMs (Post 2013), EVMs can cater to a maximum of 384 candidates including NoTA by connecting 24 Balloting Units’.

 

Q6. What will happen if the EVM in a particular polling station goes out of order?

•  lf an EVM of a particular polling station goes out of order, the same is replaced with a new one” The votes recorded until the stage when the EVM went out of order remains safe in the memory of the control Unit and it is perfectly fine to proceed with the polling after replacing the EVM with new EVM and there is no need to start the poll from the beginning on counting day, votes recorded to give the aggregate result of that polling station’.

 

Q7: Who has designed the EVMs?

• The EVMs have been devised and designed by the Technical Expert committee (TEC) of the Election commission in collaboration with two public Sector undertakings name it as Bharat Electronics Ltd, Banglore and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd Hyderabad.

 

Q8. What is voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (WPAT)?

• VVPAT is an independent verification printer machine and attaches to electronic voting machines. It allows voters to verify if their vote has gone to the intended candidate.
• When a voter presses a button in the EVM, a paper slip is printed through the VVPAT. The slip contains the poll symbol and the name of the candidate. It allows the voter to verify his/her choice.
• After being visible to the voter from a glass case in the VVPAT for seven seconds, the ballot slip will be cut and dropped in the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will be heard.
• VVPAT machines can be accessed by polling officers only.

 

Q9. Whether VVPAT runs on electricity?

• No. VVPAT runs on power pack Battery.

 

Q10. Where were VVPATs used for the first time in India?

• VVPATs with EVMs were used for the first time in a bye-election from 5’1-Noksen (ST) Assembly Constituency of Nagaland’.

 

Q11. Who conducts the First Level checking of EVMs & VVPATs?

• Only authorized engineers of the manufacturers, namely Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), conduct the First Level checking (FLC) of EVMs & VVPATs under control of a District Election officer and direct supervision of Deputy DEO in the presence of representative of Politicat Parties under videography.

 

Q 12: Is it Possible to use EVMs for simultaneous elections for Parliament and State Legislative Assembly?

• Yes. However, during simultaneous elections 2 separate sets of EVMs are required, one for the Parliamentary constituency and another  for the Legislative Assembly Constituency

Quick Revision:

 

What is the use of electronic voting machines?
Electronic voting machines are an electronic way to vote and count votes in an election.

Who manufactures electronic voting machines?
EVMs in India are manufactured by Bharat Electronics Ltd (Bengaluru) and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (Hyderabad).

What will happen if the EVM in a particular polling station goes out of order?
In such a scenario, the EVM will be replaced with a new one. The votes counted till then is safe in the memory of the control unit.

When was the EVM first introduced in elections?
EVMs were used for the first time in India in 1982 in the by-election to the North Paravur Assembly constituency in Kerala.

In which countries is EVM banned?
Some countries that have discontinued using the EVMs are the Netherlands, Kazakhstan and Ireland.

How can EVMs be used in areas where there is no electricity?
EVMs do not need electricity, they run on batteries.

(Source: HP Government)

 

 

Topic: One day conference organized under Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events (Polity)

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-VI: GENERAL STUDIES-III: Unit II: Topic: Modern and emerging technologies and initiatives in the State of Himachal Pradesh Including biotechnology policy, research, vision, scope and applications for developing horticulture, medicinal and aromatic plants resources of the State.

 

 

What is the news?

• One day conference organized under Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project

Objective:

• With the objective of empowering farmers, horticulturists and agricultural entrepreneurs by making them aware of various banking schemes.
• Organized under the World bank funded Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project (HPHDP), this conference was attended by the officers of the Horticulture Department, HPMC, Marketing Board various Banks and the members of clusters formed under HPHDP and other farmers’ organizations.

 

Secretary Horticulture Amitabh Awasthi shared:

• Rs 1066 crore horticulture development project was heralding a new revolution in the field of horticulture in the high altitude areas of Himachal. Under this project, production of temperate fruits, especially apple and kernels, was being promoted on a large scale and in a scientific way, he added.
• The project covers all aspects of seed to market that is from plantation to plant care, irrigation, storage, value addition, processing and marketing. Active participation of gardeners is also being ensured in this entire chain of horticulture sector.
• 30 lakhs apple saplings had been imported under this project and these were being distributed to the horticulturists at subsidized rates. He said that a target had been set to distribute about 20 lakhs saplings by the end of this year. These plants would increase per hectare production of apples in Himachal and their quality would also be high.
• Besides HPHDP, horticulture department had also started a HPSHIVA project for the subtropical and tropical regions of Himachal Pradesh. Production of fruits like litchi, guava and lemon varieties were being promoted under this project in 7 districts of the state.
• He urged the farmers and horticulturists of the state to take benefit of these projects. Appreciating the initiatives of the one-day conference, secretary horticulture, said that this would enable farmers and horticulturists to take maximum benefits of various banking schemes.

