GOA

Goa: 92% panchayats online, 12 remain to go digital

Of the 191 panchayats in Goa, 177 have their own websites while two are in the process of going live. Only 12 panchayats are pending completion of making their services available online.

There are plans to provide a payment gateway provision on these websites as well, so that citizens can pay house tax and light tax online.

Issuance of birth and death certificates can also be easily done through these websites. This is also in pipeline.

Among the surprising names that fall under the bracket of pending villages are that of Taleigao – which has slowly developed over the past decade almost to the likes of mirroring a small town. Other villages include Santa Cruz, Tivim and Goa Velha among others (see infographic).

INTERNATIONAL

WHO Released Global Health Estimates

World Health Organization (WHO) released the 2019 Global Health Estimates. According to the report, non-communicable diseases currently account for 7 of the top 10 causes of death in the world, an increase from 4 of the 10 leading causes of death in 2000.

The new data covers the period from 2000 to 2019.

♦ Heart disease:
(1) In the past 20 years, it has been the leading cause of death worldwide;
(2) It now accounts for 16% of total deaths from all causes;
(3) The number of deaths from heart disease increased by more than two million since 2000 to nearly 9 million in 2019.

♦ Diabetes and dementia are also among the top 10 causes of death in the world.

♦ HIV/AIDS dropped from the 8th leading cause of death in 2000 to the 19th in 2019.

♦ Tuberculosis is no longer in the top 20 in the world. It has dropped from 7th place in 2000 to 13th in 2019, and the number of deaths worldwide has decreased by 30%.

NATIONAL

National Farmers Day: 23 December

National Farmers Day (Kisan Diwas) is observed every year on December 23 in India to remember the role of Indian farmers in the economy.

The day is observed to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.

He brought farmer-friendly policies and worked towards the welfare of the farmers.

Chaudhary Charan Singh was the fifth Prime Minister of India and served the country as Prime Minister from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980.

New Route Under UDAN Scheme

The new route under the UDAN scheme has been labeled Belgaum – Surat – Kishangarh. UDAN, which stands for ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’, aims to make air travel affordable and widespread.

Gk bit :UDAN Scheme:

The scheme is a part of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) and is jointly funded by the Government of India and State Governments. The following are its main functions:
The duration of the scheme is 10 years.
Airlines participating in UDAN are selected through a competitive bidding process

The central government will provide the following:
–   Subsidies to bridge the Value Gap Funds (VGF) of participating airlines
–   Concessional GST on tickets booked using the scheme
–   Code sharing for flights according to this policy

The state government will expand the following measures:
–   Reduce GST to 1% within ten years
–   Coordinate with oil companies to promote refueling facilities
–   Provide land for airport and auxiliary development
–   Trained security personnel
–   Utility subsidy rate
–   20% of VGF

Minister Released Status Of Leopards Report Released

The Minister of Environment of the released the “State of the Leopard” report. The leopard population has been estimated using camera trapping methods.

As of 2018, there were 12,852 leopards in India, compared with 7910 in 2014, an increase of 60% in four years.

It is estimated that the highest concentration of cheetahs is concentrated in Madhya Pradesh (3,421), followed by Karnataka (1,783) and Maharashtra (1,690).

A recent meta-analysis of the status and distribution of leopards shows that the range loss of African species is 48-67%, and that of Asian species is 83-87%.

In India, leopards have experienced a population decline of 75-90% that may be caused by humans in the past 120-200 years.

In the Indian subcontinent, poaching, loss of habitat, depletion of natural prey and conflict are the main threats to leopard populations.

All of these have caused the IUCN to change the status of the species from “near threat” to “vulnerable”.

Chillai Kalan Started In Kashmir Valley

The 40-day cold winter “chillai kalan” began in the Kashmir Valley on December 21, and the night temperature in the entire area was below zero.

The 40-day cold winter will last until January 31.

Chillai Kalan is followed by Chillai-Khurd and Chillai-Bachha.

Chillai Khurd (small cold) lasts for 20 days, starting from January 31st to February 19th.

Chillai-Bachha (baby cold), a 10-day period, occurred between February 20 and March 2.

Chillai Kalan is generally considered to be the core of winter, usually with snow, sub-zero temperature causes the freezing of water bodies including Dal Lake, and highway closures.

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