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Child Marriages prevented in Mandi
Childline, a child-welfare related NGO, has prevented the marriage of 10 minors in Mandi district in the last six months.
Childline NGO had issued its helpline number 1098 to help minors not to become a victim of child marriage. After collecting the required information, the Childline members make a surprise visit along with police persons to rescue minors from the clutches of offenders to prevent child marriage and child labour.
The ADC of Mandi directed officials of the Education Department to ensure admission of such children in schools, who were rescued by Childline from offenders. The Himachal Pradesh administration has been keeping a close watch on offenders, who would engage minors in child labour or force child marriage.
Child-Marriage in India:
Child marriage in India is a marriage where either the girl is below age 18 or the boy is below age 21. The marriage of underage boy and girl is a serious offence for which accused parents or any other, who is involved in the crime, can be sentenced to 2 years imprisonment and will have to pay a fine up to Rs 1 lakh.
3 Shimla Cyclists reach Churdhar Peak
Three cyclists from Shimla have made history by making it to the Churdhar Peak (3,700 m). Churdhar Peak is the highest mountain of the Shivalik range.
The three lads represented the Hero Action team. They rode from Shimla to Churdhar and back to Sarain in Chopal over a span of two days.
The team included two-time national champion Akshit Gaur (19), national bronze medallist Ashish Sherpa (18) and team manager Ashish Sood (33).
The route that the team followed was Shimla-Kufri-Fagu-Cheog-Neri bridge-Pulbahal-Lihat-Madhan -Churdhar and back from Churdhar-Madhan-Sarain-Chopal.
About Churdhar Peak:
THE enchanting Churdhar peak in Sirmaur is one of the highest Peak of Shivalik ranges at a height of 11965 feet. Churdhar, commonly known as Churichandni (Bangle of Snow), is blessed with some of the most spectacular and beautiful landscapes in this region. Below the peak is the deodar-roofed, single-storey, square temple of Srigul with a lingam, dedicated to Shiva (Chooreshwar Mahadev).
Himachal ranks 1st in STH follow-up survey
Himachal Pradesh has been ranked first in the STH Follow-up Survey in the country.
As per the STH survey, Himachal Pradesh has topped not only in the country but in the world as worms prevalence has been estimated lowest at 0.3 per cent only amongst children in the age group of 1-19 years.
The report was shared by Health Minister Vipin Singh Parmar who also congratulated the Health, Education, Women and Child Development, Urban and Rural and other departments who were associated in deworming programme. The minister credited the success to the coordinated efforts of all line departments that this deworming campaign was organized on mission mode in state.
About the Deworming programme in Himachal:
- National Deworming Programme was started in the year 2015 and Himachal was one of the first states to adopt this programme.
- Albendazole medicine is given to all the government and private school students, left out students and Anganwadi students of 1-19 years age group.
- He said that 98 percent children were administered deworming medicine in the state.
About the STH Survey:
- In 2015, a survey was conducted by National Centre for Disease Control in 2015 indicated STH prevalence of 29 percent amongst children in Himachal Pradesh whereas as per recent survey held in October, 2018 it was estimated as 0.3 percent only.
- In this year’s survey, 42 children samples of five districts of all the four agro-climatic zone in Himachal Pradesh were taken and only 3 children were found positive of STH which was lowest in the world.
- As per WHO guidelines, deworming can be stopped when STH prevalence is less than one per cent.
The HP state government has started Himcare scheme to provide health benefits to those families who were not covered under this scheme of the government of India.
Chandertal Lake Camp owners seek Administration Help
Camping site owners of the Chandertal area is seeking the help of the district administration of Lahaul Spiti against the ban imposed by the Koksar panchayat. The Koksar panchayat has banned camps near the lake to save ecology and asked the owners to vacate the area immediately.
As per the camping site owners, they are operating camp business in an eco-friendly way. The licences were procured from the Forest Department to run it legally. They had constituted a “Save Chandertal Society”, which keeps regular cleaning of the lake area. The president of the society also rubbished the allegations of the panchayat that the drainage of kitchen waste is flowing into the lake from the camping sites as these are set up downstream the lake.
