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Uttarakhand Current Affairs 2020

Table of Contents
Uttarakhand Current Affairs - January 2020 ........................................................................................................... 3
Uttarakhand Current Affairs - February 2020 ........................................................................................................ 3
Uttarakhand Current Affairs - March 2020 .............................................................................................................. 5
Uttarakhand Current Affairs - April 2020 ................................................................................................................ 6
Uttarakhand Current Affairs - May 2020 .................................................................................................................. 8
Uttarakhand Current Affairs - June 2020 ............................................................................................................... 12
Uttarakhand Current Affairs - July 2020 ................................................................................................................ 14

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Uttarakhand Current Affairs - January 2020

Uttarakhand is the 1st state in the country to implement agricultural leasing policy
Uttarakhand has become the first state in India which has made a policy to lease agricultural land. After the
approval of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the state government has issued the order.
Key Points
i.Under this leasing policy, instead of giving land on a 30-year lease, the concerned farmer will get the rent for the
land.
ii.By this policy any institutions, company, firm or NGO can take farmlands of maximum 30 acres in villages for lease
for a period of 30 years and the government land around farm land can be taken for lease by paying the fee with the
permission of the District Magistrate.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital City- Dehradun
Chief Minister- Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya
State Animal- Alpine musk deer
State Bird- Himalayan monal
State Flower- Brahma Kamal
State Tree- Rhododendron arboretum

Uttarakhand Current Affairs - February 2020

8th edition of Ganga Kayak Festival celebrated in Uttarakhand
On February 17, 2020- 8th edition of the “Ganga Kayak festival” was inaugurated by MLA (Member of the
Legislative Assembly) Vinod Kandari in Devprayag, Uttarakhand. The festival was celebrated for 3 days from feb.17,
2020 to feb. 19, 2020.
Key Points:
i.The festival was organized by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and The Adventure Sports Society
witnessed participation of 45 males and 6 women athletes from Russia, Australia and Nepal.
ii.In male sprint category, India’s Ayodhya Prasad stood first followed by Nepal’s Man Bahadur Kandel, Rishi Rana of
India coming 3rd place.
iii.In the women’s category, Elizabeth Health of Australia came in first followed by Ekaterina of Russia and Anna of
Russia in the 3rd position.
iv.Among the Indian kayakers, Ashu Rawat was presented the best peddler award. Jill of Australia won the first
place in women’s water cross while Rishi Rana was the best peddler in mass water cross. Priyanka Rana and Vikas
Rawat were presented the best debut award in the women’s and men’s categories respectively.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital- Dehradun.
Chief Minister (CM)- Trivendra Singh Rawat.
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya.

India’s first Glass floor bridge to replace the iconic Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
On February 6, 2020, Uttarakhand government has cleared the design of a glass floor suspension bridge, the first of
its kind in the country, to be built across Ganga River in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand as a replacement to iconic Lakshman
Jhula which was closed in 2019 due to safety reasons. It has been in place for 94 years. The glass floor suspension
bridge design is prepared by Public Works Department (PWD).
Key Points:
i.The floor of the bridge is to be made of 3.5 inches thick toughened transparent glass, which is capable of bearing a
load of more than 750 kg per squaremetre at a stretch.
ii.The bridge will be built parallel to Lakshman Jhula with a total width of eight metres.

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iii.The total width of bridge is 132.3 metres long with seven feet high toughened glass railings on either side of the
structure.
iv.It will be safe for commutation for at least 150 years.
About Uttarakhand
Capital– Dehradun
Chief Minister– Trivendra Singh Rawat
State animal– Alpine musk deer
State flower– Saussurea obvallata
State tree– Rhododendron arboreum
State bird– Himalayan monal

Uttarakhand Govt launched First Helicopter Services under UDAN Scheme

On February 08, 2020, Chief Minister of Uttarkhand Trivendra Singh Rawat along with Shri Pradeep Singh
Kharola, Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) jointly Inaugurated the 1st ever Helicopter services from
Dehradun’s Sahastradhara helipad to Gauchar and from Sahastradhara to Chinyalisaur under the Regional
Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik(RCS-UDAN) of Government of India. The main objective of this
Helicopter Services is to Improve the Aerial Connectivity of the Hilly areas in the Country.
Key points:
i.MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) has given the operational rites of the Sahastradhara-Gauchar_Chinyalisaur route to
Heritage Aviation private limited under the UDAN 2 bidding process, and Heritage Aviation Will Operate helicopter
services twice a day for this route
ii.For Helicopter Services Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is provided under UDAN scheme to keep the Fares
Affordable for the Common people and the Uttarkhand state Government is also providing additional Incentives to
make the scheme more attractive.
iii.The fare from route will be Rs 4,120 will be the fare per person from Sahastradhara to Gauchar route, and the fare
from Sahastradhara to Chinyalisaur will be Rs 3,350 and the Sahastradhara-Gauchar-Chinyalisaur route
become 260 operational route under UDAN connectivity scheme.
iv.And in Future Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) is going to conduct the Operational Helicopter Service for the route of
Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport- New Tehri, Srinagar-Gauchar.
About Uttarkhand:
Capital- Dehradun
Governor- Baby Rani maurya
Heritage site- Valley of flowers national park
National Park (NP)- Jim Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Nanda Devi NP, Rajaji NP,
Nickname- Massoorie (Queen of Mountains)
About UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik):
UDAN was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016 to develop the regional transport facility in the Hills
region. 10 years is the Operational period of this Scheme
UDAN 1.0– Under this phase 5 airlines companies were the operational services of 128 flight routes of 70 Airports
(Including 36 newly made operational Airports)
UDAN 2.0- Under this helipad were also connected under UDAN scheme.
UDAN 3.0- Inclusion of Seaplanes for connecting water Aerodromes, Tourism routes.
UDAN 4.0- Aim to connect priority regions (North Eastern Region, Hilly States, Jammu Kashmir, Ladakh, and Islands)
for the Common People

