The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has advised all states to speed up procurement operations for Minor Forest Produceto support the Tribals especially in the backdrop if situation created by Covid19 and also keeping in view that it is now peak season for gathering of MFP.
The States have initiated the process of procurement of Minor Forest Produce and operations have begun in 10 States. Procurement of Rs. 20.30 Cr. has already been undertaken in the FY 2020-21 till date. The entire procurement operation for MFP will get a further push after announcement of revised MSP for 49 items of forest produce by Ministry of Tribal Affairs on 1st May, 2020 in view of the difficult circumstances arising out of pandemic Covid 19.
An online monitoring dashboard has been created for reporting the activities undertaken at the State level for procurement of Minor Forest Produce. It’s called the Van Dhan Monit Dashboard, part of the “TRIFED E- Sampark Setu” being created for an exchange of information to and from every Panchayat and Van Dhan Kendra, either through Mail or Mobile. TRIFED proposes to link up with 10 lakh villages, district and state level partners, agencies and SHGs. TheState Implementing Agencies have started updating the dashboards as the work progresses in their States.
States have appointed the Van Dhan Kendras as their primary procurement agents for MFP procurements from haat bazaars.The Van Dhan Kendras have procured around 31.35 MTs of MFPs with a value of Rs. 1.11 Cr.Under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan program, 1126 VDVKs have been sanctioned in 21 States and 1 UT involving 3.6 lakh tribal beneficiaries putting them on path to enterprise.
The scheme of Van Dhan Kendras is operational in 22 States with significant Tribal population in the country and has the potential to benefit almost 1.1 crore tribal families in the country.
The Scheme of ‘Institutional Support for Development and Marketing of Tribal Products’ has a Minimum Support Price component and a Value Addition component and aims to raise the incomes of tribal gatherers and promote enterprise among them. To ensure higher and remunerative prices to tribal gatherers, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has issued a revised price list of MSP for MFP on 01 May 2020.
This was done after due consultation with the MFP Pricing Cell and the major MFP-rich States for the benefit of the tribal gatherers in this distress times of Covid19 which has affected their livelihoods. The revised prices would provide the much needed support for the tribal gatherers and give a boost for the MFP procurement work in the States.
National Galleryof Modern Art pays tribute to the pioneering artist Jamini Roy on his 133rd Birth Anniversary year through virtual tour. This virtual tour of Jamini Roy (http://www.ngmaindia.gov.in/virtual-tour-of-modern-art-1.asp) has been represented in nine segments (Bird & Beast, Calligraphy & Sketches, Epic Myth & Folk Cults, Krishna Leela, Life of Christ, Mother & Child, Portrait & Landscapes, Santhals, Village life & Women) showing the variations of mood in his creation, showing 203 out of 215 art works from the permanent collection of NGMA.
This virtual tour of the entire art works of the pioneering artist would certainly enrich the art lovers, is happening for the first time in India.
Due to the threat posed by the NOVEL CORONA VIRUS (COVID-2019) which has been declared a PANDEMIC by the WHO and following the advice of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, the Museum and Library is closed for public access till further order.
Director General, NGMA, Shri AdwaitaGadanayak said, “Its our endeavor to pay tribute to Jamini Roy - the pioneering artist of this country. Therefore, on his 133rd Birth Anniversary year (11.04.1887 – 24.04.1972), NGMA presents the life and art works of Jamini Roy through this Virtual Tour for the visitors to enjoy without even physically coming down to the location these days.
I hope visitors would certainly be enjoying the colorful journey through these artworks. There will be many more landmark virtualtours, launched on our site in the coming days”. This is its second biggest attempt of creating such Virtual Tour, conceptualized, designed and developed by the IT Cell of NGMA.
Jamini Roy was one of the earliest and most significant modernists of twentieth century Indian art. From 1920 onwards his search for the essence of form led him to experiment with dramatically different visual style.
