AH&D Along with WOAH Collaborates to Strengthen One Health Approach for Pandemic PreparednessThe Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (AH&D) under the Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry & Dairying in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) organized a multi-sectoral workshop titled “Risk-based management of spill over events in wildlife in India”

• The workshop aimed to strengthen the importance of a One Health approach, cross-sectoral collaboration, and pandemic preparedness.

About the workshop:
i.Four main objectives:

• Enhancing stakeholder knowledge about wildlife-origin disease risk analysis
• Conducting a comprehensive gap analysis of India’s risk assessment and management
• Simulating disease spillover scenarios
• Promoting communication and awareness among relevant stakeholders.

ii.The workshop comprised seven sessions, including two dedicated to risk analysis simulations (one for disease X and one specific to India).
What is One Health?
‘One Health’ is an integrated, unifying approach to balance and optimise the health of people, animals and the environment.

• It is particularly important to prevent, predict, detect, and respond to global health threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additional info:
i.COVID-19 showed countries need to be better prepared for future pandemics.
ii.WOAH is working with Quadripartite, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to address these critical issues.
About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying:
Union Minister – Parshottam Rupala (Rajya Sabha – Gujarat )
Minister of State – Sanjeev Kumar Balyan (Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh) ; L. Murugan (Rajya Sabha – Madhya Pradesh)
About World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
Director General – Monique Eloit
Headquarters – Paris, France
Established in – 1924

 

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala Launches Shrimp Crop Insurance SchemeUnion Minister Parshottam Rupala, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAHD), launched Shrimp Crop Insurance scheme developed by Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited (AIC) with the support of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA).

• The scheme was launched during the ICAR-CIBA’s  2nd edition of Shrimp Farmers Conclave 2023 at the Navsari Agricultural University Campus in Navsari, Gujarat on 14th September 2023.

Key people:
i.The conclave was inaugurated by union minister Parshottam Rupala.

• C.R. Patil, Member of Parliament(MP-Lok Sabha) (Navsari constituency) participated in the Conclave as Guest of Honour.
• Grija Subramanian, Chairman cum Managing Director of AIC, Dr. J. K. Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries) of ICAR, Dr. Kuldeep K Lal, Director, ICAR-CIBA, and other senior officials were present during the event.

About AIC’s Shrimp Crop Insurance scheme:
i.AIC developed the Shrimp Crop Insurance scheme in collaboration with ICAR-CIBA.
ii.The AIC’s Shrimp Crop Insurance scheme is open for black tiger prawn, white leg shrimp, scampi and others.

• The insurance coverage extends from the first stage to 130 days, or until the shrimps are fully matured.

About the ICAR- CIBA’s Shrimp Farmers Conclave:
i.Shrimp Farmers Conclave provided a forum for aqua farmers to share insights, debate difficulties, and explore potential in the shrimp farming industry, aligned with the government’s goals to improve India’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

• The conclave was conducted with the financial support of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Govt. of India under the PMMSY scheme, NABARD, SCAFi and Agricultural Insurance Corporation Ltd.

Highlights of the Conclave:
i.During the conclave, CIBA signed 2 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU):

• CIBA signed a MoU with National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) for implementing the crop insurance for aquaculture with premium subsidy offered by the NFDB.
• CIBA also signed a MoU with Fish Farmers Producer Organization (FFPO) of Gujarat to offer technology support.

iii.Rupala handed over a cheque for Rs 40.05 lakhs in revenue earned by Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Cage Culture beneficiaries in the Navsari region through the adoption of CIBA technology for livelihood development supported by Navsari Gujarat Research Center (NGRC)-CIBA scientists.

• He also handed over the CIBA produced Asian sea bass fish seeds to the farmers.

iv.During the conclave, farmers were explained how to report emerging disease pathogens in the “Report Fish Disease APP”.
Additional info:
Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampadan Yojana(PMMSY), ICAR-CIBA is implementing a project titled “Genetic improvement program of Penaeus indicus (Indian white Shrimp)-Phase-I” with a budget of Rs. 25 crores to create a National Genetic Improvement Facility for Shrimp breeding.
About Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited (AIC):
Chairman-cum-Managing – Girija Subramanian
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
 Incorporated – 2002

 

Andhra Pradesh’s Sweet ‘Atreyapuram Pootharekulu’ gets GI tagGeographical Indications Registry(GIR) has granted Geographical Indication(GI) tags to Andhra Pradesh’s ‘Atreyapuram Pootharekulu’, a sweet made of rice and jaggery.

