National
India’s 1st Healthy & Hygienic Food Street, 'PRASADAM'
⇒ Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the country’s 1st Healthy & Hygienic Food Street, ‘PRASADAM,’ at Neelkanth Van, Mahakal Lok, in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh on 07 January 2024.
- Union Minister said PRASADAM will connect common citizens in every corner of the country with pure and safe local and traditional food. This endeavour will align common people and tourists to safe and healthy eating habits.
- The Union Health Minister launched the official website for the Healthy & Hygienic Food Street initiative. He further unveiled a brochure outlining the Standard Operating Procedure for Healthy & Hygienic Food Streets.
Other initiatives during the event:
- Additionally, the Union Health Minister and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr. Mohan Yadav also jointly launched the Mannhit app which is an initiative facilitating screening for mental health. Under the National Health Mission, Digital Bhoomi Pujan was completed and various projects were inaugurated.
- To empower consumers to tackle adulteration, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has released “The DART Book” to check common food adulterations at home with simple tests.
- Additionally, a mobile food testing van called Food Safety on Wheels (FSW) was launched to reach remote areas and conduct training and awareness activities, traveling from city to village to promote awareness campaigns and adulteration testing.
- Spread over an area of 939 square meters with a total number of 17 shops, “Prasadam” offers convenient and culturally rich dining options for the 1-1.5 lakh devotees who visit the Mahakaleshwar Temple daily.
SVAMITVA Scheme wins Best Innovation Award for Innovation Sandbox
⇒ The Ministry of Panchayati Raj participated in the Innovation Sandbox presentation and showcased the “Digital Transformation Initiatives in Land Governance through SVAMITVA Scheme” detailing the processes followed by States to digitalize land governance systems transparently and efficiently.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been conferred with the prestigious 1st Prize in the Innovation Sandbox presentation for “Digital Transformation Initiatives in Land Governance through SVAMITVA Scheme” at the second annual three-day “Public Policy Dialogues” Conclave of the Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP), Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad during 3rd January – 5th January 2024.
Background:
- SVAMITVA Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a Central Sector Scheme that has significantly contributed to the empowerment of rural communities in India. By leveraging cutting-edge drone surveys and GIS mapping technology, the scheme ensures accurate demarcation of land parcels, thereby mitigating disputes and providing individuals with property records of rights i.e. SVAMITVA Property Cards, thereby facilitating monetization of properties, enabling bank loans and comprehensive village-level planning.
- This integration of technology not only streamlines the documentation process but also marks a significant step towards a more transparent and efficient land administration system, fostering socio-economic progress in rural areas.
- The SVAMITVA Scheme stands out as a ground-breaking initiative that harnesses innovation and new technologies to transform the landscape of land ownership in rural India. The Scheme has been recognized and received awards on various platforms since its launch by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24th April, 2020.
- The scheme with target year of completion of its implementation 2024–25, has achieved many milestones. The drone survey has been completed in 2.90 lakh villages and 1.66 crore property cards have been prepared for 1.06 lakh villages so far. The scheme has been saturated with generation of property cards of all inhabited villages of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Goa.
Secretary, Railway Board
⇒ Ms. Aruna Nayar, Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) Officer of 1987 Batch and Level-16 empanelled IRMS officer has been appointed as Secretary, Railway Board and taken over charge on 06 January 2024.
She was earlier functioning in Railway Board as Additional Member, Staff since May, 2023 and as Principal Executive Director/Staff, Railway Board from Feb, 2022 to May, 2023.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet on 05 January 2024 appointed her as Secretary, Railway Board in IRMS Level-16. Ms. Nayar is also the first IRPS officer to be empanelled in IRMS in Level-16.