Realizing the immense scope for development of fisheries and aquaculture, the Government of India hasrestructured the Central Plan Schemes under an umbrella of Blue Revolution. The restructured CentrallySponsored Scheme (CSS) on Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management ofFisherieswasapproved in December, 2015 by the CCEA with a total central budgetary outlay of Rs.3000 crorefor five years (i.e. till end 2019-20).

The major components of the CSS on Blue Revolution scheme are as under: i. Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture, ii. Development of Marine Fisheries, Infrastructure and Post-harvest Operations, iii. National Scheme for Welfare of Fishermen iv. Monitoring, Control and Surveillance and other need-based Interventions (MCS),

v. Institutional Arrangement for Fisheries Sector, vi. Strengthening of Database & Geographical Information System of the Fisheries Sector (SoDGIS), vii. National Fisheries Development Board and its activities(NFDB)

The Blue Revolution scheme, with its multi-dimensional activities, focuses mainly on increasingfisheries production and productivity from both aquaculture and fisheries resources in inland and marine sectors.Further, foreseeing the immense scope for development of fisheries and aquaculture sector, various initiatives have been taken by the Government of India through launching a ‘Fisheries and Aquaculture InfrastructureDevelopment Fund (FIDF)’ on 24th October, 2018, at a total outlay of Rs 7522.48 crore to assist in creatingseveral infrastructural needs of the sector in the country. The Government of India has also extended the facilityof Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to help them meet their working capitalneeds. The KCC facility will help fishers and fish farmers to meet their short term working capital requirements.

The fish production in the country is growing at an annual average rate of 7% during recentyears.

Per Drop More Crop component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) is operational in the country from 2015-16. The PMKSY- PDMC focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation viz. Drip and Sprinkler irrigation.

The Government provides financial assistance @ 55% for small and marginal farmers and @ 45% for other farmers for installation of Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation systems. In addition, some States provide additional incentives/top up subsidy for encouraging farmers to adopt Micro Irrigation.

Wide publicity through press & print media, publication of leaflets/booklets, organization of workshops, exhibitions, farmer fairs, information on State/Government of India web portals etc. is being done. Demonstrations have been setup in 160 KrishiVigyanKendras (KVKs) for educating the farmers.

42.15 lakh ha (Drip 22.81 lakh ha & Sprinkler 19.34 lakh ha) has been covered under PMKSY-PDMC since 2015-16 till date.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha today.

Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) uses crop-wise, state-wise cost estimates provided by the Directorate of Economics & Statistics (DES), DAC&FW compiled under ‘Comprehensive Scheme (CS) for Studying the Cost of Cultivation (CoC) of Principal Crops in India’. Since CS data is generally available with a time lag of two to three years given the imperative of recommending pricing policy for ensuing season, cost estimates need to be projected for the crop season under consideration.

Based on CS data, the Commission projects crop-wise, State-wise CoC of mandated crops for the subsequent season. Composite Input Price Indices (CIPIs) based on latest prices of major inputs like human labour, bullock labour, machine labour, fertilizers, manures, seeds, pesticides and irrigation is constructed, costs of interest on working capital, miscellaneous charges, rental value of owned land, rent paid for leased-in land, land revenue, taxes & cesses, depreciation on implements & farm buildings and interest on fixed capital are also included in the cost.

Based on the latest data available from different sources like Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, State Governments and Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and CIPIs thus constructed, the Commission projects crop-wise, State-wise cost of production (CoP) A2, A2+FL and C2, from these projected CoCs using projected yield. Subsequently, all-India estimates of CoP A2, A2+FL, C2 are derived based on crop-wise, State-wise projected CoPs and their production shares. These projected all-India estimates of CoP are considered by the Commission while formulating national level price policy recommendations & MSP.

The procurement policy of Government of India (GOI) is open ended, under which paddy and wheat offered by farmers all over the country within the stipulated period (conforming to specifications prescribed in advance by GOI) are purchased for Central Pool at Minimum Support Price (MSP) by Food Corporation of India (FCI)/State Governments/State Government Agencies to help farmers get remunerative price and prevent distress cell. However, if any producer/farmer gets better price in comparison to MSP, he/she is free to sell his/her produce in open market. Coarse grains are procured at MSP by State Government as per the procurement plan prepared in consultation with FCI and approved by the Central Government.

