March 2018: Rajasthan Current Affairs - RajRAS

Rajasthan is now the country’s second, after Madhya Pradesh, where rape or gang-rape of minor girls is a capital offence.
Through the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2018, the state government has added two sections to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860. While IPC Sections 376-A and 376-D included women of all ages, the new sections, 376-AA and 376-DD, separate girl victims up to 12 years from the older women victims.
The new section 376-AA, added to IPC, says that whoever commits rape on a “woman” up to 12 years of age shall be punished with death or rigorous imprisonment for not less than 14 years and shall also be liable to fine. The jail term may extend for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that convict’s life.
Similarly, another section, 376-DD, added to the IPC, says that if a “woman” up to 12 years of age is gangraped, each person constituting that gang shall be deemed to have committed rape and shall be punished with death, or rigorous imprisonment for not less than 20 years and shall be liable to fine. For this offence, too, the jail term may be extended for the remainder of the convicts’ natural lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jhunjhunu on March 8 for pan-India expansion of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (BBBP) scheme which is currently in operation only in 161 districts and the launch of the National Nutrition Mission (NNM).

In Rajasmand’s Piplantri gram panchayat 111 trees were being planted on birth of a girl child.
In Sri Ganganagar, Bharatpur and Dausa districts the couples take the 8th round (fera) while solemnizing marriage for saving girls.

The third edition of Rajasthan IT Day was celebrated as a four-day event from March 18 to March 21 in Jaipur.

Ministry of Railways will develop state-of-the-art facilities at 90 stations of the country, which also includes 5 railway stations in Rajasthan.
The responsibility of modernizing Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Udaipur has been given to North-Western Railway, while the responsibility of Kota has been entrusted to National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC)

The Chief Minister made all state highways toll free for private vehicles. The announcement was implemented immediately.

The State Government is building the biggest startup hub in the country with a seating capacity of 700. This will be operational in two-and-a-half months’ time, around mid-June.
The startups and entrepreneurs will be provided free space, internet, and other infrastructure at the Bhamashah Techno Hub in Jaipur.
There are two incubation centres already running—one in Jaipur, with 45 operating startups, and the recently inaugurated one in Udaipur.

Barmer become the eighth city of state to get air connectivity.
Earlier, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Kishangarh – already have established air-connectivity.

e- MitraPlus Machine has been set up by the Government of Rajasthan on 71 Atal Seva Kendra Gram Panchayats in the Jaipur & Baran district as part of operation and implementation of e-governance project.
With this machine, the common man visiting his Panchayat, can use various government services such as paying electricity bill, printing caste certificate, printing the original residence certificate, mobile and water bill deposits, getting the copy of your account, etc. without any assistance. Payment for such services can be done from same machine by cash, Net Banking, Credit, Debit cards.

The UNESCO has awarded its prestigious King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize, an international recognition for the Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the field of education to Connected Learning Initiative (CLIx) programme.
The programme is being run in Rajasthan has helped in improving learning outcomes in 101 government secondary schools covering 248 teachers and 13,277 students in Rajasthan. The initiative is a joint effort of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tata Trusts.

Other NEWS:

Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of Mini Secretariat in Sriganganagar.
Specialized e-unit will be setup in Jaipur city to curb cyber crimes in State.
AIIMS Jodhpur gets state’s first surgical robotics system.
Jaipur Wax Museum, established at Nahargarh Fort a year back, has become the first solar operated archaeological monument site in the state.
Human milk bank in Chittorgarh has been adjudged as the best in all 16 such banks operational in the state.
Banasthali Vidyapith has been felicitated by governor Kalyan Singh at Raj Bhawan in a joint programme organized by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Raj Bhawan, Jaipur, for its significant national and international achievements in university rankings and ratings on March 26. The QS World University ranking is regarded as one of the most influential and reliable university rankings in the world.
Rajasthan Lokayukta Sajjan Singh Kothari has been granted extension of three years in office by Governor Kalyan Singh. An ordinance has been promulgated to amend section 5 of the Rajasthan Lokayukta and Up-Lokayukta Act, 1973, to enable extension in Kothari’s term of five years.