Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023

Source: Surat, Indore cleanest cities; Maharashtra tops State list (The Hindu, January 12, 2024)

The Swachh Survekshan awards were given away by President Droupadi Murmu.

Indore’s Remarkable Streak: Indore was declared the cleanest city for the seventh consecutive year.
Top Clean Cities: The top ten list for cities over one lakh in population includes major cities like Navi Mumbai, Greater Visakhapatnam, and Bhopal.
State Rankings: Top performing states were Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Odisha and Telangana followed closely.
Smaller Cities Shine: With less than one lakh population, Sasvad and Lonavala in Maharashtra, and Patan in Chhattisgarh won accolades.
Awards for Varanasi and Chandigarh: Varanasi and Prayagraj were honored for being the cleanest Ganga towns. Chandigarh received the award for the safety of sanitation workers.
Zonal Recognition: Twenty small and medium-sized cities received zonal awards.
States and Cities Needing Improvement: West Bengal cities like Madhyamgram required more efforts, as did Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh states.
Survey Themes: The 2023 survey focused on “Waste to wealth,” and the 2024 theme is “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
Growth of the Swachh Survekshan: The Swachh Survekshan has expanded from assessing 73 cities in 2016 to 4,477 cities now. Over 3,000 assessors carried out this year’s evaluation, collecting feedback from nearly 12 crore citizens.

Mauna Kea

Source: Science Ministry team visits Hawaii to take stock of telescope project (The Hindu, January 13, 2024)

A team from the Department of Science and Technology recently visited Mauna Kea. This is the site for the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

Renewing Commitment to TMT: The TMT is an international venture. The project involves the United States, Japan, China, Canada, and India. They plan to build an advanced telescope for space observation.
India’s Role in TMT: The Indian government agreed to join the project in 2014. India is set to be a key player, contributing hardware totaling $200 million.

Local Opposition: Mauna Kea is home to many telescopes. New projects are facing resistance. The concern is over religious and cultural beliefs. The local community feels their views are ignored.
Legal Challenges: The Hawaiian Supreme Court stopped the TMT project in 2015. Permits were once not valid. They got their permissions back in 2018. Still, construction has not started.
Alternative Site Consideration: Plans are being made for an alternative. If Mauna Kea is not possible, the TMT might move. The Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos is a choice. It is in Spain’s Canary Islands.