Current Affairs - State

The state government of Bihar has announced a significant increase in the Social Security Pensions for senior citizens, widows, and persons with disabilities. Under this new policy, the monthly pension amount will rise by ₹700, bringing the total to ₹1,100 starting from July 2025. This move is aimed at improving the financial support for vulnerable sections of society and reflects the state’s commitment to social welfare. The decision is expected to benefit a large number of people in Bihar who rely on these pensions for their basic sustenance and dignity in life.

The Majhi Vasundhara Campaign 6.0 is an initiative launched by the Maharashtra government to reinforce environmental conservation efforts. Scheduled to run from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the campaign will engage over 28,000 local self-government bodies. It emphasizes the importance of the five elements Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Sky in promoting sustainability and raising public awareness about climate action. The campaign represents a state-level commitment to addressing environmental challenges and encouraging communities to adopt eco-friendly practices in daily life, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future.

Karnataka has approved a 5% hike in the housing quota for religious minorities, raising it from 10% to 15%. This decision was made during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, aiming to provide equitable housing access and reduce the number of vacant government-constructed homes, particularly in urban areas like Bengaluru. The move is framed as a step toward social justice for economically disadvantaged minority communities. While the decision has triggered a political backlash, particularly from the BJP, the state government maintains that it addresses a real need based on data and guidelines indicating a housing shortage among minorities.

In the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 report released by the Ministry of Education for the academic year 2023-24, Chandigarh emerged as the top performer among all States and Union Territories with a score of 703. This made it the only entity to secure the Prachesta-1 grade, which includes scores ranging from 701 to 760. The PGI 2.0 framework, aligned with NEP 2020, evaluates educational systems across six critical domains. Chandigarh’s consistent top performance for the third consecutive year reflects its sustained excellence in areas like learning outcomes, access, equity, infrastructure, governance, and teacher education.

Uttar Pradesh led the country in digital public procurement on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), completing orders worth ₹65,227.68 crore between FY 2020–21 and FY 2024–25. The state’s comprehensive adoption of GeM across departments, especially after aligning procurement rules with the General Financial Rules in 2024, significantly enhanced transparency and efficiency. Key contributors included the Urban Development, Health, IT & Electronics, and Medical Education departments. Union Minister Piyush Goyal commended Uttar Pradesh for exemplifying transparent e-governance and setting a national benchmark in digital procurement, reinforcing its leadership in public sector reform and innovation under the Digital India initiative.