As per the President of the society, the members regularly clean the area and transport garbage to Manali for disposal. The toilet facility is available at the camping site and there is no question of open defecation and they do not allow any tourist to set up any temporary camp near the lake.
About Chandertal Lake:
Chandra Tal is a lake in the Spiti part of the Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. It is a crescent-shaped basin, surrounded by the gigantic Himalayan Mountains on all the sides
‘Vartalap’ Media Workshop held in Chamba
‘Vartalap’, a one-day media workshop was organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Shimla, at the local Bachat Bhawan in Chamba on 01st August 2019.
‘Vartalap’, which means ‘Conversation’ in English, is a flagship programme of the Central government to highlight various govt schemes being run and generating awareness about them. The media workshop was attended by Chamba DC Vivek Bhatia who lauded the role of media in effective dissemination of information. He also appealed to the journalists to empower people by covering and reporting impactful stories.
HPPSC online exam centre opened [HP Current Affairs]
The online examination centre of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) was recently inaugurated by the Chief Minister Sh. Jai Ram Thakur.
The online examination centre of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) has been constructed at Rs 1.75 crore. Now, both online and offline exams will be conducted by the commission in its own examination hall.
With the start of the centre, dependency on private IT labs will reduce considerably. Around 350 can sit in the centre. According to Sh. Jai Ram Thakur, It became vital that the technology was used at the fullest to ensure promptness, transparency, accountability and minimising the scope of error, he said, adding that the effective use of IT not only helped in saving time in cumbersome procedures but also in instilling faith in the commission.
Thakur said the government was committed to strengthening and modernising the commission and would provide help for its effective functioning. It would also facilitate candidates as they need not travel all the way to Shimla to submit their documents and would get admit cards online.
According to DVS Rana, the Chairman of HP Public Service Commission, it had ensured the maximum use of IT to bring transparency in the selection process, one-time registration of candidates and conducting online computer-based examination. He said the commission had also introduced mobile app for providing complete information regarding various examinations.
The government will also consider to set-up an HPPSC facilitation centre at Dharamsala for the candidates.
Sampark Smartshala Programme Launched
The Sampark Smartshala English and Maths Programme under Samagra Shiksha Himachal was launched in Shimla by Chief Minister Sh. Jai Ram Thakur.
The major objective of this scheme is to ensure the provision of quality education as it will enhance the learning outcome of lakhs of students. The Sampark Smartshala Maths and English will be started in all 10,661 Government Primary Schools, which will benefit over 3.2 lakh students.
The government has taken a strategic approach to education with a combination of academic and administrative reforms and the focus now is on strengthening the existing institutions, instead of opening new ones.
Sh. Jai Ram Thakur thanked the Sampark Foundation for contributing Rs 25 crore to this project and stated that new learning and teaching aids would prove helpful in attracting students to learn new things and acquire knowledge.
Other Initiatives launched:
- The CM launched “Shiksha Saath Mobile App” for monitoring and evaluating the education system in the schools which would work offline as well.
- He also launched “e-Samwad mobile app” to create direct contact with the teachers and parents under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. This would be made available to over 15,000 schools. The e-Samwad app would go a long way in creating direct communication with the teachers and parents. As per the Education Minister, over 6000 elementary teachers have been recruited during the last one-and-a-half years, which shows the commitment of the government to strengthen government schools.
Sampark Foundation is running Sampark Smartshala in 76,000 schools in six states and the foundation aims at training over 55,000 teachers on Sampark Smartshala Programme in 2019-20.
HP Govt chalks out plan to promote Fishery sector
The Himachal Pradesh state government has laid down an ambitious plan to promote the fishery sector in a big way. There is a vast potential available in the perennial rivers of the state for the fish production particularly the trout.
Proposals for Fishery sector:
- The government has proposed to construct 100 additional trout farming units besides construction of ponds in 10 hectares for production of carp fish in the state during the financial year. This decision will provide additional employment to about 550 people.
- The government has also proposed to establish two trout hatcheries in collaboration with the private sector to full fill the demands of fishermen in the state.
- The government has also proposed to establish a smoked trout and fillet canning centre in Kullu district in partnership with the private sector.
- Three retail outlets, one each in Kangra, Chamba and Shimla district, will also be established in the private sector to ensure appropriate marketing support.