Haryana tops in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payouts rating for 2019-20; West Bengal worst
On February 22, 2020, According to the recent ratings regarding Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payouts, prepared
for the 1st time by the Central Government, Small state Haryana has emerged as the best state in DBT payouts
(Rs.4782 crore in over 4 crore transactions) in 2019-20.It was followed by Uttarakhand at 2nd position with the DBT
payout of Rs.1060 cr. While, West Bengal has emerged as the worst performer in DBT payouts (8793 cr through 5

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crore transactions) and ranked 36th position. The rating, which ranked 36 states and UTs (Union Territories)
according to DBT payouts compared to their population.
Key Points:
i.The UTs of J&K & Ladakh altogether get 8th rank & reported DBT payouts worth Rs 1,190 crore through over 80 lakh
transactions.
ii.As per the central Government, it supported around Rs 28,700 crore in the first 9 months in 2019-20, by
transferring a stock of subsidies directly into the beneficiaries bank accounts.Due to the DBT-linked public
distribution system (PDS),a total of Rs 19,263 crore of these savings till end-December 2019 have collected.
iii.After the abrogation of Article 370 from J&K,the Centre was working at expanding the DBT framework in terms of
a wider coverage of beneficiaries and extending the number of central schemes applicable to the erstwhile state in
September 2019, to ensure subsidies reach the people without fail.
Till then by August 2019, the DBT payout in J&K in 2019-20 recorded at just Rs 44 crore.
DBT performance ranking 2019-20:
Rank State DBT payout
1 Haryana Rs.4782 crore
2 Uttarakhand Rs. 1060 cr
36th West Bengal Rs. 8793 cr
About DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer)scheme:
It was launched by Government of India to transfer the benefits and subsidies of various social welfare
schemes,under which it covers as many as 439 schemes run by 56 ministries and departments.
In the present financial year 2019-20,more than Rs 2.25 lakh crore has been paid out in the country.

Indian leopard population declined by 75-90% as per study conducted by CWS & WII
On February 7,2020 Scientists found that the Leopard population has decreased to 75-90% in India over the past
120 to 200 years, suggesting that leopards need similar conservation attention like tigers in India.
The study was conducted by scientists from the Centre for Wildlife Sanctuaries (CWS), Bengaluru, Karnataka and the
Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Uttarakhand, Dehradun.
Key Points:
i.The exhaustive research on leopard population genetics and demographic patterns across India were published in
the research journal PeerJ.
ii.Scientists collected faecal samples & identified 56 unique individuals using a panel of 13 microsatellite markers &
merged this data with already available 143 leopard individuals.
iii.Leopards in India still remain in 4 genetic subpopulations in different regions: the Western Ghats, the Deccan
plateau’s semi-arid region, the Shivalik hill-region in north India and the Terai region along the Gangetic plains.
iv.Unlike tiger population held in 4 years there is no dedicated census for the leopard. Hence the leopard count
accompanying the tiger census 2014 estimated that the leopard population would be 12,000 to 14,000.
v.Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientists- Supriya Bhatt, Suvankar Biswas, Dr Bivash Pandav, Dr Samrat Mondol
and Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) scientist- Dr Krithi K Karanth made the research on leopard population

Uttarakhand Current Affairs - March 2020

Phool Dei festival was celebrated in Uttarakhand
On March 14, 2020 Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat celebrated the traditional harvest
festival “Phool Dei”. The festival also showcases the inner bonding between the communities who all are residing in
the hills.
Key Points:
i.About Phool Dei Festival: It is the harvest festival of Uttarakhand that is celebrated in the month of Chaitra
(March- April) in the Hindu Calendar.
ii.On this traditional festival young girls pluck the first flowers of the season to decorate their houses with flowers

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and the term ‘Dei’ refers to ceremonial pudding which is the key food in the festival that is made from jaggery,
Whiteflour & curd, are offered to everyone.
iii.In some places, the festival is celebrated throughout the month with the advent of spring.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital- Dehradun (Winter capital), Gairsain (Summer capital).
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya.

