maharashtra current affairs 2017 part 1 - studyiq granted a licenceby the state's directorate...
TRANSCRIPT
MaharashtaraJanuary–December
CurrentAffairs2017part1
Dr. Gaurav Garg
TIRELESSSOUL
GauravGarg888
Ajey Jhankar – TheNotedScriptwriterpassedaway
.Ajey Jhankar,thenotedauthorandfilmmakerpassedawayonApril3,2017.HewasbornonSeptember1,1959inPune.
ii.HeservedasaDirectorofMMActiv Sci-TechCommunicationsPvt.LtdfromJanuary2000.
HewasthewriterofMarathinovel"Sarkarnama".
In1998,Jhankar producedtheMarathimovieinthenameSarkarnamarelatingittohisnovel.
Film-fareAward,1998,ScreenAward,1998andMaharashtraStateFilmAward,1998
Kishori Amonkar aHindustaniclassicalvocalistpassedaway
ClassicalsingerKishori Amonkar passedawayattheageof84atherhouseinMumbaionApril3,2017.
Besideasinger,Amonkar wasalsoapopularspeakerandtraveledthroughoutIndiagivinglectures,mostnotablyonthetheoryof
rasainmusic.
Amonkar receivedPadmaBhushanin1987andPadmaVibhushanin2002.
In2010,shebecameafellowoftheSangeet Natak Academy,thenationalacademyofmusic,arts,anddance.
ShealsoreceivedSangeet Natak Academyawardinthatyear
SteelMinisterChaudhary Birender Singhinaugurated'IndiaSteel2017'inMumbai
3rd editionofInternationalConference andExhibitiononSteelIndustry'IndiaSteel2017'washeldatMumbaiExhibitioncenterinMumbai
ItwasinauguratedbyUnionSteelMinisterChaudhary Birender Singh.
India istheThirdlargestproducerofcrudesteelintheworld.
Thisexhibition-cum-conferencehasbeenorganisedbyFederationofIndianChambersofCommerce&Industry(FICCI)alongwithUnionMinistryofSteel
.TheobjectivewastoprovideaplatformforstakeholdersinSteelIndustrytointeract
witheachotherandexploremutuallybeneficialbusinessopportunities.
AReverseBuyer-SellerMeet,whichisfirst-of-its-kindinsteelsectorwasalsoorganised,whereinInternationalbuyersfromMiddleEast,SouthEastAsia,Africa,
AustraliaandSAARCcountrieswereinvited.
Duringtheinauguraladdress,Mr.SinghmentionedaboutfivethrustareaswhichUnionSteelMinistryhasbeenfocusingsinceJuly2016.
ThesethrustareashavebeensummedupasPRIDE:
P– ProductionandProductivityIncrease
R– ResearchandDevelopment
I– Indian-Madesteelconcept
D– Demandboostforsteel
E– ExcellenceinQualityandEfficiency
Mumbai,Chennaiamongtop20touristdestinationsinAPAC
Therankingshavebeenbasedintermsoftotalnumberofinternationalovernightarrivals,numberofnightsspentateachdestinationandcross-borderspending,accordingtoMastercardAsiaPacificDestinationsIndex
2017.
Overall,BangkokremainsthemostvisiteddestinationinAsiaPacificinthelistof171destinationsacross22countriesintheAsiaPacificregion.
ItistheworldsfastestgrowingregionforinternationaltourismbyGDPcontribution,withtourismmakingup8.5percentofAsiaPacifics GDPand8.7per
centoftotalemploymentlastyear.
With5.2millioninternationalovernightarrivals,Chennairankedat14thplace,whileMumbaibaggedthe15thspotwith4.9millionarrivals.
Intermsoftotalnightspent,Mumbairankedat13thplacewithtouristsstayedfor30.7millionnightsin2016,whileChennaiwasat15thpositionwith29.6million
nights.Chennaihasbeenranked13thwithanexpenditureofUSD4.6billionby
internationaltourists,andMumbaistoodat15thplacewithUSD4.4billionspend.
Chennaihasbeenranked13th withanexpenditureofUSD4.6billionbyinternationaltourists,andMumbaistoodat15thplacewithUSD4.4billionspend.
Overall,overnightarrivalstothe171AsiaPacificdestinationsin2016stoodat339.2millionledbyBangkokwhichattracted19.3millionvisitors.Singapore(13.1million)cameinsecondplace,followedbyTokyo(12.6million),Seoul(12.4million)and
KualaLumpur(11.3million).
In2016,visitorstotheregionstayedforatotalof1,768.7millionnights.Bangkoktooktheleadwith87.6millionnightsfollowedbySydney(87.5million),Kuala
Lumpur(76.7million),Tokyo(74.3million)andMelbourne(62.9million).
OveralltourismexpenditureintheAsiaPacificregionstoodatUSD244.9billion.
Whenitcomestooverallspending,SingaporeattractedthehighestspendingvisitorsatUSD254perday,followedbyBeijing(USD242),Shanghai(USD234),HongKong(USD211))andTaipei(USD208).
Maharashtrabansjunkfoodinschoolcanteens
Maharashtragovernmenttodayimposedabanonsaleof‘HighinFat,SaltandSugar’(HFSS) foodatschoolcanteensacrossthestate.
AGovernmentResolution(GR)issuedgavealistof12categoriesoffoodswhichcoverpotatochips,noodles,carbonatedsoftdrinks,pizza,burger,cakes,biscuits,buns,pastries,etc.,whichcannotbe
sold.
Italsogivesalistof20itemsthatcanbesold
UnionGovernmenthadsetupaTaskForceunderthechairmanshipofDirector,NationalNutritionInstitute,Hyderabadtopromote
consumptionofhealthyfoodbychildreninschoolsandtobansaleofjunkfood.
Thetaskforceinitsreportsaidthatjunkfoodcontaininghighlevelsoffat,saltandsugarandverylittlenutritionalcontentleadstoobesity,dentaldiseases,diabetesandheartailmentsinlaterlife.
