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December 10th, 2019 PIB:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) 2. Antibiotics in crops 3. Data Bank of Farmers 4. Gandhi Encyclopaedia 5. NAVARMS-19 6. Measures taken by Government to prevent Crime against Women 7. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana 8. Drug Abuse among Youth 9. Iconic Tourist Sites
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
About the MIDH:
- The MIDH is a centrally sponsored scheme for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
- Under MIDH, the Government of India contributes 60% of the total outlay for developmental programmes in all the states except states in the North East and the Himalayas. 40% share is contributed by State Governments. In the case of North Eastern and the Himalayan States, GOI contributes 90%.
- MIDH also provides technical advice and administrative support to State Governments/State Horticulture Missions (SAHMs) for the Saffron Mission and other horticulture-related activities like the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
- The Mission was started in 2014.
- Objectives of the MIDH:
- To promote the holistic growth of horticulture sector, including coconut through area-based regionally differentiated strategies which include research, technology promotion, extension, post-harvest management, processing and marketing in consonance with comparative advantage of each State/region and its diverse agri-climatic features.
- To encourage aggregation of farmers into farmer groups like FIGs/FPOs and FPCs to bring the economy of scale and scope.
- To enhance horticulture production.
- To augment farmers’ income.
- To strengthen nutritional security.
- To improve productivity by way of quality germ-plasm, planting material and water use efficiency through micro-irrigation.
- To support skill development and create employment generation opportunities for the rural youth in horticulture and post-harvest management, especially in the cold chain sector.
- MIDH sub-schemes:
- National Horticulture Mission (NHM)
- Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH)
- National Horticulture Board (NHB)
- Coconut Development Board (CDB)
- Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland
- Major interventions of MIDH:
- Setting up of nurseries, tissue culture units for production of quality seed and planting material.
- Area expansion i.e., the establishment of new orchards and gardens for fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
- Rejuvenation of unproductive, old, and senile orchards.
- Protected cultivation, i.e. poly-house, green-house, etc., to improve productivity & grow off-season high-value vegetables and flowers.
- Organic farming and certification.
- Creation of water resources structures and watershed management.
- Bee-keeping for pollination.
- Horticulture mechanization.
- Creation of post-harvest management and marketing infrastructure.
Context:
Information about the MIDH was provided by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare in the Lok Sabha.
Antibiotics in crops
About antibiotics in crops:
- Aureofungin, Kasugamycin, Validamycin and Streptomycin+ Tetracycline combination are antibiotics that are registered under the Insecticide Act 1968 for use as pesticides to combat certain fungal and bacterial diseases in plants.
- Pesticides are toxic substances but they do not pose any adverse effect on human beings, animals and the environment if they are used as per the label and leaflet approved by the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee.
- Pesticides are registered for use in the country by the Registration Committee only after being satisfied with their efficacy and safety to human health, animals and environment.
- However, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics is worrying as the practice may lead to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), already a pressing concern worldwide; at least 10 million people are likely to die of AMR every year by 2050.
- When used in crops, unspent antibiotics find their way into the surrounding environment.
- Microorganisms exposed to this increasing load of antibiotics in soil and water can develop resistance to it.
- The resistance can spread to other bacteria through the transfer of genetic material. When humans or animals get infected by such resistant microorganisms, their treatment becomes difficult as well as expensive.
- There is a possibility that traces of antibiotics remain in the edible parts of the plant.
About the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC):
- The CIBRC is the country’s apex body that approves the use of pesticides.
- The use of pesticides and insecticides in India is regulated by the following two:
- Insecticides Act, 1968
- Insecticides Rules, 1971
- In the Act and the Rules framed thereunder, there is compulsory registration of the pesticides at the Central level and licence for their manufacture, formulation and sale are dealt with at the State level.
- With the enforcement of the Insecticides Act in the country, pesticides of very high quality are made available to the farmers and the general public for household use, for protecting the agricultural crops from the ravages of their pests, humans from diseases and nuisance caused by public health pests and the health hazards involved in their use have been minimised to a great extent.
- The CIBRC functions under the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
Context:
The Union Minister for Agriculture gave information about certain antibiotics in crops in the Lok Sabha.
Data Bank of Farmers
Context:
The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare have constituted a Task Force to develop a comprehensive Farmers’ Database for better planning, monitoring, strategy formulation and smooth implementation of schemes for the entire country.