Gairsain will be the summer capital of Uttarakhand

On March 5, 2020 Chief Minister (CM) of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat announced ‘Gairsain’ as the summer
capital of the state, on the 3rd day of the budget session held in Gairsain, Uttarakhand.
Key Points:
i.The announcement fulfils the long-standing demand of hill people and the people who sacrificed themselves for the
formation of Uttarakhand state.
ii.Those who spearheaded the movement for statehood to Uttarakhand in 1990 wanted Gaisain in Chamoli district to
be made as permanent capital.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital- Gairsain (summer capital), Dehradun (winter capital).
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya.
National Parks- Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Govind Pashu Vihar NP, Nanda Devi NP, Rajaji NP, Valley of Flowers NP.

Uttarakhand cancels quota in promotion for state government employees

On March 19, 2020, Uttarakhand government cancelled reservation in promotion for state government
employees.
i.It issued orders relating to the departmental promotion committee (DPC).
ii.For the period of strike, the striking employees were granted leave.
iii.The order of the state government stated that it has abolished the promotion ban dated September 11,
2019 according to the Supreme Court decision.
iv.Apart from that, the order of the state government dated September 5, 2012 to ban reservation in promotions has
also come into effect.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital– Dehradun
Chief Minister– Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor– Baby Rani Maury

Uttarakhand Current Affairs - April 2020

Jim Corbett National Park of U’khand becomes India’s 1st quarantine centre for animals
On April 14, 2020, Jim Corbett National Park , the India’s oldest forested wildlife sanctuary located in the Nainital
district of Uttarakhand, has become the India’s 1st quarantine centre for animals with symptoms of coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Key Points:
i.At least 10 quarantine centers are being set up within the complex to handle the corona virus prey animals &
Cameras will be installed in the park to monitor the cold and cough symptoms of animals.
ii.Background: After humans, the threat of COVID-19 is now hovering over wildlife. The NTCA (National Tiger
Conservation Authority) has alerted the officials of country’s sanctuaries, forests and zoos after the Coronavirus
infection was detected in the Malayan tiger ‘Nadia’ in the Bronx zoo of US (United States).
About Jim Corbett:
Named after tiger hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett, this national park is one of the famous tiger destinations
in India.

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It has rich biodiversity including around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species. The park covers
more than 1288 sq km over 3 districts of Uttarakhand, Pauri Garhwal, Nainital, and Almora.

Coronavirus: IIT Roorkee in association with AIIMS-Rishikesh prepares low-cost portable ventilator ‘Prana-
vayu’
On April 3, 2020, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology)- Roorkee, Uttarakhand in collaboration with AIIMS (All
India Institute of Medical Science) Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, has developed a low-cost portable ventilator
called ‘Prana-vayu’ costing just Rs.25,000.
The commercial product will be around 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet for better portability.
Key Points:
i.This closed loop ventilator equipped with state-of-the-art facilities & can prove useful in ensuring the safety of
coronavirus (Covid-19) patients.
ii.The ventilator is based on the controlled operation of the prime mover to deliver the required amount of air to the
patient. Its automatic process regulates the pressure and flow rate according to breathing and release. The ventilator
also has an arrangement that can control the tidal volume and breath per minute.
iii.The ventilator is beneficial for patients of all ages, especially the elderly, with being useful in major obstructions of
the respiratory tract.
iv.The research began at the Tinkering Laboratory in IIT-Roorkee by a team of IIT Roorkee consists of Prof. Akshay
Dvivedi and Prof. Arup Kumar Das who received online support from Debendra Tripathi from AIIMS, Rishikesh.

BEL & AIIMS- Rishikesh jointly develops remote health monitoring system for coronavirus cases
On April 09, 2020, The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)– Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) and Bharat
Electronics Limited (BEL), an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, have jointly developed India’s
1st remote health monitoring system. With this help, the remote parameters of coronavirus (COVID-19)-infected
patients quarantined in homes and hospitals can be detected from anywhere.
Key Points:
i.Benefit: The system will help reduce the widespread shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment).
ii.Features: The non-invasive sensors of this device used to measure the main parameters of a coronavirus patient’s
body temperature, pulse rate, SPO2 or saturated oxygen level, and respiration rate at his home. This will avoid the
patient being hospitalized unnecessarily.
iii.How it works?
A mobile app and Web browser has been developed for this system. Anyone on the possibility of Corona infection will
contact this app and join AIIMS. After this, the AIIMS health care worker will assess their complaints and if found
necessary, will provide these individuals with a kit to help monitor their health parameters regularly.
Through the patient’s mobile phone or integral GSM SIM (Global System for Mobile-subscriber identity module)
card,Patient health parameters, along with patient location, are uploaded on a daily basis to a centralised command &
control centre (CCC) on cloud.
About Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL):
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Chairman & MD– M V Gowtama
About AIIMS Rishikesh:
President– Samiran Nundy
Director– Ravi Kant

IIT-Roorkee professor develops software to detect COVID-19 within 5 seconds using X-ray scan
Kamal Jain, professor at Civil Engineering Department, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology)- Roorkee, Uttarakhand,
has developed a software which can detect COVID-19 within 5 seconds using x-ray scan of the suspected patient.
Key Points:
i.The software was developed within 40 days and the professor has filed a patent for the software and has
approached Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for a review.
ii.The software will not only reduce testing costs but will also reduce the risk of exposure to healthcare professionals.