• GIR under the Department of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade (DIPIT), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) had registered ‘Atreyapuram Pootharekulu’ sweet variety under the ‘Food Stuffs’ category.
• Atreyapuram is a village in Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh.

Key points:
i.GI Certificate Handover Ceremony was held at the Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University(DSNLU), Visakhapatnam on the occasion of the  national workshop on “Geographical Indications and GI Certificate Handover Ceremony for Atreyapuram Pootharekulu”

• The event, organised by the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Group, brought together experts and dignitaries.

ii.The GI tag was granted to Sir Arthur Cotton Atreyapuram Putharekula Manufacturers Welfare Association with a validation period from 14th June 2023 to 12th December 2031.
About Putharekula:

i.Putharekula is the wafer-thin rice starch layer resembling paper and is stuffed with sugar, dry fruits and nuts.

• Putharekula means ‘coated sheet’ in the Telugu. pootha means ‘coating’ and reku (plural rekulu) means ‘sheet’.
• The sweet makers prefer the MTU-3626 paddy variety locally known as ‘Bondalu’ which is extensively grown in the Konaseema region to make the sweet.

About GI tags:
i.Geographical Indication (GI) marked items provide a guarantee of quality and distinctiveness that primarily relates to their origin.
ii.As a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), India adopted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which came into effect on September 15, 2003.
About Andhra Pradesh:
Chief Minister- Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
Governor- S. Abdul Nazeer
Festivels – Ugadi,Makar Sankranti,Lumbini festival

 

India and Russia Agreed to Train Indian Seafarers in Polar and Arctic WatersIndia and Russia agreed to train Indian seafarers in polar and arctic waters at the Russian Maritime Training Institute in Vladivostok, Russia which is named after GI Admiral Nevelsky, and equipped with simulator facilities.

• The decision to train Indian seafarers took place during a meeting between the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and A.O. Chekunkov, the Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic in Vladivostok, Russia.
• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also participated in the 8th Eastern Economic Forum meeting held in Vladivostok, Russia from 10th -13th September 2023.

Key points:
i.India and Russia are set to explore the possibility of using new transport corridors such as the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as well as the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) between Vladivostok and Chennai to widen maritime cooperation.
ii.India also invited Russia to participate in the Global Maritime India Summit 2023, set to be held from 17th to 19th October in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Eastern Maritime Corridor(EMC):
i.Eastern Maritime Corridor is set to connect between Chennai(Tamil Nadu) and Vladivostok which is located on the Golden Horn Bay north of North Korea and a short distance from Russia’s border with China.

• The distance between the Chennai-Vladivostok sea route is about 5,600 nautical miles (10371 kilometers).
• EMC could reduce the transit time between Indian and Russian ports in the Far East Region by up to 40%, from 40 days to 24 days.

ii.Sonowal extended an invitation to an Indo-Russian workshop on the EMC, set to be held from 30th October to 1st November 2023 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Northern Sea Route(NSR):
i.The Northern Sea Route runs along Russia’s northern coastline and is the shortest shipping route between East Asia and Europe.

• The Route, which spans 5,600 km, begins at the boundary between the Barents and Kara seas (Kara Strait) and finishes at the Bering Strait (Provideniya Bay).
• NSR saves travel distance by as much as 50% compared to the currently used Suez or Panama routes.

About Russia:
President – Vladimir Putin
Capital– Moscow
Currency– Russian Ruble

 

RBI releases list of 15 NBFCs in ‘Upper Layer’ under SBRi.On September 15, 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the names of 15 Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) in the Upper Layer (UL)/NBFC-UL under Scale Based Regulation for NBFCs for the year 2023-24.
ii.In 2021, RBI issued the Scale Based Regulation (SBR): A Revised Regulatory Framework for NBFCs (the framework) which categorizes NBFCs in NBFC-BL (Base Layer), NBFC-ML (Middle Layer), NBFC-UL (Upper Layer), and NBFC-TL (Top Layer) as per their asset size and scoring methodology.
iii.The list of NBFC-UL for 2023-24 include LIC Housing Finance Limited, Bajaj Finance Limited, Shriram Finance Limited (formerly Shriram Transport Finance Company Limited), among others.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Swaminathan Janakiraman, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
Establishment – 1st April 1935
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

Indian Bank Launched ‘IB SAATHI’ to enhance banking servicesIndian Bank has launched a new initiative called IB(Indian Bank) SAATHI (Sustainable Access and Aligning Technology for Holistic Inclusion), to provide basic banking services at all centres for a minimum of four hours per day in fixed outlets through the business correspondent (BC) channel.