A Price Support Scheme (PSS) for procurement of oilseeds, pulses and cotton is implemented by DAC&FW through Central Nodal Agencies at the Minimum SupportPrice (MSP) declared by the Government subject to certain conditions being met by the State Governments. Losses, if any, are reimbursed by the Government of India to the Central Nodal Agencies. Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) is implemented to protect the growers of crops not covered under MSP scheme from making distress sale.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha today.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) administers Companies Act/ Limited Liability Partnership Act. The MCA has been taking steps on an ongoing basis by amending the Act and the rules and forms thereunder, from time to time in the years 2015, 2017 & 2019, to reduce the cost of compliance and for ease of doing business. This was stated by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Giving more details, Shri Thakurstated that the MCA has increased the requirement of paid up capital from rupees 5 crore to rupees 10 crore for appointment of Whole Time Company Secretary vide Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Amendment Rules, 2020, and the registration fee for incorporation of Companies with authorized capital of up to Rs. 15 lakh has been reduced to Zero by the Companies (Incorporation) Second Amendment Rules, 2019.

Listing the steps taken so far, Shri Thakur stated that MCA has reduced cost of compliance for small companies which is defined under section 2(85) of the companies Act, 2013 and also for private companies (Start Up) from complying with various provision of Companies Act which are as under:

A private company which is a startup /small companies are not required to include cash flow statement with financial statements which otherwise is a mandatory.

A private company which is a startup /small companies, Annual return shall be signed by the company secretary or where there is no company secretary, by the director of the company.

A private company which is a startup /small companies, One board meeting in each half of a calendar year with gap between two meetings of not less than 90 days is sufficient to comply with the requirement of section 173(5) of the Companies Act as against the earlier requirement meeting at least once in 120 days and hold a minimum of 04 board meetings in a year.

Small companies are exempted from producing certification form practicing professionals, under various provisions of the Act, 2013 r.w rule 12 (a) of the Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014, Small companies can approach Regional Director for corporate mergers, arrangements etc. instead of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Lesser penalties are applicable for small companies, one person companies for certain contravention under section 446 B of the Companies Act, 2013 and

To identify cases of fraudulent claims under Goods & Services Tax (GST), the Government of India has taken measures to apply stringent risk parameters-based checks driven by rigorous data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools based on which certain taxpayers are taken up for further verification.

Moreover, a standard operating procedure has been prescribed for exporters vide Circular No. 131/1/2020-GST dated 23.01.2020 to mitigate the risk of wrongful refund claims of Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST). This was stated by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Improved agricultural implements and machinery are essential inputs for modern agriculture. It enhances productivity besides reducing human drudgery and cost of cultivation. It also helps in improving utilization efficiency of other inputs.

Taking into consideration the above to boost the farm mechanization in the country, a special dedicated schemeSub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) has been introduced by Government, under which subsidy is provided for purchase of various types of Agricultural implements and machinery used for tillage, sowing, planting, harvesting, reaping, threshing, plant protection, inter cultivation and residue management.

A special Scheme to support the efforts of the Governments of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the NCT of Delhi to address air pollution due to stubble burning and to subsidize machinery for the farmers for in-situ management of crop residue, a new Central Sector Scheme on ‘‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi” (CRM) for the period from 2018-19 to 2019-20 has been also launched.

Some of the State Governments like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh are providing farm machineries to the farmers at a concessional rate through their Agricultural Departments.

However, to make available costly and bigger advance farm machinery at the door steps of the farmers on rent basis, Government is promoting Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) through a SMAM scheme; under which subsidy is provided @ of 40% of the project cost to individual farmer upto a project cost of Rs.60 lakh and 80% to the group of farmers upto a project cost of Rs. 10 lakh. A special consideration for the farmers of North Eastern Region (NER) is available, 95% subsidy upto a project cost of Rs. 10 lakh is provided to group of NER farmers for establishment of Custom Hiring Centres. For establishment of Hi-tech and Hi-value agricultural machinery CHC, assistance @ of 40% of the project cost to individual farmer upto a project cost of Rs.250 lakh is provided. Under the CRM scheme to establish Custom Hiring of in-situ crop residue management machinery a financial assistance @ 80% of the project cost is provided to the farmers.

