GS PAPER II NEWS
G-20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting
Why in News
Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/c) participated in G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting held at Italy on 4th May 2021.
Key Points
- According to the Ministry, Tourism has been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with unprecedented impact on jobs, businesses, communities and the wider economy.
Focus of the Italian G20 Presidency on recovery and ensuring new opportunities for People, Planet and Prosperity by putting in place Guidelines on the seven key interrelated policy areas:- Safe mobility,
- Crisis management,
- Resilience,
- Inclusiveness,
- Green transformation,
- Digital transition and
- Investment and infrastructure
which are comprehensive and relevant for resilient, sustainable and inclusive tourism framed with the support of the OECD.
- The ministry also conveyed India’s support for the Principles for the transition to a green travel and tourism economy submitted by UNWTO as a further contribution to the policy area “Green Transformation” to embrace sustainability in tourism.
- Ministry for Tourism & Culture, highlighted the initiatives taken by Ministry of Tourism to promote community-based tourism and rural tourism by involving local population in the employment opportunities and income generating activities through sustainable and responsible tourism.
- Post COVID, the Ministry’s focus would be on promoting off-beat destinations and places such as nature and eco-tourism, wildlife, wellness retreats, mountaineering and trekking among others.
- Besides, India has a strong and vibrant system of traditional medicines, which provide for holistic healing.
- India would like to offer to the world, post COVID-19, calm, peace and health through Yoga, Ayurveda and other forms of traditional treatments and spiritual surroundings.
- The Minister expressed optimism that the tourism sector would fully recover from the impact of COVID 19 disruption and the sector will emerge stronger post COVID with the roll out of vaccination programs across the countries.
G-20 Summit
- The G20 or Group of Twenty is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union (EU).
- It was founded in 1999 with the objective to discuss policy pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.
- Since 2008, a yearly Summit happen, with the participation of the respective Heads of State and Government.
- Its members account for more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the population of the planet.
- Members of G-20 are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Origin of G-20
- In the wake of the 1997 economic crisis, the G7 Finance Ministers announced the creation of the “Group of 20” in 1999.
- The aim was to include other countries in their discussions related to global economics and finance.
- The first official meeting of the G20 was held in Berlin in December 1999.
- Following the 2008 financial crisis, the United States proposed to increase the level of participation of the G20 to Heads of State and Government.
- In 2009 Pittsburgh Summit, the Heads of State and Government decided to institutionalize the G20 as the main forum for global economic and financial cooperation.
- The G20 Leaders have met every year since 2010.
G-20 2021 Summit
- Since December 1st, 2020, Italy hosting the Presidency of the G20, the international forum that brings together the world’s major economies.
- In 2021 the international community will need to show courage and ambition in order to overcome the great challenges from recovering from the pandemic to addressing climate change, from supporting innovation to overcoming poverty and inequality.
- The Presidency’s agenda rests upon three main pillars: People, Planet, Prosperity.
- The G20 will culminate in the Leaders’ Summit, which will be held in Rome on October 30th and 31st.
- The Italian Presidency and the European Commission will also jointly organize the Global Health Summit, to be held on the 21st of May, at the highest level, enabling us to respond to the major challenges linked to the health crisis.
Van Dhan Yojana
Why in News
As a part of TRIFED’s “Sankalp se Siddhi” – Village & Digital Connect Drive, teams have been visiting villages to activate and understand the status of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK).
Key Points
- Odisha is gaining the benefits of implementation of the Van Dhan Yojana at ground level.
- With 660 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, subsumed into 22 Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Clusters, more than 6300 tribal are being positively impacted in the state.
- Over the past few months, training, procurement of machinery required for processing, branding and packaging has been going on across the state in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Rayagada, Sundergarh and Koraput.
- Production and processing of raw materials by the tribal has commenced earlier this month.
- In Mayurbhanj district, tribal beneficiaries in three clusters, Luguburu VDVKC, MaaDharithri VDVKC and Bhimakund VDVKC will work on processing sal leaf, sal seeds, kusum seeds and wild honey to produce plates, cups made of sal leaves, Kusum oil and processed honey.
