Bihar Affairs
Farming in Bihar hit by siltation in major canal systems: CAG
Heavy siltation of major canal systems, including the EasternKosiCanal System (EKCS), the largest major Irrigation project of Bihar, is now proving to be a bane for the state since it has resulted in low water discharge and ultimately affecting the crop production, the (CAG) report on the outcomes of surface irrigation projects inBiharrevealed.
As per the report, a total of 85.41 lakh hectares were to be irrigated during the period of 2015-2021 against which irrigation was provided to 59.87 lakh hectares (70%) only. However, the audit observed that the report of theWater Resources Departmentwas not correct.
The report states that due to heavy siltation in Kosi river, canal flow capacity of the head reaches of the main canal and branch canal have gradually reduced. The Kosi project is an international project between India and Nepal in accordance with the Indo-Nepal Agreement of 1954, subsequently revised in 1966. The barrage, canal head works and head reaches of the canal fall in Nepal and lower reaches of canal in Indian territory. The project was finally closed in March 1985 after an expenditure of Rs187.16 crore, the report states.
The audit also found that though the post-project yield increased in the areas covered by this project, yet this was not mainly attributable to the surface irrigation.
National and International Affairs
11 states/ UTs have laws on lifts, Centre urges others to follow suit
Flagging that only 11 states and UTs have Acts and Rules in place for lifts which mandate compliance of standards, the consumer affairs ministry has urged all the state and UT governments to frame laws and notify the rules specifying a robust audit mechanism.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (Bis) has published several Indian standards on lifts covering various aspects for ensuring safe travel in lifts. The letter said, However, it has been noted that only 11 states have Lift Acts/ Rules in place which mandate (or are in the process of mandating) compliance to Indian Standards on lifts.
The states which have the compliance mechanism in place are Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Nadu, Haryana, West Bengal, Kerala, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Assam.
Efforts to Enhance Production under Mission Coking Coal
Government has launched ‘Mission Coking Coal’ in August, 2021 to suggest roadmap to augment the production and utilization of domestic coking coal in India by 2030. Mission Coking Coal document has made recommendations majorly relating to new exploration, enhancing production, enhancing washing capacity, auction of new coking coal mines.
CIL undertakes constant efforts to enhance coking coal production by capacity enhancement through expansion of existing coking coal producing mines and from implementation of new coking coal blocks. Mass Production Technology has been introduced in UG mines of CIL to enhance the domestic raw coking coal production. CIL is taking steps regarding offering of coking coal mines for production to investors on revenue sharing basis.
Global recession 2023 and its impact on India
According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), a global will start in 2023. A global recession is predicted by other agencies as well to begin in 2023. New borrowing costs put in place to fight Inflation cause several economies to shrink. According to the British consultancys annual World Economic League Table, the global economy topped $100 trillion for the first time in 2022 but will halt in 2023 as governments continue to struggle against growing costs.
The global gross domestic product will have doubled by 2037 as developing economies catch up to the wealthier ones. According to Bloomberg, the East Asia and Pacific region will produce more than a third of the worlds output by 2037, while Europes share will drop to less than a fifth as a result of changing power dynamics.
The data from the IMFs World Economic Outlook and an internal model serve as the foundation for the Centre for Economics and Business Researchs estimates of Growth, inflation, and currency rates.
Indias Cuisine Ranked Fifth in the list of best Cuisines of the World
India is ranked fifth on the global list of the best cuisines for 2022, according to Taste Atlas. The ranking is based on audience votes for ingredients, dishes, and beverages. Italys food came in first place followed by Greece and Spain. India received 4.54 points and the best rated foods of the country include garam masala, malai, ghee, butter garlic naan, keema, the rating said. Ithas a total of 460 items in the list. Furthermore, the best restaurants to try Indian cuisine are Shree Thaker Bhojanalay (Mumbai), Karavalli (Bengaluru), Bukhara (New Delhi), Dum Pukht (New Delhi), Comorin (Gurugram) and 450 others, according to the list.