1.Prime Minister launches Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, e-Gopala mobile app
News: The Prime Minister has digitally launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana(PMMSY) and also inaugurated the e-Gopala app.
Facts:
- Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana(PMMSY): It is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the country as a part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
- Nodal Ministry: Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.
- Aim:
- Enhance fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne and increase fisheries export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
- Double the incomes of fishers and fish farmers.
- Reduce post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10%.
- Generate an additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in the fisheries sector and allied activities.
- Investment and Duration: An estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crore for a period of 5 years from financial year (FY) 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories.
- Components: The scheme has two components — Central Sector Scheme(CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme(CSS).
- Other significant Features:
- The scheme Adopt ‘Cluster or Area-based Approaches’ and create fisheries clusters through backward and forward linkages.
- It focuses especially on employment generation activities such as seaweed and ornamental fish cultivation.
Additional Facts:
- e-Gopala App: It is a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for direct use of farmers.
- Features: The app will provide solutions on the aspects of:
- Managing livestock including buying and selling of disease-free germplasm in all forms (semen, embryos, etc.).
- Availability of quality breeding services (Artificial Insemination, veterinary first aid, vaccination, treatment, etc.).
- Guiding farmers for animal nutrition and treatment of animals using appropriate ayurvedic medicine/ethnoveterinary medicine.
- Providing a mechanism to send alerts and inform farmers about various government schemes and campaigns in the area.
2.Union Minister launches ‘SAROD-Ports’
News: Union Minister of State for Shipping(I/C) has launched ‘SAROD-Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports).
Facts:
- SAROD-Ports: It aims to provide an Affordable Dispute Redressal Mechanism for all kinds of disputes of the maritime sector with the panel of technical experts as arbitrators.
- Registered Under: It was established under Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- Composition: It consists of members from Indian Ports Association (IPA) and Indian Private Ports and Terminals Association(IPTTA).
- Coverage: It will advise and assist in settlement of disputes through arbitrations in the maritime sector, including ports and shipping sector in Major Port Trusts, Non-major Ports, including private ports, jetties, terminals and harbours.
- It will also cover disputes between granting authority and Licensee/Concessionaire /Contractor and also disputes between Licensee/Concessionaire and their contractors arising out of and during the course of execution of various contracts.
3.73rd session of WHO South East Asia Region
News: The 73rd session of WHO South East Asia Region was held under the Chairmanship of Minister of Health,Thailand.
Facts:
- WHO South East Asia Region(SEAR): It was established at the First World Health Assembly in 1948.
- Objective: To address persisting and emerging epidemiological and demographic challenges in the South East Asia Region.
- Member States: It has 11 Member States – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste.
- Regional Office: New Delhi.
- Programmes: The Region has eight flagship priorities.
- Measles and rubella elimination
- preventing non-communicable diseases
- reducing maternal, under-five and neonatal mortality
- universal health coverage with a focus on human resources for health and essential medicines
- combating antimicrobial resistance
- scaling up capacities for emergency risk management
- eliminating neglected tropical diseases and accelerating efforts to end TB.
4.Webinar on Interventions by CSIR-CMERI in combating COVID-19 under Jigyasa programme
News: A Webinar was conducted on the Scientific & Technological Interventions by CSIR-CMERI combating COVID-19 under the Jigyasa programme.
Facts:
- Jigyasa programme: It is a student-scientist connect programme launched in 2017.
- Aim: To connect school students and scientists as well as to extend the student’s classroom learning to a very well-planned research laboratory based learning.
- Implementation: It is implemented by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) in collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan(KVS).
Additional Facts:
- Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI): It was established in 1958 as a public engineering research and development institution in Durgapur, West Bengal.
- It is a constituent laboratory of CSIR and is the only national level research institute in the field of mechanical engineering in India.
5.Initiatives launched under Rashtriya Gokul Mission
News: Prime Minister has launched several initiatives under Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
Facts:
About the Initiatives:
- Semen Station: It has been established in Purnea, Bihar to develop and conserve indigenous breeds of Bihar and meet demand of semen doses of eastern and north eastern States.
- IVF lab: It has been established at Animal Sciences University,Patna for propagating elite animals of indigenous breeds and thereby enhancing milk production and productivity manifold.
- Sex sorted semen in artificial insemination(AI): It has been launched at Baroni Milk Union in Bihar.Through the use of sex sorted semen in AI only female calves can be produced (with more than 90% accuracy).This will help double the growth rate of milk production in the country.
Additional Facts:
- Rashtriya Gokul Mission: It was launched in 2014 under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development.
- Nodal Ministry: Department of Animal Husbandry and dairying, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Objectives:
- development and conservation of indigenous breeds
- breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds to improve their genetic makeup and increase the stock
- enhancement of milk production and productivity
- upgradation of nondescript cattle using elite indigenous breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Deoni, Tharparkar, Red Sindhi and
- distribution of disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural service.
- Implementation: It is being implemented through “State Implementing Agencies(SIA) viz Livestock Development Boards”.
- Gokul Grams: They will act as Centres for development of Indigenous Breeds and a dependable source for supply of high genetic breeding stock to the farmers in the breeding tract.
6.India, Japan ink mutual military logistics agreement
Facts:
- India and Japan have signed the mutual logistics agreement called the “Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services agreement”.
- The agreement allows the militaries of the two countries to use each other’s bases and facilities for repair and replenishment of supplies.
- India has already signed similar logistics agreements with the US, , Australia, France and Singapore.
7.Climate crisis could displace 1.2 billion people by 2050: Report
News: Institute for Economics & Peace(IEP) has released the inaugural edition of the report titled “Ecological Threat Register(ETR)”.
Facts:
- About the report: The report measures the ecological threats countries are currently facing and provides projections to 2050.
Key Highlights from the report:
- About 1.2 billion people could be forced to leave their homes in the next 30 years as natural disasters like droughts, hurricanes and monsoons continue to increase in intensity due to global heating.
- 19 countries with the highest number of ecological threats are among the world’s 40 least peaceful countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Chad, India and Pakistan.
- Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa are the regions facing the largest number of ecological threats.
- The countries with the largest number of people at risk of mass displacements are Pakistan, followed by Ethiopia and Iran.
- By 2040, a total of 5.4 billion people – more than half of the world’s projected population will live in the 59 countries experiencing high or extreme water stress including India and China.
Additional Facts:
- Institute for Economics & Peace(IEP): It is the world’s leading think tank headquartered in Sydney, Australia.It released reports such as the Global Peace Index and Global Terrorism Index.
8.India Post launches Five Star Villages Scheme
News: Department of Posts has launched Five Star Villages Scheme.
Facts:
- Aim: To ensure universal coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of the country by increasing public awareness and reach of postal products and services.
- Schemes Covered under the Five Star scheme include:
- Savings Bank accounts, Recurring Deposit Accounts, NSC / KVP certificates
- Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts/ PPF Accounts
- Funded Post Office Savings Account linked India Post Payments Bank Accounts
- Postal Life Insurance Policy and
- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Account / Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account.
- Implementation: The scheme will be implemented by a team of five Gramin Dak Sevaks who will be assigned a village for marketing of all products savings and insurance schemes of the Department of Posts.
- This team will be headed by the Branch Post Master of the concerned Branch Office.
