Tag Archives: Madhya Pradesh

President Murmu Announces Results of Swachh Survekshan 2022; Indore is India’s Cleanest City for 6th consecutive year

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  • Indore is India’s Cleanest City for the Sixth consecutive year, and India’s first 7-Star Garbage Free city.
  • Madhya Pradesh Cleanest State in >100 Urban Local Bodies(ULB) Category, Tripura Cleanest State in <100 ULB Category.India celebrated 8 years of Swachh Bharat Mission and the first anniversary of SBM-Urban 2.0 in grand style as President Droupadi Murmu  today felicitated the awardees of the cleanest States and cities at the award ceremony of Azadi@75 Swachh Survekshan 2022, hosted as part of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi. The award ceremony, organized to recognize the good work done for Swachhata by towns/ cities, States and Union Territories under Swachh Survekshan 2022 and certifications for Garbage Free Star rating for cities – saw more than 160 awards under various categories being given away through the day.The President formally released the Swachh Survekshan 2022 dashboard and gave away the top 12 awards. In an impressive display of sustainability and good governance,
  • Indore, the city of lakes and palaces, walked away with the Cleanest City title for the sixth consecutive year, in the ‘more than 1 lakh population’ category,
  • Surat was adjudged the second cleanest city, for the second time in a row.
  • Navi Mumbai bagged the third spot.
  • In the population category of ‘less than 1 lakh’, Panchgani and Karad  from Maharashtra bagged the first and third positions respectively, while Patan from Chhattisgarh bagged the second position.
  • Tirupati received the best city award in Safai Mitra Suraksha while Haridwar in Uttarakhand received the award for the best Ganga town in more than one lakh population cities. Shivamogga in Karnataka received the fast mover city award.Indore further cemented its position by emerging as India’s first 7-star Garbage Free city, while Surat, Bhopal, Mysuru, Navi Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, and Tirupati earned 5-star Garbage Free certifications.

    The State awards saw a few surprises. Madhya Pradesh emerged as the ‘Cleanest State’ in the category of “more than 100 Urban Local Bodies”, relegating Chhattisgarh, the Cleanest State of the previous 3 years, to second place. Maharashtra emerged as third cleanest State.  Similarly, Tripura emerged as the Cleanest State award in the “less than 100 ULBs category”, dislodging Jharkhand, which had won in the last 2 consecutive years. Jharkhand and Uttarakhand received the second and third spots respectively.

    Over the years, Swachh Survekshan (SS) has emerged as an effective tool for transforming the urban landscape. This year’s Survekshan participated by 4,355 cities, also saw an unprecedented number of citizens’ feedback – over 9 crores, compared to 5 cores last year. In all, 22 States and 5 UTs received awards, of whom 8 States received more than 10 awards each. 8 States and 5 UTs have shown improvements ranging between 5 – 25% in their overall ground level performance over last year. Of them, 4 out the 8 North Eastern states have shown significant improvement in the overall performance over the last year. Moreover, 10 Cantonment Boards (against 7 CBs last year) and 2 Ganga towns received awards. A heartening feature of the awards was that smaller cities with population of less than 25,000 have performed admirably in the survey, with 40 of them receiving awards today.

    The vision of a Garbage Free India under SBM-U 2.0 was given further impetus by announcing the results of 7-star and 5-star rated cities under the Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities. The revised Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities was launched in 2021 to holistically evaluate cities across solid waste management parameters. This year, the number has gone up manifold with 3,600 cities applying for the assessment against 2,238 last year, and number of Star rated cities has gone up to 412 (with 11 five-star cities, 182 three-star cities, and 218 one-star cities), thus signifying how cities’ aspirations towards becoming Garbage Free is getting enhanced.

     

     

     

    Speaking at the event, the President said, “I congratulate all the awardee cities for their commitment to the cause of Swachhata”. The President had special words of praise for Indore who she said should become a role model for other cities . The President exhorted the citizens to join in the three-week long source segregation campaign scheduled to begin from 2nd Oct 2022 and expressed the hope that by 2026 India’s urban areas will become Garbage Free . The President complimented the citizens of the country and concluded with a wish for a ‘swasth’ ‘ sasakth’ and ‘swachh’ India.

    Hardeep S Puri, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs also felicitated the awardee cities and States.  Congratulating the cities for their efforts, the Union Minister said, “achievements under SBM-U have been the result of the collective efforts of the citizens of urban India. Today, the Mission has taken the shape of a people’s movement, a true ‘Jan Andolan’. The Minister concluded his address by appealing to all citizens to begin a 3-week focused campaign of source segregation from 2nd Oct, on the occasion of Swachhata Divas, so that India’s journey towards Garbage Free status is accelerated manifold. The event was attended by over 1,500 guests comprising Mayors and other political representatives, diplomats, state and city administrators and senior officials, sector partners and brand ambassadors, academic institutions, industry associations, startups, NGOs and CSOs,  while citizens from across India joined virtually to witness this occasion. Cities had also put up screens in prominent places to enable their citizens to view the live ceremony.

