KRITAGYA- Hackathon 3.0 ICAR
GS Paper 3: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns
Important for
Prelims exam: Facts Related to KRITAGYA
Mains exam: Need of crop improvements
Why in news
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has hosted Hackathon 3.0 “KRITAGYA” to promote “speed breeding for crop improvement” in association with its National Agricultural Higher Education Project(NAHEP) and Crop Science Division.
Meaning of KRITAGYA
- The definition of KRITAGYA is:
- KRI for Krishi(Agriculture),
- TA for Taknik(Technology) and
- GYA for Gyan(Knowledge)
| National Agricultural Higher Education Project(NAHEP)
NAHEP has been formulated by ICAR for five years starting from 2017-18. It is a joint project of the World Bank and the Government of India proposed on a 50:50 cost sharing basis, implemented at the Education Division, ICAR, New Delhi. Aim
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Aim
- This initiative aims to help the crop sector achieve the desired immediate results by fostering employability, entrepreneurship, innovation, and problem-solving skills.
- This initiative will encourage the nation to adopt more technologically advanced solutions.
- It will present potential solutions to very specific problems with crop improvement, for instance
- less expensive and more efficient materials for rapid generation advancement facilities,
- accurate and convenient diagnostic tools for illnesses,
- insect pests,
- produce quality,
- digital breeding platforms
What is the Need of Speed breeding
- Global food security has become a major concern due to the expanding human population and the changing environment.
- Current rate of improvement of several important crops is insufficient to meet future demand.
- Speed breeding is currently being used widely as a solution in this direction to shorten generation times and allow for multiple generations of crops per year.
- Researchers are now using an integrated strategy that combines speed breeding with contemporary plant breeding and genetic engineering technologies to increase breeding efficiency.
- By reducing the breeding cycles for establishing nutritional security and sustainable agriculture, speed breeding is a viable technology that accelerates the goals of food and industrial crop improvement.
| Speed breeding
Speed breeding is a methodology that allows plant breeders to improve crop production by adjusting temperature, light duration, and intensity to boost plant development. It uses an artificial source of light, which is kept on continuously, to activate the photosynthetic process, which leads to growth and reproduction much earlier than normal. |
India’s first Swachh Sujal Pradesh
GS Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation
Important for
Prelims exam: Swachh Sujal Pradesh
Mains exam: Significance of cleaning in overall development
Why in news
Ministry of Jal Shakti has declared Andaman and Nicobar Islands as India’s first Swachh Sujal Pradesh.
What does that status means
All villages on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have received the Har Ghar Jal certification and have been verified as ODF plus open defecation free.
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands was declared to have achieved 100% coverage of rural households with tap water connection.
- It became the third State/UT in the country to achieve 100% coverage of rural households with tap water supply after Goa and Telangana.
Components of Sujal and Swachh Pradesh/State
There are namely three important components of Sujal and Swachh state:
- Safe and secure drinking water supply and management;
- ODF Plus: ODF Sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) and
- Cross-cutting interventions like convergence, IEC(Information, Education and Communication), action planning, etc
How A&N Island achieved this feat
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands had presented their Jal Jeevan Mission Annual Action Plan for the year 2021-22 charting the plan of action to ensure that every rural home gets tap connection on a regular and long-term basis without any disruption.
- Focus was on improving its
- Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance (WQMS)
- IoT-based sensors for measuring and monitoring water supply schemes
- grey water management, and
- Information, Education & Communication (IEC) activities
to educate people about various facets of water management like water conservation, wise water use, wastewater treatment, and re-use, etc.
- The UT was urged to place an emphasis on managing grey water through soak pits and reusing water for horticultural, agrarian, and forestry uses.
- The UT staged street plays, or nukkad nataks, in 14 locations throughout the South and Middle Andaman Islands in 2020–2021 to raise awareness and promote public participation.
- The UT administration sponsored poster and video-making contests and installed hoardings and banners to raise awareness among school-age children.
| Jal Jeevan mission
Since August 2019, Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household by 2024. Vision Jal Jeevan mission has been rolled out with the vision that Every rural household has drinking water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis at affordable service delivery charges leading to improvement in living standards of rural communities. Mission Jal Jeevan Mission is to assist, empower and facilitate:
Objectives The broad objectives of the Mission are:
Components under JJM The following components are supported under JJM
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National Logistics Policy(NLP), 2022
GS Paper 3: Mobilization of resources, Growth, Development and Infrastructure
Important for
Prelims exam: Provision of NLP
Mains exam: Impacts of NLP on Indian economy, Challenges of logistic sector in India
Why in news
The Prime Minister has launched the National Logistics Policy (NLP).