Punedoctorssuccessfullyperformcountry'sfirstuterustransplant
Ateamofcitydoctorssuccessfullyperformedcountry'sfirstwomb(uterus) transplantona21-year-oldSolapur woman
Thewoman,whosuffersfrom congenitalabsenceofuterus sincebirth,wasfittedwithhermother'swombsothatshecanconceivenormally.
The minimallyinvasiveretrieval ofthewombcarriedoutmainlythrough keyholesurgery anditssubsequenttransplantperformedonly
throughopensurgerytookninehours
ThesurgeryhasopenedupanotherwaytomotherhoodbesidessurrogacyoradoptionforIndianwomenwhodonothaveauterus,orwhohaveauterusthat
doesnotfunction.
Pune's GalaxyCareLaparoscopyInstitute (GCLI),wherethesurgerywasdone,hasbeengrantedalicence bythestate'sDirectorateofHealthServicestocarryout
the uterustransplant.
Oncosurgeon Shailesh Puntambekar whoperformedthesurgeryalongwithteamof11otherdoctors
Thecomplicatedsurgerytookninehours
Around80percentoftheretrievaloforgan(uterus) wasdonelaparoscopically andonlytowardsthetailendofthesurgerywhenwehadtotakeouttheorgan(womb)fromdonor'sbodythatweadoptedopensurgerymethodbytakingasmallincisionsothatvesselssupplyingblood
totheuterusarenotsqueezedanddamaged,
Sincethemajorityoftheretrievalpartwasdonethroughminimallyinvasivekeyholesurgerymedically knownaslaparoscopicsurgery,the
donordidnotevenrequirebloodtransfusion.
PresidentdeclaresurbanMaharashtraopendefecationfree
PresidentRamnath Kovind onhismaidenvisittoMaharashtradeclaredtheurbanareasofthestateasOpenDefecationFree(ODF).
Twoyearsago,chiefminister DevendraFadanvis hadannouncedthe SwachchaMaharashtra abhiyan inlinewiththeSwachcha Bharatabhiyan.
Thegovernmenturbandevelopmentdepartmentthentookupthetaskofensuringtoiletstoallinthe384urbanareasinthestate.
thepercentageoftoiletsinruralareashadgoneupfrom44%to88%.
Fadanvis saidtheentirestatewillbeODFby2019.
MaharashtraGovtForms'GoodMorningSquad'ToMonitorOpenDefecation
TheMaharashtragovernmenthasdecidedtoform‘goodmorning’squadstomonitorandpreventopendefecationinvillagesanddistrictsacrossthestate.
Thesesquadswillcompriserepresentativesoflocalbodies,self-helpgroups,NGOs,studentsandsocialworkersworkingintheareaofsanitationandcleanliness.
Thesesquadshavebeenaskedtokeepaneyeontheareaswherethispracticeisprevalentandtoensurethatlocalshaveaccesstotoiletsthere.
FadnavislaunchSamwad Sabha toreachouttofarmers
MaharashtraChiefMinister DevendraFadnavis launcheda‘ShivarSamwad Sabha’toreachouttofarmersinthestateandaddresstheir
issues.
Thefour-dayinitiativewasbeinglaunchedamidtherisingresentmentamongfarmersacrossthestateoverdelayinprocurementoftur this
year.
Nearly4,000electedrepresentativesofthepartywillparticipateinthecampaignandholdmeetingswithfarmersatvariouslocations.
NagpurwillbethefirstIndiancitytogetelectricradiocabs
WithIndia'spledgetogoallelectricby2030,Nagpurbecomesthefirstcity inthecountrytoadoptelectricradiocabsasthecountrymovesastepclosertoitsgoal.
Thepilotprojectwillseearound200e-cabsinNagpurwiththelocalbodytoprovideforthechargingstationsacrossthecity.Whilethetrialrunsareongoingforthegrand
event,therearesometechnicalglitches.
Whilethetaxipermitrulesspecifythatthetaxisshouldhavecubiccapacitytobelistedasacab,theelectricvehiclesdonotfallunderthesamecategoryasotherCNG-fitted
cabsandcouldbeamajorissuefortheinitiative.
Thecentralgovernmentisworkingonwaystomakeamendmentstothisrules,sothattheelectricradiocabsareabletofunctionwithoutdisruptingthecurrentlaws.
Topromotetheusageofelectricandhybridcarsinthecountry,thegovernmentofIndiahadpassedtheFAME(FasterAdoptionandManufacturingofElectric
Vehicles)Indiaschemein2015.
UndertheFAMEIndiascheme,around99,000hybrid/electricvehicles(xEVs)arecurrentlygivendirectsupportbywayofincentivessincethelaunchonApril1,
2015.
TheDepartmenthasalsoapprovedpilotprojects,charginginfrastructureprojectsandtechnologicaldevelopmentprojectsaggregatingtonearlyRs155
crore.
Currently,MahindraandHondaarefewofthecar-manufacturerswhohaveelectricandhybridvehiclesintheirline-up.
India’sFirstBioRefineryPlantinauguratedinPune
UnionMinisterforRoad Transport,Highways andShipping Nitin Gadkari hasinaugurated India’sFirstIntegratedBio-refineryforRenewableFuels&Chemicals
forproducingethanolfromavarietyofbiomass.
TheplantissituatedatRahu inPunedistrictofMaharashtra.
The demonstrationplanthasbeenbuiltby Praj industries.
TheinauguratedBio-refineryplantiscapableofproducingonemillionlitres ofethanolperannumbyprocessingavarietyof biomass likericeandwheatstraw,cotton stalk,bagasse, canetrash,corncobs & stover with superior
productyields.
In2015,theGovernmenthasaskedOilMarketingCompanies(OMCs)totarget10%blending ofethanolinasmanyStatesaspossible.
Thefueldopingprogrammethatrequiredblendingof5%ethanolhadstartedinNovember2012.
