February 21st, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Prime Minister to Declare Open the First ever Khelo India University Games 2. Competition Commission of India (CCI) 3. Financial Inclusion of Women producers through Business Linkages during Organic Food Festival 4. Novel Coronavirus (COVID 19) 5. Ministry of MSME conducting a National Level Awareness Programme (NLAP) 2020 6. ‘ASKDISHA’
1. Prime Minister to Declare Open the First ever Khelo India University Games
What’s in News?
The first-ever Khelo India University Games will take off in Odisha.
- The Khelo India University Games are being launched by the Government of India in association with the State Government of Odisha.
- Khelo India Programme was introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in the country and establish India as a great sporting nation.
- Government of India successfully conducted the Khelo India School Games in 2018 and the National Youth Games in 2019 and 2020.
Read more about Khelo India Programme.
2. Competition Commission of India (CCI)
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body of the Government of India. The Commission is responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002 throughout India. It is also responsible for the prevention of adverse effects on competition in India.
Read more about Competition Commission of India (CCI)
3. Financial Inclusion of Women producers through Business Linkages during Organic Food Festival
What’s in News?
The government has organised an Organic food festival in New Delhi.
- The Organic Food Festival for Women Entrepreneurs is as an outcome of the MoU (which aims at building capacities of women entrepreneurs) signed between the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Ministry of Women and Child Development (M/o WCD).
- The Organic Food festival would provide an opportunity to women entrepreneurs for capacity building and economic empowerment.
- Ministry of Food Processing Industries, through the Organic Food Festival, could engage with technology groups so that latest technology can be made available to women entrepreneurs.
- Training and capacity building of women entrepreneurs and SHGs is another key focus area and trainings on Post-harvest management, product innovation, packaging and certification processes are being organized.
- With focus on innovation, a specially curated ‘Innovation Pavilion’is set up to display innovative organic foods, packaging solutions and machinery.
- The overall effort is targeted towards strengthening ‘Organic’ Brandingfor India by enhancing direct linkage of local producers with buyers, enhancing processing potential of organic output and ultimately contributing to India’s vision of enhancing export competitiveness.
Organic Produce in India:
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- Food and Beverage industry in India is fifth largest sector in manufacturing.
- It has 9th largest World’s Organic Agricultural land and largest number of producers.
- According to a report by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India produced around 1.70 million MT of certified organic products in 2017-18.
- Most of the hilly areas and tribal areas in India are naturally organic. India has natural advantages which must be leveraged.
- India also has a huge potential for organic produce and market.
- Organic products mainly oil seeds, cereals & millets, sugar, fruit juice concentrates, tea, spices, pulses, dry fruits, medicinal plant products etc. are being exported to USA, European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Israel, South Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand and Japan.
4. Novel Coronavirus (COVID 19)
What’s in News?
The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare reviews actions taken and preparedness with senior officials on Novel Coronavirus (COVID 19).
- The Novel Coronavirus disease is now officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- “co” stands for “corona”, “vi” for “virus” and “d” for “disease”, while “19” was for the year, as the outbreak was first identified on December 31, 2019.
Read more about COVID-19
5. Ministry of MSME conducting a National Level Awareness Programme (NLAP) 2020
What’s in News?
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has launched a National Level Awareness Programme (NLAP) 2020.
- Through the awareness programme, an attempt is being made by the Ministry of MSME to encourage students/ youth to take up entrepreneurship as their career.
Objective of NLAP:
The main objective of NLAP is to spread awareness about the schemes and activities undertaken by the Ministry and its attached organisations – Office of Development Commissioner (MSME), Khadi & Village Industries Commission, Coir Board, National Small Industries Corporation Limited, National Institute of MSME, MSME Technology Centres, and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialization.
6. ‘ASKDISHA’
What’s in News?
Online Chatbot ‘ASKDISHA’ upgraded to converse with Railway customers in Hindi language.
ASKDISHA:
- Artificial Intelligence based ASKDISHA chatbot was developed by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
- The chatbot is a special computer programme designed to simulate conversation with users, especially over the internet.
- The first-of-its-kind initiative by IRCTC is aimed at facilitating accessibility by answering users’ queries pertaining to various services offered to railway passengers.
Details:
- Indian Railways had introduced the services of Artificial Intelligence based ASKDISHA chatbot in October 2018.
- The ASKDISHA Chatbot was initially launched in English language but in order to further enhance the customer services rendered and to further strengthen the services of the chatbot, IRCTC has now powered voice enabled ASKDISHA to converse with customers in Hindi language.
February 21st, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here
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