12.06.21

Kisan Rail to carry Tripura’s fruits to Kolkata & Delhi, assist farmers

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In order to supply jackfruit, pineapple and lemon among other vegetables and fruits to the other parts of the country, therailway ministryhas decided to runKisan Railfrom Agartala to Howrah and Delhi from June 11.

With the Covid-19 pandemic having badly hit the prospects of the farmers for second year in a row, the ministry acceptedTripura’s proposal to support the tillers who have produced fruits and vegetables in commercial scale and is hopeful of exporting them abroad besides catering to the needs of the metro cities in the country.

As a result the cultivation area for lemon and pineapple had been increased from over 2,000 hectare to 2,300 hectare, leading to enhanced production of 2,500 MT of both the fruits. However, the pandemic had an adverse effect on the farmers last year as it hit them during the time of harvest.
While the did manage to send a few consignments abroad, the rest of the fruits were procured by theurban development departmentfor free distribution of vitamin-C products among urban dwellers under the Immunity Booster Project.

Assam’s SDG rating based on old data: Government

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TheAssamgovernment said the SDG India Index 2020-21, which has put the state among the bottom five, does not reflect the actual pciture as it was based on old data of National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS) survey of 2015-16.

According to the third edition of the SDG India Index, which was released by , Assam’s total score from its performance in 16 goals on 115 quantitative indicators and a qualitative assessment on Goal 17, is 57 and has been ranked 26th among 28 states.

The SDG Index says “this poor performance is attributed to the low scores obtained specifically in the two indicators related to rate of crimes and violence against Women, with the rates being highest in the country.” It adds, “The highest rate of crime against women was witnessed in Assam at about 178, followed by the UT of Delhi at 144 crimes per 1,00,000 female Population.”

The SDG Index report has also pointed out that the data for all states and UTs for any particular indicator should not belong to different reference periods for the sake of statistical comparability but in some cases, the Index had to source data from an older edition of the national survey report which covered all or most of the states and UTs.

Odisha govt launches doorstep delivery of oxygen

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To ensure that the Covid-infected patients do not suffer formedical Oxygen, the on Sunday launched doorstep delivery of oxygen concentrators in Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Cuttack, Rourkela andSambalpur.

Recently, the chief minister announced the formation of a task force to further strengthen the supply Logistics of medical oxygen and prepare a master plan to meet the immediate requirement during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jal Jeevan plan: Tamil Nadu gets Rs 614.3 crore

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Nadus allocation under the Union governments flagshipJal Jeevan Mission aimed at providing tap water to all households has increased by more than 300%, from Rs 922 crore last year to Rs 3691.2 crore this financial year.

TheCentrehas also released the first instalment of Rs 614.3 crore to Tamil Nadu.
The mission, launched by Prime MinisterNarendra Modiin 2019, aims at providing tap water to every household by 2024.

When Jal Jeevan Mission was launched in 2019, Tamil Nadu had 21.6 lakh rural households with tap water connection. It was expected to increase by 40.4 lakh households in 22 months.

The Nilgiris is one of the 15 districts where more than 75% households do not have tap water connection.

Tamil Nadu has an assured availability of Rs 4,068.7 crore Central grant, including Rs 3,691.2 crore of Central allocation and Rs 377.5 crore unspent balance left at the end of the last financial year. The corresponding matching share is Rs 4,359.5 crore, including shortfall of Rs 290.8 crore in the states matching share during last fiscal. The total assured fund availability for the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Tamil Nadu for this year is Rs 8,428.2 crore.

Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation loan for young entrepreneurs

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To encourageentrepreneurshipamongyouth, theKerala State Industrial Development Corporation(KSIDC) would focus on offering financial and technical assistance to the young entrepreneurs, through itsseed fund assistance program.

KSIDC had launched seed fund assistance in 2015, targeting innovative startup ventures that would also provide them incubation facilities, mentoring and networking support.