• The initiative was launched by Shanti Lal Jain who is the Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Indian Bank in Chennai, Tamilnadu.
•  The program makes it easier for customers to access and use banking services, and it also offers both basic and value-added services to customers.

Additional BCs & CBCs:
To implement the initiative, Indian Bank needs to have more than 5,000 newly appointed new BCs (by March 2024) along with 15 Corporate Business Correspondents (CBCs).

• Presently, they have only 10,750 BCs and 10 CBCs.
• Indian Bank offers 36 different services to customers through its BC channel.

Business Correspondent:
They are individuals or entities appointed by banks to bring banking services closer to people in remote or underserved areas.

• These agents play a crucial role in expanding the reach of banking services to communities that may not have easy access to traditional bank branches.

Additional info:
Indian bank is planning to introduce 60 more services through BCs by FY2024-25.
About Indian Bank:
Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO) – Shanti Lal Jain
Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Established in – 1907
Tagline – Your own bank

 

Morning Consult Survey: PM Modi Retained the Most Popular Global Leader title with 76% rating
According to the “Global Leader Approval Rating Tracker” survey released by the United States of America(USA) based consulting firm Morning Consult, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India has been named the “Most Popular Global World Leader” with an approval rating of 76% (highest in the world). Modi received 18% disapproval and 5% did not give an opinion.

• Previously Modi topped the list in 2022 and 2021 as “Most Popular Global Leader ”.
• Alain Berset, President of Switzerland is ranked 2nd (64%) followed by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of Mexico at 3rd rank (61%).

Leaders among the Top 5 include Luiz da Silva, President of Brazil (4th – 49%); Anthony Albanese, PM of Australia (5th – 48%).

 

Swachhata Special Campaign 3.0 Portal Launched to Reduce Pendency in Govt OfficesOn 14th September 2023, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge)  Science and Technology, launched dedicated website to monitor Swachhata Campaign 3.0 and Special Campaign for Disposal of Pending Matters (SCDPM) 2023 at National Media Centre, New Delhi, Delhi.

• The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is the Nodal Department for the implementation of this Campaign.
• The portal is designed, developed & hosted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).

Note: The Swachhata campaign, a mass awareness campaign, was 1st launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on August 15, 2014.
Key People:
The launch ceremony was attended by Nodal Officers of Public Grievances and Appellate Authorities in all the 84 Ministries/Departments of Government of India.
Special Campaign 3.0:
i.The government will organise Special Campaign 3.0 on the lines of the Special Campaigns held in 2021 and 2022 on the same theme.
ii.Under this Special Campaign, the target has been set to undertake a cleanliness campaign at 1.5 lakh sites, freeing up 100 lakh square feet of space that is occupied by dump and junk items and generating revenue amounting to Rs. 400 crore from scrap disposal.

• In the last two campaigns, revenue amounting to Rs. 600 crores was earned by disposing of office scrap.

Objective: To improve the overall cleanliness of government offices and enhancing public experience.
Phases: The Special Campaign 3.0 will be organised in 2 phases: Preparatory phase ( September 15 to 30, 2023) & Implementation phase ( October 2 to 31, 2023):

• During Preparatory phase, Ministries/Departments will mobilise the offices or officers and ground functionaries for the campaign, identify the pendency in selected categories and finalize the campaign sites and appoint nodal officers in each of their campaign offices, arrange training for the nodal officers, and assess the volume of redundant materials to be disposed of, and finalise the procedures for their disposal.
• The Implementation phase will focus on Swachhata and reducing pendency in Government Offices with a saturation approach. In this phase ministries and departments will utilise the campaign to improve record management and document the best practices that evolved during the campaign.