    The spirit of celebration was further enhanced through the release of an audio-visual song and documentary, by the President, capturing the journey of SBM till date and the road ahead. The theme of the audio-visual song was ‘Garv‘, reiterating the pride in the goals attained so far and pride in finishing the unfinished too, and featured various celebrity ambassadors of the Mission such as P V Sindhu and Mithali Raj. The song is an effort to reinvigorate people to carry forward the SBM-U 2.0 journey in the days ahead.

    The Award ceremony was a platform for reaffirmation of commitment from cities and citizens to move forward with renewed vigour towards the vision of Garbage Free cities.

    Also Read:

  • Every Indian should become part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: Vice President
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Soon new material to replace rogue plastic; It biodegrades in ocean water within 4 weeks

Archaeological Survey of India unravels remarkable remains in Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve – Photos [Must see]

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In a major find, ASI has unraveled remarkable archaeological remains in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve.

During the exploration conducted by ASI, 26 ancient temples/relics of Kalachuri period (9th century CE to 11th Century CE), 26 caves (2nd Century CE to 5th century CE mostly Buddhist in nature), 2 monasteries, 2 stupas, 24 Brahmi inscriptions (2nd century CE to 5th century CE), 46 sculptures, 20 scattered remains and 19 water structures (c.2nd-15thCE) are recorded. Among the 46 sculptures, also is a Varah sculpture which is one of the largest.

The time period of the findings covered the reigns of the kings Shri Bhimsena, Maharaja Pothasiri, Maharaja Bhattadeva. Placed deciphered in the inscriptions are Kaushami, Mathura, Pavata (Parvata), Vejabharada and Sapatanaairikaa.

 

An ASI team covered nearly 170 sq km falling in the area of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve over months-long exploration of the region which was undertook for the first time since 1938.

The exploration was conducted under by the Jabalpur Circle of ASI.

PM releases wild Cheetahs in Kuno National Park, which had become extinct from India

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today released wild Cheetahs – which had become extinct from India – in Kuno National Park. Cheetahs – brought from Namibia – are being introduced in India under Project Cheetah, which is world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project. Out of the eight Cheetahs there are five female and three male Cheetahs.

The Prime Minister released Cheetahs at two release points in Kuno National Park. The Prime Minister also interacted with Cheetah Mitras, Cheetah Rehabilitation Management Group and students at the venue. The Prime Minister addressed the Nation on this historic occasion.

The release of wild Cheetahs by the Prime Minister in Kuno National Park is part of his efforts to revitalise and diversify India’s wildlife and its habitat. The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952. The Cheetahs that would be released are from Namibia and have been brought under an MoU signed earlier this year. The introduction of Cheetah in India is being done under Project Cheetah, the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

Cheetah

Cheetahs will help restore open forest and grassland ecosystems in India. This will help conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like water security, carbon sequestration and soil moisture conservation, benefiting society at large. This effort, in line with the Prime Minister’s commitment to environmental protection and wildlife conservation, will also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community through eco-development and ecotourism activities.

The historic reintroduction of Cheetahs in India is part of a long series of measures for ensuring sustainability and environment protection in the last eight years which has resulted in significant achievements in the area of environment protection and sustainability. . The coverage of Protected Areas which was 4.90% of the country’s geographical area in 2014 has now increased to 5.03%. This includes an increase in Protected Areas in the country from 740 with an area of 1,61,081.62 sq.kms. in 2014 to present 981 with an area of 1,71,921 sq.kms.

Forest and tree cover has increased by 16,000 square kms in the last four years. India is among few countries in the world where forest cover is consistently increasing.

Kuno national park

There has also been an increase in the number of community reserves. From just 43 in 2014 their numbers are more than 100 in 2019.

India is home to 52 Tiger Reserves covering approximately 75,000 Sq Km area in 18 States with  approximately 75% population of the wild tiger at global level. India achieved the goal of doubling the tiger numbers in 2018 itself, four years in advance from the targeted year 2022.  The Tiger Population in India has increased from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018.

The budgetary allocation for tiger conservation has increased from Rs 185 crore in 2014 to Rs 300 crore in 2022.

The population of Asiatic Lions has shown a steady increase with a population of 674 individuals with an increase rate of 28.87 per cent (one of the highest growth rates so far) from the 523 lions in 2015.

India now (2020) has 12,852 leopards as compared to the previous estimate of 7910 conducted in 2014. More than 60% increase in population has been recorded.

Governor, Madhya Pradesh Shri Mangubhai Patel; Chief Minister, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Union Ministers, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Shri Bhupender Yadav, Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Shri Ashwini Chobey were among those present on the occasion.

