NEWS

Celebration of 3rd Anniversary of PM-Kisan Scheme

DETAILS

LAUNCHED -  24th February, 2019

AIM -  Supplement financial needs of land holding farmers

WHAT IS IN IT -  Financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year in three equal instalments, every four month is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode

OTHER DETAILS

• Initially meant for small and marginal farmers (SMFs) having landholding upto 2 hectares but scope of the scheme was extended to cover all landholding farmers
• There have been multiple set of technological & process advancements done in the scheme so that maximum number of beneficiaries can take the advantage of the same in an efficient way

BENEFITS

• Process of Self-registration of beneficiaries has been made simple and easy through mobile app, PM KISAN portal and walk-ins via Common Service Centers in order to give the maximum benefit to the farmers.
• In case of ineligible beneficiary, recovery mechanism has been made very smooth and transparent which doesn’t require Demand Draft or physical cheque to be submitted by the state
• The process includes auto transfer from state nodal department’s account to central government account which made this process very efficient and less time consuming
• A centralized helpdesk has also been introduced in order to support the beneficiaries regarding any issues faced during the registration process or for any other query
• Mandatory physical verification of 5% beneficiary every year is being done as per the provisions laid down in the scheme
• Beneficiary database in this scheme is being regularly validated with income tax payee database in order to have an audited and authenticated user base.
• Aadhar validation has been made compulsory

CONTEXT - UN Food Systems Summit called for action by governments in five areas: nourish all people; boost nature-based solutions; advance equitable livelihoods, decent work and empowered communities; build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses; and accelerate the means of implementation

WHY - To spur national and regional action to deliver the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through transforming food systems

FOOD SYSTEM IN INDIA

In the past

• India’s Green Revolution in the 1960s, enabling food security and addressing widespread hunger and poverty, was achieved not only through science and technology and the development of improved high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat but also through policy measures and development of institutional structure.
• It included a vast agricultural research and technology transfer system at the national, regional, State and local levels.
• The Training & Visit (T&V) system introduced in the 1970s with World Bank assistance was key to the science-society interface as it established a cadre of agriculture extension specialists at the local level.

Present

• India is now self-sufficient in food grains production
• Has about a quarter of the world’s food insecure people, a pointer to the amount of food necessary to allow all income groups to reach the caloric target (2,400 kcal in rural and 2,100 kcal in the urban set-up)
• Nutrition indicators have marginally improved over the years
• 18.7% of women and 16.2% of men unable to access enough food to meet basic nutritional needs
• Over 32% of children below five years still underweight as per the recently released fifth National Family Health Survey (2019-2021) phase 2 compendium
• India is ranked 101 out of 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index, 2021.
• Widespread concerns about poverty, malnutrition and the need for a second Green Revolution are being made in tandem
• Country faces the dual challenge of achieving nutrition security, as well as addressing declining land productivity, land degradation and loss of ecological services with change in land use.

THE ‘TRANSITION’

• The siloed approach of ‘agriculture’ serving ‘food security’ needs must give way to ‘food systems’ for ‘sustainability’ and ‘better nutrition’ and embrace the range of activities and actors involved in food production
• An important takeaway from the Green Revolution-era is that for science to be relevant to societal outcomes, it has to be planned and executed within the theory of change
• The necessary behavioural changes in adopting the improved seeds and practices brought about by the T&V system in the 1960s enabled science to steer the process of change. In the context of the intensifying economic, environmental and climate challenges and crisis, the need of the hour is a good theory of transition encompassing the spatial, social and scientific dimensions, supported by policy incentives and mechanisms for achieving a sustainable, resilient and food secure agriculture
• A theory of change ought to bring the focus back on sustainability, resource efficiency and circularity as the central pillars towards transforming food systems.

ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY

• An agro-climatic approach to agricultural development is important for sustainability and better nutrition
• Harnessing the spatial diversity of agricultural production systems adopting the principles of sustainability, resource efficiency and circularity could correct the limitations and unintended consequences of the Green Revolution
• These are the loss of indigenous landraces, soil nutrients depletion, groundwater stress, excessive use of agrochemicals and its residual presence in foods and environment, income gap between large, marginal and small farmers, and the gap between irrigated and rain-fed areas
• Data compiled in the agro-climatic zones reports of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the erstwhile Planning Commission of India reveal enormous potential for crop diversification and precision for enhanced crop productivity based on soil type, climate (temperature and rainfall), and captive water resources. The livelihood of more than half of India’s working population is linked to agriculture and allied activities; the sector has a direct influence on the health and nutrition status of dependent communities. Thus, the focus should be on improving farmers’ competitiveness, supporting business growth in the rural economy, and incentivising farmers to improve the environment
• It is assumed that a meticulous review of agro-climatic zones could make smallholders farming a profitable business, enhancing agricultural efficiency and socio-economic development, as well as sustainability.

POLICY SUPPORT

• Require prioritising research and investments along these lines
• A stress status of the natural resource base — soil and water in different agro-climatic zones — will help understand the micro as well as meso-level interventions needed with regard to technologies, extension activities and policies. Lastly, infrastructure and institutions supporting producers, agri-preneurs and agri micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in their production value chain are central to the transition
• This should be aligned to the national and State policy priorities such as the National Policy guidelines 2012 of the Ministry of Agriculture for the promotion of farmer producer organisations, and the National Resource Efficiency Policy of 2019 of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• It would encourage a resource efficient and circular economy for production, processing and storage techniques of food products through renewable energy solutions, reduction of supply chains and inputs (materials, water, and energy)
• It would also ensure the efficient use of by-products, thereby creating value while using fewer inputs and generating less waste for long term and large-scale impact.

WAY FORWARD

Evidence has to be generated not only on the effects of food systems on economic, environmental and social outcomes and their co-benefits and trade-offs but also on understanding the levers of change and how to operate them. Clearly, science, society and policy have a lot to gain from an effective interface encompassing the range of actors and institutions in the food value-chain and a multidisciplinary and holistic approach, along with a greater emphasis on policy design, management and behavioural change.

NEWS

National WASH Conclave-2022 was organized recently

DETAILS

WHO ORGANIZED - National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR)

COLLOBARATIONS - Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, UNICEF, WaterAid and other development partners

THEME – “WASH Forward: Advancing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Panchayats”

CONCLAVE OBJECTIVES

Bringing Government and WASH sector players on a platform to:

• Deliberate on sector approaches and strategies for improved and sustainable WASH services by Panchayats
• Facilitate learning and sharing of best practices of various WASH programs for scaling up
• Discuss and agree on ‘Call for Action’ for advancing WASH in Panchayats by all sector players

WASH

FULL FORM - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

AIM - Provide safe drinking water, proper sanitation facilities and a hygienic environment and livelihood to its people

BY – World Health Organization

OBJECTIVES

• Improving the quality of drinking water to reduce the risk of human health
• Monitor healthcare facilities is another important aim of WASH
• Improving the safety of sanitation and wastewater management
• Monitor the data presented by the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS)
• Coordinate with multi-sectoral partners, lead or engage with global and regional platforms, and advocate for WASH
• Integration of WASH with health and other programmes such as AMR, cholera, climate change, emergencies, IPC, NTDs, nutrition, UHC, water security to increase synergies and impacts

 NEWS

Researchers of Bhakta Kavi Narsinh Mehta University (BKNMU), Junagadh, discovered a new species of spider and named it Narsinhmehtai in honour of Narsinh Mehta. However it is being opposed

WHO IS NARASINH MEHTA

• Born in Talaja in present-day Bhavnagar district in 1410 and died in Junagadh in 1480s
• Penned more than 750 poems, called padd in Gujarat. They mainly deal with devotion to Lord Krishna, gyan (wisdom) vairagya (detachment from worldly affairs)
• Vaishanavajn to tene kahiye, Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan is Mehta’s creation
• Birds, creatures find place in his poetry
• Regarded as adikavi (the first poet) and bhakta kavi (devout poet) in Gujarati literature. His bhajans are integral part of Gujarat’s cultural life even six centuries after they were written.
• The Junagadh university set up by the state government in 2017 is named after him.
• A lake in Vastrapur in Ahmedabad is also named after Mehta.

