UPSC 2017 Current Affairs: PIB Summary and Analysis, July 13

National Livestock Mission (NLM)
  • There is a need to augment resources for the sector and synergise activities through appropriate convergence.
  • Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries is implementing National Livestock Mission for sustainable development of Livestock Sector, especially for poultry, goats, sheep, pig, pack animals, etc.
  • NLM provides assistance to improve availability of quality feed and fodder, risk mitigation and extension, skill development and training for livestock sector including cattle and buffaloes.
  • The livestock rearers and farmers, especially women, are unorganised, as these activities are primarily backyard in nature. However, rearing small ruminants, backyard poultry, pigs and other minor livestock offers tremendous opportunities for improving both nutritional and livelihood security of livestock rearers with specific scientific interventions.

Why NLM is needed?

  • One of the reasons for setting up NLM from scheme-mode to mission-mode is to provide the necessary flexibility to all States and UTs in undertaking appropriate interventions suited to their conditions.
  • Taking into account the overall requirement of the livestock sector, there is a need to augment resources for the sector and synergise activities through appropriate convergence, under the umbrella of NLM to supplement the efforts of the States and UTs to take care of the activities which cannot be accommodated within other ongoing schemes.
  • All components under the NLM are made flexible and modular, looking into the needs of farmers and stake holders, and as per the geographical and regional requirements so that even the small and marginal farmers can also avail the benefits of the activities proposed under NLM.
  • The distribution of resources and subsidies are also made equitable with considerations for APL, BPL beneficiaries and beneficiaries of North Eastern Region, Hilly, Left Wing Extremism areas so that the beneficiaries in more disadvantageous position get equitable benefits for sustainable livelihood.
  • All animals are now covered such as indigenous/crossbred milch animals, Pack animals (Horse, Donkey, Mules, Camels, Ponies and Cattle Buffaloes male) and other livestock (Goat, Sheep, Pigs, Rabbit, Yak and Mithun) instead of only milch animals earlier.

The National livestock Mission is organised into the following four sub-Missions

  • Sub-Mission on Livestock Development
  • Sub-Mission on Pig Development in North-eastern Region
  • Sub-Mission on Fodder and Feed Development
  • Sub-Mission on Skill Development, Technology Transfer and Extension

 

DIPP to set up India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) 
in Punjab
  • The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, signed an Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology to establish India’s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) TISC program.
  • WIPO’s Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) program provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services, helping them to exploit their innovative potential and to create, protect, and manage their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

Objectives

  • The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.

About World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

  • The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations.
  • WIPO was created in 1967 “to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world”.
  • WIPO currently has 189 member states, administers 26 international treaties, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

Stakeholders discuss ways to promote coastal shipping and inland navigation 
under Sagarmala Programme at Bhubaneswar
  • A National Level Workshop titled “Accelerating Sagarmala Implementation – Promoting Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation in India” was organized by the Ministry of Shipping and Indian Chamber of Commerce at Bhubaneswar.
  • The focus was to bring all the port and maritime infrastructure stakeholders of the Sagarmala Programme to deliberate and discuss challenges and incentives for promoting Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation in India.

Objectives

  • The prime objective of the Sagarmala project is to promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.
  • Therefore, the Sagarmala Project shall, inter alia, aim to develop access to new development regions with intermodal solutions and promotion of the optimum modal split, enhanced connectivity with main economic centres and beyond through expansion of rail, inland water, coastal and road services.

How Sagarmala will address the challenges in the sector?

  • The Sagarmala initiative will address challenges by focusing on three pillars of development, namely
  • Supporting and enabling Port-led Development through appropriate policy and institutional interventions and providing for an institutional framework for ensuring inter-agency and ministries/departments/states’ collaboration for integrated development,
  • Port Infrastructure Enhancement, including modernization and setting up of new ports, and
  • Efficient Evacuation to and from hinterland.

Coastal Economic Zone (CEZ)

  • The Sagarmala initiative would also strive to ensure sustainable development of the population living in the Coastal Economic Zone (CEZ).
  • This would be done by synergising and coordinating with State Governments and line Ministries of Central Government through their existing schemes and programmes such as those related to community and rural development, tribal development and employment generation, fisheries, skill development, tourism promotion etc. In order to provide funding for such projects and activities that may be covered by departmental schemes a separate fund by the name ‘Community Development Fund’ would be created.

Background

  • Presently, Indian ports handle more than 90 percent of India’s total EXIM trade volume.
  • However, the current proportion of merchandize trade in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India is only 42 percent, whereas for some developed countries and regions in the world such as Germany and European Union, it is 75 percent and 70 percent respectively.
  • Therefore, there is a great scope to increase the share of merchandising trade in India’s GDP.
  • With the Union Government’s “Make in India” initiative, the share of merchandise trade in India’s GDP is expected to increase and approach levels achieved in developed countries.
  • India lags far behind in ports and logistics infrastructure. Against a share of 9 percent of railways and 6 percent of roads in the GDP the share of ports is only 1 percent.
  • In addition high logistics costs make Indian exports uncompetitive.Therefore Sagarmala project has been envisioned to provide ports and the shipping the rightful place in the Indian economy and to enable port-led development.

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