Other Initiatives in Fishery Sector of Himachal Pradesh:
- All the fish farms are being modernized and hatcheries are being prepared in the private sector as well so that fish seed requirements could be met out.
- The State government has put target to increase the production of trout to 1000 metric tonne by 2022 to bring “Blue revolution in the state.
- With the technical assistance of Norwegian technique and successful breeding of Rainbow Trout, the state government has established seven more trout units in Kullu, Shimla, Mandi, kinnaur, Kangra, Chamba and Sirmaur.
- Full-time self-employment has been provided to 6098 fishermen in major reservoirs of the State including 2054 in Govind Sagar, 2674 in Pong Dam, 129 in Chamera, 42 in Maharaja Ranjeet Sagar and 111 in Kol Dam.
- The government has started various schemes to encourage the youth for taking fisheries activities. A provision of providing 40 percent subsidy has been made for general category and 60 percent to SC/St and women to set up fishery units in the state. Under the scheme, hatcheries, fish farms, small and big fish ponds, fishery feed units and trout units are being established.
- Post fish exploring arrangements to keep the fishes fresh and safe for use and work of fish added products are being also undertaken.
- As many as 12,650 state farmer and fishermen have also been covered under Pradhan Mantri Surksha BimaYojna (PMYBY). The government has provided financial assistance of Rs. 80.73 lakh to the fishermen during the off-season and Rs. 3000 are provided to the fishermen in two instalments during this season.
Aadarsh Machua Aawas Yojana:
Under Centrally sponsored Aadarsh Machua Aawas Yojana, all the fishermen, who are below poverty line will be provided hundred percent financial help to construct their house and 60 fishermen have already been benefitted till now, he added.
Four Fish Processing Units to come up:
With the technical assistance of Central Institute of Technology, Kochin, the state government is establishing four fish processing units at Bhakhra (Govind Sagar), Khatiar (Pong Dam), Katauhad Kalan (Una) and Ratyod (Solan).
Fish added product like fish pickle, fish filets, fish bowl, fish finger papad etc. would be prepared in these units and made available in the market. As modern techniques would be used in preparation of these products, these could be used even after a period of more than one year from manufacturing date.
The state has also proposed to develop online sales and purchase of fish products under Fish Market Information System (FMIS) with the assistance of Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, Kerala. This online portal will be launched shortly that will enable the buyers to place their demands and sellers to display their products.
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HP Migration Report – Census 2011
As per the Census 2011, the state of Himachal Pradesh has the highest migrant population from Punjab followed by Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand. This has been revealed by the Census 2011 data on migration released recently. The report states that the highest number of migration to HP has taken place because of marriage while works and employment, education, business and moving with the household are some other reasons for the migration of people to the state
Top 3 States of Migration to HP:
Punjab, UP, Bihar
Key Points of the HP Migration Report:
- As per the report, the total migrant population in HP stands at 26.47 lakh – 19.8 lakh women migrants 6.67lakh male migrants.
- Out of the total migrant population, almost 3 lakh migrants (including 2.36 lakh males and 59,814 females) have come to the state for works and employment, while 10,539 migrants (8,235 males and 2304 females) are involved in some business.
- There are 45,731 people (24,989 males and 20,742 females) who have migrated to Himachal Pradesh for pursing education.
- The report states that 15.42 lakh people (25,928 males and 15.16 lakh females) have migrated to the state post-marriage, while 87,800 people have migrated to the state after birth.
- The report also reveals that there are 3.54 lakh people (1.54 lakh males and 2 lakh females) who have moved in with household, while there are 3.11 lakh migrants who fall in other categories.
State-Wise Migration Data:
- From Punjab, there are 1.31 lakh migrants in the state of HP of which 14,863 migrants came for works and employment, 1,157 for business, 2,148 for education, 65,610 migrated after marriage, 9,672 moved after birth, 21,116 moved with household while 16,285 were other migrants.
- From the state of Uttar Pradesh, 66,005 migrants arrived in the state of which 28,681 came for works and employment, 764 for business, 900 for education, 5448 after marriage, 1068 after birth, 21673 moved with household while 7471 were other migrants.