For successful units that have completed the seed stage, the corporation also provides scale-up support for expanding their business and attaining Growth momentum. In 2021-22, the corporation has decided to offer seed-fund assistance to 30 startup ventures, up to a maximum of Rs 25 lakh per project.

The seed fund scheme primarily aims at supporting commercially-viable scientifically and technologically innovative projects promoted by young entrepreneurs. Under the scheme, financial assistance up to Rs 25 lakhs or 90% of the project cost, whichever is lower, is provided as a soft loan for one year at an interest rate (fixed) equal to the prescribed by RBI from time to time. Presently, the interest rate is 4.25%. After the one-year tenure, the soft loan can either be converted into Equity capital at face value or repaid with applicable interest.

Karnataka to foster new learning methods in higher education

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As part of the New Education Policy,Karnatakawould introduce new Learning methods in higher education to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge.

Participating in the regional research symposium on problem-based learning (PBL), Narayan said educational institutions would be encouraged to collaborate with the to impart knowledge and skills to students.

The PBL method introduces students to real-life problems and motivates them to find solutions together. It will also enable them to experience the aesthetic, emotional, moral, creative, analytical and other aspects of the situation in a holistic way.

Agri power demand surges 62% in Telangana

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Power demand has gone up exponentially inTelanganaafter the TRS government began providing 24×7 free power to the Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture sector. Over five lakh new agriculture connections have been added in the state since 2014.

Agriculture power demand has witnessed a steep 62% jump in the past few years, especially after the government began providing uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector.

According to official records, there were 19 lakh agriculture connections at the time of formation of in 2014. In the past seven years, 5.86 lakh new connections 3.65 lakh in Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) and 2.49 lakh in Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSNPDCL) were added. The twin power distribution companies now have over 12 lakh agriculture connections each in their jurisdiction.

The area nder cultivation has increased from 17.62 lakh acres in 2017-2018 to 35.27 lakh acres in 2020-2021, a Growth rate of 100%.

Andhra Pradesh government panel to conduct techno-economic feasibility study of hydroelectric plants

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The is conducting techno-economicfeasibilitystudy to widen canals to improve gravity levels of water to set uphydroelectricplants.
Since hydroelectricity is considered cheaper than any other source, the government is keen on taking up such projects on Polavaram and Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanti (Ananthapuram) canals.

The committee was allowed to engage any hydraulic experts/ professionals/ academicians from IITs/any renowned institutes by paying honorarium as applicable to take inputs on the issue.

Goas female ratio in higher education among best in country

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Goa continues to retain its position for one of the best gross enrolment ratios in the country (GER) for the female Population in institutes of higher Education. Of Goa’s female population in the 18-24 age group, 34.6% girls are enrolled for various higher education programmes in colleges and universities, as per theAll India Survey on Higher Education(AISHE) report of the Union education ministry released.

The state has the third best pupil-teacher ratio in the country and also has better enrolment ratio in higher education across social groups like SC, ST than the national Average.

However, one area of concern that has emerged in the AISHE report is the reduced number of male enrolment for degree programmes. The number of boys enrolled for undergraduate programmes in 2019-20 came down by almost a thousand students to around 15,600. The number of boys registered for diploma programmes was also down to 4,412, lower by another thousand students over the previous years.

This is surprising given that the overall population of males in the 18-23 age group in Goa went from 10.22 lakh in 2018-19 to 10.54 lakh to 2019-20, as per the report.

According to the AISHE report 2019-20, at one teacher for every 13 students, Goa also has among the best pupil-teacher ratio for higher education in the country, after (10) and Lakshadweep (12).

As per the report, Goa also continues to be among the rare states with higher number of female teachers in higher education than male teachers.

As part of the 13th BRICS Summit, IIT Bombay hosted the Conference of BRICS Network Universities.Highlights:

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This conference is part of an event hosted by India in the field of Education during the 13th BRICS Summit this year.

The BRICS Network University is a confederation of higher education institutions from the five BRICS member countries formed with the goal of enhancing educational cooperation in general, and particularly in the realm of research and innovation.

IIT Bombay is India’s lead institution for the BRICS Network University.