The Government has also developed and launched Multi lingual Mobile App “CHC- Farm Machinery” which helps the farmers for getting rented farm machinery and implements through Custom Hiring Service Centers (CHC) in their area. As on date, 44,607 CHCs with 1,39,319 Agricultural machinery for renting out are registered on this Mobile app. Total 1,14,461 farmers as users are registered on this Mobile App.

The Government has introduced the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme, which enables farmers to purchase agricultural inputs and draw cash to satisfy their agricultural and consumption needs. The KCC Scheme has since been simplified and converted into ATM enabled RuPaydebit card with, inter alia, facilities of one-time documentation, built-in cost escalation in the limit, any number of drawals within the limit, etc.

With a view to ensure availability of agriculture credit at a reduced interest rate of 7% p.a. to the farmers, an interest subvention scheme for short term crop loans upto Rs.3.00 lakh is implemented. The scheme provides interest subvention of 2% per annum to Banks on use of their own resources. Besides, additional 3% incentive is given to the farmers for prompt repayment of the loan, thereby reducing the effective rate of interest to 4%.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha today.

Fertilizers are essential to improve Soil Health and to sustain higher agricultural productivity in the country. The Government of India (GoI) has been promoting soil test based Integrated Nutrient Management for balanced and judicious use of fertilizers. Soil Health Card Scheme has been implemented since 2015-16. Soil Health Card provides crop-wise recommendation on appropriate dosage of fertilizers to be applied.

Pesticides play an important role in sustaining agricultural production by protecting crops from pests. GoI has been implementing ‘Sub-Mission on Plant-protection and Plant Quarantine’ Scheme, under which Integrated Pest Management is promoted to educate the farmers about judicious use of chemical pesticides. Bio-pesticides and bio-control measures are also being promoted.

What’s the issue? The Supreme Court has upheld a 2018 amendment which barred persons accused of committing atrocities against those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes from getting anticipatory bail. The Court upheld the constitutionality of Section 18A of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act of 2018. The sole purpose of Section 18A was to nullify a controversial March 20, 2018, judgment of the Supreme Court diluting the stringent anti-bail provisions of the original Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989.

Views of the Court: A High Court would also have an “inherent power” to grant anticipatory bail in cases in which prima facie an offence under the anti-atrocities law is not made out.

Besides, a High Court, in “exceptional cases”, could also quash cases to prevent the misuse of the anti-atrocities law. However, the courts should take care to use this power to grant anticipatory bail “only sparingly and in very exceptional cases”. It should not become a norm lest it leads to miscarriage of justice and abuse of the process of law.

What’s there in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act of 2018? A preliminary inquiry is not essential before lodging an FIR under the act and the approval of senior police officials is not needed. There is no provision for anticipatory bail to the accused being charged with SC/ST Act.

Why stringent provisions against SC/ST atrocities are necessary? Such stringent terms, otherwise contrary to the philosophy of bail, are absolutely essential, because a liberal use of the power to grant pre-arrest bail would defeat the intention of Parliament.

The express provisions of the Constitution and statutes like the Act, meant to protect the oppressed classes, underline the social or collective resolve to ensure that “all humans are treated as humans, that their innate genius is allowed outlets through equal opportunities and each of them is fearless in the pursuit of her or his dreams”.

Way ahead: Unless provisions of the Act (anti-atrocities law) are enforced in their true letter and spirit, with utmost earnestness and dispatch, the dream and ideal of a casteless society will remain only a dream, a mirage. The marginalisation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities is an enduring exclusion and is based almost solely on caste identities.

Background: In March 2018, Supreme Court diluted the stringent provisions of SC/ST Act (Subhash Kashinath Mahajan v. State of Maharashtra). The verdict saw a huge backlash across the country. The government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court and subsequently amended the 1989 Act back to its original form.

Guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and rationale behind it: Supreme court gave the judgement on the pretext that Innocents cannot be terrorised by the provisions of the SC/ST Act and their fundamental rights need to be protected. The court said that public servants could be arrested only with the written permission of their appointing authority.

In the case of private employees, the Senior Superintendent of Police concerned should allow it. A preliminary inquiry should be conducted before the FIR was registered to check if the case fell within the ambit of the Act, and whether it was frivolous or motivated, the court ruled.