- From the state of Bihar, 37,600 migrants arrived in the state of which 21,064 came for works and employment, 164 for business, 307 for education, 1350 after marriage, 389 after birth, 10,682 moved with household while 3444 were other migrants.
- From the state of Haryana 35,750 migrants arrived in the state of which 5152 came for works and employment, 527 for business, 634 for education, 15,998 after marriage, 1,730 after birth, 7505 moved with household while 4204 were other migrants.
- From the state of Uttarakhand 22,740 arrived in the state of which 5695 came for works and employment, 141 for business, 426 for education, 8329 after marriage, 483 after birth, 5429 moved with household while 2237 were other migrants.
- From National Capital Territory of Delhi, 18467 migrants arrived in the state of which 3680 came for works and employment, 239 for business, 745 for education, 3025 after marriage, 1043 after birth, 5454 moved with household while 4281 were other migrants.
90:10 Funding Ratio restored to the Himalayan States
The Government of India has accepted various demands of the hilly states like restoring financial assistance for development projects in the ratio of 90:10.
The Union Government is making provision of additional funds for providing tap water to every household under the ongoing schemes. Most of the proposals submitted by the hilly states have been incorporated by the Centre in ‘Har Ghar Mein Nal Se Jal’ scheme.
Himachal Pradesh had already provided water facility to 57 per cent of the habitations but there was no provision in the old schemes to provide tap water to every house. Keeping in view the target to provide water to every household, the state had demanded additional funds.
The Government of India has agreed that the states, which have already made considerable progress in making the provision of tap to the houses, will be given incentives under this scheme.
The Union government has also agreed that Rs 28,000 to Rs 30,000 per person will be given for the hilly states, whereas for other states the amount will be Rs 15,000 under this scheme.
Cultural Festival Begins at JISPA
The tourist visiting Lahaul in the upcoming days will get to witness a glimpse of Lahaul- Spiti’s culture as the three day cultural festival has begun at Jispa in Lahaul -Spiti.
The artist will showcase their talent and the native cultre in the form of local dance and songs. The festival is being organised by the Lahaul -Spiti Eco Tourism Society.
ABOUT JISPA:
Jispa is a village in Lahaul and as per the 2001 census it’s poplulation is 332 only. It falls within the Lahaul -Spiti district. Jispa has emerged as a very busy and a hot favourite destination among the tourists coming to the State.
ABOUT LAHAUL – SPITI:
The modern Lahaul -Spiti district consists of the two erstwhile separate districts Lahaul – Spiti. Keylong in Lahaul is the administrative centre. Its total area is 13,833 sqkm and its population is 31,564 (2011 census). It is famous for its tourist attractions.
Mukhyamantri Harit Vidyalaya Abhiyan
The Mukhyamantri Harit Vidyalaya Abhiyan will start from August 9 to 16. The programme will be organised by the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education and the Forest Department. The students of various schools would plant saplings to take on the devastating effects of global warming and saving the earth.
ABOUT MUKHYAMANTRI HARIT VIDYALAYA ABHIYAN
The Forest Department would educate children about the importance of forest and environment besides providing them with the saplings. 10 saplings in each high and senior secondary school and 5 in every primary and middle school will be planted.
HP brings Strict Policy for Doctors
The State government has come out with a strict policy pertaining to postgraduate and super speciality medical courses.
From now on doctors who wish to do their post-graduate and super speciality courses will have to sign a bond with the State. The bond will mandate a doctor to serve the State for four years including fisrt year field post. Besides this, the doctor will have to submit his/her MBBS degree which will be returned only after the completion of the bond period or payment of the full bond.
Also, a separate undertaking would be given by the doctor that in case he/she fails to complete the course, they shall be liable for Rs 10 lakh to the government for wastage of seat. In case a doctor undermines the bond the State government can recover the total salary paid to the doctor during the course and also the recover the bond amount. Also, their bachelor degree will not be returned and their registration with Medical Council will also be terminated.
ABOUT THE POLICY
The policy has been notified in the backdrop of a scenario where around more than two dozen specialists have without even serving for their mandatory service period have left the government job. The government is agitated because it spends a lot on each candidate and also pays them full salary and other allowances.
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