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iii.Kamal Jain also added that he first developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based database after analysing over
60,000 x-rays, including those of COVID-19, pneumonia and tuberculosis patients to differentiate between the kind of
chest congestion suffered in the 3 diseases and also analysed the Chest x-ray database of the United States (US) NIH
(National Institutes of Health) Clinical Center.
iv.Uses of Software: The doctor can simply upload the pictures of an individual’s X-ray, in the software developed by
Kamal Jain. The software will not only classify whether the patient has any sign of pneumonia, it will be able to tell
whether it is due to COVID-19 or other bacteria and also measure the severity of infection.
v.The software helps in accurate preliminary screening which can be supplemented by clinical testing for those tested
positive for the deadly Coronavirus.
vi.The professor also added that pneumonia caused by COVID-19 is severe than other bacteria as it affects lungs
completely than smaller portions of lungs in other cases. The software will analyse bilateral opacity, pattern of fluid
build-up in lungs & nature of clump or clot if any.
vii.He also claimed that similar kinds of experiments are being conducted by the University of Amazon in the United
States.
About IIT-Roorkee:
Director– Ajit K Chaturvedi.
Motto– Nothing can be achieved without hard work.

Uttarakhand Current Affairs - May 2020

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates 80 km link road for Kailash Mansarovar through VC
On May 08, 2020, Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has inaugurated 80km strategically crucial road link
connecting Lipulekh pass (China Border) with Dharchula in Uttarakhand through video conferencing (VC). He
also flagged off a convoy of vehicles from Pithoragarh to Gunji (Both in Uttarakhand).
Key Points:
i.Road for Kailash- Mansarovar Yatra:
The Border Roads Organization (BRO) has constructed the road that originates from Ghatiabagarh and it ends at
Lipulekh Pass which is a gateway to Kailash-Mansarovar.
It will help pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet as it is around 90 kms from the Lipulekh pass. This road,
which has an altitude ranging from 6000 to 17060 feet, constructed along the banks of river Kali between India and
Nepal.
ii.With this connectivity, passengers will now take 6 days less to travel than before, a light vehicle can ply up to 75
kms (5 km short of boundary) and a five day trek will be reduced to two days.
iii.The event was attended by Director General of BRO Lt Gen Harpal Singh,Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin
Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Lok Sabha Member of
Parliament from Almora (Uttarakhand) Shri Ajay Tamta and senior officials of Ministry of Defence and BRO.
About Ministry of Defence:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Minister of State– Shri Shripad Yesso Naik
About Border Roads Organisation(BRO):
Headquarters– New Delhi
Director General –Lt Gen Harpal Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM

Uttarakhand CM launches ‘HOPE’ a portal to help unemployed youths

On 13th May 2020, The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat launched ‘HOPE’- Helping Out People
Everywhere a portal to create employment opportunities for the youths in their expertise and to provide skill
development opportunities.
Key Points:
i.The portal HOPE will be used to collect the data on the youths of the state who are staying in as well as the recently
returned migrant youths.

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ii.This platform will help the unemployed youths in job hunting and skill development and the database will help the
employers to find the suitable candidates for their requirements.
iii.The employers will get the information about the candidates such as where they worked, what they did, their
specialisation, area of interest and what kind of employment they are looking for which are shared by the youths.
iv.When the database is prepared it will be linked with the Mukhya Mantri Swarojgar Yojana.
v.The data of the youths applying from a village are available on the portal and helps in village-based analysis of the
database and helps the government to make village-specific programmes.
vi.This scheme was initiated to train and refine the skills of the youth and help them to gain employment to fight
against the decline in employment opportunities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Uttarakhand:
State was formed on- 9th November 2000
Capital- Dehradun(Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
Chief Minister- Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya

Uttarakhand CM Rawat presented Rs 53,527-cr budget for FY20-21; 25 public welfare goals in focus
On March 4, 2020, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat presented the surplus annual budget of Rs
53,526.97 crore for FY20-21. The budget is described as the document reflecting the hopes and aspirations of the
people of the state. It aims to achieve 25 public welfare goals under the state government’s Vision 2020.
Total expenditure for the financial year 2020 is estimated at Rs 53,526.97 crore, out of which a provision of Rs
42,389.6 crore has been made under revenue expenditure and Rs 11,137.30 crore under capital expenditure.
A revenue surplus of Rs 49.66 crore is expected, while the fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs 7,549.74 crore.
The ratio of fiscal deficit to gross state domestic product (GSDP) is 2.57%, which is within the 3% prescribed limit of
fiscal responsibility and budget management (FRBM) act.
This is the fourth annual budget of the state’s BJP government which took over in March 2017.
Key Allocations:
-An amount of Rs 315 crore is proposed under World Bank scheme of disaster management.
-Launch of Krishi Upadan Lagat Sarvekshan Yojana for providing minimum support price for crops like mandua,
sanwa, urad, ghat and masoor.
-For generation of self-employment opportunities and prevent migration from hilly areas, a provision of Rs 15
crore has been made under Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana.
-A migration cell will be set up under the Mukhyamantri Palayan Roktham Yojana for which a provision of Rs 18
crore has been made.
-An amount of Rs 1,265 crore has been proposed for Haridwar Kumbh 2021.
-A provision of Rs 2,300 crore has been made for payment of wheat and paddy procured from farmers under rabi
and kharif procurement, respectively, in 2020-21.
-An amount of Rs 240 crore is proposed for the payment of residual dues to sugarcane growers.
-The integrated cooperative development project has been allocated Rs 100 crore.
-A provision of Rs 2,055.56 crore is proposed for PWD and Rs 1,072 crore has been made available under Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to boost rural connectivity.
-Budget proposes Rs 133 crore to build school infrastructure and Rs 100 crore for Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand
Yojana.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital– Dehradun, Gairsain (Summer)
State Bird– Himalayan monal
State Animal– Alpine musk deer

Uttarakhand launches Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana for returnee migrants

On May 28, 2020, Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat, launched the scheme
named “Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana” to retain the migrants who have returned to the state during the
lockdown.

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Key Points:
i.SS Negi, Vice Chairman of state rural development and migration commission, and other experts have termed this
initiative as a “game changer” which benefits peoples especially in the hilly areas.
About Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana:
i.The scheme aims at providing self-employment opportunities to youth and a boost to reverse migration, specifically
entrepreneurs returning to Uttarakhand, to encourage skilled and unskilled artisans, handicrafts and unemployed
youths to start their own business.
ii.The scheme will offer credit facility through nationalised banks, scheduled commercial banks and cooperative
banks.
Benefits:
i.Under the Yojana, the margin money will be provided as a grant by the MSME (Ministry of Small, Micro and Medium
Enterprises) department. According to the MSME policy, the maximum limit for margin money will be classified as
category A- 25% of the total project cost, 20% in category B and 15% for projects of the total project cost in C and D
category.
ii.Margin money will be adjusted as a grant after the successful operation of the enterprise for minimum 2 years.
iii.Immediate subsidy which includes 25% in the hill districts and 15% in the plain districts to get quick approval
from the authorities concerned and their applications will be forwarded to banks for the migrants who apply under
this programme.
Terms & Conditions:
i.A person needs to be at least 18 years of age to be able to apply under the scheme. The applicant or his family
member will be benefited only once under the scheme.
About Uttarakhand:
Capital- Dehradun (winter capital), Gairsain (summer capital).
Governor- Baby Rani Maurya.

Uttarakhand becomes the 1st state to release report on conservation of endemic, threatened floras
On May 24, 2020 Uttarakhand became the 1st state to release a report highlighting its conservation efforts to save
over 1,100 rare plants from extinction. The project aims at Germplasm conservation so that species remain conserved
with the forest department & also to promote conservation of plant species among the general public so as to end
plant blindness. The report is one of the largest repositories of conserved plants & is carried out by the research wing
of the state forest department.
According to the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) or state biodiversity board
under this project a total of 1,145 plant species are conserved out of which 46 species are endemic to Uttarakhand
and 68 species are rare, endangered or threatened
Major Highlights of the report
i.There are around 386 species, conserved, that have medicinal properties. Currently, the extinction rate of plant
species has reached up to 5-7 species per year, as per various estimates, owing to climate change, global warming,
smuggling/illegal extractions and unplanned construction among others which will have very adverse consequences
for future.
ii.An updated version of this report will be brought out annually in the month of April.
Key Points
i.The conservation programme covers all classes of plants like trees, shrubs & herb among others and lower plants
like moss, lichen and algae, which have been documented, classified and conserved.
ii.The 196 pages report is prepared with information containing detailed information of each plant on nine
parameters like family name, scientific name, etc., The report was completed in a year.
iii.Most of the conservation efforts, public attention and funds are diverted into conservation of megafauna species
like tigers and elephants, in spite of plant conservation’s ecological role due to ‘Plant Blindness’.
Few floras conserved by Uttarakhand Forest department
i.Among the conserved floras under this programme, Brahmkamal(scientific name- Saussurea obvallata), an
endangered plant named after Hindu god Brahma, and mythological Sanjeevani’ herb are included.

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Brahmkamal- It is found at over 12,000 feet altitude in the Himalayan region bordering China & is the state flower of
Uttarakhand and considered a very sacred flower. It also has many medicinal properties, is used as antiseptic and for
treatment of other ailments.
ii.Sanjeevani (Selaginella bryopteris) is another rare herb which has found a mention in Ramayan.
iii.Thuner (Taxusbaccata), a tree found at very high altitude in Himalayan region and at the verge of extinction
because of extraction of taxol’. It is used in treating breast cancer.
iv.Bhojpatra (Betulautilis) is a holy tree on the bark of which ancient scriptures were written & is the last species in
the tree line. It is found in the Himalayan region at around 10,000 ft altitude, before the start of glaciers.
v.Herbs like Ashwagandha’, Giloy’, Kalmegh’ and Chitrak’, are part of the research to find a possible cure to
coronavirus and are included in this conservation programme executed by forest service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
vi.Some of the famous and endangered plant species conserved are- Chandan, Raktchandan, Ritha, Vajradanti,
Jatamasi, Dhoop, Badritulsi, Sita Ashok, Mithavish, Sarpgandha, Brahmi, Salampanja (orchid), Kalmegha, and Buransh
among others.
Germplasm conservation– It is a method to conserve the genetic traits of endangered and commercially valuable
species.
Plant blindness– A term coined by US botanist Elisabeth Schussler and James Wandersee in 1998 meaning inability
to see or notice plants in one’s own environment.
About Uttarakhand
Capital– Dehradun(winter capital), Gairsain(summer capital)
Chief Minister– Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor– Baby Rani Maurya
National Park(NP)- Jim Corbett NP, Nanda Devi NP, Valley of Flowers NP, Rajaji NP, Gangotri NP, Govind NP.
Wildlife Sanctuary(WLS)– Govind WLS, Kedarnath WLS, Askot WLS, Sonanadi WLS, Binsar WLS, Mussoorie WLS,
Nandhaur WLS.