ItwasnotifiedundertheMotorSpiritsActonJanuary2,2013.
TheGovernmenthasalsoallowedtheOMCstoprocureethanolproducedfromothernon-foodfeedstocks,likecellulosicand lignocellulosic
materialsincludingpetrochemicalroute.
Biofuel is cost-effectiveandpollution-free.Ethanol blending isthepracticeofblendingpetrolwithethanol.
GloballymanycountriesincludingIndiahaveresortedtoethanolblendingtoreducevehicleexhaustemissions .
Theinaugurationoftherefinerypavesthewayforsteppingup20%ethanolblendingprogramandcan reducetheimportburdenofcrude
petroleum.
MaharashtrabecomesfirstIndianstatetouseAutomatedWeatherStation
DevendraFadnavis,Maharasthra CMinauguratedthestate'sfirstautomaticweatherstationsforfarmersinDongargaon,Nagpur.
Around2,065suchweatherstationswillcomeinMaharashtraonPPP(publicprivatepartnership)modelsinthisyearand1000ofthesewillbesetupbyJune2017.
TheAutomatedWeatherStations(AWS)willbehelpfulinmeasuringthewinddirection,windspeed,airtemperature,relativehumidity,andrecordtheamountof
rainfall.
ThegatheredinformationwillbesharedamongthefarmersbymakingthemavailableonMahavedh portal(Maharashtraagricultureweatherinformation
network) aswellasontheSkymet mobileapplication
TheAutomatedWeatherStationsandtheirusage:
1. Skymet WeatherPrivateLtd,aweatherforecastingfirmwillbesettinguptheseweatherstations.
2.Farmersofthestatecanmakeuseofthisinformationforsowinginamuchbetterandplannedway,accordingtotheweatherconditions
.3.TheseweatherstationsaresignificantbecausetheIMDforecastislimitedtoonlyfourzonesandisnotmadeavailableatthetaluka level.However,AWSwillprovideforecastuptothetaluka level.Around12*12kmareaofthetaluka willhaveone
AWS,promisedtheCM.
4.Digitalkioskswillalsobeset-upineveryGramPanchayat togiveoutweatherrelatedinformationandexpertadviceoncroppatternstobefollowedbythefarmers.
Duringthefirstphase,theinformationwillbesharedviaSMS.Inthesecondphase,halfhourlyupdateswillbeprovidedtoalltheGramPanchayats.
TheAWSsensorswillbeabletorecordimportantfarmingparameterssuchastemperature,relativehumidity,windspeedanddirection,rainfall,solar
radiation,leafwetness,soilmoisture,atmosphericpressureandevapotranspiration.
ThestategovernmentintendstousetheAWSdataforbetterpreparationforlocation-specificagricultureadvisories,betterdisastermanagement,designing
cropinsuranceschemesandforestablishingaweatherdatabasebank.
Second-tallest'flagpostcomesupinKolhapur,Maharashtra
OnMay1st 2017(Maharashtraday),India’ssecondtallestflagpolehasbeeninauguratedinKolhapuratWesternMaharashtra.
Thepoleis90feetlongand60feetwide,weighs24tone,anditcostaround1.1crorefortheinstallation.
Thepolewhichis303feethighhasbeenconstructedatthePoliceGardenlocatedoppositeofSuperintendentofPoliceheadquartersintheKasaba Bawada
area.
OnMarch6th2017,theflagpolewith360footlongislocatedattheIndo-PakAttari BorderinauguratedtheFirsttallestFlagpole.
Nagpurbecomesfirstcitywithelectricmassmobilitysystem
Nagpurearnedthedistinctionofbecomingthecountry’sfirstcitywithelectricfleetof200electricvehicles,includingtaxis,buses,e-rickshawandautos.
RoadTransportandHighwaysMinister NitinGadkari alongwithMaharashtraChiefMinister DevendraFadnavis,inauguratedIndia’sfirstmulti-modalelectric
vehicleprojectattheNagpurAirportComplex
Thepilotprojectwillcommencewitha200-strongfleet,including100ofMahindra’snewe2oPlusvehicles.
TherestwillconsistofvehiclessourcedfromotherOEMs,includingTataMotors,Kinetic,BYDandTVS,amongothers.
Thesizeoftheautomobileindustry,whichisatRs4.5lakhcrore,isestimatedtogrowtoRs25lakhcroreandstressshouldbelaidonpromotingenvironment-friendlyvehicles
thatcausesminimumpollution
Withaneyeonpromotingeco-friendlytransport,thegovernmentwillbereadywithitselectricvehiclepolicybyDecember.
AcceleratedadoptionofelectricandsharedvehiclescouldsaveUSD60billionindieselandpetrolcostwhilecuttingdownasmuchas1gigatonne (GT)ofcarbonemissionfor
Indiaby2030.
TheNITIAayogreportestimatesthatIndiacanconservativelysaveupto64percentofanticipatedpassengermobility-relatedenergydemandand37percentofcarbonemissionsby2030.Atcurrentoilprices,thiswillimplyanetfuelcostsavingof
approximatelyRs3.9lakhcroreby2030,
MaharashtraGovernmentUnveilsthePortraitofSocialReformer‘Prabodhankar ThackerayatBMC
TheMaharashtraChiefMinisterDevendraFadnavisunveiledtheportraitofsocialreformer‘Prabodhankar Thackeray’inthegeneralassemblyhallofthe
Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation(BMC) .
Keshav Sitaram Thackeray,famouslyknownasPrabodhankar wasborninSeptember1885.Hewasasocialreformer,authorandkeyleadersofthe
SamyuktaMaharashtraSamiti whichsuccessfullycampaignedforthelinguisticstateofMaharashtra.
HeisthefatheroflateShiv Sena supremo BalThackeray.
Beforethis,thecorporationhallhadonlytwoportraits,oneofphilanthropistandpioneerofMumbai’sdevelopment NanaShankarsethandotherofDadasaheb Donde,oneofthe
leadersoftheSamyuktaMaharashtramovement.
