National
Chief Information Commissioner & two new Information Commissioners assume office
⇒ The President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Shri Heeralal Samariya as Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 6, 2023.
- Shri Heeralal Samariya has been appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner in Central Information Commission. Samariya assumed office on November 6, 2023.
- Shri Samariya administered the oath of office to Information Commissioners Smt Anandi Ramalingam and Shri Vinod Kumar Tiwari at a swearing-in ceremony organized in Central Information Commission.
About Chief Information Commissioner & two new Information Commissioners:
- Shri Heeralal Samariya, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, had served as Labour and Employment Secretary. He was sworn in as the Information Commissioner in the CIC on November 7, 2020.
- Anandi Ramalingam, before joining as Information Commissioner in Central Information Commission, was holding the post of Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Electronics Ltd. (MoD, GOI). Her area of expertise includes Administration and Governance.
- Shri Vinod Kumar Tiwari, an Indian Forest Service Officer, before joining as Information Commissioner in Central Information Commission, was holding the post of Head of Force-cum-Principal Chief Conservator of Forests as Head of Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, Shimla. His area of expertise includes Administration and Governance.
Important Points:
- At present, there are two Information Commissioners in the Commission.
- The Commission is headed by the Chief Information Commissioner and can have a maximum of 10 Information Commissioners.
- A Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners can hold the office till they attain 65 years of age.
Centre launches sale of ‘Bharat’ Atta at an MRP of ₹ 27.50/Kg
⇒ The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal flagged off 100 mobile vans for sale of wheat flour (Atta) under ‘Bharat’ brand, on 06 November 2023 from Kartavya Path, New Delhi.
This is the latest among a series of steps taken by the GoI for the welfare of ordinary consumers. The launch of retail sale of ‘Bharat’ brand Atta increases supplies in the market at affordable rates, and helps in continued moderation of prices of this important food item.
- ‘Bharat’ Atta is available at all physical and mobile outlets of Kendriya Bhandar, NAFED and NCCF and will be expanded to other co-op/retail outlets.
- The atta is available at an MRP not exceeding ₹ 27.50/Kg.
- LMT of wheat @ Rs.21.50/kg was allocated for Semi-Government and cooperative organizations i.e. Kendriya Bhandar, NCCF and NAFED under Open Market Sale Scheme [OMSS (D)] for converting to atta; and offers for sale to the public under ‘Bharat Atta’ brand at an MRP not exceeding ₹ 27.50/Kg.
Background:
- The Government of India has taken a series of steps to stabilize the prices of essential food grains while also ensuring fair price to the farmers.
- Bharat Dal (Chana dal) is already being sold by these 3 agencies @ Rs 60 per kg for 1kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for 30 kg pack from their physical and/or retail outlets, along with onions @ Rs 25 per kg.
- Now, with the launch of sale of ‘Bharat’ Atta, consumers can get Atta, dal as well as onions from these outlets at fair and affordable prices.
- Policy interventions of GoI aim to benefit farmers as well as consumers. For the farmers, GoI fixes MSP (Minimum Support Price) of foodgrains, pulses as well as coarse grains and millets. Nationwide procurement operations are undertaken to implement the PSS (Price Support Scheme) which ensures the benefit of MSP to farmers.
- In RMS 23-24, 262 LMT of wheat was procured from 21.29 lakh farmers at the declared MSP of Rs 2125 per quintal. The total value of procured wheat was Rs 55679.73 crores.
- In KMS 22-23, 569 LMT of rice was procured from 124.95 lakh farmers at the declared MSP of Rs. 2060 per quintal for Grade ‘A’ paddy. The total value of procured rice was Rs 1,74,376.66 crores.
- The procured wheat and rice is offered completely free of cost under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) through a network of about 5 lakh FPS in the country to about 80 crore PDS beneficiaries.
- Further, about 7 LMT of coarse grains/millets were also procured at MSP and distributed under TPDS/Other Welfare Schemes in 22-23.
Jal Diwali -"Women for Water, Water for Women Campaign" launched
⇒ The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs unveiled a progressive initiative “Women for Water, Water for Women Campaign” under its flagship scheme – Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), in partnership with the Ministry’s National Urban Livelihood Mission.
- Odisha Urban Academy was the knowledge partner.
- This campaign celebrated “Jal Diwali” and held from November 7-9, 2023.
Key Points:
- The aim of the campaign was to provide a platform for inclusion of women in water governance.
- They visited Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in their respective cities to provide first-hand information about water treatment processes.
- These visits elucidated the vital procedures involved in delivering clean and safe drinking water to households.
- Additionally, women gained insight into water quality testing protocols which ensure that citizens get water of the required quality.
- The overarching goal of the campaign was to instill a sense of ownership and belonging among women towards water infrastructure.
» India has more than 3,000 Water treatment plants, with a designed water treatment capacity of more than 65,000 MLD and operational capacity of more than 55,000 MLD.
Sports
Vaishali and Vidit won FIDE Grand Swiss Women's and Open titles respectively
⇒ R Vaishali and Vidit Gujrathi clinched the women’s and open category titles respectively in the FIDE Grand Swiss in a rare double for India on the world stage. Both players also qualifyed for the prestigious 2024 Candidates tournament.
- While Vaishali played out a draw with Batkhuyag Mungutuul of Mongolia in the 11th and final round to bag the women’s title on Sunday night, Vidit beat Alexandr Predke of Serbia to record his seventh victory in the event and take the top spot in open section.
- Both Vaishali and Vidit ended with identical 8.5 points apiece and stayed a half point clear of nearest rivals.
- Vaishali became the first Indian to win the Grand Swiss.
The second place in the women’s section went to Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine who played out a draw with veteran Grandmaster Pia Cramling of Sweden. The second woman player to make it to the Candidates was Tan Zhongyi who finished third. Muzychuk had already made the cut from the World Women’s Cup.
» It was in 2011 that D Harika became the second Grandmaster from India.
About the event:
- The FIDE Grand Swiss and FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 took place from the 23 October to 6 November at the Villa Marina, Douglas, Isle of Man.
- Both tournaments were part of the qualifications for the World Championship cycle, with the top two players in the open event qualifying for the 2024 Candidates Tournament and the top two players in the Women’s Grand Swiss qualifying for the 2024 Women’s Candidates.
- Eleven rounds were played under the Swiss System, with 164 players participating from all continents: 114 in the Grand Swiss and 50 players in the Women’s Grand Swiss.
- The total prize fund was $600,000, with $460,000 for the Grand Swiss and $140,000 for the Women’s Grand Swiss.
- The first Grand Swiss was held in the Isle of Man in 2019.
- This was the second time that a Women’s Grand Swiss event was held.
2024 Candidates Tournament:
- The 2024 Candidates Tournament is an eight-player chess tournament, held to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2024.
- The tournament is currently taking place at The Great Hall in Toronto, Canada, from April 3–22, 2024.