10.11.22

Apple growers differ with FM on import duty

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Responding to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamans assertion that the import duty on apple had been levied at a maximum of 50% as agreed under the WTO pact, growers said the cess on the US produce was 70% since 2019.

The apple growers have been demanding the increase of the import duty on apple to 100 per cent, especially on the cheap produce coming from Iran thats hurting the domestic farmers a lot. If the government wants, it can put apple in the special category status. It can then easily raise the duty, said Lokinder Bisht, president, Progressive Growers Association.

Free treatment under Ayushman Yojana used more than 6 lakh times in four years

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Despite the various challenges and problems still being faced in facilitation of Health Services in the State, the Ayushman Yojana presents a positive aspect with free treatment under the scheme having been accessed on more than six lakh occasions so far in Uttarakhand. According to information provided by the State Health Authority (SHA) a sum of more than Rs 1,000 crore has been spent so far for providing free medical treatment under the scheme.

The Ayushman Yojana implemented by the SHA has completed about four years of its execution in the State. The performance under this public welfare scheme is encouraging and satisfactory considering the expectations from it. According to officials, more than 48.82 lakh Ayushman cards have been made in the State so far. According to the information provided by the SHA, the Ayushman Yojana has been used so far by 13,139 beneficiaries in Almora district with a cost of Rs 21,24,37, 330 being incurred on their treatment.

AI to push milk production in UP by 60 lakh litres per day

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In one of the biggest drives in recent times, the Yogi Adityanath government will attempt conducting 75 lakh artificial insemination in the bovine populace within a span of 100 days.

Experts said that the project is expected to increase the high milk yielding bovine Population (cows and buffaloes) by around 30 lakh (given the efficacy of artificial insemination process). This in turn is estimated to increase milk production in the state from the existing around 90 lakh litres per day to 150 lakh litres per day that is a rise of around 60 lakh litres per day.

Uttar Pradeshhappens to be the highest milk producer in the country, accounting for 16% of the total milk produced nationally. However, the per capita milk availability in the state (384 grams) is less than the national Average of 400 grams. The drive is expected to ramp up milk production in the state and make it self-sufficient, saidArvind Singh, chief executive officer, Development Board (LDB). He said that the campaign will entail free service at the doorsteps of the animal owner.

The campaign happens to be the part of Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme (NAIP) of the Centre. This is part of Rashtriya Gokul Mission which was launched in December 2014 with an aim of enhancing milk production and productivity of the bovine population along with the focus on conservation and development of indigenous breeds.

During 2019-20, the NAIP was conducted nationally in 605 districts having less than 50% artificial insemination coverage. This primarily covered 300 villages in the chosen districts. Under the programme, more than 50 lakh bovine were inseminated with semen of high genetic merit bulls.

CM highlights welfare schemes of Govt on Statehood Day

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In a development which can bring much embarrassment to the , Governor Ramesh Bais made a distance from Statehood function. Earlier, Bais was made Chief Guest of statehood function.

Bais is the second constitutional head who has maintained distance with the statehood programme. Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu who was scheduled to grace the programme as the chief guest, but at the office of the President made the last minute change on Monday and decided not to attend the programme. Murmu reached Ranchi in the morning and drove to Ulihatu (Khunti) the birth place of Birsa Munda participating at Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

November 15 is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas or Tribal Pride Day to honour tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda. On November 10, 2021, the Union Cabinet declared November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas marking the birth anniversary of the revered leader and saluting his contributions to Indias freedom movement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a museum in Ranchi in memory of Birsa Munda also known as Dharti Aaba.

Motihari worst among 3 Bihar towns most polluted in country

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In an alarming reflection of deteriorating air quality in the state, the top three most polluted towns out of 177 in the country on Sunday were fromBihar, with the air quality index (AQI) plunging to severe (above 400) level.Motihariwas on top of the list withAQIat 423, closely followed by 411 in Darbhanga and 401 in Siwan.

The air quality of 12 cities monitored nationally figured in the very poor list, of which 10 were from Bihar. Patnas AQI level jumped 21 notches, from 299 (poor) on Saturday to 320 (very poor) on Sunday, according to the data compiled by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 4pm, which is the Average of the past 24 hours.

The other cities experiencing very poor day included Begusarai (399), Buxar (362), Samastipur (357), Katihar (355), Purnia (348),Saharsa(326), Muzaffarpur (322), Bhagalpur (319) and Chhapra (317).The overall AQI of Patna was based on the readings of six air monitoring stations, out of which five were in the very poor category, including Patna City (341), BIT-Mesra (320), Eco Park (320), DRM office-Khagaul (309) and Planetarium (304). SK Memorial Hall recorded the AQI at 290 (poor zone). The average concentrations of PM 2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micron) stood at 102 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m3) while the PM 10 (particulate matter less than 10 micron) was recorded at 174 g/m3 on Sunday. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe.

