PIB 8th September

Contents

1. National Bamboo Mission
2. “Hunar Haat” to restart
3. ADB loan for Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor
4. International Literacy Day Celebration-2020

NATIONAL BAMBOO MISSION

Focus: GS-III Agriculture, Industry and Infrastructure

Why in news?

• Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj inaugurated by virtual mode 22 bamboo clusters in 9 States (Gujarat, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Karnataka).
• A logo for the National Bamboo Mission was also released.

National Bamboo Mission (NBM)

• With a view to harness the potential of bamboo crop, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme called Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) in which National Bamboo Mission (NBM) is being implemented as a sub scheme.
• The Mission envisages promoting holistic growth of bamboo sector by adopting area-based, regionally differentiated strategy and to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing.
• Under the Mission, steps have been taken to increase the availability of quality planting material by supporting the setting up of new nurseries and strengthening of existing ones.
• The Mission will focus on development of bamboo in limited States where it has social, commercial and economical advantage, particularly in the North Eastern region and States including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Objectives

1. To promote the growth of the bamboo sector through as an area based regionally differentiated strategy;
2. To increase the coverage of area under bamboo in potential areas, with improved varieties to enhance yields;
3. To promote marketing of bamboo and bamboo-based handicrafts;
4. To establish convergence and synergy among stake-holders for the development of bamboo;
5. To promote, develop and disseminate technologies through a seamless blend of traditional wisdom and modern scientific knowledge.
6. To generate employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled persons, especially unemployed youths.

Key elements of National Bamboo Mission

1. Research and Development
2. Plantation infrastructure development
   1. Production of Planting Material
   1. Area e           xpansion under Bamboo
   1. Improvement of Existing Stock
   1. Technology Transfer & HRD
   1. Pest and disease management of bamboo
   1. Creation of Water resources
3. Innovative Interventions
4. Post-harvest storage and treatment facilities for bamboo
5. Establishment of marketing infrastructure

Facts about Bamboo:

• Bamboo are evergreen perennial flowering plants.
• Bamboos include some of the fastest-growing plants in the world, due to a unique rhizome-dependent system.
• Bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a versatile raw product. Bamboo has a higher specific compressive strength than wood, brick or concrete, and a specific tensile strength that rivals steel.
• Bamboos are integral not only to the culture of India but that of the entire Southeast Asia and its versatility has led to the coinage of such terms as “bamboo culture”, “green gold”, “poor man’s timber”.
• Bamboos belong to the grass family Poaceae (Gramineae). In India, there are 125 indigenous as well as exotic species of bamboos belonging to 23 genera.
• Bamboo forests occupy an area of, roughly 12.8% of the total forest area in the country.
• They are found in almost all the states of the country, from the tropical to the temperate regions and the alluvial plains to the high mountains, the only exception where they do NOT occur naturally is Kashmir.

“HUNAR HAAT” TO RESTART

Focus: GS-II Social Justice

Why in news?

After a gap of about 6 months due to the Corona pandemic, “Hunar Haat” will restart in October 2020 with the theme of “Local to Global” and focus on indigenous exquisite Indian toys.

Hunar Haat

• Ministry of Minority Affairs launched Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/ Crafts for Development (USTTAD) scheme in 2015 to preserve the rich heritage of traditional arts/crafts of minorities.
• The Hunar Haat is an effective platform wherein opportunity is given to artisans/craftsmen and culinary experts from across the country to showcase and market their handmade, rare, exquisite indigenous products.
• Hunar Haats have generated employment and employment opportunities for artisans/craftspersons & culinary experts and associated artisans and have strengthened their market linkages for indigenous products.
• USTAAD scheme aims to preserve the heritage of traditional arts and crafts of minority communities, build the capacity of traditional craftspersons and artisans and establish linkages of traditional skills with the global market.
• Together with boosting the skill of craftsmen, weavers and artisans engaged in the traditional ancestral work, USTAAD scheme aims to enhance the market access to the traditional arts and crafts, so that the rich heritage of the minority communities is preserved for future generations.

Benefits

1. Projecting the talent of Indian artisans.
2. Build a credible brand of Indigenous Talent of Indian artisans and craftsmen.
3. Promoting the artisan and craftsmen heritage of India which had been marginalised for a long time.
4. Provides an Empowerment & Employment Exchange platform for master artisans and craftsmen.
5. Provides a platform to fulfil the commitments under “Make in India”, “Stand up India” and “Startup India”.

ADB LOAN FOR DELHI-MEERUT RRTS CORRIDOR

Focus: GS-III Indian Economy

Why in news?

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $500 million loan, the first tranche of a total $1 billion facility, to build a modern, high-speed Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor that will improve regional connectivity and mobility in India’s national capital region (NCR).

Details

• The project will provide better connectivity to allow other towns in the NCR to develop as urban economic centers surrounded by residential areas while easing the concentration pressure on Delhi.
• The project will also support transit-oriented development (TOD) with systematic urban and land use planning around the RRTS corridor while promoting value capture financing (VCF) to generate additional municipal revenues.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966 to promote social and economic development in Asia.
• It is headquartered in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
• The ADB was modeled closely on the World Bank and an official United Nations Observer.
• Japan holds the largest proportion of shares in ADB followed by the USA, and it has a weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions (just like the World Bank).
• The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East or ECAFE) and non-regional developed countries.
• ADB defines itself as a social development organization that is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
• ADB aids in reducing poverty through investments in the form of loans, grants and information sharing (in infrastructure, health care services, financial and public administration systems), helping nations prepare for the impact of climate change or better manage their natural resources, as well as other areas.

INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY CELEBRATION-2020

Focus: GS-II Social Justice

Why in news?

The National level function to celebrate 54th International Literacy Day was organized by Ministry of Education.

Highlights

• This year’s International Literacy Day 2020 focuses on ‘Literacy teaching and Learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond’ especially on the role of educators and changing pedagogies.
• The theme highlights literacy learning in a lifelong learning perspective, and therefore, it mainly focuses on youths and adults.
• ILD, 2020 provides an opportunity to reflect on and discuss how innovative and effective pedagogies and teaching methodologies can be used in youth and adult literacy programmes to face the pandemic and beyond.
• With a view to eradicate illiteracy and impart functional literacy and lifelong education to adult education, National Literacy Mission was launched by Government of India in 1988.
• Since then, India has been celebrating International Literacy Day on 8th September to reaffirm its national commitment to achieve goal and objectives of literacy and express solidarity with international community in its efforts to eradicate illiteracy.                                                           

International Literacy Day

• 8 September was declared international literacy day by UNESCO with the aim to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.
• Celebrations of International Literacy Day have included specific themes, in line with Education for All goals and other United Nations programs such as the United Nations Literacy Decade.
• UNESCO has celebrated International Literacy Day with the aim to sensitize and mobilize international public opinion and to elicit their interest and active support for literacy activities – one of UNESCO’s major pre-occupations.