Swacch Sarveskshan 2017
Gujarat has maximum of 12 cities among the top 50 cleanest, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11 and Andhra Pradesh with
eight.
Swacch Sarveskshan 2017
Navi Mumbai-8, Pune-13,GreaterMumbai-29,Shirdi-56,Pimpri Chindwad-72,Chandrapur-76,Ambarnath-89,Solapur-115,Thane-116,Dhule-124,Mira
Bhayander-130,Nagpur-137,VasaiVirar-139,Ichalkaranj-141,Nashik-151,Satara-157,Kulgaon Badlapur-158,Jalgaon-162,Panvel-170,Kolhapur-177,Nandurbar-181,Ahmadnagar-183,Nanded Waghala-192,Ulhasnagar-207,Osmanabad-219,Parbhani-229,Yavatmal-230,Amaravati-231,Kalyan-Dombivili-234,Sangli MirajKupwad-237,Malegaon-239,Udgir-240,Barshi-287,Akola-296,Aurangabad-299,Beed-302,Achalpur-311,Wardha-313,Latur-318,Gondia-343,Hinganghat-355,
Jalna-368,Bhiwandi Nizampur-392,Bhushawal-433
Swacch Sarveskshan 2017
MaharashtraGovernmentBansuseofPurseSeineNetsforFishing
Purseseinenets arelargefishingnetsusedtocatchfishinbulk.
MaharashtraGovernmenthasbannedtheuseofPurseSeineNetsforfishingacrossMaharashtrafromJanuary1,2017to
safeguardtheFingerlings,afishspecies.
Themoveisaimedatcurbingtheexploitationoffishbysafeguardingthefingerlingsanditseggstoincreasetheir
population.
Thedecisionisexpectedtobenefitthetraditionalfishermancommunitythatusemuchsmallernetsinshallowwaters.
Itwillincreasefishcatchandprotectthefishpopulationaslargerporeswillallowfishlings andeggstoslipoutduringthe
dailycatch.
NGTordersstayonPuneMetroRailwork
The Pune MetroRailprojecthitamajorroadblock withtheWesternZoneBenchoftheNationalGreenTribunal(NGT)issuinganinterimstayontheproposedportionofthemetroroutepassingthroughtheMula –Mutha
riverbedinthecity.
Atwo-judgeBenchofjusticesU.D.Salvi andDr.AjayDeshpande passedthedirectiveactingonanEnvironmentalInterestLitigation(EIL) filedintheNGT
byagroupofprominentpersonalities.
Theproposedmetrorailalignment,a1.7kmstretchpassingthroughtheleftbankoftheMula-Mutha rivercouldspellthedeathknellfortheriverbank
ecosystemalongthatroute.
PuneMetroChina's Jinhua and India's Pune
PuneMetro isametrorailbased rapidtransit systemunderconstructiontoservethecityof Pune, India.
Itisestimatedtocost₹114.20billion(US$1.73billion).
On7December2016,the GovernmentofMaharashtra gaveapprovalfortheproject,whilethe MinistryofUrbanDevelopment hadalreadygivenapprovalfortheproject.
PrimeMinister NarendraModi laidthefoundationstoneon24December2016onhisvisittothecity.
TheprojectisexpectedtobecompletedbyDecember2021.
Phase Line Terminals Length(km)
Openingdate
PhaseILine1 Pimpri Swargate 16.59 2021
Line2 Vanaz Ramwadi 14.665 2021
PhaseIILine3 Deccan
GymkhanaBundGarden 11 2021
Line4 ASI Hinjawadi 18 2021
Projectisdividedintotwophases
MaharashtralaunchedIndia’sfirst24×7helplineforforests.
The ForestMinistry launchedthestate-wide'Hello Forest' helpline adayearlierthanpreviouslyannounced.
The HelloForest’helplinenumbercanbereachedbydialling '1926'fromanyphone.Asreportedearlier,itwillbeoperatedona24-hourbasisbyanagencylocatedin
Goregaon,Mumbaiwiththeoptionofthreelanguages- Hindi,Marathi,andEnglish.
Incaseofanemergencysuchasstrayingwildanimals,theforestofficerofthatregionwillimmediatelybecontactedandbriefedaboutthesituation.
"Thecallerwillalsobegiventheofficer'scontactdetailsbutactionwillbeinitiatedrightafterthehelplinecall.Allcallswillberecordedandtheirresponseswillbe
checked.
Awebsitefromwherecitizenscanenrollforthe'GreenArmy',avoluntaryforesthelpservice,wasalsolaunchedattheoccasion.
TataGroupinterimchairmanRatan TatawaspresentwhenTataTrustsignedamemorandumofunderstanding(MoU)withthe
forestdepartmentfordevelopmentofemploymentthroughtheBambooResearchandTrainingCentrein
Chandrapur.
MaharashtraGovernmentLaunchesCountry’sLargestWiFi Service
MaharashtraGovernmentlaunchedIndia’slargestpublicWiFi servicecalled‘MumbaiWifi‘instatecapitalMumbaiwithaimtoempowerpeopledigitally.
Itisalsoclaimedtobeoneofthelargestwifi serviceintheworld.ThefacilitywasinauguratedbyChiefMinisterDevendraFadnavis.
Initiallyinfirstphaseitwillprovide500Wifi hotspotsacrossvariouslocationsacrossMumbai.
Insecondphase,sateGovernmentwillprovide1200WiFi hotspots.
ManoharParrikarinauguratesInternationalConference&ExhibitiononReinforcedPlastics(ICERP)
EXDefenceMinisterManoharParrikar inauguratedthe8th editionoftheInternationalConference&ExhibitiononReinforcedPlastics(ICERP)atthe
BombayConvention&ExhibitionCentre(BCEC) inMumbai,India.
ThethreedayinternationaleventprovidedanidealopportunityfortheGlobalCompositesIndustrytofocusitsattentiontoIndia.