- Other value-added products that will be processed in the VDVK clusters in the districts of Koraput, Rayagada and Sundargarh include tamarind cake, mahua oil, organic packaged rice, Mahua oil, neem oil, neem cake, deseeded chironji and turmeric powder.
Van Dhan tribal start-ups programme
- Over the past 18 months, the Van Dhan Vikas Yojana has gained tremendous ground with its quick adoption and robust implementation aided by the state nodal and implementation agencies across India.
- TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs implemented Van Dhan tribal start-ups programme to generate employment and income generation among the tribal population.
- It is the component of the ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’ Scheme.
- It is a programme for value addition, branding & marketing of Minor Forest Produces by establishing Van Dhan Kendras to facilitate creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribes.
Van Dhan Vikas Yojana
- Van Dhan Vikas Yojana was launched in 2018 under the TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- The objective behind this scheme is to improve tribal incomes through value addition of tribal products.
- It is a program for branding, value addition, and marketing of the Minor Forest Produces by establishing Van Dhan Kendras in order to promote the creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribes.
- Under Van Dhan, 10 Self Help Groups of 30 Tribal gatherers is constituted.
- The establishment of “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” is for providing skill upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facility.
Minor Forest Produces
- It is a major source of livelihood for tribal living in forest areas.
- It includes all non-timber forest produce of plant origin and includes bamboo, canes, fodder, leaves, gums, waxes, dyes, resins and many forms of food including nuts, wild fruits, honey, lac, tusser etc.
- It provides both subsistence and cash income for an estimated 100 million people who live in or near forests.
- MFP forms a major portion of their food, fruits, medicines and other consumption items and also provide cash income through sale.
SVAMITVA Scheme
Why in News
Union Ministry for Panchayati released the new framework for implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme and Coffee Table Book (CTB) to mark the nationwide roll-out of the SVAMITVA Scheme.
Key Points
- The event was virtually joined by all States/UTs – Revenue and Panchayati Raj Secretaries, officers from Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Survey of India (SoI), Department of Land Resources (DoLR), Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The Ministry addressed the States and other stakeholders virtually on this occasion.- The SVAMITVA Framework developed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj provides a detailed roadmap and guidelines for the various States.
- The framework is provided in terms of the:
- Scheme objectives,
- Coverage,
- Various components involved, year-wise funding pattern, survey approach and methodology,
- Stakeholders involved and their roles and responsibility, monitoring and evaluation, and deliverables.
- Coffee Table Book on SVAMITVA Scheme is an effort to condense the vast efforts of various stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Scheme, learnings and best practices that have emerged during the course, glimpses of various challenges and success stories and provide a way forward.
- Ministry also updated that property cards have been distributed in more than 7400 villages and more than 7,00,000 beneficiaries have been benefited from the Scheme across the country.
- The scheme will benefit rural residents by providing them with property cards that can be used for taking loans and the creation of accurate land records for rural planning.
Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas’ (SVAMITVA)
- It was launched by the Prime Minister on 24th April 2021 after successful completion of the pilot phase of the Scheme in 9 States.
- It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide property rights to the residents of rural inhabited areas in India by using Drone survey and CORS Networks which provides mapping accuracy of 5 cms.
- The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is the Nodal Ministry for implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme.
- In the States, the Revenue Department/Land Records Department will be the Nodal Department and shall carry out the scheme with the support of State Panchayati Raj Departments.
National Panchayati Day
- 24th April, 1993 marked as the day of historic moment, when the power was decentralized to the grassroots with the establishment of Panchayati Raj System.
- On that day 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 was implemented.
- This occasion provides an opportunity to Panchayat representatives to direct connect with the Centre from all over the country.
- This day also recognize achievements of Panchayat to empower and motivate them further.
- It was first celebrated on 2010 and since then it celebrated every year on 24th April.
- Every year the best performing Panchayats/States/UTs across the country has been awarding by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for their good work for improving delivery of services and public goods.