1. Mercury to Remain High for Next 48 Hrs, Relief Likely Thereafter
The scorching sun and clear sky conditions are giving a tough time to Amdavadis, who are reeling under acute heatwave-like conditions for the past few weeks, with the temperature on Sunday again touching the 44.3 degrees Celsius mark.
The city had on 29 May too recorded 44.3 degrees Celsius, the second highest temperature of the season, with the highest being 44.4 degrees Celsius recorded on 2 June.
The weather office has ruled out any immediate chances of relief from the high temperatures, predicting that the maximum temperatures will be in the range of 43-44 degrees Celsius during the next 48 hours. It has also forecasted clear sky conditions for the city during this period, which would add to the trouble of citizens.
(Source: DNA)
2. Farmer Leaders in Rajkot End Hunger Strike After Local BJP Leader’s Assurance
Bhartiya Kisan Sangh leaders and commission agents of agricultural produce market committee (APMC) in Rajkot ended their indefinite hunger strike on the fourth day on Sunday, 9 May, after local BJP leader Devraj Sakhiya gave them a written assurance that their demands pertaining to crop insurance, irrigation water and procurement by government of their produce would be met.
Sakhiya, the president of Rajkot district unit of the BJP and chairman of Rajkot APMC went to the camp of the fasting farmer leaders on the yard of Rajkot APMC and handed the agitators a letter signed by him after hold long discussions with them.
“Farmers’ demand demands pertaining to crop insurance, desilting check-dams and to introduce Bhavantar (Bhugtan) Yojana in Gujarat seem very reasonable and appropriate. The satisfactory way for the government (to end farmers’ protest) would to accept reasonable demands of farmers,” Sakhiya stated in his letter.
(Source: Indian Express)
3. Crop Insurance Too Less in Drought Year, Say Farmers' Representatives
Farmers in the state are paid about Rs 2,050 crore as crop insurance settlement till early March this year, said banking sources. Farmers' representatives said that this is minuscule compared to the losses they have suffered during the year, that saw one of the worst droughts in recent years.
Officials said the compensation formula is decided by the state government and insurance companies, and banks' role is just to disburse the money.
Talking to media persons on the sidelights of the meeting of State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC), SLBC chairman Vikramaditya Singh Khichi said that for the year 2018-19, about Rs 2,050 crore worth of insurance has been paid to close to 10.54 lakh farmers in Gujarat till early March this year. Many of the farmers are yet to be paid and the amount is likely to rise, they said.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
4. Centralised Control Centre to Track Students, Teachers
The Gujarat government on Sunday, 9 June, launched a centralised command and control centre to monitor the educational activities of thousands of government and aided schools across the state.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the centre which will track the attendance of students and teachers and allow officials to make data entry from schools they go to inspect through GPS-enabled tablets.
The data collected through the process would be analysed to improve the quality of education in schools, state primary and secondary education secretary Vinod Rao said. The focus is on better education and ensuring accountability through the use of technology, he said.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. Introduce Yoga in Annual Festival in Schools: CBSE
Gone are the days when annual festivals in schools like sports day or cultural programmes were restricted only to activities such as dance, drama, sports. The Central Board of Secondary Eductaion (CBSE) has asked schools to now introduce yoga in annual festivals too.
Until now, yoga sessions were held during International Yoga Day, but now, students will be seen performing asanas during annual day celebration in schools.
The CBSE in its recent circular said, "The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India will be observing 5th International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21. The festival would include mass yoga demonstrations, wherein the participants will pursue the drill of Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) in harmony. In order to promote yoga among youth, the schools may organise yoga workshops for teachers and students and introduce yoga programs in annual festivals of school. Schools are requested to join in this country wide movement for the promotion of health and well-being with enthusiasm."
(Source: DNA)
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