Why this decision? The court referred to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2015, which said that closure reports had been filed in 15-16 percent of the complaints under the Act.

Over 75% of such cases taken up by the courts had resulted in acquittals/ withdrawal or compounding of the cases. Therefore, there was a need to safeguard innocent citizens against false implication and unnecessary arrest for which there is no sanction under the law.

Background: It was the bifurcation promise and 15th Finance Commission report that stated that ‘grant of SCS lies in the hands of the Centre’. SCS was promised to Andhra Pradesh by the then Congress government at the Centre in 2014, at the time of bifurcation which resulted in the formation of Telangana. The then Opposition party BJP too agreed to it and even stated that SCS would be extended by five more years if it was voted to power.

What is Special Category Status? There is no provision of SCS in the Constitution; the Central government extends financial assistance to states that are at a comparative disadvantage against others. The concept of SCS emerged in 1969 when the Gadgil formula (that determined Central assistance to states) was approved.

Some prominent guidelines for getting SCS status: Must be economically backward with poor infrastructure. The states must be located in hilly and challenging terrain. They should have low population density and significant tribal population. Should be strategically situated along the borders of neighboring countries.

Benefits states confer with special category status: The central government bears 90 percent of the state expenditure on all centrally-sponsored schemes and external aid while rest 10 percent is given as loan to state at zero percent rate of interest. Preferential treatment in getting central funds. Concession on excise duty to attract industries to the state.

30 percent of the Centre’s gross budget also goes to special category states. These states can avail the benefit of debt-swapping and debt relief schemes. States with special category status are exempted from customs duty, corporate tax, income tax and other taxes to attract investment. Special category states have the facility that if they have unspent money in a financial year; it does not lapse and gets carry forward for the next financial year.

Other benefits: Besides tax breaks and other benefits, the State with SCS will get 90% of all the expenditure on Centrally sponsored schemes as Central grant. The rest of the 10% will also be given as a loan at zero per cent interest. Usually, the ratio for general category States is 70% loan and 30% grant.

When was the first Special Category status bestowed? First SCS was accorded in 1969 to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland. Over the years, eight more states were added to the list — Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura and, finally, in 2010, Uttarakhand. Until 2014-15, SCS meant these 11 states received a variety of benefits and sops.

Concerns associated: Considering special status to any new State will result in demands from other States and dilute the benefits further. It is also not economically beneficial for States to seek special status as the benefits under the current dispensation are minimal. Therefore, States facing special problems will be better off seeking a special package.

About the National Deworming Day: The National Deworming Day is a single fixed-day approach to treating intestinal worm infections in all children aged 1- 19 years.

It will mobilize health personnel, state governments and other stakeholders to prioritize investment in control of Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections one of the most common infections.

All the children are provided deworming tablet in schools and anganwadis. Besides the deworming tablet, various health promotion activities related to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) are organised in schools and anganwadis.

The NDD program is a cost-effective program at scale that continues to reach crores of children and adolescents with deworming benefits through a safe medicine Albendazole.

Background: India carries the highest burden of worm infestation and 64% of Indian population less than 14 years of age are at risk of Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) or worms’ infestation (WHO). Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) interfere with nutrients uptake in children; can lead to anaemia, malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development. The situation of undernutrition and anaemia which is linked to STH ranges from 40% to 70% in different population groups across the country (WHO). They also pose a serious threat to children’s education and productivity later in life.

About Intestinal parasitic worms: They are large multicellular organisms, which when mature can generally be seen with the naked eye. They are also known as Helminths. They are often referred to as intestinal worms even though not all helminths reside in the intestines.

Why this is a cause for concern? Parasitic worms in children interfere with nutrient uptake, and can contribute to anaemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development. Parasitic worms have also debilitating consequences on the health and education of children, and on their long-term earning potential.

Significance of NDD: Anganwadi and school-based mass deworming program is safe, cost-effective, and can reach crores of children quickly. Deworming has been shown to reduce absenteeism in schools; improve health, nutritional, and learning outcomes; and increase the likelihood of higher-wage jobs later in life.

Deworming withthe safe and beneficial Albendazole tablet is an evidence-based, globally-accepted, and effective solution to controlling worm infections. National Deworming Day has, thus, been designed to reach all children, regardless of socio-economic background.

