BIHAR

Government school students will now get Rs 3,000 instead of the existing Rs 2,500 under the cycle scheme in which students are given one-time aid from the government for purchasing bicycles.

The bicycle scheme was launched in 2007-08 and at that time its beneficiaries used to be girl students only. However, from 2008-09 this scheme was extended to boys as well. In 2017-18, around 13.5 lakh students benefited from the scheme and this number is expected to be 14 lakh in the current fiscal. Students having 75 per cent attendance are entitled to get the benefit of the scheme.

As far as the Yojana is concerned, it says a girl child would get Rs 2,000 at the time of her birth and one year down the line when her Aadhaar enrolment would be done, the parents would get another Rs 1,000. A sum of Rs 2,000 would be given to the family when the girl child turns two and all the immunisation done.

Also, girl students from Class I to II would get annual dress stipend of Rs 600 instead of the existing Rs 400 whereas their counterparts from Class III to V would now get Rs 700 instead of Rs 500. In case of girl students from Class VI to VIII, the dress stipend would be Rs 1,000 instead of the existing Rs 700 and the corresponding stipend for girl students from Class IX to XII would be Rs 1,500 instead of the existing Rs 1,000. Also the annual stipend given to adolescent girls for purchasing sanitary napkins has been doubled to Rs 300 from the existing Rs 150 under this scheme.

The scheme also talks of giving Rs 10,000 to the girl after completion of +2 provided the girl remains unmarried and after completion of graduation the girl would get Rs 25,000 irrespective of her marital status. Speaking at the launch of an event under the scheme, Nitish said his government was committed to empowering women and a beginning in this direction was made in the very first year after he came to power by giving 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions.

INTERNATIONAL

· UK announces new organ donation plan to address Indian origin shortages

The UK government has announced new plans to change the law for organ and tissue donation to address the urgent need for organs within theIndian-origin communitiesin the country.
The proposed new system of consent for organ and tissue donation is expected to come into effect in England in 2020, as part of a drive to help black, Asian and minority ethnic(BAME) people desperately waiting for a life-saving transplant.

· Maitree 2018 Joint Military Exercise between India and Thailand held inThailand

Exercise ‘Maitree’ is a joint military exercise between Indian Armyand Royal Thai Army and is running on in Thailand from 6 to 19 August 2018.
Maitree 2018 was platoon level exercise that comprises of infantry component.
To develope mutual understanding and bonhomie between the two armies in order to counter terrorism.

NATIONAL

Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve Included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves

The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve has become the 11^thBiosphere Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

The decision to include Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in WNBR was taken at the 30^thSession of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO held at Palembang, Indonesia, from July 23-27, 2018.

India has 18 Biosphere Reserves and with the inclusion of Khangchendzonga, the number of internationally designated WNBR has become 11, with 7 Biosphere Reserves being domestic Biosphere Reserves.

Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, reaching elevations of 1, 220 metres above sea-level.

TRAI launches integration & availability of TRAI Mobile Apps on UMANG platform

Policy initiatives of TRAI, over the years, have been to protect the interests of the consumers. Recognizing the importance of reaching out to the consumers and to safeguard their interests, TRAI has now integrated its Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 & MyCall with UMANG Platform.

UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) is developed by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). UMANG provides a single platform for all Indian Citizens to access pan India e-Gov services ranging from Central to Local Government bodies and other citizen centric services.

It provides a unified approach where citizens can install one application to avail multiple government services.

From now onwards, TRAI’s Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 &MyCall shall also be available on Umang Platform.

The Jatayu sculpture at the Jatayu Earth Center (JEC) at Chadayamangalam in Kollam district, Kerala, said to be world’s largest bird sculpture, will be inaugurated on August 17 by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
This Rs 100 crore-project is a creation by film director and sculptor Rajiv Anchal.

Goa CM Manohar Parrikarand Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar flagged off the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s app-based taxi service called “GoaMiles“.
A taxi owner did not have to pay anything and GTDC’s charges would be recovered from the consumer. GTDC will charge the consumer around Rs 20-80 as service fee.
Customers will get honest service and will get to know the fare before the journey starts.
There is a panic-cumemergency button available on the app.

During the second phase of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan(RUSA), central assistance is provided for opening of new Model Degree Colleges (MDCs) in ‘Aspirational Districts’ identified by NITI Aayog and in unserved & underserved districts in North Eastern and Himalayan States.
These districts have been selected on the basis of the composite index which includes published data of deprivation enumerated under Socio-Economic Caste Census, Health & Nutrition, Education and Basic Infrastructure.

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Aviation Suresh Prabhu launched Niryat Mitra – mobile App in New Delhi.

The app developed by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is available both on Android and on IOS platforms.

It provides wide range of information required to undertake international trade right from the policy provisions for export and import, applicable GST rate, available export incentives, tariff, preferential tariff, market access requirements – SPS and TBT measures.