 

About Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project:

 

Which organization has funded this project?

• World Bank.

Shared by a Horticulture Official:

• The Rs 1135 crore project was due to be completed in June 2023, but is unlikely to be completed within the original timeframe. Until June 15, 2022, Rs 564 crore has been spent on the project, which represents nearly 53 per cent of the total budget. We hope to spend 60% of the entire budget by the end of June.
• Because it will be difficult to use the remaining 40% of the budget in a single year, we will request a one-year extension.

 

About Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project (HPHDP):

• The Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) is implementing a World Bank funded project,namely HimachalPradesh Horticulture Development Project (HPHDP).

 

Objective:

• Objective to support small farmers and agro-entrepreneurs in Himachal Pradesh to increase the productivity, quality and market access of selected Horticulture commodities”.

 

HPHDP has four components:

(i) Horticulture production.
(ii) Value addition& agro-enterprise development.
(iii) Market development.
(iv) Project management.

(Source: The Tribune)

 

 

 

Topic: Himachal to install crash barriers at black spots

 

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events (Economic and social development – sustainable development poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc.)

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-VI: GENERAL STUDIES-III: Unit I: Topic: Appraisal of Physical Infrastructure Development of the State.

 

What is the news?

• With the state witnessing 3,020 “roll down” accidents in the past five years (2017-2021), the government has decided to cover 70 per cent of 500 mishap-prone stretches under the road safety plan to focus on installation of crash barriers during the current year.

Ajay Gupta, Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works Department (PWD), shared:

• An amount of Rs 30 crore had been set aside for the purpose. The installation of crash barriers on the valley side would be made an integral part of the detailed project report (DPRs) for the construction of new roads.
• The crash barriers would be installed over 17-18 km road length and the process of awarding tenders for the same had been initiated.

 

About Crash Barriers:

• As road technology gets more and more advanced, highways are being designed to make your travel faster, thereby significantly reducing travel time. However, in recent years, these very highways have emerged as major accident hot spots with hundreds of commuters having died due to crashes from drunken driving, overspeeding, etc.
• In India, the situation is particularly grim with the country reporting as many as 4,67,044 accidents in 2018. In fact, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), India has only 1% of the world’s total vehicles but accounts for at least 6% of the road accidents of the world.
• Therefore, it is important that highway authorities should make all the necessary arrangements to make travelling safer. One way to ensure the safety of both pedestrians and vehicles and streamline traffic is to install crash barriers.

 

These are essentially barricades that demarcate carriageways on roads. They can be installed on the sides of the roads to separate pedestrians from vehicles and also in the middle of the road to separate traffic. The main benefits of installing road crash barriers include:

1. Increased safety on roads for both vehicles and pedestrians.

2. Need for a lesser amount of maintenance as compared to other types of equipment.

3. Streamline traffic, thereby reducing the chances of traffic congestion.

(News Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: Drone surveys underway in cantt towns

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events (Economic and social development – sustainable development poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc.)

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I: Unit II: Topic: Human Aspects: Quantitative, Qualitative and Temporal characteristics of Population, Urbanisation pattern.

 

What is the news?

• Drone surveys are underway in various cantonment towns like Kasauli, Dagshai and Subathu.

Purpose:

• To identify various land parcels owned by the state government, defence and private individuals.

 

This is part of:

• This is part of the nationwide drone surveys going on in 62 cantonments. There are seven cantonments in the state namely Subathu, Kasauli, Dagshai, Jutog, Bakloh, Dalhousie and Yol where the survey was being conducted.

 

Civilians demand :

• Governed by The Cantonment Act 2006, the residents have been demanding exclusion of the civilian areas from the cantonment. The stringent building bylaws have stunted growth of these towns.
• The most popular town of Kasauli recorded a growth rate of mere 13.79 per cent. A majority of these towns have recorded low growth rate ranging from -8.99 to 27.13 per cent as per the 2001 Census. Only Subathu and Jutogh Cantonments have witnessed higher growth rates of 54.56 per cent and 47.74 per cent, respectively.
• The civilians residing in the cantonment towns have been demanding their exclusion from the cantonments as they faced numerous problems. Once excluded, the benefits of various state government schemes would be available to the residents. Funds would also be made available for repair of roads and other civic amenities in the civilian areas from the state and central government schemes.