Background: At present, CRR is 4% of net demand and time liabilities. Banks do not earn any interest for maintaining CRR with the RBI.

What is CRR? It is a certain minimum amount of deposit that the commercial banks have to hold as reserves with the central bank. The percentage of cash required to be kept in reserves, vis-a-vis a bank’s total deposits, is called the Cash Reserve Ratio.

The cash reserve is either stored in the bank’s vault or is sent to the RBI. Banks do not get any interest on the money that is with the RBI under the CRR requirements.

Cash reserve ratio is: It is also referred to as the amount of funds which the banks have to keep with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It’s a vice-versa process. If a central bank increases CRR then the available amount with the banks decreases or comes down. The CRR is used by RBI to wipe out excessive money from the system.

There are two primary purposes of the Cash Reserve Ratio: Since a part of the bank’s deposits is with the Reserve Bank of India, it ensures the security of the amount. It makes it readily available when customers want their deposits back. Also, CRR helps in keeping inflation under control. At the time of high inflation in the economy, RBI increases the CRR, so that banks need to keep more money in reserves so that they have less money to lend further.

How does Cash Reserve Ratio help in times of high inflation? At the time of high inflation, the government needs to ensure that excess money is not available in the economy. To that extent, RBI increases the Cash Reserve Ratio, and the amount of money that is available with the banks reduces. This curbs excess flow of money in the economy.

When the government needs to pump funds into the system, it lowers the CRR rate, which in turn, helps the banks provide loans to a large number of businesses and industries for investment purposes. Lower CRR also boosts the growth rate of the economy.

Significance: PSAZ is aimed at protecting the Cauvery delta region for the future, fulfilling TN’s food requirements and ensuring the welfare of delta farmers. It has recognised farmer concerns about hydrocarbon exploration and accorded primacy to food security.

Need for: The delta, which produces 33 lakh tonnes of grains in 28 lakh acres, has seen multiple protests for a decade over methane, hydrocarbon, oil and natural gas projects, which required acquisition of fertile lands and well drilling — proposals which triggered fears of groundwater contamination.

Challenges ahead: Tamil Nadu now has to enact legislation to protect a vast region, largely in the coastal area, from industries that would affect farming.

The State has its challenges: In 2017, a government notification delineated 45 villages covering about 23,000 hectares in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts in the delta, as a Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region, with an eye on over ₹90,000 crore in investments. The proposed PSAZ raises a question mark on this ambitious scheme

The government may have to brave central pressure and litigation from companies which pumped in money for exploration. The decision may also have implications for the State’s investment climate.

The mission is a collaboration between ESA (the European Space Agency) and NASA. The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

About Solar Orbiter: Solar Orbiter is a mission dedicated to solar and heliospheric physics. It was selected as the first medium-class mission of ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Programme.

This is the first mission that will provide images of the sun’s north and south poles using a suite of six instruments on board that will capture the spacecraft’s view. It is a seven-year mission and will come within 26 million miles of the sun. It will be able to brave the heat of the sun because it has a custom titanium heat shield coated in calcium phosphate so that it can endure temperatures up to 970 degrees Fahrenheit.

Objectives: Solar Orbiter will be used to examine how the Sun creates and controls the heliosphere, the vast bubble of charged particles blown by the solar wind into the interstellar medium.

The spacecraft will combine in situ and remote sensing observations to gain new information about the solar wind, the heliospheric magnetic field, solar energetic particles, transient interplanetary disturbances and the Sun’s magnetic field.

Solar Orbiter will set about answering four top-level science questions: What drives the solar wind and where does the coronal magnetic field originate from? How do solar transients drive heliospheric variability? How do solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere? How does the solar dynamo work and drive connections between the Sun and the heliosphere?

Significance: Understanding the sun’s magnetic field and solar wind are key because they contribute to space weather, which impacts Earth by interfering with networked systems like GPS, communications and even astronauts on the International Space Station. The sun’s magnetic field is so massive that it stretches beyond Pluto, providing a pathway for solar wind to travel directly across the solar system.