CG govt procures 37000 tonnes of paddy so far

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TheChhattisgarhgovernment has procured more than 37,000 tonnes of paddy under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme so far from more than 2 lakh farmers.

As per the government press release, 7,36,475 tonnes of paddy has been procured from about 2,25,815 farmers so far in the current paddy procurement season from November one. In lieu of this, Rs 1566.61 crore has been paid to the farmers under the bank linking system.

The has estimated procurement of 110 lakh tonnes of paddy this year. To sell paddy on support price, 25.92 lakh farmers have been registered in the state, out of which about 2.18 lakh are new farmers. 2538 procurement centres have been set up in the state for paddy procurement.

This year, normal paddy is being purchased from farmers at the rate of Rs 2040 per quintal and grade-A paddy at Rs 2060 per quintal.

Modi to inaugurate Madhya Pradeshs first tribal village in Khajuraho during GIS

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Barely a few hundred metres from the sanctum sanctorum atKhajurahoin Chhatarpur district, the landscape has changed magically in a matter of 12 months. It wears a festive aura with captivating murals and intricate artefacts spread all around the vast expanse.

Madhya Pradeshs first tribal village at Khajuraho, which is now nearing completion and will be inaugurated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modiduring upcoming Pravasi Bhartiya Sammelan and Global Investors Summit being organised in MP in January 2023.

These huts are ready with all the requisite household articles used and decorated in authentic manner by the skilled artistes of these particular tribes.

National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) and 1M1B Foundation signed MoU to train teachers and students of EMRSs

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AMemorandum of Understandinghas been signedon 7thNovember, 2022 between National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS),an autonomous organization established under Ministry of Tribal Affairs and 1M1B Foundation (1M1B) at NESTS headquarters, New Delhi.The MoU was signed by Shri. Asit Gopal, Commissioner, NESTS and Shri Manav Subodh, Managing Director, 1M1B in presence of 1M1Band NESTS team.

The program will capacitate the teachers & students with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) skills using the AR-VR skills curriculum launched by CBSE. The programme objectives include conduct of training and capacity-building programs for teachers and students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs). In pilot phase, as part of MoU,programmeis being implemented in EMRSs of 2 states, namely Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

1 Million For 1 Billion (1M1B), is a Bengaluru based Not for Profit Company accredited to United Nations Organization with special consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications and also is a registered credible organization with NGO Darpan Portal of . Itis a social innovation and future skills initiative aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NESTS in PARTNERSHIP with the implementing agency, 1M1Baims to engage students of EMRSs in nation-building by enabling teachers and students to understand the world of possibilities offered by emerging technologies and become creators using Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to build Indias Metaverse.In congruence with NEP 2020, it is believed that this collaboration will go a long way in providing students of EMRSs an exposure to immersive,visual, and experiential Learning that shall enhance human Infrastructure resource for the nation.

India’s first privately built rocket, Vikram-S, launched by ISRO

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India’s first privately built rocket – Vikram-suborbital (VKS)- was launched by the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) on Friday. The rocket – developed by Skyroot Aerospace –has been named after Vikram Sarabhai, hailed as the father of India’s space sector. In a bid to symbolise a new start, the mission has been named ‘Prarambh‘, which literally translates as begining.

This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opened the space sector for participation by private players in June 2020. The government had called it a big reform amid the push for Make-in-India scheme.

COP27 – France contributes to the Global Shield against Climate Risks

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The Global Shield Against Climate Risks, a joint initiative of the and the V20 Group of 20 vulnerable countries, was launched at the COP 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh.

This new initiative aims to respond to the call from the most climate vulnerable countries to improve the response to Climate Change-related loss and damage. In 2023, France will contribute 20 million in subsidies to the Global Shield Against Climate Risks. Germany, Canada, Denmark, the United States, France and Ireland will contribute a combined total of 210 million to the Global Shield. Other countries contribution announcements are forthcoming.

Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Ghana, Pakistan, the Philippines and Senegal will be among the first countries to benefit from the Global Shield.

The Global Shield is structured around two pillars: a coordination platform tasked with designing Insurance solution packages together with the beneficiary countries and a financing structure that will support the deployment of these solutions. Frances contribution will go to the Global Shields financial vehicle.