Note: The Cabinet Secretary addressed all Secretaries of the Government of India on 25th August 2023 and DARPG guidelines for the same were issued on 1st September 2023.
Highlights:
i.DARPG has launched a compendium of 300 Best Practices which will be implemented by all Government Ministries and Departments and published widely through media, highlighting the ‘Whole of Government’ and ‘Whole of Science’ approaches” .
ii.On the occasion, the Special Campaign 3.0 Guidelines and Special Campaign Progress from December 2022-July 2023 and Monthly Report of Secretariat Reforms for June-July, 2023 were also released.

 

Supreme Court of India onboards the National Judicial Data Grid PortalChief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud announced that the Supreme Court of India (SCI) has onboarded the National Judicial Data Grid  (NJDG) portal, a flagship project of the e-Courts initiative. The NJDG portal is a national repository of data relating to cases instituted, pending, and disposed of by various courts across India.

• The integration of the SCI into the NJDG portal signifies the successful completion of the e-Courts project, bringing all three tiers of the Indian judiciary onto the NJDG platform.
• NJDG is ‘sui generis‘ (meaning ‘of its own kind’ in Latin), so uploading data on the NJDG will ensure transparency and accountability in the judicial domain.

NJDG Portal:
i.It has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in close coordination with the in-house software development team of the SC Registry’s computer cell with an interactive interface and analytics dashboard.
ii.The entire database will be periodically updated on the NJDG portal on a real-time basis. The NJDG-SCI portal can be accessed through the SC website.
iii.To date, the NJDG portal remains unparalleled, providing citizens with easy access to crucial information about the Indian judicial system at the click of a button.
iv.Now, with the click of a button, one can see real-time information on the pendency and disposal of cases, year-wise, the total pendency of registered and unregistered cases, and also the number of cases decided quorum-wise.
Benefits of NJDG Portal:

• Increased transparency
• Accountability and responsibility
• Improved efficiency
• Increased coordination
• Informed decision making
• Optimum deployment of resources and manpower
• Single source of data
• Huge potential for high-quality research work

Key Points:
i.The information available on the NJDG-SCI portal would include the current pendency of civil and criminal cases, filing and disposal of cases in the previous month, number of cases pending before three-judge, five-judge, and even nine-judge Benches.
ii.NJDG is recognized as a significant innovation under the ease of doing business initiative of the Government of India.

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2023- September 16 The United Nations (UN) World Ozone Day or International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is annually observed on September 16 to raise awareness about the importance of the ozone layer and its depletion that leads to global warming and climate change across the world.

• The day also aims to bring attention to the significance of preserving the Ozone layer. This day is also known as “Global Ozone Day.”

The 2023 theme of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is, “Montreal Protocol: fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change.”

• The theme highlights and reiterates the positive impact of the Montreal Protocol on ozone layer recovery and reducing climate change.

Background:
i.On 19 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution A/RES/49/114 and proclaimed September 16 as International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
ii.The first International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed on 16 September 1995.

 

International Red Panda Day 2023 – September 16International Red Panda Day (IRPD) is annually observed across the globe on the 3rd Saturday of September to create awareness about the importance of the conservation of Red Pandas and to promote and encourage people to save them.

• International Red Panda Day (IRPD) 2023 was observed on 16th September 2023.
• The IRPD 2022 was observed on 17th September 2022. The IRPD 2024 will be observed on 21st September 2024.

Red Pandas are widely found in the forest mountains of Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, and Myanmar.
About Red Panda Network (RPN)
Founder – Brian Williams
Headquarters – Oregon, United States of America(USA)
Established in – 2007

International Coastal Clean-up Day 2023 – September 16 International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) Day is annually observed across the world on the 3rd Saturday of September to raise awareness of the problem of marine litter. This day aims to encourage people to clean up the coastal line and raise awareness about the significance of preserving the oceans and waterways.

• It is a global event that promotes local clean-up actions on beaches, coastal areas, rivers, lakes, and other watercourses.

International Coastal Clean-up Day 2023 was observed on 16th September 2023.

• ICC Day 2022 was observed on 17th September 2022.
• ICC Day 2024 will be observed on 21st September 2024.