 

About Cantonment Areas:

• Dagshai Cantonment founded in 1847 and is among the oldest cantonments.
• Subathu and Kasauli were established as cantonments in the year 1850 during the British era.
• The Kasauli Cantonment is situated on an area spread over 643.96 acres out of which 47.45 acres forms the notified civil area.

 

Which company is helping in conducting surveys?

• Bengaluru-based Edall Systems has been entrusted the task of conducting this drone survey where various structures like buildings, streets, street lights, sewage scheme, schools, hospitals, etc, are being digitally mapped.

(News Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: No access to NSP for Sainik School girl cadets

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events (Economic and social development – sustainable development poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc.)

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I: Unit II: Topic: Human Aspects: Quantitative, Qualitative and Temporal characteristics of Population, Urbanisation pattern.

 

What is the news?

• Sainik School, Sujanpur Tira, has urged the State Directorate of Higher Education for providing the access of the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for its HP domicile girl cadets. The move comes after the parents of girl cadets had written to the school administration for availing them this facility.

What is the issue?

• Sainik School Principal Captain MK Mahawar mentioned in the communiqué that access to NSP has been authorised for parents of HP domicile male cadets by the state government to apply for various scholarships for the academic session 2022-23 but the same is not available to the parents of the 20 girls studying in the school.
• The school had started admitting girl cadets from the session 2021-22. A total of 10 girl students were admitted last academic year and 10 more joined them this year.

 

Joint Director of the department Harish Kumar, who is State Nodal Officer Scholarships, shared:

• They had received the proposal from the school and the matter would be soon taken up with the state government.
• Induction of girls had been introduced recently in Sainik Schools. Efforts will be made to ensure that the girl cadets are able to apply for scholarships for the current academic session 2022-23.

 

About National Scholarship Portal:

• NSP is one-stop solution through which services such as student application and receipt, processing, sanction and disbursal of various scholarships to students are facilitated.
• Eligible students of colleges, universities, institutes, schools and other educational establishments on-board on NSP can apply for various scholarships through NSP.

(News Source: The Tribune)

 

 

Topic: Paragliding: Competition For Pilots Of All Three Forces Will Be Held In The Bir Billing Valley

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

Importance for Prelims: Himachal Current Events (Economic and social development – sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc.)

Importance for Mains Exam:

• PAPER-IV: GENERAL STUDIES-I: Unit II: Topic: Human Aspects: Quantitative, Qualitative and Temporal characteristics of Population, urbanization pattern.

 

What is the news?

• The pilots of the Army, Air and Navy will start the exercise after September 27 and the four-day competition will be held at the end of October. At the conclusion of the competition, a senior army officer is expected to participate as the chief guest.

 

About BIR BILLING:

 

BIR BILLING GEOGRAPHY:

• Bir is located at in the Tehsil (administrative subdivision) of Baijnath, in the District of Kangra in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated approximately 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Dharamshala at a distance of two to three hours by road.
• It is 14 km south of Billing, which lies on the way to the Thamsar Pass leading to Bara Bhangal. Geologically, Bir is situated in the Joginder Nagar Valley, Dhauladhar Range of the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. The nearest railway station is Ahju, on the narrow-gauge line running between Pathankot and Jogindernagar via Kangra.
• Road access to Bir is from the Bir Road turnoff (signposted) on [[National Highway 20 (India)|N H20]( Now NH 154)], approximately midway between Baijnath and Jogindernagar.

 

PARAGLIDING WORLD CUP BIR BILLING:

• The paragliding World Cup 2015 is set to commence from the 21st of October in Bir. The Bir-Billing area is a popular site for paraglider pilots, both Indians and visitors from all over the world.
• The flying season is from September to October, with some flying also done in November. The village continues to host periodic international competitions and events.
• The paragliding launch site is in the meadow at Billing (14 km north of Bir), at an elevation of 2400 metres, while the landing site and most tourist accommodations are in the village of Chowgan (also spelled Chaugan), on the southern edge of Bir.

 

BIR TIBETAN COLONY:

• In 1966 the third Neten Chokling (1928-1973), an incarnate lama of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, brought his family and a small entourage to Bir. With the help of foreign aid Neten Chokling purchased over 200 acres of land and established a Tibetan settlement where 300 Tibetan families were given land to build houses.
• At this time Chokling Rinpoche also started building in Bir a new Neten monastery and disciples who had followed him into India formed its first sangha. When the third Chokling Rinpoche died in 1973, his eldest son, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche (b 1951), assumed responsibility for completing his father’s vision. The fourth Neten Chokling incarnation was born in 1973 in Bhutan and brought to Bir at a young age where the family of the third Chokling took him under their wings. In 2004 full responsibility for Pema Ewam Chögar Gyurme Ling Monastery in Bir was passed to the fourth Neten Chokling.