Contents
- Amazonia-1 Satellite
- National Science Day
- Rashtriya Ucchtar Shiksha Abhiyan
- Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI)
- Global Bio-India 2021
- Formation & Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)
AMAZONIA-1 SATELLITE
Focus: GS III-Science and technology
Why in news?
Union Minister discusses collaboration in Space Sector with his Brazilian counterpart Marcos Pontes after successful launch of Amazonia-1 Satellite by ISRO
About Amazonia-1 Satellite
- The ISRO recently launched Amazonia-1 satellite of Brazil and 18 Co-passenger satellites through PSLV-C51 rocket.
- The Amazônia-1 or SSR- is the first Earth observation satellite entirely developed by Brazil.
- PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
- NSIL is a Government of India company under Department of Space.
- This satellite would provide remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory.
NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY
Focus: GS III-Science
Why in news?
National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 28th February to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’.
- The first NSD was celebrated on 28th February, 1987.
Key Points
- Basic Objective: To propagate the message of the importance of science and its application among the people.
- Theme: “Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills, and Work”. The theme has been chosen for the purpose of raising public appreciation of the scientific issues involved and the impacts science has on education, skill and work.
- Nodal Agency to Support Celebration: National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) of Ministry of Science and Technology.
RASHTRIYA UCCHTAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN
Focus: GS II- Schemes, prelims
Why in news?
Union Education Minister chaired a review meeting on Rashtriya Ucchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in New Delhi.
About Rashtriya Ucchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA):
Nodal: Ministry of Human resource development
- It is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in October 2013.
- Its aims is to provide strategic funding to higher education institutions throughout the country.
- The scheme is being operated in mission mode for funding state universities and colleges to achieve the aims of equity, access and excellence.
Objectives:
- Improve the overall quality of state institutions.
- Adoption of accreditation (certification of competency) as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
- It promotes autonomy in state universities.
- It improves governance in institutions.
- Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions and ensure capacity building at all levels of employment.
- Creating better atmosphere for research in the higher education system.
- Correct regional imbalances in access to higher education by setting up institutions in unserved and underserved areas.
- Improve equity in higher education by providing adequate opportunities to the disadvantaged.
LAND PORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA (LPAI)
Focus: GS III-Infrastructure, Prelims
Why in news?
The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) celebrated its 9th Foundation Day at its Headquarter in New Delhi.
About Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI)
Nodal: Department of Border management, Ministry of Home affairs.
- It is a statutory body created through the Land Ports Authority of India Act, 2010
- Vision: Provide state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate trade and travel.
- Mission: To build land ports on India‘s borders, to provide secure, seamless and efficient systems for cargo and passenger movement, to reduce dwell time and trade transaction costs, to promote regional trade and people-to-people contact and endeavour to imbibe the best international practices.
GLOBAL BIO-INDIA 2021
Focus: GS III-Science and technology, Biotechnology
Why in news?
The 2nd edition of Global Bio-India will be organised from 1-3 March 2021 on digital platform.
Key points
Nodal: Ministry of Science and Technology
- Objective: To showcase the strength and opportunities of the India’s biotechnology sector at national level and to the global community
- It is Co-organised by Department of Biotechnology along with its Public Sector Undertaking, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in partnership with Invest India.
- Theme: “Transforming lives”
- Tag line: “Biosciences to Bioeconomy”
- Switzerland will be the partner country and Karnataka as India’s state partner.
- The first edition of Global Bio-India 2019 was organized at New Delhi.
INVEST INDIA
- It is a non-profit venture under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
- It is National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of India and act as the first point of reference for investors in India.
- It focuses on sector-specific investor targeting and development of new partnerships to enable sustainable investments in India.
FORMATION & PROMOTION OF 10,000 FARMER PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS (FPOS)
Focus: GS III-Agriculture
Why in news?
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare celebrates the first anniversary of the Central Sector Scheme on “Formation & Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)”
About the scheme:
Nodal: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare
- It is a Central Sector Scheme titled “Formation and Promotion of Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs)” to form and promote 10,000 new FPOs.
- More than 86% of farmers in India are small and marginal. if these small, marginal and landless farmers are aggregated into FPOs, it would help them to enhance the economic strength & market linkages of farmers. This in turn will help in enhancing their income.
About Farmer producer organizations:
Nodal: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare
- This is a Central Sector Scheme which receives funding from Government of India.
- It will also improve the market access for members.
- Further, “One District One Product” cluster will be created to promote specialization.
- In the FPOs, agricultural and horticultural produces will be grown and cultivated to leverage the economies of scale.
Benefits
- Small and marginal farmers do not have the economic strength to apply production technology, services and marketing including value addition.
- Through the formation of FPOs, farmers will have better collective strength for better access to quality input, technology, credit and better marketing access through economies of scale for better realization of income.
Implementing Agencies (IAs)
There are presently nine implementing agencies namely,
- Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC),
- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),
- National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC),
- North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC),
- Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium Haryana (SFACH),
- National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED),
- Watershed Development Department (WDD)- Karnataka
- Tamil Nadu-Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (TN-SFAC) and
- Foundation for Development of Rural Value Chains (FDRVC)- Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