His career spanning over nearly six decades had many significant turning points and his works collectively speak of the nature of his modernism and the prominent role he played in breaking away from the art practices of his time. Trained in the British academic style of painting in the early decades of the twentieth century, Jamini Roy became well-known as a skilful portraitist. He received regular commissions after he graduated from the Government Art School in what is now Kolkata, in 1916.
The first three decades of the twentieth century saw a sea-change in cultural expressions in Bengal. The growing surge of the nationalist movement was prompting all kinds of experiments in literature and the visual arts. The Bengal School, founded by Abanindranath Tagore and Kala Bhavana in Santiniketan under Nandalal Bose rejected European naturalism and the use of oil as a medium and were exploring new ways of representation.
Jamini Roy, too, consciously rejected the style he had mastered during his academic training and from the early 1920s searched for forms that stirred the innermost recesses of his being. He sought inspiration from sources as diverse as East Asian calligraphy, terracotta temple friezes, objects from folk arts and crafts traditions and the like.
From the end 1920s, Jamini Roy rejected the European oil medium and began to use the traditional pigments from vegetable and mineral sources. The imagery was often drawn from village life. Jamini Roy invested in the portrayal of peasants, artisans, followers of religious cults, village women and adivasis with immense dignity. He represented in his paintings what they held sacred with references from folk tales and narratives that permeated the rural consciousness.
In this particular painting titled 'Woman' the artist has painted the figure of a woman against a red background with thick, black contouring lines. The simplification of form suggests a sculptural quality, especially the structured drapery with an ornate border.
From 1924 onwards, Jamini Roy experimented with a new idiom as he was looking for ways to simplify form. During this time his images for the most part became either monochromatic bearing an austere play of white, soft grey and black or the palette was limited to the use of one or two colours. With a masterly control of the brush, he created contours of the form with fluid, calligraphic lines.
Roy, during this phase painted seated female forms, mother and child figures, bauls, leaping deer, crawling infant.
Bihar, Punjab, UP, Himachal and Daman and Diu have been integrated with the ‘one nation, one ration card’ scheme.
About 60 crore beneficiaries from 17 states and UTs can benefit from the ration card portability and they can purchase the subsidised foodgrains using the existing ration cards.
About the scheme: One Nation One Ration Card (RC) will ensure all beneficiaries especially migrants can access PDS across the nation from any PDS shop of their own choice.
Benefits: no poor person is deprived of getting subsidised foodgrains under the food security scheme when they shift from one place to another. It also aims to remove the chance of anyone holding more than one ration card to avail benefits from different states.
Significance: This will provide freedom to the beneficiaries as they will not be tied to any one PDS shop and reduce their dependence on shop owners and curtail instances of corruption.
Standard format of ‘one nation, one ration card’: A standard format for ration card has been prepared after taking into account the format used by different states. For national portability, the state governments have been asked to issue the ration card in bi-lingual format, wherein besides the local language, the other language could be Hindi or English.
The states have also been told to have a 10-digit standard ration card number, wherein first two digits will be state code and the next two digits will be running ration card numbers.
Besides this, a set of another two digits will be appended with ration card number to create unique member IDs for each member of the household in a ration card.
Challenges: Prone to corruption: Every state has its own rules for Public Distribution System (PDS). If ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ is implemented, it will further boost corruption in an already corrupted Public Distribution System.
The scheme will increase the woes of the common man and, the middlemen and corrupt PDS shop owners will exploit them.
Tamil Nadu has opposed the proposal of the Centre, saying it would result in undesirable consequences and is against federalism.
At least three children have reportedly died of the disease, locally known as chamki bukhar, in 2020.
About AES: Acute encephalitis syndrome is a basket term used for referring to hospitals, children with clinical neurological manifestation that includes mental confusion, disorientation, convulsion, delirium, or coma.
Meningitis caused by virus or bacteria, encephalitis (mostly Japanese encephalitis) caused by virus, encephalopathy, cerebral malaria, and scrub typhus caused by bacteria are collectively called acute encephalitis syndrome.
The disease most commonly affects children and young adults and can lead to considerable morbidity and mortality.