Journey ahead: It will take Solar Orbiter about two years to reach its highly elliptical orbit around the sun. Gravity assists from Earth and Venus will help swing the spacecraft out of the ecliptic plane, or the space that aligns with the sun’s equator, so it can study the sun’s poles from above and below. The mission will work in tandem with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which is currently orbiting the sun on a seven-year mission and just completed its fourth close approach of the star.

Background: Solar Orbiter follows the Ulysses spacecraft, another collaboration between ESA and NASA that launched in 1990 and also flew over the sun’s poles. Ulysses completed three passes of the sun before its mission ended in 2009, but its view was limited to what it could see from the sun’s equator.

The list will be debated at the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an environment treaty under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The COP is scheduled to be organised from February 17 to 22 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

India has been designated the President of the COP for the next three years. Implications and significance: Having the elephant and the Great Indian Bustard in the list — more formally known as Appendix 1 — would coax countries neighbouring India, where wild animals such as tigers and elephant foray into, to direct more resources and attention to protecting them. There are now 173 species in the Appendix 1.

About CMS: In order to protect the migratory species throughout their range countries, a Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), has been in force, under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme.

Also referred to as the Bonn Convention, it provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats and brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.

Classification of species: Under this convention, migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I and Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them. Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention.

CMS is only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established exclusively for conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range.

What are migratory species? Why protect them? Migratory species are those animals that move from one habitat to another during different times of the year, due to various factors such as food, sunlight, temperature, climate, etc.

The movement between habitats, can sometimes exceed thousands of miles/kilometres for some migratory birds and mammals. A migratory route can involve nesting and also requires the availability of habitats before and after each migration.

Sham Singh Attariwala (1790 – 1846) was a general of the Sikh Empire. Attariwala participated in many campaigns, including the Battles of Multan, Kashmir and the Frontier Province.

Owing to his courage and influence over the Khalsa army, Sham Singh was nominated to the Council of Regency set up by Maharani Jind Kaur for the minor sovereign Maharaja Duleep Singh.

During the first Anglo-Sikh war, he crossed the Sutlej, vowing to lay down his life rather than return in defeat. Context: 174th death anniversary of Sikh General Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala observes on Feb 10th.

Chindu Yakshaganam, a.k.a Chindu Bhagavatam is a form of theatre practised by members of the Chindu Madiga community.

It is a form of entertainment in villages across Telangana, with the artists skilfully depicting classic tales from the epics and entertaining the masses.

The art form probably started when people enacted acts of hunting, wars and other acts of valour. The Chindu community has traditionally been a nomadic community.

It is in Moscow, Russia.

Why in News? Four Indian pilots have begun astronaut training here. The full programme includes basic or generic astronaut training followed by activities specific to the first Indian human space mission, Gaganyaan.

At the end of all training modules in India and Russia, one or two of the four will be finally named to circle the earth in the first crewed Gaganyaan, which is planned around 2022.

The Integrated Air Defence Weapon System, also known as the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS), provides integrated air missile defence and is currently deployed around Washington, DC.

The IADWS system includes radar, launchers, targeting, and guidance systems, advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) and Stinger missiles, and related equipment and support.

Why in News? The U.S. Department of State has approved the potential sale of a $1.867 billion Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) to India.

It was on February 10, 1929 that India got its its first pilot in Jehangir R.D. Tata, who qualified with number 1 on his flying licence, giving birth to Indian aviation.

R.D’s licence, then called an ‘aviators certificate’, was issued by The Aero Club of India and Burma, an associate of the Royal Aero Club of Great Britain, which was authorised to issue licences by the British Empire’s Federation Aeronautique Internationale.

The Aero Club of India and Burma was recognised by Federation Aeronautique Internationale as a sporting authority.

Though not the first to register, J.R.D was the first Indian to pass out with ‘No. 1’ endorsed on his flying licence. Purushottam Meghji Kabali is by various aviator accounts considered to be the first Indian pilot.

Context: The fifth edition of the Joint Military Exercise AJEYA WARRIOR – 2020 between India and the United Kingdom will be conducted at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom in February 2020.

The aim of this exercise is to conduct company level joint training with emphasis on counter terrorists operation in urban and semi-urban areas. The first edition of the exercise was conducted in 2013 at Belgaum,

Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to recognize the importance of pulses as a global food.

It has been designated on February 10 each year since 2019 by the seventy-third session of the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 2018.