Which state disaster management authority has been honoured with the coveted SKOCH award 2018?

Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan has stepped down from his post. Governor of Assam, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, has been given temporary charge of the Aizawl Raj Bhavan. Mr. Rajasekharan, who was former State president of the BJP in Kerala, had been sworn in as Governor of Mizoram in May 2018.

Mukhyamantri Anchal Amrit Yojana was launched in Dehradun by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. The scheme aims to provide 100 ml milk twice a week, free of cost, to 2.5 lakh children at 20,000 Anganwadi kendras of Uttarakhand. Flavoured, sweet, skimmed milk powder will be provided to these children.

A group of science experts of the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology will launch 'Cafe Scientifique' in Kerala. Cafe Scientifique, the first such initiative in the State, aims to promote science among the public in an interesting way. Cafe Scientifique is a grassroots public science initiative based on the French Cafe Philosophique model.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the state's new 5-year industrial policy emphasising on high-technology and employment generating businesses. The policy which will be effective from 1st of April this year aims to attract investments worth 10 lakh crore rupees. The rate of conversion of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) into actual investments was far higher in Maharashtra than the national average. The national average of converting Memorandums of Understanding into actual investments, after a period of one year from the agreements being inked, could be pegged at 30-35 per cent. Maharashtra's average is more than 45 per cent and Magnetic Maharashtra and Make in India in the industrial sector, it has been more than 70 per cent. Mr Fadnavis Maharashtra has always been a leader in the industry sector adding that in the last 4-4.5 years, the state has regained its numero uno position. Minister for Industries and Mining Subhash Desai said new Industrial Policy aims create nearly 40 lakh jobs by 2023-24.

A group of researchers have unearthed a new 'rain loving' snake species from Mizoram in North-east India. The researchers have named the specie "Smithophis Atemporalis". The species is reported to be a non-venomous kind and strictly aquatic. The maximum recorded size of the new species is about 655 mm or 2.5 feet. The discovery is a result of more than six years of collaboration between scientists from leading Indian and international institutes.

The 'Utkarsh Bangla' scheme of the West Bengal government has won the prestigious 2019 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) award of the United Nations. The scheme aims to create a pool of skilled candidates industry ready. Out of 1062 nominations in 18 categories from all over the world, Utkarsh Bangla emerged No 1 in the Capacity Building category to win this prestigious award of WSIS. Earlier, in 2017, the West Bengal government had received another UN award for its 'Kanyashree' project, a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at promoting education among girls. WSIS Prizes is an international contest to create an effective mechanism to evaluate and recognise individuals, governments and private bodies for outstanding success in implementing development oriented strategies that leverage the power of ICTs as an enabler of the development.

A multi-disciplinary terror monitoring group (MDTMG) has been set up by the Government to ensure synergized and collective action against terror financing and terror-related activities in Jammu and Kashmir. his group will have representatives from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence Bureau, CBI, NIA, and Income Tax Department. Also, It will take action against hardcore sympathizers among government employees, including teachers, who are providing support to terror activities and investigate the network of various channels being used to fund terror and terror-related activities and take coordinated action to stop the flow of such funds.

A loan agreement of USD 455 million was signed between the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Government of India for financing the Andhra Pradesh Rural Roads Project, which will connect 3,300 habitations with a population of more than 250, and benefit around 2 million people in New Delhi. The objective of the Project is to improve road transport connectivity in previously unserved communities by providing all weather rural roads in all 13 Districts of Andhra Pradesh. It is the third project in Andhra Pradesh signed by the AIIB after two projects in Power Sector and Water Sector.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) decided to commission a study to assess the climate risks faced by States in India, following an assessment of the global warming risks faced by 12 Himalayan States, discussed at last year's U.N. climate change conference in Poland, that found States such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand vulnerable to climate change. On a scale ranging 0-1, 1 indicating the highest possible level of vulnerability, at the top of the scale were Assam with a score of 0.72 and Mizoram at 0.71, whereas Sikkim, with an index score of 0.42 was relatively less vulnerable.The scores of other states are Jammu & Kashmir (0.6B), Manipur (0.59), Meghalaya and West Bengal (both 0.58), Nagaland (0.57), Himachal Pradesh and Tripura (0.51 both), Arunachal Pradesh (0.47) and Uttarakhand (0.45).

Bengali New Year also known as Pahela Baishakh was celebrated in West Bengal and among Bengali communities in Assam, Tripura and also in Bangladesh. The festival usually falls on 14 April every year which marks the first day of the initial month of Baishakh of the Bengali solar calendar. The 7th century King Shashanka of ancient Bengal started this Bengali era which was estimated to be in 594 AD in Gregorian calendar and it was later modified by Mughal emperor Akbar for the purpose of tax collection. On this day, the Bengali business community opens new books of accounts known as Halkhata to mark the beginning of the new accounting year. In 2016, UNESCO declared this festival as "cultural heritage of humanity".