Details:
- This Centralised Farmers Database shall be useful for various activities like issuing soil health cards, dissemination of crop advisories to the farmers, precision farming, smart cards for farmers to facilitate e-governance, crop insurance, settlement of compensation claims, the grant of agricultural subsidies, community/village resource centres, etc.
Gandhi Encyclopaedia
About the Gandhi Encyclopaedia:
- The Government is developing a ‘Gandhi Encyclopedia’ to spread awareness in the society.
- The Ministry of Culture has approved a project for the development of ‘Gandhi Paedia’ by the National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata for the promotion of appropriate Gandhian philosophy and thoughts through social media platforms under the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi commemoration.
Context:
The Culture and Tourism Minister provided the above information in the Lok Sabha.
NAVARMS-19
Context:
The fourth edition of the International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems ‘NAVARMS-19’ will be held in New Delhi.
About NAVARMS-19:
- NAVARMS is the only international seminar and exhibition on naval weapon systems conducted in India to invite all the stakeholders in life cycle management of naval weapons and provide a common platform to share their views and concerns.
- The theme for this year’s exhibition is: “Make in India – Fight Category: Opportunities and Imperatives”.
- The 2-day event will provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas, create awareness and identify emerging prospects for Indian/International defence industry in the domain of naval weapon systems.
- The previous three editions were held in 2007, 2010 and 2013.
Measures were taken by the Government to prevent Crime against Women
The government has taken several initiatives for the safety of women, some of which are given below:
- The Criminal Law (Amendment), Act 2013 was enacted for effective deterrence against sexual offences. This widened the definition of rape and made punishment more stringent.
- Further, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 was enacted to prescribe even more stringent penal provisions including the death penalty for the rape of a girl below the age of 12 years. The Act also, among other things, mandates the completion of investigation and trials within 2 months each.
- Emergency Response Support System provides a pan-India, single, internationally recognized number (112) based-system for all emergencies, with the computer-aided dispatch of field resources to the location of distress.
- Using technology to aid smart policing and safety management, Safe City Projects have been sanctioned in the first phase in 8 cities (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai).
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched a cyber-crime portal for citizens to report obscene content.
- The MHA has also launched the ‘National Database on Sexual Offenders’ (NDSO) to facilitate the investigation and tracking of sexual offenders across the country by law enforcement agencies.
- The MHA also launched an online analytic tool for police called ‘Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences’ to monitor and track time-bound investigation in sexual assault cases in accordance with the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2018.
- One-Stop Centre (OSC) scheme is being implemented across the country since 2015.
Context:
The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs gave the above information in the Lok Sabha.
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana
Context:
A Central Sector Scheme namely ‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’ (RVY) is being implemented by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment with an objective to provide to senior citizens, belonging to the BPL category and suffering from age-related disabilities/infirmities, with such physical aids and assisted living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily functions.
About the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana:
- It is a scheme for providing physical aids and assisted-living devices for senior citizens belonging to the BPL category.
- Aids such as walking sticks, elbow crutches, walkers, tripods, quadpods, hearing aids, wheelchairs, artificial dentures, spectacles, etc. are provided.
- It is fully funded by the Central Government.
- The scheme is implemented through the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), which is the sole implementing agency.
Drug Abuse among Youth
Context:
A National Survey to collect State wise Data on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use was conducted in the country during the year 2018. The report presents major findings of the survey in terms of the proportion of the Indian population in the group of 10-75 years using various substances and those affected by substance use disorders.
Details:
- The National Crime Record Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs has informed that a total number of 874, 750 and 778 people have died during 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively due to drug overdose in the country.
- The national survey was conducted to generate estimates for eight categories of psychoactive substances: Alcohol, Cannabis, Opioids, Cocaine, Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS), Sedatives, Inhalants and Hallucinogens.
- As per the report, alcohol is the most common psychoactive substance used by Indians.
- After alcohol, cannabis and opioids are the next commonly used substances in India.
- The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated and is implementing a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.
- The Plan aims at the reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy.
- For more on the NAPDDR, check PIB dated Dec 3rd, 2019.
Iconic Tourist Sites
Context:
The Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites in 12 clusters in the country for development as Iconic Tourist Sites.
Details:
- The Ministry shall be developing the sites in a holistic manner with a focus on issues concerning connectivity to the destination, better facilities/experience for the tourists at the site, skill development, and involvement of local community, promotion & branding and by bringing private investment.
- The sites are Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta & Ellora (Maharashtra), Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort & Qutub Minar (Delhi), Colva (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath & Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala) and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).
December 10th, 2019 PIB:- Download PDF Here
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