National
Construction of New 4.56 km long, 6-Lane Bridge across River Ganga
⇒ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, gave its approval for the Construction of New 4556 m long, 6-Lane High Level/ Extra Dosed Cable stayed Bridge across River Ganga on 27 December 2023. Besides, the construction of its approach roads on both sides in Districts of Patna and Saran (NH-139W) in the State of Bihar on EPC mode has also been approved.
- The bridge is Parallel to Western Side of Existing Digha-Sonepur Rail-Cum Road Bridge.
- The Bridge will connect two Districts namely Patna at Digha on South side and Saran on North Side across River Ganga, Bihar.
Expenditure:
The Total cost for the project is Rs 3,064.45 crore which includes civil construction cost of Rs 2,233.81 crore.
Key Points:
- This bridge will provide direct connectivity from Patna to Golden quadrilateral corridor via NH-139 at Aurangabad and Sonepur (NH-31), Chhapra, Motihari (East-West corridor old NH-27), Bettiah (NH-727) in the Northern side of Bihar.
- This Project is a part of Buddha circuit. lt provides better connectivity to Buddha Stupa at Vaishali and Keshariya.
- Also, NH-139W provides connectivity to very famous Areraj Someshwar Nath Temple and proposed Viraat Ramayan Mandir (largest religious monument in the world) at Kesariya in the East Champaran District.
- This project is falling in Patna and will provide better connectivity to North Bihar and South part of the Bihar through State Capital.
Union Minister launches National Transit Pass System (NTPS)-‘One Nation-One Pass’
⇒ Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav launched the National Transit Pass System (NTPS) pan-India to facilitate the seamless transit of timber, bamboo, and other forest produce across the country.
Key Points:
- Currently, the transit permits are issued for transport of timber and forest produce based on state specific transit rules.
- The NTPS is envisioned as a “One Nation-One Pass” regime, which will enable seamless transit across the country.
- The QR coded transit permits generated under NTPS will allow check gates across various states to verify the validity of the permits and allow seamless transit.
- This initiative will streamline the issuance of timber transit permits by providing a unified, online mode for tree growers and farmers involved in agroforestry across the country, contributing to the ease of doing business.
- NTPS is designed for user convenience, featuring desktop and mobile applications for easy registration and permit applications.
- Transit permits will be issued for tree species which are regulated, while the users can self-generate No Objection Certificates for exempted species.
- Presently, 25 States and Union Territories have embraced the unified permit system, streamlining interstate business operations for producers, farmers, and transporters.
Background:
- Prior to the introduction of NTPS, obtaining transit permits from different states along the route was a time-consuming process, causing hurdles in transporting timber and forest products across the states.
- Each state has its own transit regulations which meant that in order to transport timber or forest produce across states, one was required to get a separate transit pass issued in each state.
- NTPS offers seamless transit permits, managing records for both inter-state and intra-state transportation of timber, bamboo and other forest produce obtained from various sources like private lands, government owned forest and private depots.
India's Steel Sector emerges as the 2nd largest global producer
⇒ India has emerged as a global force in steel production and the 2nd largest producer of steel in the world.
Over the years, the steel sector in India has witnessed tremendous growth. The steel sector plays a pivotal role in crucial sectors such as construction, infrastructure, automobile, engineering and defence.
Production and Consumption:
- The production performance of the steel sector during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (April – November 2023) has been quite promising.
- The domestic finished steel production stood at 89.711 million tonnes against 78.498 million tonnes during the corresponding period last year (CPLY) which is 14.3% higher than CPLY.
- The domestic steel consumption stood at 87.066 million tonnes, which is 14.9% higher than CPLY of 75.765 million tonnes.
- Domestic crude steel production was 94.114 million tonnes, with a growth of 14.7 % when compared to the production of 82.072 million tonnes in the same period last year.
Import and Export:
- During April – November 2023, finished steel imports increased from 3.751 million tonnes last year to 4.253 million tonnes in the current year, witnessing a growth of 13.4%.
International
MP's Tansen Festival enters in Guinness Book of World Records
⇒ Around 1,300 tabla players who performed at the 99th International Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh on 25 December 2023 entered the Guinness World Records for achieving the “largest tabla ensemble”.
The largest tabla ensemble was achieved by Department of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh (India), during 99th International Tansen Samaroh, in Gwalior, India on 25 December, 2023.
Tabla Day:
Underscoring the Guinness World Records Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that December 25 will be celebrated as ‘Tabla Day’ every year in Madhya Pradesh to commemorate the feat and honour all musicians.