Need of the NLP
- The logistics cost in India is high as compared to other developed economies.
- If India is to become a five trillion dollar economy, it is imperative to reduce the logistics cost in the country for improving the competitiveness of Indian goods both in domestic as well as export markets.
- It is a widely accepted fact that reduced logistics cost improves efficiency cutting across various sectors of the economy, encouraging value addition and enterprise.
- At present the logistics cost in India is about 14%, which is high as compared to other developed economies.
- The Indian logistics sector provides livelihood to more than 2.2 crore people and improving the sector will facilitate a 10 % decrease in indirect logistics cost leading to the growth of 5 to 8% in exports.
- It is estimated that the worth of the Indian logistics market will be around 215 billion dollars in the next two years compared to about 160 billion dollars at present.
- Logistics constitutes the core of almost all sectors of the economy, and a strong and affordable logistic infrastructure will help the economy to meet the target of a 5 trillion dollar economy.
Aim of NLP
- The policy aims to improve competitiveness of Indian goods, enhancing economic growth and increasing employment opportunities.
- It aims to develop world class modern infrastructure through integration of all stakeholders in holistic planning and implementation so that efficiency and synergy is achieved in the execution of the project.
- The goal is to trim the country’s logistics costs from as much as 13-14 percent of its GDP to a single digit over the next few years.
- The policy aims to ensure seamless movement of goods and services across the country and cut elevated logistics costs, often considered the biggest structural bottleneck for both external and internal trade in India.
National logistic policy 2022
NLP is the government’s big step in improving both, Ease of Doing Business and the Ease of Living. It is a comprehensive effort to address issues of high cost and inefficiency by laying down an overarching interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional framework for the development of the entire logistics ecosystem.
- The new logistics policy has four critical features:
- Integration of Digital System(IDS)– Under the IDS, 30 different systems of seven departments are integrated; these include data of the road transport, railways, customs, aviation and commerce departments.
- Unified Logistics Interface Platform(ULIP)– Unified Logistics Interface Platform ULIP will bring all the digital services related to the transportation sector into a single portal, freeing the exporters from a host of very long and cumbersome processes.
- Ease of Logistics (ELOG)- Through this portal, industry associations can directly take up any such matters which are causing problems in their operations and performance with the government agencies.
A complete system has also been put in place for the speedy resolution of such cases”
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- System Improvement Group (SIG)- it would monitor all projects related to logistics on a regular basis and ensure the removal of hurdles faced in the sector.
NOTE: To know more about the logistic sector in India refer DNA of 15th September.
International Solar Alliance(ISA) Agreement
GS Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation
Important for
Prelims exam: Facts related ISA
Mains exam: Significance of the ISA
Why in news
USA has ratified India-led International Solar Alliance Agreement (ISA). USA was the 101st country to join the ISA during COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow.
About the ISA
- The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions.
- It was conceptualised on the sidelines of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.
- With the amendment of its Framework Agreement in 2020, all member states of the United Nations are now eligible to join the ISA.
- At present, 107 countries are signatories to the ISA Framework Agreement, of which 87 countries have submitted the necessary instruments of ratification to become full members of the ISA.
- ISA aims to promote solar energy, it has the global mandate to catalyse solar growth by helping reduce the cost of financing and technology.
- The ISA is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy which aims to mobilise USD 1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030, while delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions and resulting in installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity.
- This would help mitigate global solar emissions to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
- Its Headquarter is in Gurugram, India.
Role of ISA
- The prime objective of the alliance is to work for efficient consumption of solar power to decrease the dependence on fossil fuels.
- It focuses on solar power utilisation throughout the global community.
- ISA facilitates energy access, ensures energy security, and drives energy transition in its member countries.
- It helps member countries to develop a low-carbon growth approach.
- It particularly focuses on providing solar energy impact in countries categorised as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
- ISA also indicates the measures brought up by the developing nations towards their concern about climate change and to switch to a low-carbon growth path.
One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG)
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India’s Solar energy targets
- India has pledged a target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy of which 100 GW will be solar energy by 2022 and reduction in emission intensity by 33–35% by 2030 to let solar energy reach the most unconnected villages and communities and also towards creating a clean planet.
- Solar power projects totalling 57,705.70 MW, including over 6,000 MW in rooftop solar installations, have been installed in India as of June, 2022.
Place in news
Chukchi Sea
Why in news
Russia has conducted military drills, named Umka-2022, in the Chukchi Sea, an eastern stretch of the Arctic Ocean that separates Russia from the U.S. state of Alaska.
About Chukchi Sea
- Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean.
- It is bounded on the west by the Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea.
- The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean.