Uttarakhand Affairs
Cabinet approves New Excise policy of Ukhand
The State cabinet in its meeting held gave its approval to the new excise policy-2023-24. In an attempt to curtail the sale of illicit liquor and smuggling from other States the policy envisages bringing parity in prices of the liquor bottles of regular brands. There would not be a difference exceeding Rs 20 per bottle between the prices of liquor of regular brand in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The excise department has also decided to carry forward the licences of existing liquor shops for the year 2023-24 as well. The existing license holders would have to submit an additional surcharge of 15 per cent on last year’s rates to renew their licenses. The licences of the shops which are not renewed would be allotted on the basis of a lottery. The has set up a target of Rs 4,000 crore for the excise department. In another decision the government has decided to levy a cess of Rs three on sale of every bottle of liquor in the state. A sum of Rs one each has been levied for Sports, Women welfare and conservation of bovine species.
In another decision the cabinet decided to extend existing fitness charges for the vehicles engaged in mining for one more year. The cabinet also gave its nod to the proposal that has a provision of self attestation to the applicant for construction of single story houses.
National and International Affairs
Pangong Tso Lake Marathon sets record in Guinness Book
Indias first-ever frozen lake marathon on PangongTso has now been registered in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The widely known Pangong Tso in Ladakh organized the first-ever marathon. This lake is at an altitude of 4350 metres above sea level.
Padma Awards 2023
The President has given his approval for the presentation of 106 <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/padma-Awards“>Padma Awards, including 3 duo cases, in 2023. The list includes 91 Padma Shri Awards, 9 Padma Bhushan Awards, and 6 Padma Vibhushan Awards.
The Padma awards date back to the 1950s. The Government of India instituted two civilian awards, namely, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan on January 2, 1954. The latter had three classes, namely Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg, and Tisra Varg.
These were subsequently renamed as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri vide Presidential Notification issued on January 8, 1955. The Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri are three distinct awards given by the Government of India to exceptional Indian citizens.
The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; the Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order; while the Padma Shri for distinguished service.
The Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Erode, announced on Monday as the states 18th, will be the last protected link betweenNilgirisbiosphere reserve and the South Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
Spread over 80,567 hectares and including Anthiyur and Gobichettipalayam taluks it will be Home to 21 species of mammals ranging from the rare honey badger to carnivores such as tigers and leopards and herbivores such as elephants, 136 species of birds and 118 species of butterflies.
Kerala has its First Trans Lawyer Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi becomes the first ever Transgender in Kerala who has obtained the position of lawyer and got her name in the Bar Council.
The Law Minister of Kerala, P. Rajeev posted on Social Media and congratulated her to be designated as a lawyer and encouraged more transgender people to acquire the role.
This is a great step for the whole Transgender community as it will help them to stand for their rights more firmly in future.
Worlds Happiness Index 2023, Finland remains on Top
The UN solutions Network released the World Happiness Report of 2023 on March 20 as the day is celebrated every year as World Happiness Day.
Finland for the 6th consecutive time has been ranked number one in happiness levels. The report surveys the happiness factors and satisfaction levels among the world Population. It shows how happy the people are with their lives across nations.
India improves a little from 136 to 125 however it is a sad position for the country as it is among the least happy nations.
ChatGPT Rival Bard launched by Google
A new AI model has been designed by one of the worlds most powerful companies Gooogle after ChatGPT got popularized with its new versions.
Bard is the latest AI-powered conversation system. This is now made accessible to the public but only in US and UK for the time being. It will soon come up in more countries and languages.
This chatbot is a jack of all trades as it involves a multitude of advanced-level features.
World Water Day
World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater Resources. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis, in support of Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Pangong Tso Lake Marathon sets record in Guinness Book
Indias first-ever frozen lake marathon on PangongTso has now been registered in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The widely known Pangong Tso in Ladakh organized the first-ever marathon. This lake is at an altitude of 4350 metres above sea level.
Padma Awards 2023
The President has given his approval for the presentation of 106 <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/padma-Awards“>Padma Awards, including 3 duo cases, in 2023. The list includes 91 Padma Shri Awards, 9 Padma Bhushan Awards, and 6 Padma Vibhushan Awards.
The Padma awards date back to the 1950s. The Government of India instituted two civilian awards, namely, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan on January 2, 1954. The latter had three classes, namely Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg, and Tisra Varg.
These were subsequently renamed as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri vide Presidential Notification issued on January 8, 1955. The Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri are three distinct awards given by the Government of India to exceptional Indian citizens.
The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; the Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order; while the Padma Shri for distinguished service.
The Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Erode, announced on Monday as the states 18th, will be the last protected link betweenNilgirisbiosphere reserve and the South Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.
Spread over 80,567 hectares and including Anthiyur and Gobichettipalayam taluks it will be Home to 21 species of mammals ranging from the rare honey badger to carnivores such as tigers and leopards and herbivores such as elephants, 136 species of birds and 118 species of butterflies.
Kerala has its First Trans Lawyer Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi becomes the first ever Transgender in Kerala who has obtained the position of lawyer and got her name in the Bar Council.
The Law Minister of Kerala, P. Rajeev posted on Social Media and congratulated her to be designated as a lawyer and encouraged more transgender people to acquire the role.
This is a great step for the whole Transgender community as it will help them to stand for their rights more firmly in future.
Worlds Happiness Index 2023, Finland remains on Top
The UN solutions Network released the World Happiness Report of 2023 on March 20 as the day is celebrated every year as World Happiness Day.
Finland for the 6th consecutive time has been ranked number one in happiness levels. The report surveys the happiness factors and satisfaction levels among the world Population. It shows how happy the people are with their lives across nations.
India improves a little from 136 to 125 however it is a sad position for the country as it is among the least happy nations.