Theconferencefocusedonthelatestdevelopmentsonmechanization,automationandinnovationtomeetgrowingchallengesofenduserrequirements.
AboutICERP:
TheInternationalConferenceandExhibitiononReinforcedPlastics(ICERP)eventisorganizedbyFRPInstituteonceinevery
twoyears.
ThefirsteventontheICERPserieswasheldin2002.Thecurrentevent,ICERP2017isthe8th intheseries.
InternationalconferenceonDisabilityCommunicationheldinMumbai
TheInternationalConferenceon‘DisabilityCommunication:PerspectivesandChallengesinthe21stCentury(ICDC-2017)’washeldatRambhau Mhalgi
Prabodhini inMumbai,Maharashtra.
ThepurposeoftheICDC-2017wastoestablishaforumfordialogueonthestudyofinteraction,learningandidentityformation.
Themainaimoftheconferenceistobuildafoundationforthemaster’sdegreeinDis/Abilitycommunicationandthemainareaofinterestisaccessibilityforthose
whowanttodealwithdis/abilitycommunicationandexploreinthisfield.
The2011censusofIndiahighlightedthattherewere26,810,557personswithdisabilitiesinthesub-continentofIndia.
The11th planinIndiaestimatesthatapproximately5-6%ofthetotalpopulationcomprisesofpersonswithdisability.
Ashish Shelar appointedasMCA president
Ashish Shelar hasbeenappointedasMaharashtraCricketAssociation(MCA)president.
Shelar takesoverfromtheformerICCpresidentandpoliticalheavyweightSharad Pawar.
HeisthepresidentofMumbaiunit ofBhartiya Janata Party(BJP)
HehasbeenappointedastheMCApresidentafterPawar steppeddownfromthepostofficiallyduetothereformsannouncedbytheLodha panel.
Pawar’s age madehimineligibletocontinueinthepost,asLodha panelhadrecommendedthatBCCIofficebearersshouldnotbeovertheageof70,had
steppeddownafterheadingthestateassociationforover15years.
PunePoliceLaunchesBeatMarshallMonitoringMobileApp.
ThePuneCityPolicehaslaunchedthe“BeatMarshallMonitoringMobileApp”onexperimentalbasistomapthereal-timelocationsofpatrollingteamsfrompolice
stations.
TheapplicationwillbeinstalledonthecellphonesofBeatMarshalsorpatrollingcopssotheirmovementscanbemappedreal-timebythecontrolroomstaffers.
Thedatacollectedwouldthenbeusedforeffectiveresponseduringtheemergencies.Theappwouldmakethedispatchofpatrollingpartieseasierintimesofemergency.
TheApphasbeendevelopedbyPunebasedITfirm“Sapience”andisbeingusedbyPuneCityPoliceonexperimentalbasis.
FormerMinisterofMaharashtraChandrakantChhajed passesaway
SeniorCongressleaderandformerMaharashtraministerChandrakant Chhajed passedawayinPune,
Maharashtra.Hewas67.
Chandrakant wasaformerMinisterofStateforTourismin2003
Heservedthepartyasastateunitgeneralsecretaryandco-ordinator oftheCongressLegislaturePartytillthe
last.
MaharashtraApprovesRs.250croreCloudSeedingProgramme
MaharashtraGovernmenthasapprovedRs.250croreCloudSeedingProgrammeduring2017monsoonseasontoproducesufficientrain.
Underthisprogramme,weatherscientistsusingaircraftswillspraychemicals(silveriodide)overcloudsclouds hoveringaboveSolapur district,arain
shadowregionofWesternGhatsinthestate.
ThisprogrammeiscoordinatedbytheIndianInstituteofTropicalMeteorology,willbethefirstcontrolledexperimenttoquantifytheextentto
whichcloudsformwaterdropslargeenoughtomakerain.
Seedinginvolvessprayingchemicalsintoclouds.
Chinausedthetechniqueduringthe2008Olympicstoveerrainawayfromtheinauguralvenueandnowhasafull-fledgeddepartmentthatblastsrocketsinto
cloudstoinducerainandcontrolpollution.
Cabinet’splan
MaharashtrahasfrequentlytoyedwiththeideaofcloudseedingbecauseofdroughtsovertheVidarbha region.
TheStateapprovedaplantoseedcloudsfor113hourswitharainfalllevelof1,381mm,atRs.28crore. Howeverabove-normalrainspushedtheplantothe
back-burner
Fortheirexperiment,scientistswillflytwoaircraftandspraydryiceandsilveriodideon100cloudsandcomparethemwith100unseededclouds.
Groundradarwilltrackthecloudsandverifywhichonescontributedrainandbyhowmuch.
Theprogrammewillaccountforthenaturalvariabilityofthemonsoon.
ThemoveispartofalargerexperimentoftheEarthSciencesMinistrytounderstandhowcloudsandaerosols(fineparticlesinvehicleexhaust,
deodorantsandsoon)interactandinfluenceclimate.
ExRailwayMinisterSureshPrabhuunveilsAntyodaya Expressforcommonman
ThetrainisEquippedwithcushionedseats,aluminiumcompositepanels,andLEDlights,theAntyodaya Express,anewfullyunreservedtrainforthecommonmanwithspeciallydesigned
colourful coaches.
ThefirstAntyodaya ExpresswaslaunchedbetweenMumbaiandTatanagar,andthesecondwillbebetweenErnakulam andHowrahshortly.
IntheRailBudget(2016-17)govthaddecidedtolaunchfournewpassengerservices.Thesewere:Humsafar,Antyodaya,UDAYandTejas
FirstHumsafar waslaunchedandnowAntyodaya.
Thefarestructurewillbebetween10percentand15percent morethantheregularfare.
MEA&GatewayHouseCo-Hosts2nd GatewayofIndiaGeoeconomicDialogue
TheMinistryofExternalAffairsco-hostedtheSecondGatewayofIndiaGeoeconomicDialoguewithGatewayHouseinMumbai.