Background:
i.International Coastal Cleanup movement was first organised by the Ocean Conservancy, an organization to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges.
ii.The first-ever International Coastal Clean-up event was hosted by Linda Maraniss and Kathy O’Hara, the members of Ocean Conservancy on the west coast of Washington State, the United States of America(USA) in 1986.
About Ocean Conservancy:
Chief Executive Officer– Janis Searles Jones
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., USA
Founded in– 1972

 

Goa CM Pramod Sawant Launched Griha Adhar Scheme to Empower Homemakers Pramod Sawant, Goa Chief Minister (CM) distributed Griha Adhar sanction orders to numerous beneficiaries in an event held at Ravindra Bhavan, Sankhali (Goa), to financially support homemakers, promoting their independence and improving their quality of life.

• The initiative was organised by the Directorate of Women and Child Development.
• The CM also launched the Chavath-e-Bazaar, aimed at empowering Goan entrepreneurs and Self-help Groups (SHGs), a digital initiative under the Swayampura Goa Programme organised by the Directorate of Planning, Statistics, and Evaluation.
• The CM also flagged off the Chavath-e-Bazaar vehicle, symbolizing a new era of empowerment for rural artisans and entrepreneurs in Goa.

Griha Adhar scheme:
Griha Adhar is an exemplary scheme, that has now benefited a total of 1.5 lakh women beneficiaries. More than 3 lakh families benefit with Griha Adhar and Dayanand Samajik Suraksha Yojana schemes(DSSS).

• Goa Government provide Rs.2,000 under DSSS and Rs.1,500 under Griha Aadhar.

Chavath e-bazaar:
i.Chavath e-bazaar.com aims to empower women in line with the Government of India’s (GoI) vision of “Vocal for Local” by providing them with a unique opportunity to become an entrepreneur by starting and growing their businesses online.

• Under Swayampurna Goa 2.0, free-of-cost training will be given to women at their respective panchayats, for packaging the food items, selling, and other related things.

ii.It is an online portal integrated with the Swiggy app for seamless ordering, this innovative platform is set to revolutionize the way Goan entrepreneurs and SHGs sell their products online.
iii.Chavath e-bazaar is also accessible through its website, https://www.goaebazaar.com/ to support the rich tradition of Goan artisans and craftsmanship.
Goa CM Launched ‘Goa Taxi App’ To Elevate Travel Experience for Tourists
On 15 September 2023, Pramod Sawant, Goa CM launched the “Goa Taxi App“, a taxi service app through which people can book a cab online to travel anywhere within the coastal state.It is 24/7 booking service.

• This app will also bring down the traveling cost for tourists, to address the issue of extremely high taxi fares in Goa.
• “Goa Taxi App” has been operational at the Manohar International Airport (MIA), MoPA (Goa) for the last 6 months.

Key People:
The CM launched the “Goa Taxi App” in the presence of Rohan Khaunte, Minister of Tourism, Goa; Ganesh Gaonkar, Chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and Suneel Anchipaka, Director of Tourism department.

 

TN CM Launches Women’s Rights Grant Scheme; Beneficiaries to get Rs 1000/month
Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu(TN) M K Stalin launched Kalaignar Magalir Urimai (Thogai) Thittam, a women’s rights grant scheme, to provide financial assistance of Rs 1000 per month for women, who are recognised as the heads of families.

• The scheme was launched on the occasion of the birth anniversary of former TN CM and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) founder C.N. Annadurai(15th September).

This was one of the 7 assurances given by Stalin in the run-up to the 2021 Assembly elections.
The grant of Rs 12,000 per annum is set to improve the livelihood of women, enhance their standard of living and enable them to live with self-respect in society.
Eligibility: 
i.Families earning annual income below Rs 2.5 lakh; holding less than five acres of wetland or less than ten acres of dryland; and consuming less than 3,600 units of electricity per year for domestic use are eligible for the scheme.
ii.A woman, from an eligible family, aged above 21 years of age (born before September 15, 2002), is qualified to be a beneficiary of the scheme. The Women beneficiary should be a Permanent Resident of Tamil Nadu.
iii.Families receiving Pension/Family pension from the Government are not eligible for the benefit under this scheme.

 

J&K’s Udhampur Railway Station Renamed after Capt. Tushar Mahajan
The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration has passed an order to rename the Udhampur railway station in Udhampur district of J&K as “Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan Railway Station”.