Symptoms: It is characterized as acute-onset of fever and a change in mental status (mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma) and/or new-onset of seizures in a person of any age at any time of the year.
Cause of the disease: Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is considered a very complex disease as it can be caused by various agents including bacteria, fungi, virus and many other agents.
Viruses are the main causative agents in AES cases, although other sources such as bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals, toxins and noninfectious agents have also been reported over the past few decades.
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the major cause of AES in India (ranging from 5%-35%).
Nipah virus, Zika virus are also found as causative agents for AES.
How is it related to litchi fruits? How it affects? In India, AES outbreaks in north and eastern India have been linked to children eating unripe litchi fruit on empty stomachs.
Unripe fruit contain the toxins hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG), which cause vomiting if ingested in large quantities. Hypoglycin A is a naturally occurring amino acid found in the unripened litchi that causes severe vomiting (Jamaican vomiting sickness), while MCPG is a poisonous compound found in litchi seeds.
Why it affects undernourished children? Blood glucose falls sharply causing severe brain malfunction (encephalopathy), leading to seizures and coma, and death in many cases.
This is because under-nourished children lack sufficient glucose reserve in the form of glycogen and the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate source is blocked midway leading to low blood sugar level. This causes serious brain function derangement and seizures.
Measures needed: Increase access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities. Improve nutritional status of children at risk of JE/AES. Preparative measures to be in place before the possible outbreaks. Vector control. Better awareness generation among children, parents through Anganwadi workers, ANMs etc.
Background: The report captures the R&D landscape of the country through various Input-Output S&T Indicators in the form of Tables and graphs. These pertain to Investments in national R&D, R&D investments by Government and Private sector; R&D relationship with economy (GDP), Enrolment of S&T personnel, Manpower engaged in R&D, Outrun of S&T personnel, papers published, patents and their international S&T comparisons.
Key findings: India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 & 2018 driven mainly by Govt sector and scientific publications have risen placing the country internationally among the top few.
With the rise in publication, the country is globally at the 3rd position on this score as per the NSF database, 3rd in the number of Ph.D. in science & engineering.
The number of researchers per million population has doubled since 2000. It has increased to 255 in 2017 from 218 in 2015 and 110 in 2000.
Women participation in extramural R&D projects has increased significantly to 24% in 2016-17 from 13% in 2000-01 due to various initiatives undertaken by the Government in S&T sector.
India’s per capita R&D expenditure has increased to PPP $ 47.2 in 2017-18 from PPP $ 29.2 in 2007-08.
India spent 0.7% of its GDP on R&D in 2017-18, while the same among other developing BRICS countries was Brazil 1.3%, Russian Federation 1.1%, China 2.1% and South Africa 0.8%.
India is ranked at 9th position in terms of Resident Patent Filing activity in the world.
According to WIPO, India’s Patent Office stands at the 7th position among the top 10 Patent Filing Offices in the world.
e- RMB: The digital currency – known as the e-RMB – “will not be issued in large amounts” for public use in the short term, and the digital currency in circulation would “not lead to an inflation surge”.
Initially it will be tested in three major cities of Shenzhen, Suzhou and Chengdu.
People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, will be the sole issuer of the digital yuan, initially offering the digital money to commercial banks and other operators.
Public would be able to convert money in their bank accounts to the digital version and make deposits via electronic wallets.
Significance and potential of the project: China’s Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) project – as the country’s progress towards a digital yuan is known – began in 2014.
Central banks around the world are assessing the feasibility of launching their own digital currencies – so-called ‘central bank digital currencies’ (CBDCs).
The interest in CBDCs is being driven by factors including declining cash use and plans for privately owned ‘stablecoins’, such as Facebook’s proposed Libra.
Key findings: Global energy demand is projected to fall six per cent in 2020. This will be steepest decline in percentage terms in 70 years and the largest ever in absolute terms.
All fuels except renewables are set to experience their greatest contractions in demand for decades.
The projected 6% decline would be more than seven times the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on global energy demand, reversing the growth of global energy demand over the last five years.