 

NEWS

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev will be the new ATP No. 1, replacing Djokovic who would have held the spot for a record 361 weeks

HOW IS THE RECOGNITION DONE

• Merit-based system for determining the rankings in men's tennis
• The top-ranked player is the player who, over the previous 52 weeks, has garnered the most ranking points on the ATP Tour
• As of 2019, the rankings are calculated by totalling the points a player wins in his best eighteen tournaments, subject to certain restrictions
• For top players the counting tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments, the eight mandatory ATP Masters tournaments, the player's best four eligible ATP Tour 500 tournaments (the non-mandatory ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo may be substituted for one of these), and his best two results from ATP Tour 250 tournaments.
• Points are awarded based on how far a player advances in tournaments and the category of those tournaments
• The ATP has used a computerized system for determining the rankings since August 23, 1973

NEWS

Professor Neena Gupta, conferred the Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2021

ABOUT THE AWARD

• Awarded annually by “International Centre for Theoretical Physics” in Italy
• Founded in 2004 and first awarded in 2005
• Awarded to researcher from a developing country who are aged below 45 years and has conducted outstanding research in developing country
• Supported by Ministry of Science and Technology (India) as well as Norwegian Academy of Science & Letters through the Abel Fund, in cooperation of “International Mathematical Union”.

 

• Funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with International Centre for Theoretical Physics and International Mathematical Union.

Srinivasa Ramanujan

• Indian mathematician
• Made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, infinite series, number theory, continued fractions, and solutions to mathematical problems, that were then considered unsolvable

NEWS

European Commission published its draft Data Act recently

DETAILS

WHAT IS THE AIM OF ACT - Aimed at making data sharing and using easier and set a standard at EU-wide level

WHAT IS IN THE DRAFT ACT

• Products and services should be designed to allow easy accessibility by users.
• Data access will be granted without undue delay, free of charge and in real-time.
• Data holders will provide comprehensive information on data generated when using the services or product.
• Data holder will be request by the user who provide data to a third party authorised by him.
• Calls manufacturers to allow owners of connected devices, in a bid to see what data they are gathering
• Seeks to place safeguards against unlawful data transfer
• Will be applicable to manufacturers of products and services, like cloud service providers and Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the EU.

• Celebration of 3rd Anniversary of PM-Kisan Scheme . Under the scheme financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year in three equal instalments, every four month is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode
• Jammu & Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor has approved a foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for the union territory with a foreign stake of a minimum of 51 percent. This new policy has been based on the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade’s (DPIIT) and Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) guiding framework on FDI.
• India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, that has been indigenously designed, developed and manufacture, is set to take part in the famed ‘Cobra Warrior’ exercises. Cobra Warrior is a multi-nation air exercise, that will be held at Royal Air Force (station) Waddington in United Kingdom
• An idol of Lord Hanuman, which was stolen a decade ago from Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur district and smuggled abroad, will be brought back to India soon. Built between the 14th and 15th centuries, during the period of the Vijayanagara empire, the statue was recently found in possession of a private buyer in Australia
• India Navy’s Milan 2022 exercise conducted recently. Around 40 nations participated. Theme is ‘Camaraderie – Cohesion – Collaboration

1) Which is the sponsor country of Balfour declaration ?

A) UK

B) USA

C) RUSSIA

D) None of the above

Answer : A

Fact

2) In which of the following country was the concept of Apartheid largely seen?

A) South Africa

B) India

C) Australia

D) None of the above

Answer : A

It was form of racial segregation largely seen in South Africa

3) What is the aim of PM DevINE scheme?

A) Development of North-East

B) Development of Temples

C) Development of Roads

D) None of the above

Answer : A

Fact

4) Which of the following statements are true regarding Indian coast guard?

1. It is fourth largest coast guard in the world

2. It is headquartered in Mumbai

A) 1 Only

B) 2 only

C) Both 1&2

D) All of the above

Answer : A

Indian coast guard has its headquarters in New Delhi

5) Which of the following statements are true regarding PM-Kisan Scheme?

1. Farmers get Financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year one time with no instalments

2. Mode of transfer is Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode

A) 1 Only

B) 2 Only

C) Both 1&2

D) None of the above

Answer : B

Under the scheme , Financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year in three equal instalments, every four month is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.