HIMACHAL PRADESH

Punjab, Himachal Pradesh lagging in WDC-PMKSY: Parl panel

The parliamentary standing committee on rural development has expressed its disappointment on the progress of implementation of watershed development component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDCPMKSY) projects in five states, including Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

The department of land resources informed the parliamentary standing committee that the funds released by it to the state governments during a particular financial year are not timely transferred to the respective SLNAs for project implementation, which hampers the release of central funds in the subsequent year also.

The committee report reveals that the department of land resources has not released any funds to the Punjab government in the last three years (2018-19 to 2020-21).

This scheme is also important for Punjab as the department of land resources informed the parliamentary committee that the necessary provisions for giving due priority to the areas witnessing low water table have already been incorporated in the revised draft guidelines for watershed projects to be followed under the “proposed new generation WDCPMKSY.”

INTERNATIONAL

Pi Day is on 14th March

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14, commemorating Pi (the Greek letter π). This idea originated in the United States. In the United States, it is agreed to write the date in a format that represents March 14th as 3/14. These three numbers match the value of pi to up to two decimal places, which is 3.14. Highlights:

Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter of the circle. Pi is also the area of the circle divided by the square of its radius. The ratio is always constant.

Pi is an irrational number, represented by the symbol “π”.

Pi is used in geometry, trigonometry, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. It appears in various formulas. Several important formulas are:

The area of the circle is πr2.

The volume of the cylinder is πr2h.

The surface area of the ball is 4πr2.

The volume of the sphere is 4/3 (πr3).

The volume of the cone is 1/3 (πr2h).

Indias Foreign Exchange Reserves Now World’s Fourth Largest

:India’s foreign exchange trading has become the world’s fourth largest foreign exchange. Highlights:

India’s foreign exchange reserves surpass Russia, becoming the world’s fourth largest foreign exchange reserves.

India’s reserves are sufficient to cover approximately 18 months of imports, thanks to the scarce current account surplus, funds flowing into the local stock market and the increase in foreign direct investment.

As of now, India’s foreign currency holdings had decreased by US$4.3 billion to US$580.3 billion.

China has the largest foreign exchange reserves, followed by Japan and Switzerland on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) table.

NATIONAL

Report by Index Monitoring Cell

The Index Monitoring Cell (IMC) submitted its report to the center. Highlights: Key recommendations: Before submitting to the FIR for media or publications, the approval of the Press Council of India should be obtained.

About the Index Monitoring Cell: Established in 2020 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Its task is to improve India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index and develop objective standards for measuring media freedom. The group will also establish a mechanism for States to propose their own levels of press freedom.

Composition of the IMC: In addition to the Secretary of the Press Council of India and Niti Aayog, it will include the Director of the Press and Information Bureau, the Director of the Registrar of Indian Newspapers, the Bureau of Publicity and Communications, and officials from the Press Promotion Agency.

Panel On Mythical Sarasvati River

The center has reorganized an advisory committee to develop a plan to study the fabulous Sarasvati River in the next two years after the earlier panel of experts ended in 2019. ASI established the committee for the first time on December 28, 2017, for a period of two years. About Saraswati:

Saraswati river originated in Kapal tirith in Himalayas in the western part of Kailash, flows south to Mansarovar, and then turns west.

The river flows through Haryana, Rajasthan and North Gujarat.

It also flows through Pakistan, and then merges with the West Sea through the Rann of Kutch.

This river has two branches: west and east. Satluj, in the Himalayas, flows through the current Ghaggar-Patialiwali creek, representing the western branch of the ancient river.

On the other hand, Markanda and Sarsuti represent the western branch of Saraswati, namely Tons-Yamuna.

The confluence of the branches is near Shatrana, 25 kilometers south of Patiala. Suddenly, it flows past dessert (Rann of Kutch) and meets the bay of the West Sea.

New Scheme Announced For Tourist Vehicle Operators

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has announced a new scheme under which any tourist vehicle operator can apply for an “All India Travel Authorization/Permit” online. Highlights:

After submitting the relevant documents and paying the fee, the permit will be issued within 30 days after submitting such an application.

The new regulations are called “All Indian Tourist Vehicle Authorization and Licensing Rules for 2021” and will be applied in April 2021.

The scheme will also integrate a central database and all such authorization/permit fees, which may give visitors a sense of movement, improve and promote tourism.

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