Bird Flu spreads to MP, Maharashtra

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As of Saturday, 16 January, 2021, cases of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in poultry in Latur, Parbhani, Nanded, Pune, Solapur, Yavatmal, Ahmednagar, Beed and Raigad districts of Maharashtra and the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh.

The Avian Influenza has been confirmed in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh (crow); Surat, Navsari and Narmada districts of Gujarat (crow); Dehradun district of Uttarakhand (crow); Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh (crow). Additionally, in Delhi, Pigeon and brown fish owl in Najafgarh and Heron  in Rohini have tested positive for avian influenza.

As per the report, received from Central Poultry Development Organisation Mumbai, Govt of India unusual mortality of poultry have been found in the farm. The samples have been sent to the designated laboratory for testing.

In the State of Chhattisgarh RRTs has been deployed and culling of poultry is underway in epicentre of Balod district. Further, in Madhya Pradesh also RRTs have been deployed. Culling operation of poultry is underway in the epicentre of Harda district of Madhya Pradesh.

The central teams formed for monitoring the situation in the affected areas of the country are visiting the affected sites and conducting epistemological studies.

States have been requested to rethink their decisions to impose ban on sale of poultry and poultry products and allow selling of poultry and poultry products sourced from the non-infected areas/states. It is reiterated that consumption of well cooked chicken and eggs is safe for humans.

Consumers are advised not heed to baseless rumours that are unscientific and often lead to confusion. These adversely affect poultry and egg markets and thereby poultry and maize farmers, who are already affected by the COVID 19 pandemic lockdown.

Following the advisories of the department, states are undertaking awareness generation activities through newspaper advertisements, social media platforms etc. Also, continues efforts to generate awareness about Avian Influenza and how to deal with the situation is being shared among the general public through various media platforms including social media platforms like Twitter and Face book handles.

EC issues guidelines on media coverage of state polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Telangana

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The schedule for holding general election to the Legislative Assemblies of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram & Telangana, 2018 has been announced on Oct. 6, 2018 with poll schedule out already.

Poll is scheduled to be held in multiple phases on 12.11.2018 & 20.11.2018 in Chhattisgarh, on 28.11.2018 in Madhya Pradesh & Mizoram and on 07.11.2018 in Rajasthan & Telangana. Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits displaying any election matter by means, inter alia, of television or similar apparatus, during the period of 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a constituency.

The relevant portions of the said Section 126 are:

(126. Prohibition of public meeting during period of forty-eight hours ending with hour fixed for conclusion of poll-

(1) No person shall display to the public any election matter by means of cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus;

In any polling area during the period of forty-eight hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll for any election in the polling area.

(2)  Any person who contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

(3)  In this Section, the expression “election matter” means any matter intended or calculated to influence or affect the result of an election.)

2.       During elections, there are sometimes allegations of violation of the provisions of the above Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by TV channels in the telecast of their panel discussions/debates and other news and current affairs programmes. As mentioned above the said Section 126 prohibits displaying any election matter by means, inter alia, of television or similar apparatus, during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a constituency. “Election matter” has been defined in that Section as any matter intended or calculated to influence or affect the result of an election. Violation of the aforesaid provisions of Section 126 is punishable with imprisonment up to a period of two years, or with fine or both.

3.       The Commission once again reiterates that the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programme telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the period of 48 hours referred to in Section 126 do not contain any material, including views/appeals by panelists/participants that may be construed as promoting/prejudicing the prospect of any particular party or candidate(s) or influencing/affecting the result of the election. This shall, among other things include display of result of any opinion poll and of standard debates, analysis, visuals and sound-bytes.

4.       In this connection, attention is also invited to Section 126A of the R.P. Act 1951, which prohibits conduct of Exit poll and dissemination of their results during the period reckoned from the commencement of polls in first Phase and half an hour after the close of poll in last phase in all the State, in respect of current round of elections.

5.       During the period not covered by Section 126 or Section 126A, concerned TV/Radio/Cable/FM channels are free to approach the state/district/local authorities for necessary permission for conducting any broadcast related events which must also conform to the provisions of the model code of conduct and the programme code laid down by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Cable Network (Regulation) Act with regard to decency, maintenance of communal harmony, etc. Concerned Chief Electoral Officer/District Election Officer will take into account all relevant aspects including the law and order situation while extending such permission. As regards political advertisements, the same needs pre-telecast/broadcast certification by the Committees set up at the State/District level as per the Commission’s order No. 509/75/2004/JS-I dt 15.04.2004.

6.       Attention of all print media is also drawn to the following guidelines issued by Press Council of India on 30.07.2010 to be followed for observance during the election:

(i)      It will be the duty of the Press to give objective reports about elections and the candidates. The newspapers are not expected to indulge in unhealthy election campaigns, exaggerated reports about any candidate/party or incident during the elections. In practice, two or three closely contesting candidates attract all the media attention. While reporting on the actual campaign, a newspaper may not leave out any important point raised by a candidate and make an attack on his or her opponent.

(ii)     Election campaign along communal or caste lines is banned under the election rules. Hence, the Press should eschew reports, which tend to promote feelings of enmity or hatred between people on the ground of religion, race, caste, community or language.

(iii)    The Press should refrain from publishing false or critical statements in regard to the personal character and conduct of any candidate or in relation to the candidature or withdrawal of any candidate or his candidature, to prejudice the prospects of that candidate in the elections. The Press shall not publish unverified allegations against any candidate/party.

(iv)     The Press shall not accept any kind of inducement, financial or otherwise, to project a candidate/party. It shall not accept hospitality or other facilities offered to them by or on behalf of any candidate/party.

(v)      The Press is not expected to indulge in canvassing of a particular candidate/party. If it does, it shall allow the right of reply to the other candidate/party.

(vi)     The Press shall not accept/publish any advertisement at the cost of public exchequer regarding achievements of a party/government in power.

(vii)    The Press shall observe all the directions/orders/instructions of the Election Commission/Returning Officers or Chief Electoral Officer issued from time to time.

7.       Attention of the electronic media is invited to the “Guidelines for Election Broadcasts” issued by NBSA dt 03.03.2014.

  1. News broadcasters should endeavour to inform the public in an objective manner, about relevant electoral matters, political parties, candidates, campaign issues and voting processes as per rules and regulations laid down under The Representation of the People Act 1951 and by the Election Commission of India.
  2. News channel shall disclose any political affiliations, either towards a party or candidate. News broadcasters have a duty to be balanced and impartial, especially in their election reporting.
  1.  News broadcasters must endeavour to avoid all forms of rumor, baseless speculation and disinformation, particularly when these concern specific political parties or candidates. Any candidate/political party, which has been defamed or is a victim of misrepresentation, misinformation or other similar injury by broadcast of information should be afforded prompt correction, and where appropriate granted an opportunity of reply.

(iv)     News broadcasters must resist all political and financial pressures which may affect coverage of elections and election related matters.

(v)      News broadcasters should maintain a clear distinction between editorial and expert opinion carried on their news channels.

(vi)     News broadcasters that use video feed from political parties should disclose it and appropriately tag it.

(vii)    Special care must be taken to ensure that every element of a news/programmes dealing with elections and election related matters is accurate on all facts relating to events, dates, places and quotes. If by mistake or inadvertence any inaccurate information is broadcast, the broadcaster must correct it as soon as it comes to the broadcaster’s notice with the same prominence as was given to the original broadcast.

(viii)   News broadcasters, their journalists and officials must not accept any money, or gifts, or any favour that could influence or appear to influence, create a conflict of interest or damage the credibility of the broadcaster or their personnel.

(ix)     News broadcasters must not broadcast any form of  ‘hate speech’ or other obnoxious content that may lead to incitement of violence or promote public unrest or disorder as election campaigning based on communal or caste factors is prohibited under Election laws. News broadcasters should strictly avoid reports which tend to promote feelings of enmity or hatred among people, on the ground of religion, race, caste, community, region or language.

(x)      News broadcasters are required to scrupulously maintain a distinction between news and paid content. All paid content should be clearly marked as “Paid Advertisement” or “Paid Content” : and paid content must be carried in compliance with the  “Norms & Guidelines on Paid News” dated 24.11.2011.

(xi)     Special care must be taken to report opinion polls accurately and fairly, by disclosing to viewers as to who commissioned, conducted and paid for the conduct of the opinion polls and the broadcast. If a news broadcaster carries the results of an opinion poll or other election projection, it must also explain the context, and the scope and limits of such polls with their limitations. Broadcast of opinion polls should be accompanied by information to assist viewers to understand the poll’s significance, such as the methodology used, the sample size, the margin of error, the fieldwork dates, and data used. Broadcasters should also disclose how vote shares are converted to seat shares.

(xii)    The Election Commission of India (ECI) will monitor the broadcasts made by news broadcasters from the time elections are announced until the conclusion and announcement of election results. Any violation by member broadcasters reported to the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) by the Election Commission will be dealt with by the NBSA under its regulations.

(xiii)   Broadcasters should, to the extent possible, carry voter education programmes to effectively inform voters about the voting process, the importance of voting, including how, when and where to vote, to register to vote and the secrecy of the ballot.

(xiv)    News broadcasters must not air any final, formal and definite results until such results are formally announced by the Returning Officer, unless such results are carried with clear disclaimer that they are unofficial or incomplete or partial results or projections which should not be taken as final results.

The above guidelines should be duly observed for compliance by all the concerned media, said EC in a statement.