According to the report advanced economies will experience the greatest declines in energy demand in 2020. In India, energy demand would decline for the first time, following on from low demand growth in 2019.
Global oil demand in 2020 is projected to drop by 9 per cent or 9 million barrels per day on an average across the year, returning oil consumption to 2012 levels.
Global coal demandis projected decline by 8 per cent, in large part because electricity demand will be nearly 5 per cent lower over the course of the year.
Global Electricity Demand has been declined by 20% during periods of full lockdown in several countries. However, the residential demand is outweighed by reductions in commercial and industrial operations.
What next? According to IEA, if lockdowns are shorter and the global recovery is more rapid, the decline in global energy demand across 2020 could be limited to 3.8 per cent, which is still four times the decline during the global financial crisis.
About IEA: Established in 1974 as per framework of the OECD, IEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organisation.
MISSION – To ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its member countries and beyond.
Its mission is guided by four main areas of focus: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness and engagement worldwide
Headquarters (Secretariat): Paris, France. Roles and functions: Established in the wake of the 1973-1974 oil crisis, to help its members respond to major oil supply disruptions, a role it continues to fulfill today.
IEA’s mandate has expanded over time to include tracking and analyzing global key energy trends, promoting sound energy policy, and fostering multinational energy technology cooperation.
Composition and eligibility: It has 30 members at present. IEA family also includes eight association countries.
A candidate country must be a member country of the OECD. But all OECD members are not IEA members.
To become member a candidate country must demonstrate that it has: Crude oil and/or product reserves equivalent to 90 days of the previous year’s net imports, to which the government has immediate access (even if it does not own them directly) and could be used to address disruptions to global oil supply.
A demand restraint programme to reduce national oil consumption by up to 10%. Legislation and organisation to operate the Co-ordinated Emergency Response Measures (CERM) on a national basis.
Legislation and measures to ensure that all oil companies under its jurisdiction report information upon request. Measures in place to ensure the capability of contributing its share of an IEA collective action.
Reports: Global Energy & CO2 Status Report. World Energy Outlook. World Energy Statistics. World Energy Balances. Energy Technology Perspectives.
The Saffron cultivated in the Kashmir valley has received Geographical Indication Tag.
It is long, thick and has natural deep red colour. Also, it has high aroma and is processed without adding any chemicals.
The colour of the saffron is unique due to the high quantity of crocin. It has a rich flavour because of safranal and the bitterness is due to the presence of
The Kashmir Saffron is the only saffron in the world that is grown at an altitude of 1,600 metres.
The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types: Lachha Saffron’, ‘Mongra Saffron’ and ‘Guchhi Saffron’.
Developed by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi to connect farmers to supply chain and freight transportation management system.
The portal acts as a single stop for every entity related to agriculture, be they a farmer who needs better price for the crops or mandi dealer who wants to connect to more farmers or truckers who invariably go empty from the mandis.
What is Thikri pehra? It is community policing practiced in Punjab and Haryana.
The tradition made a comeback after more than two decades — communities guarded their villages in the aftermath of terrorist movement and when the infamous Kala Kachcha gang gave locals sleepless nights years ago.
Thrissur Pooram: Known as the festival of festivals, Thrissur Pooram has a tradition of more than 200 years.
This spectacular event was started by Sakthan Thampuran, the erstwhile ruler of Kochi.
Held on the Moolam asterism in the Malayalam month of Medam (April-May), festival related events take place at the Vadakkumnathan temple situated in the heart of Thrissur town and the adjoining Thekkinkadu ground.
The pooram festival mainly happens between two groups representing the geographic divisions of Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi. They will compete in their respective presentations of richly caparisoned elephants, traditional orchestra called panchavadyam, the swift and rhythmic changing of brightly coloured and sequined parasols called kudamattom and the dazzling fireworks in the early morning hours are the festival highlights.
Why in News? For the first time since its inception, Thrissur Pooram will be observed with rituals within the temple premises with just a few participants. This was done in the wake of the lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19.