Theme:WhereGeopoliticsmeetsBusiness
ThisisIndia’spremiergeo-economicsconferencewiththefocusonbuildingsynergiesbetweenbusinessandforeignpolicy.
TheconferencewillhavevariousseveralpaneldiscussionsontopicslikeSovereignFunds,GlobalTaxation,DigitalEconomy,Indo-Pacific,India’sDefence-IndustrialBase
MumbairichestIndiancitywithwealthof$820billion:Report
Accordingtothelatest NewWorldWealthreport,India'sfinancialcapitalhereishometo46,000millionairesand28billionaires,andisfollowedintermsof
wealthbyDelhiinsecondplaceandBengaluruinthirdplace
Delhiishometo23,000millionairesand18billionaireswithtotalwealthof$450billion.
WhileBengaluruhas7,700millionairesand8billionaires andanaggregatewealthof$320billion.
Hometo9,000millionairesand6billionaires,Hyderabad isnextwithatotalwealthof$310billion.
Pune,withatotalwealthof$180billion, has4,500millionairesand5billionaires
ThetotalwealthheldinIndiaasofDecember2016amountsto$6.2trillion,whilethecountryishometo264,000millionairesand95
billionaires,thereportadded.
ThreePoetsFromMaharashtraConferredwithVishakha Awards
ThreepoetsfromMaharashtrahavebeenconferredwiththeVishakha AwardsonFebruary26,2017attheKalidas Kalamandir HallinMaharashtraduringthe
occasionofMarathiBhasha Gaurav Din.
‘MarathiBhasha Diwas’iscelebratedonFebruary27everyyeartomarkthebirthanniversaryofnotedMarathilitterateurV.V.Shirwadkar alias‘Kusumagraj’.
Kusumagraj,bornon27February1912,wasaneminentMarathipoet,playwright,novelist,shortstorywriterandhumanist. Inhiswritings,hewroteaboutfreedom,
justiceandemancipationofthedeprived.
ThegovernmentstartedcelebratingthebirthanniversaryofKusumagraj asMarathiRajbhasha Gaurav DinaftertheJnanpeeth awardeesdemisein1999.
Marathiranks19th inthelistofmostspokenlanguagesintheworldandhasthefourthlargestnumberofnativespeakersinIndia.
ThefirstprizeofRs21,000wasgiventoDrYogini Satarkar-Pande fromNanded forherbook‘Janivanche Hirve Komb’.SheisanEnglishprofessoratSwamiRamanand
Teerth Marathwada University.
ThesecondprizeofRs15,000wasgiventoMohanKumbhar fromSindhudurg forhisbook‘Jagnyache Gatha’.HeisaprofessoratBVDesaiCollege,Kankavli.
ThethirdprizeofRs10,000wasgiventoVishnuThore ofNashik forhisbook‘Dhulpera Usvata’.HeisafarmerandanartistfromChandwad tehsil townandhas
designedover450bookcovers.
SachinTendulkar adoptsanothervillagefor transformation
AftertransformingthelivesofvillagersinPuttamraju Kandriga inAndhraPradesh,Indian cricketiconandRajya Sabha MP SachinTendulkar hasnowadoptedDonja inOsmanabad (Maharashtra) undertheSansad Adarsh Gram
Yojna.
Tendulkar hassanctionedoverRs4crorefromhisMPLAD fundfordevelopmentofDonja.
Theamountwillbespenton developmentofanewschoolbuilding,awaterSupplyschemethatwouldprovidepotablewatertoeachhousehold,concrete
roadsandasewagelineattachedtothesame
CentralRailwayunveilsIndia’sfirstair-conditionedrailambulance.
CentralRailwayzoneofIndianRailwayhasunveiledIndia’sfirstair-conditionedrailambulance thatwillrushtotheaidofinjuredpassengers
duringthevital'goldenhour'
Thefour-coachACambulancewillbestationedatKalyan (Maharashtra)
ItismodifiedversionofACcoachesusedforpassengerservices.Thisrailambulancecancarryandtreat50patientsatonetime.
Italsohasinhouseoperationtheatretocarryoutminorsurgeriesandprovideimmediaterelief.
Itwillbemainlybeusedduringtrainaccidentsasitcancarryaccidentvictimstohospitalinashorttime.
However,innormaltimes,itwillbeusedforprovidingmedicalfacilitiesinlargecongregations
ThisrailambulancewasdesignedattherailworkshopatMatunga inMumbai
FirstfullyIndia-madetrainflaggedoffatDadar station
Themuch-awaitedmade-in-Indiarake,Medha,isontracksoftheWestern Railway.
ExRailwayMinisterSureshPrabhu,viavideoconferencing,flaggedoffthemaidenrunofthetrainfromDadar toBorivali,atLokmanya Tilak
Terminus.
The12-coachtrainonthefasttrackhaltedatBandra andAndheristations.
Medha rakecosts₹43.23crore,whichisapproximately₹1crorelessthanGerman-madeBombardierrake,whichis₹44.36crore.Thecostwill
comedownifmorerakesareordered.
Medha hasbeenmanufacturedbytheIntegralCoachFactory(ICF)inChennai,whichhasinstalledLEDlightingtoreduceenergyconsumption.
Thiswillsaveenergybyapproximately30-35%ascomparedtotheexistingrakes.Thisrakehasin-builtsystemstominimise breakdownsduringthetravel.
Therakecanrunataspeedof110kmph,whereaslocaltrainsdon’trunabove90or100kmph.
Also,thereisaGPS-basedinformationsystemtoindicatethestations
Therakehasacapacityof6,050passengersandthenumberofseatsis1,168.
18theditionofAsia’slargestconventiononthebusinessofmediaandentertainment“FICCIFrames-2017
The18theditionofAsia’slargestconventiononthebusinessofmediaandentertainment“FICCIFrames-2017”tookplaceinMumbai.
Thethemeofthisyear’sconventionis“Digital-DivideorDividend”.