35 thousand-year history of river erosion in Ladakh Himalayas revealed: WIHG

On April 30, 2020 Scientists and students from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology(WIHG), an autonomous
institute under the Department of Science &Technology, in the study, published in the Global and Planetary Changes
journal has revealed a 35 thousand-year history of river erosion and identified hotspots of erosion and wide valleys
that act a buffer zones in Ladakh Himalayas.
Key Point
i.The research shows how rivers in drier Ladakh Himalaya are operating on longer time scales and how they respond
to varying climates, an understanding of water and sediment routing, which is important as the country improves its
infrastructure and develops smart cities.
ii.It helps to understand the river-borne erosion and sedimentation, which are the main drivers that make large
riverine plains, terraces, and deltas which in due course becomes the cradle to evolving civilizations.
iii.To understand the landform evolution in transitional climatic zone the Zanskar catchment was explored by WIHG
team by using morpho stratigraphy and origin study of landforms like valley fill terraces, alluvial fans(triangle-
shaped deposit of gravel, sand, and even smaller pieces of sediment, such as silt).
Highlights of the study
i.Discovered the rivers that drained Himalayas, its foreland that eroded the most and the zones that receive these
eroded sediments and fill up.
ii.The Ladakh Himalaya forms a high altitude desert between Greater Himalayan ranges and Karakoram Ranges. The
Indus and its tributaries are major rivers flowing through the terrain.
iii.The Zanskar River is one of the largest tributaries of the upper Indus catchment, which drains orthogonally by
highly deformed Zanskar ranges.
iv.The Doda and TsrapLingti Chu are the 2 prominent tributaries of the Zanskar River, which meet at Padam village in
the upper valley to form the Zanskar River.
v.Suggested that the wide valley of Padam, with an area of 48 square km, in the upper Zanskar, has stored a vast
amount of sediments in these landforms.

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vi.Presently, 0.96±0.10 km3 of sediment is stored in its terraces and fans, and since the last 32 thousand years,
2.29±0.11 km3 sediment has been eroded by the river from Padam, which gives it a specific sediment yield of
2.2×103 tons/km2 per year.
vii.The sediment contribution from such transient basins is significant when compared with the 4–7 km3 of sediment
reportedly eroded from the entireIndus system in Ladakh since the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) and the 7–22 km3
from the Zanskar since last 10 thousand years, Hence, Padam valley is a hotspot of sediment buffering in the Zanskar.
viii.Suggested that most sediments were derived from Higher Himalayan crystalline that lie in the headwater region
of Zanskar.
ix.The dominant factors responsible for sediment erosion were deglaciation and Indian Summer Monsoon derived
precipitation in the headwaters despite the presence of a geomorphic barrier (the deep, narrow gorge) between the
upper and lower catchments of the river, and it remained connected throughout its aggradation history.
About WIHG:
It was established in June 1968
Objectives- To undertake, aid, promote, guide and coordinate research in geology of the Himalaya and foster a
tradition of scholarships.
Headquarters– Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Director– Kalachand Sain

Uttarakhand Current Affairs - June 2020

Centre Sanctions Additional Rs 1,691 crore For Road Construction in J&K, Uttarakhand
On June 28, 2020, In a major development, the central Government has sanctioned an additional Rs 1,691 crore for
the construction of highways by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and
Uttarakhand during 2020-21 in the wake of clashes with China in Ladakh.
Of this amount, Rs 1,351.10 crore has been allocated for the construction of BRO roads in the border areas of J&K.
While, Rs 340 crore have been sanctioned for road-building in Uttarakhand.
Additional Assistance:
-In addition to these, an additional Rs 71 crore has been allocated for road works in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh,
Sikkim and Tamil Nadu under the State Public Works Department.
-It has been said in the dialogue that the limit of approval for Nagaland under Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) has been
increased from 1,081 crore to 1,955 crore.
Key Points:
i.The current sanction for national highways work for state PWDs (Public Works Department) was Rs 2,269 crore,
which has been increased to Rs 2,340 crore. In addition, Rs 1,691 crore ceiling was approved for BRO, taking the
additional ceiling of Rs 4,081 crore for national highways in these areas.
ii.The approval comes after National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL)
which is working on building, maintenance and upgradation of national highways and strategic roads had announced
an increase in remuneration of its personnel working in tough terrains.
About Border Roads Organisation (BRO):
Headquarter– New Delhi
Director General- Lt. Gen.Harpal Singh
About Jammu and Kashmir (union territory):
Capitals– Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
Lieutenant Governor– Girish Chandra Murmu
Folk dances– Rauf, Hikat, Mandjas, Kud Dandi Nach, Damali
About Uttarakhand:
Capital– Dehradun (winter capital), Gairsain (summer capital).
Chief Minister (CM)- Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor– Baby Rani Maurya.

