1.Union Minister e-launches tertiary processing centres of Trifood Project
News: Union Tribal Affairs Minister has e-launched the tertiary processing centre of “Trifood Project”.
Facts:
- Trifood Project: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in association with the Ministry of Food Processing(MoFPI).
- Aim: To enhance the income of tribals through better utilization of and value addition to the Minor Forest Produce(MFP) collected by the tribal forest gatherers.
- Implementation: It is being implemented by Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India(TRIFED).
Additional Facts:
- Minor Forest Produce(MFP): The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act,2006 defines minor forest produce as all non-timber forest produce of plant origin.It includes bamboo, brushwood, stumps, canes, cocoon, honey, waxes, Lac, tendu leaves, medicinal plants, roots among others.
- TRIFED: It was established in 1987 to provide a good price to the products made or collected from the forest by the tribal people.It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tribal affairs.
News: Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs has released the results of Swachh Survekshan 2020.
Facts:
- Swachh Survekshan: It is an annual cleanliness survey of urban India conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban(SBM-U).
- Objectives: a) To encourage large scale citizen participation and create awareness about cleanliness b) inculcate a spirit of healthy competition among cities and towns towards creating cleaner cities/towns.
Key Takeaways:
- India’s Cleanest cities: Indore(MP) followed by Surat(Gujarat) and Navi Mumbai(Maharashtra).
- Best States: Chhattisgarh was the best-performing state with over 100 ULBs.On the other hand, Jharkhand was the best performing state with less than 100 ULBs.
- Ganga Towns: Varanasi has been awarded the cleanest town award along the banks of river Ganga.
- Cleanest Capital city: New Delhi has been awarded as the cleanest capital city in the country.
- Cantonment Board: Jalandhar Cantonment Board was conferred the cleanest cantonment board in the country.
Additional Facts:
- Swachh Survekshan 2021: The 2021 survey will focus on parameters pertaining to wastewater treatment, reuse along with faecal sludge. legacy of waste management, remediation of landfills among others.
- Prerak Daaur Samman: It is a new category of awards which will be announced as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021.
- The award has a total of five additional sub- categories -Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal (Silver), Udit (Bronze), Aarohi (Aspiring) – with top three cities being recognized in each.
3.National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19
News: Government of India has set up a National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19.
Facts:
- Purpose of the group: To keep India in the forefront of any ongoing effort worldwide to innovate, prepare, produce and launch candidate vaccines to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic for India and for the world.
- Composition: The group is chaired by Dr V K Paul, Member Niti Aayog along with Secretary (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) as co-Chair.
4.Private firms employ more women in R&D: Study
News: The Science and Technology Indicators (STI), 2018 has been released.
Facts:
- STI: It is prepared by National Science and Technology Management Information System, a division of the Department of Science Technology,
- The report is based on data provided by a range of scientific establishments across the country.
Key Takeaways:
- India’s private sector research companies appear to employ a larger proportion of women in core research and development activities than government-funded major scientific agencies.
Additional Facts:
- Vigyan Jyoti: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology aimed at creating a level playing field for the meritorious girls in high schools to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM) in higher education.
- Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions(GATI): It aims to develop a comprehensive charter and a framework for assessing gender inequality in STEM.
- Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing(KIRAN): It is an initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology that aims to bring gender parity in the Science & Technology sector by inducting more women talent in the research & development domain through various programmes.
5.India, Japan, Australia to launch Supply Chain Resilience Initiative(SCRI)
News: India, Japan and Australia have begun discussions on launching a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative(SCRI) to reduce the dependency on China.
Facts:
- SCRI: The aim of the initiative is to attract foreign direct investment to turn the Indo-Pacific region into an economic powerhouse and to build mutually complementary relationships among partner countries.
- Significance:. The initiative is a direct response to companies that are concerned about Chinese political behaviour and disruption to the supply chain.
6.Odisha to give facelift to 11th century Lingaraj Temple
News: The Odisha government has decided to give a facelift to the 11th century Lingaraj Temple, akin to its pre-350-year structural status.
Facts:
- Lingaraj Temple: It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar,Odisha.
- Built by: It is believed to be built by the kings from the Somavamsi dynasty with later additions from the Ganga rulers.
- Architecture: The temple is a classic example of Kalinga style of architecture.
- Style: It is built in the Deula style that has four components: vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), nata mandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings).
Additional Facts:
- Kaḷinga architectural style: It is a style of Hindu architecture which flourished in the ancient Kalinga or present Odisha.
- Styles: The style consists of three distinct types of temples: Rekha Deula, Pidha Deula and Khakhara Deula.
- The former two are associated with Vishnu, Surya and Shiva temples while the third is mainly with Chamunda and Durga temples.
- The Rekha Deula and Khakhara Deula houses the sanctum sanctorum while the Pidha Deula constitutes outer dancing and offering halls.
7.Explained: What does the govt’s move to increase bioethanol in petrol mean?
News: The government has set targets of 10% bioethanol blending of petrol by 2022 and to raise it to 20% by 2030 under the Ethanol Blended Programme (EBP).
Facts:
- Ethanol Blended Petrol(EBP) programme: It was launched in 2003 by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG).
- Aim: To achieve blending of Ethanol with Petrol with a view to reduce pollution, conserve foreign exchange and increase value addition in the sugar industry enabling them to clear cane price arrears of farmers.
- Implementation: The Government is implementing the programme through Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
Additional Facts:
- 1G and 2G Bioethanol: 1G bioethanol plants utilise sugarcane juice and molasses, byproducts in the production of sugar as raw material while 2G plants utilise surplus biomass and agricultural waste to produce bioethanol.
- Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana: It was launched in 2019 to provide financial support to Integrated Bioethanol Projects using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock.
8.Indo-U.S. Virtual Networks for COVID-19
News: The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum(IUSSTF) has announced the awards for Indo-U.S. Virtual Networks for COVID-19.
Facts:
- Indo-U.S. Virtual Networks for COVID-19: It is an initiative of IUSSTF to support the efforts of leading researchers from India and the U.S to find solutions to the COVID 19 pandemic and emerging global challenges.
Additional Facts:
- Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum(IUSSTF): It is an autonomous bilateral organization jointly funded by the Governments of India and the US.
- Aim: To promote long-term scientific collaborations through partnerships amongst individual scientists, scientific institutions, and the scientific community at large.
- Nodal Departments: The Department of Science & Technology, Governments of India and the U.S. Department of States are respective nodal departments.