Canada ispartneringtheeventforthefirsttimethisyear.
The3-dayinternationalconventionwillcoverstheentirespectrumofMedia&EntertainmentlikeFilms,Broadcast(TV&Radio),DigitalEntertainment,Animation,
Gaming,VisualEffects,etc.
withnearly2000Indianand800foreigndelegatesencompassingtheentireuniverseofmediaandentertainmentexpectedtoattendtheevent.
The2017InternationalDiamondConferencewasheldatHotelHyatt,Mumbai.
TheGemandJewelleryExportPromotionCouncilofIndia(GJEPC) hostedtheInternationalDiamondConferenceon19-20March2017atHotelGrandHyatt,Mumbai.
Theme: MinestoMarket2017
TheconferencewasheldwithanobjectiveofbringingtogethertheleadingMiners,Diamantaires,Retailers,BankersandAnalystsfromacrosstheglobeonaplatformto
discussthesupplyanddemandissuesfacedbytheGlobalDiamondIndustry.
“Indiaisthelargestcutandpolisheddiamondmanufacturerintheworld.93percentofitsproductionisexported.
AboutGJEPC
♦ TheGem&JewelleryExportPromotionCouncil(GJEPC)wassetupbytheMinistryofCommerceandindustry,GovernmentofIndia(GoI)in1966.Itis
headquarteredatMumbai.
♦ ItwaslaunchedbytheIndianGovernmenttoboostthecountry’sexportthrust,whenIndia’spostIndependenceeconomybeganmakingforaysinthe
internationalmarkets.
♦ TheGJEPCistheapexbodyofthegems&jewellery industryandtodayitrepresentsover6,000exportersinthesector
MohanBhagwat GetsHonoraryDegreeofDoctorofScience
RSSchiefMohanBhagwat was conferredhonorarydegreeofDoctorofScience(DSc)bythecity-basedMaharashtraAnimalandFisherySciences
University.
MaharashtraGovernorVidyasagar Rao awardedthedegreetoBhagwat,aveterinarydoctorbytraining,attheconvocationofthevarsity.
Hewasconferredthedegreeforhiscontributioninthefieldofveterinarysciences andsocialwork.
InclusionOfFiveIndianCitiesInWorldHeritageSite
i.Inrecentnews,UNESCO(UNITEDNATIONSEDUCATIONALSCIENTIFICandCULTURALORGANISATION)hasaddedfiveIndiancitiesinitslistoftentative
worldheritagesite.
Thesecitiesinclude
1.HistoricCityofAhmedabad,
2.Delhi– AHeritageCity,
3.JaipurCity,Rajasthan,
4.EkamraKshetra- TheTempleCity,Bhubaneswar
5.TheVictorian&ArtDecoEnsembleofMumbai.
Vishwanath Mahadeshwar electedMumbaiMayor
Shiv Sena nomineeVishwanath Mahadeshwar waselectedthenewmayorofMumbaiinanelectionwhichhadturnedpredictableaftertheBharatiya Janata
Party(BJP)pulledoutofthecontest.
Mahadeshwar’s electedasthe76th mayoroftheBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation,India’srichestcivicbody.
TheBJP,inanapparentlyfriendlygesturetowardstheSena,votedforMahadeshwar inanelectionwhichwasconductedthroughashowofhands.
Mahadeshwar secured171votesdefeatingCongresscandidateVithal Lokharewhoreceived31votesattheBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation(BMC).
MITPune&IBMJointlyUnveilsRobot‘Chintu’
MaharashtraInstituteofTechnology(MIT),Pune,incollaborationwithIBMintroducedChintu -- arobotdesignedtoassistseniorcitizensinconducting
everydaytasks.
Chintu,whowasunveiledduringtheongoingMITTechFest'Texephyr',candoeverythingfromsettingreminderstodancingtoGangnam Style.
AboutChintu:
Chintu istwo-foottallandweighsaround5kgs.Ithasamicrophone,multiplecameras,multipleon-boardsensorsandaninternalmemoryof8GB.TheMITteamisworkingonnotonlyenhancingexistingfeatures,butaddingnewones
too.
Chintu getsitsintelligencefromIBMWatson-- acognitivetechnologythatcanthinklikeahuman-- andtheIBMBluemix Cloudplatform.WatsonAPIs
poweredbyIBMBluemix guidetherobotthroughsolvingdaytodayproblems,theAmericantechnologygiantsaidinastatement.
WithsupportfromWatson,Chintu isperfectlycapableofreadingtextandcanthushelptheelderlyinreadingnewspapers,books
MeteorologistSikka PassesAway
FormerdirectorofPunebasedIndianInstituteofTropicalMeteorologyDevRajSikka waspassedawayonMarch19,2017.Hewas85.
Sikka hasproposedalinkbetweentheElNinophenomenonandtheIndianmonsoonandhewasthefirstMeteorologisttoreportthisconnectionin
1982
HewasalsotheChairmanoftheMonsoonMissionoftheMinistryofEarthSciences,aprogrammetoimprovemonsoon-relatedforecasts.
SeniorAdvocateTRAndhyarujina PassesAway
EminentJuristandSeniorAdvocate,Tehmtan R.Andhyarujina passedaway
HehasbeenanintegralpartofthelegalandconstitutionalhistoryofIndia.Attheageof38,hewasdesignatedasthesenioradvocate.
Andhyarujina servedastheSolicitorGeneralofIndiafrom1996to1998.BeforethathewastheAdvocateGeneralofMaharashtrafrom1993-95.
HisfirstlegalConstitutionalcasewastheKesavananda Bharati Casepopularlyknownasthefundamentalrightscase,whichledtotheintroductionoftheDoctrineofBasicStructureor
FrameworkoftheConstitution.
Hehasalsoauthored“TheKesavananda Bharati Case:TheuntoldstoryofstruggleforsupremacybySupremeCourtandParliament“aboutthelandmarkJudgmentinKesavananda
Bharati Case.
