23 Apr 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

Rashtriya Gramin Swaraj Abhiyan

• The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the Rashtriya Gramin Swaraj Abhiyan from Mandla in Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day.
• The Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan will strengthen the Panchayati Raj system across the country and address critical gaps that constrain its success.

RGSA seeks to:

• Enhance capacities and effectiveness of Panchayats and the Gram Sabhas;
• Enable democratic decision-making and accountability in Panchayats and promote people’s participation;
• Strengthen the institutional structure for knowledge creation and capacity building of Panchayats;
• Promote devolution of powers and responsibilities to Panchayats according to the spirit of the Constitution and PESA Act;
• Strengthen Gram Sabhas to function effectively as the basic forum of people’s participation, transparency and accountability within the Panchayat system;
• Create and strengthen democratic local self-government in areas where Panchayats do not exist;
• Strengthen the constitutionally mandated framework on which Panchayats are founded.

National Panchayati Raj Day

• It is the national day of India celebrated by Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 24 April annually.
• Then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh inaugurated the first National Panchayati Raj Day in 2010.
• It is on this day The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force.
• This date thus marks a defining moment in the history of decentralization of political power to the grassroots level. 

Smart City project

• Diu Smart City has become the first city in India, which runs on 100% renewable energy during daytime setting a new benchmark for other cities to become clean and green.
• Diu had been importing 73% of its power from Gujarat until last year.
• To further enhance its solar capacity, Diu offers its residents a subsidy of Rs 10, 000-50,000 for installing 1-5KW roof top solar panels. 
• To improve traffic management in Bengaluru Smart City, a prototype of an intelligent traffic management solution is currently being tested in collaboration with the Electronics City Township Authority (ELCITA).
• It will provide traffic information that is currently unavailable, and help improve management of commuter traffic.
• It involves capturing video streams from several cameras and processing them using artificial intelligence so that typical traffic management tasks such as vehicle detection, traffic density estimation and control of traffic lights can be automated for real-time performance.
• To revitalise urban public spaces and socially activating the area besides generating economic activity, Jaipur Smart City Ltd (JSCL) has planned to develop night bazaar at Chaura Rasta, in the heart of Pink city.
• The project will provide entertainment, culture and shopping to citizens after office hours.

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