Assam & NE Current Affairs & GK – January 16-18, 2024
( Covers all important Current Affairs & GK topics for January 16-18, 2024)
Go To Assam Current Affairs Go To Assam Current Affairs Quiz
January 16-18, 2024
Assam Govt Unveils Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan
The Assam government launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan (MMUA) to empower rural women entrepreneurs.
About Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan
- The scheme is designed to foster the development of rural women who are part of self-help groups, transforming them into “rural micro-entrepreneurs” with a target annual income of Rs 1 lakh per member.
- To qualify for the grant, women from the general and other backward caste (OBC) categories must have no more than three children.
- However, specific exemptions are made for women from the Moran, Muttock, and tea-tribe communities, who can apply with four or fewer children.
- For women belonging to Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) categories, the eligibility criteria dictate that they should have no more than four children.
- If beneficiaries have daughters, they must be enrolled in school. For girls not attending school, a signed commitment for future enrollment is necessary.
- Beneficiaries need to ensure that the trees planted under the government’s tree plantation campaign, Amrit Brikshya Andolan, are thriving.
Assam Baibhav Award
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi will be honored with Assam’s highest civilian award ‘Assam Baibhav’. The decision to confer this year’s award upon Ranjan Gogoi reflects the state government’s acknowledgment of his exceptional service and achievements.
This marks the third year of the Assam Baibhav awards, with the inaugural award presented to business magnate Ratan Tata in the first year, followed by journalist Tapan Saikia in the second year.
About ‘Assam Baibhav’ Awards
- It is one of the highest civilian awards given by the state of Assam. As an award, Gogoi will be given a citation, certificate, medal and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
- Ranjan Gogoi held the office of the 46th Chief Justice of India.
- During his tenure, the Supreme Court had given a historic verdict on the decade-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case.
Assam Saurav Award 2023:
This award will be given to four personalities.
- Mainly among these Hima Das – Athletics
- Dr. Kishan Chand Nauriyal: Art and Culture
- Elvis Ali Hazarika: Swimming and
- Nadiram Deuri: Tiwa Dance
This award will include a citation, certificate, medal and a cash prize of Rs 4 lakh.
Assam Gaurav Award 2023:
This year 17 personalities will be given the ‘Assam Gaurav’ award.
- Ranjit Gogoi (Folk and Bihu dance exponent)
- Parvati Barua (animal protection activities)
- Debojit Chiangmai (sound engineer)
- Drono Bhuyan (Oja Pali)
- Neelam Dutta (Organic Farming)
- Anupam Deka (industrialist)
- Soumyadeep Dutta (Wildlife Conservation)
- Basant Chiring Phukan (Mushroom Cultivation)
- Manendra Deka (Handicraft)
- Meenakshi Chetia (Social Service)
- Pakhila Lekhtepi (Karbi Lok)
- Tenzing Bodosa (Elephant Friendly Tea Garden)
- Nirmal De (mat)
- Jessin Kumbang Pao (weaving)
- Mary Hassa (social services)
- Upendra Rabha (black rice cultivation) and
- Rahul Gupta (Hydroponic Farming).
Assam Gaurav Award winners will be given a citation, certificate, medal and a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh.
Indian Army launched Operation Sarvashakti
The Indian Army has launched Operation Sarvashakti in the Rajouri-Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, deploying forces on both sides of the Pir Panjal range to target terrorists who have carried out a series of attacks on troops in the area.
About Operation Sarvashakti
- Recent years have witnessed three major terrorist attacks in the area, resulting in the loss of 20 soldiers.
- Operation Sarvashakti is an initiative of the Indian army to neutralise terrorist threats in Pir Panjal range.
- As part of the operation at least three brigades of additional troops are being deployed in the sector from various reserve and strike corps formations in order to increase the density of troops.
- It is similar to Operation Sarpvinash.
- In 2003, Indian forces launched Operation Sarpvinash to flush out terrorists who had infiltrated from across the border and set up camps in the thick forests south of the Pir Panjal range, especially in the Hilkaka area in Poonch.
- The operation flushed out terrorists and brought peace to the area that lasted until 2017-18, even as terrorist incidents continued to take place in the valley.
The deposits raised under the framework are covered by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).
Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023
Surat and Indore have been jointly recognized as the cleanest cities in India at the Union Urban Affairs Ministry’s annual Clean City Awards 2023. Indore achieved the top rank for the seventh consecutive time.
President Smt. Droupadi Murmu conferred the Swachh Survekshan awards 2023 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
The theme for the year 2023 was -“Waste to Wealth”.
The theme for the Cleanliness Survey 2024 is “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.”
The President launched the Swachh Survekshan 2023 dashboard, emphasizing the importance of everyone’s contribution to and participation in the survey.
Key Points
- In the category of cities with a population of less than 1 lakh, Sasvad, Patan and Lonavala secured the top three spots.
- Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh was adjudged the Cleanest Cantonment Board.
- Varanasi and Prayagraj won the top two awards amongst the Cleanest Ganga Towns.
- Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh won the top three awards for Best Performing State.
- Chandigarh walked away with the award for the Best Safaimitra Surakshit Sheher, acknowledging initiatives that prioritize the safety, dignity, and well-being of sanitation workers.
About Swachh Survekshan Awards
- It was launched in 2016, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission initiated by the Government of India to promote cleanliness and sanitation in urban areas.
- The annual survey ranks cities based on various sanitation parameters like door-to-door waste collection, waste treatment, public toilet management, citizen participation, and innovation in sanitation practices.
- Winning cities and states receive recognition and financial incentives, aiming to motivate them to maintain and improve their sanitation standards.
NHAI Introduces ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ Initiative
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched the ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ initiative that aims to discourage user behavior of using single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to a particular vehicle.
About the ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ initiative:
- The initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of the Electronic Toll Collection system and provide seamless movement at the Toll Plazas.
- The new arrangement Of ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ has also been introduced to discourage user behaviour of using single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to a particular vehicle.
- The initiative encourages FASTag users to complete ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) process of their latest FASTag by updating KYC as per RBI guidelines.
- FASTags with valid balance but with incomplete KYC will get deactivated/blacklisted by banks post 31st January 2024.
- NHAI has taken this initiative after the recent reports of multiple FASTags being issued for a particular vehicle and FASTags being issued without KYC in violation of RBI’s mandate.
- The ‘One Vehicle, One FASTag’ initiative will help to make toll operations more efficient and ensure seamless & comfortable journeys for the National Highway users.
About FASTag
- FASTag is a device that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to enable toll payments while the vehicle is in motion.
- It is essentially an RFID passive tag on the vehicle’s windscreen linked to a customer’s prepaid or savings/current account.
- It allows customers to drive through toll plazas without stopping for toll payments.
- The toll fee is deducted from the customer’s linked account.
- It is also vehicle specific and once it is affixed to a vehicle, it cannot be transferred to another vehicle.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)State’s Startup Ranking 2022
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) released the State’s Startup Ranking Framework 2022 report. Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu emerged as the best-performing states in the Startup Ranking for 2022.
Categories and Participation
A total of 33 states and union territories actively participated in the evaluation, categorized under five distinct groups – best performers, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders, and emerging startup ecosystems. The rankings serve as a testament to the varied and evolving nature of the startup ecosystem in different regions of the country.
About State’s Startup Ranking Framework 2022 report
Category A States (Population more than 1 crore)
- Best performing states: Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala
- Top performing states: Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Orissa and Maharashtra
- Leading states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Andhra Pradesh
- States with Ambitious Leadership: Bihar and Haryana
- States developing emerging startup ecosystems: Chhattisgarh, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir
Category B States (Population less than 1 crore)
- Best performer: Himachal Pradesh
- Top Performer: Arunachal Pradesh Meghalaya
- Leader: Goa, Manipur and Tripura
- Aspiring leader: Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Nagaland
- Emerging Ecosystems: Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, Ladakh Mizoram, Puducherry and Sikkim
MeitY Secretary Launches India’s First Graphene Centre and IoT CoE in Kerala
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Secretary S Krishnan inaugurated the India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG) and a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Intelligent Internet of Things (IIoT) Sensors in Kerala.
About India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG): India’s first Graphene Center
- Digital University Kerala (DUK) (formerly IIITMK) and Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (CMET)-Thrissur are the technical partners for setting up these centers at Makers Village Kochi.
- The complete full-fledged facility for R&D, incubation, innovation, skilling, capacity building, testing & certification shall be established at these centers by the experts of these agencies.
- The creation of a complete eco-system for start-ups in the area of IoT Sensors and Graphene & 2D Materials are the main objectives for setting up these centers in the country.
- The complete solution with material to product/system development shall be provided at these centers in the respective areas.
Indian Army Develops Encrypted Mobile Ecosystem “SAMBHAV”
Indian Army develops end-to-end encrypted mobile ecosystem SAMBHAV (Secure Army Mobile Bharat Version). SAMBHAV’ has been developed in collaboration with leading national centers of excellence from academia and industry.
About SAMBHAV (Secure Army Mobile Bharat Version)
- SAMBHAV is an end-to-end secure mobile ecosystem developed by the Indian Army.
- It operates on 5G technology and aims to provide secure communication and instant connectivity.
- It aims to address the information security challenges faced by the Indian Army.
- Command Cyber Operations Support Wings enhance cyber capabilities at operational and tactical levels.
- SAMBHAV addresses the vulnerability of mobile networks to eavesdropping, offering end-to-end security.
Command Cyber Operations Support Wing (CCOSW)
- The Command Cyber Operations Support Wing (CCOSW) is being established which increases cyber security capability.
- The CCOSWs are specialized units of the Indian Army that assist formations in carrying out mandated cyber security functions.
- According to a report, six CCOSWs are being established for all commands. Additionally, specialized training will be provided to personnel involved in this initiative.