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Uttarakhand Develops India’s First Lichen Park to Conserve Jurassic Era Plant in Munsiyar
The Forest Department of Uttarakhand has developed India’s First Lichen Park in Munsyari(Munsiyari), Pithoragarh
district, Uttarakhand as a research centre with over 150 Lichen species – Jurassic Era plant which was inaugurated on
27th June 2020, The development process of the 1.5 acres park began in 2019.
Aim:
The park is developed with an aim
To protect, conserve and cultivate the lichen
To provide employment to the locals
To educate the importance of lichens
Lichen:
i.Lichen is a composite organism.
ii.They grow on the surface of the trees, walls, rocks and soil due to the symbiotic relationship between Algae or
Cyanobacteria with fungi species.
iii.The lichens have the ability to erode rocks and separate the minerals in them.
iv.They require clean air to grow, which serves as an bio-indicator to scale the air pollution in a particular area.
v.The species is widely found in the extreme conditions like arctic, tundra, hot dry desert rocky coasts
Note:
More than 20,000 species of lichens are found in the world out of which 2,714 are found in India among which around
600 species are found in Uttarakhand region followed by 503 in Himachal Pradesh and 386 in J&K.
In Uttarakhand lichens are found in Chamoli, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Nainital, Dehradun region. Some lichen
species found in the state include Parmotrema pertatum, Usnea lognissima, Lecanora subfuseescens, Sarcogyne
privigna, Arthonia impolitella, Acarospora fusca, Acarospora oxytona, Polysporina dubia and so on.
Uses of Lichen:
i.Jhula Ghas, Lichen species is used as a spice in cooking.
ii.Lichens are used as an ingredient in preparation of perfumes in Kannauj for its aromatic properties.
iii.They are used in the production of sunscreen creams, dyes, medicines etc.
Key Points:
i.Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic the park is opened with limited public entry.
ii.The Uttarakhand forest department opened the biggest biodiversity park (around 18 acres) in Haldwani with
around 500 floral species.
About Uttarakhand:
Chief Minister– Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor– Baby Rani Maurya
Capital– Dehradun (winter capital), Gairsain (summer capital).

Gairsain in Chamoli district declared as summer capital of Uttarakhand

On June 8, 2020 Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya approved the declaration of Bhararisen(Gairsain) in
Chamoli district as the state’s summer capital in compliance with the provisions of clause (3) of Article 348 of the
Constitution of India. Dehradun(the largest city) will remain the winter capital. With this decision, Uttarakhand
became the 2nd state in India after Himachal Pradesh with two separate capitals(Shimla and Dharamshala).
Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister(CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat announced that Gairsain will have an e-Vidhan Sabha on
World Environment Day (June 5,2020). The state Assembly is located Dehradun, but sessions are held in Gairsain as
well.
Key Points
i.Uttarakhand was made as a separate state from Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000 & became India’s 27th state.
The state has two divisions namely Garhwal and Kumaon with 13 districts.
ii.Statehood activists felt that Gairsain was best suited to be the capital of the mountainous state as it is between
Kumaon and Garhwal regions, but Dehradun in the plains was named as the temporary capital.
VN Dixit Commission
i.VN Dixit Commission was formed in 2001 by Uttarakhand to search for a permanent capital.

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ii.The commission looked into the feasibility of five places – Dehradun, Gairsain, Rishikesh, Kashipur and Ramnagar
as the state capital on the basis of several parameters including geographical conditions & population.
iii.In its final report in 2008 it mentioned that the interim capital, Dehradun is suited to be permanent capital &
rejected Gairsain as it is more prone to earthquakes.
About Gairsain
i.Gairsain is located around 270 km away from Dehradun at 5,410 feet elevation spanning around 7.53 square
kilometres, at an altitude of 1,750 metres above sea level and lies at the eastern edge of Dudhatoli mountain range
with a population of around 12000.
ii.It is the source of the state’s Ramganga River & in ancient literature it was celebrated as the Kedar Kshetra.
iii.The town has been historically ruled by Nagas, Khasas, Kiratas, Kunindas, and Tunganas. No railways or airport is
available in the town but there is a plan to build an airstrip
Background
Uttarakhand’s CM made the announcement about Gairsain being made the summer capital of Uttarakhand during the
budget session of the state assembly there on March 4.
Static:
Uttarakhand’s National Parks– Jim Corbett National Park, Rajaji National Park, Valley of Flowers National Park,
Nanda Devi National Park, Gangotri National Park, Govind Pashu Vihar National Park & Sanctuary.