Maharashtratostagespecialdrivefortransgenderstoregisterasvotersforthefirsttime
Maharashtrawasthefirststatetolaunchaspecialawarenessdrivetoensurethattransgendersinthestateregisterasvotersingreaternumbers
.ThestatebranchoftheElectionCommissionofIndia(ECI)launchedthedriveonApril
15,celebratedasThirdGenderDay.
AccordingtoECIofficials,despitetheapproximatepopulationofthirdgendersinMaharashtrabeingpeggedatmorethan10lakh,onlyabout1,700areregistered
voters.
TheECIhaspreparedatwo-and-a-half-minutefilm,slatedtorunin400theatresfourtimesadayoverthenextweek.The commissionhasalsoputuppostersontwo12-rakelocalsaskingtransgenderstoregisterasvoters
Itistobenotedthat15thApriliscelebratedas‘ThirdGenderDay’tocommemorateSupremeCourtjudgement in2014torecognise transgenders
as‘Thrd Gender’
India’sfirstsearopewaytolinkMumbaiandElephanta island
India’sfirstandlongestropewaytoconnectMumbaiwiththefamousElephantaIslandintheArabianSeaisplannedtobeconstructedbytheMumbaiPortTrust.
The8-kmropewaywillbeginfromSewri inMumbai’seastcoast andendatRaigaddistrict’sElephanta Island,globallyrenownedforElephanta Caves,aUnesco World
Heritagesite
KnownlocallyasGharapuri Caves, thesmall16sq.kmislandhasseveralarchaeologicalremainspointingtoitsrichculturalheritage,includingthefamous
templescarvedoutofrocks.
E-taxitrialruntobegininNagpur
Thecountry’sfirstelectrictaxitrialinthecountrywaslaunchedinNagpur
ThefirstprojectofitskindwillbeundertakenbyNagpurMunicipalCorporation.
MahindraandMahindraissettoprovide200taxisfortheinitiative.
Governmentstrivestoaddresstackleincreasingpollutioninthecountrybyunveilingvariousschemes.
ElectriccartaxiisoneoftheambitiousprojectsandformsasapartofitsUNDPmillenniumgoalstotacklepollution.
India'sfirstbookvillagetocomeupinMaharashtra'sBhilar
Bhilar isasmallhamletintheSatara districtofMaharashtra,locatednearthescenichillstationofPanchgani andtheBritish-erahillstationofMahabaleshwar.Thevillage,whichispopularforitsstrawberries,willsoongetanotheridentityas
India'sfirst'bookvillage'.
LedbyEducationMinisterVinodTawde,theprojectwasundertakenbytheMarathiBhasha department.
Inspiration:Hay-on-Wye
Theconceptisinspiredby Britain'sHay-on-Wye,aWelshtownknownforitsbookstoresandliteraturefestivals.Itisoneoftheworld'slargestsecond-handand
antiquarianbookcentres
Knowabouttheinitiative:
1. Underthisinitiative,touristsandlocalscancomeandreadbooks,magazinesandnewspapersstackedat25artisticallydecoratedlocationsaroundthevillage.
2.Thesubjectsofthedisplayedbookswillincludeliterature,poetry,religion,womenandchildren,history,environment,folkliterature,biographiesand
autobiographiestofestivalspecials.
3.Thestatehasalsoprovidedseveralotherfacilities,suchaschairs,tables,decoratedumbrellasandglasscupboardstovillagelocalstoenhancethereading
experienceofliteraryenthusiastswhocometovisit.
Allthesebookswillbeavailabletoreadfreeofcost.Anybodycanpickupabookoftheirchoiceandreadisforaslongastheywant,andkeepitbackforothers.
ThegovernmentisalsoplanningtoholdliteraryfestivalsinthevillageduringsummerssincealotoftouristsvisitPanchgani andMahabaleshwar,theneighbouringhill
stations.
Thesefestivalswillincludetalkwithauthorsandpoets,readingsessions,presentationofessays,teachingworkshopsandexhibitionswherepeoplecanparticipatefreely.
There'sanothercityofbooksinIndia. The'Boi para'ortheColonyofBooksisa1.5kmlongstreetinCentralKolkatalinedonbothsidesbybookstores-- carryingbothnew
andsecondhandbooks
CollegeStreetistheworld'slargestsecond-handbookmarketandhasattractedthecity'sintelligentsiafordecades
AdvancedFarming– EnrichedFarmersSchemeinMaharashtra
ThestategovernmentofMaharashtrahasannouncedanewschemefortoincreasethefarmer’sincome.
Namedas“AdvancedFarming– EnrichedFarmers”,theschemeaimstodoubletheincomeoffarmersbyincreasingtheoutputandcuttingthe
costofproduction.
TheschemewillbelaunchedfromtheupcomingKharifseasoninthestate.
UndertheAdvancedFarming– EnrichedFarmersscheme,thestategovernmentwoulddeclareeachtehsil ofthestateasaunitwhichwillbe
usedforplanningonagri-development.
Followingarethemaintaskswhichwillbeperformedunderthescheme:
Increasingtheproductionofmajorcropsinthestate.
Diversificationofthecrops.
Makingfarmer’sawareofthemarketingtechniques.
Generatingaunitamongfarmersthroughfarmproducercompanies.
Makingfarmersfinancialstable.
Mechanisation offarmingontractors,machinesforpolishing,gradingandpackingofproduces,powertillersandtransplanters wouldget60%morefundswhichwillbetransferreddirectlytothebankaccountofthefarmer
linkedwithAadhaar.
Thestategovernmentwouldalsorunacampaignnamedas“FarmerOutreachCampaign”underthescheme.
Inthecampaign,thefarmerswouldbeinformedaboutthelatesttechniqueswhichcanbeusedduringtheKharifseasontoincreaseproductivityand
efficiency.
Underthescheme,eachunitwillbegivenatargettoproducemorecropssothattheincomegeneratedbythefarmer’sismorethantheamountofloan
takenbythem.