Uttarakhand Current Affairs - July 2020

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat Inaugurated ‘Smriti Van’ on Harela festival
On July 16, 2020 Uttarakhand Chief Minister(CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated ‘Smriti Van’ at Asthal
village of Dehradun district in memory of late Jeet Singh Negi, famous folk singer of the state on the occasion of Harela
festival.
• To mark the celebration of Harela festival 2020 CM urged to plant a sapling each
Harela festival
i.Harela(means the day of green) festival, a Hindu festival is celebrated by people from the Kumaon region of the
state of Uttarakhand and in some parts of Himachal Pradesh.
ii.The festival is celebrated thrice every year, the first Harela during Chaitra Navratri, the second during Sharad
Navratri in the month of Ashwin and third, Shravan Harela, is celebrated on July 16 this year(2020).
iii.The Shravan Harela marks the onset of the rainy season.(Monsoon).
About Uttarakhand:
Capital– Dehradun(Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
Chief Minister– Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor– Baby Rani Maurya
Other Related News:
i.Centre Sanctions Additional Rs 1,691 crore for the construction of highways by the Border Roads Organization
(BRO) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Uttarakhand during 2020-21.
ii.Uttarakhand Develops India’s First Lichen Park to Conserve Jurassic Era Plant in Munsyari(Munsiyari).

“Golden Birdwing” from Uttarakhand surpassed “Southern Birdwing” to become India’s largest
butterfly after 88 years
The Himalayan butterfly named “Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus)” has surpassed the “Southern Birdwing
(Troides minos)” after 88 years to become the largest butterfly in India. The female species of the Golden Birdwing
has a wingspan of 194 mm that is 4 mm larger than that of the Southern Birdwing with 190 mm wingspan while the
largest wingspan in the male species of the Golden Birdwing is 106 mm. The largest female Golden Birdwing’s
forewing length is 90 mm.
• The female Golden Birdwing was recorded from Didihat in Uttarakhand, the largest male was from
the Wankhar Butterfly Museum in Meghalaya capital Shillong.

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• The new measurements of Golden Birdwing and 24 other species, are published in the latest issue of Bionotes,
a quarterly newsletter for research on life forms. This study of Lepidoptera was done by Shristee Panthee of
the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan, China and Peter Smetacek of the Butterfly Research
Centre at Bhimtal in Uttarakhand. The measurement used in the study by authors is wingspan.
Key Points:
-Golden Birdwing is followed by Common Windmill (Byasa polyeuctes) at 98 mm, Great Windmill (Byasa
dasarada) at 96 mm, and Common Peacock (Papilio bianor) at 78 mm- all from Uttarakhand.
-The smallest butterfly is the Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora) with a wingspan of 18 mm and forewing length of 8
mm.
About Southern Birdwing:
Southern Birdwing (190 mm) was recorded in 1932 by Brigadier Evans, a British military officer and lepidopterist (a
person who studies or collects butterflies and moths). He measured the butterfly from the centre of the thorax to the
tip of forewing apex, the outcome of measurement was then doubled to to obtain the exact measurement.
About Uttarakhand:
Chief Minister– Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor– Baby Rani Maurya
Capital– Dehradun(Winter Capital), Gairsain (summer capital)

India’s maternal mortality ratio declined to 113 in 2016-18: Registrar General’s Sample Registration
System (SRS)
In accordance with the “Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18”, released by the Office of the
Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has declined to
113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016 and almost 100 deaths lesser than in the period of 2007-
2009.
• States have been categorized into three groups namely, Empowered Action Group (EAG) States, Southern
States and Other States during the survey.
• The southern States registered a lower MMR — Andhra Pradesh (65), Telangana (63), Karnataka (92), Kerala
(43) and Tamil Nadu (60) as compared to states of Assam & EAG viz. Assam (215), Bihar (149), Madhya
Pradesh (173), Chhattisgarh (159), Odisha (150), Rajasthan (164), Uttar Pradesh (197), Uttarakhand (99) and
Jharkhand (71).
• In the category of other states Punjab has a maximum MMR of 129.
Points to be Noted:
-The target of United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of 3.1 is to reduce the global maternal
mortality ratio to less than 70 per 1,00,000 live births.
-The maximum proportion of maternal deaths during 2016-18 is 33% in the age group of 20-24.
Important Terms:
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): It is defined as the proportion of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births,
reported under the SRS.
Maternal Mortality Rate: This is calculated as maternal deaths to women in the ages 15-49 per lakh of women in
that age group, reported under SRS.
Maternal Death: As per World Health Organization (WHO), maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant
or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its
management.
Sample Registration System (SRS): It is India’s largest demographic sample surveys that among other indicators
provide direct estimates of maternal mortality through a nationally representative sample.
About Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India (ORGI):
The Office of the Registrar General, India works under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Registrar General & Census Commissioner– Dr. Vivek Joshi
Click Here for Official Link

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Recent Related News:
On May 10, 2020, ORGI released its SRS bulletin based which has presented the estimates of Birth Rate, Death Rate,
and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) for the year 2018 for India and its States/UTs.
• As per that, India’s infant mortality rate (IMR) has improved very marginally from 33 per 1,000 live births in
2017 to 32 in 2018.
• The death rate of India has witnessed a significant decline over the last four decades from 14.9 in 1971 to 6.2
in 2018.
• There has been about an 11% decline in birth rate in the last decade, from 22.5 in 2009 to 20.0 in 2018.

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