The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has planned to set up 200 ‘Van Dhan’ producer companies in all the 27 states in the next five years with priority to the Aspirational Districts under the Van Dhan programme Aspirational Districts are those districts in India that are affected by poor socio-economic indicators. The Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ Programme (TADP) is being anchored by the NITI Aayog at …

Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched the 2nd phase of the SAMVAD programme. The second phase was launched on the completion of one year of programme. The programme is aimed at mental health outreach for children who are abandoned and orphaned, child survivors of trafficking, or in conflict with law. Earlier, the government …

Recently, India organized the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) Tourism Ministers’ virtual meeting. India is the current IBSA Chair. Important points: The IBSA is a trilateral, developmental initiative between India, Brazil and South Africa to promote South-South cooperation and exchange. The idea of South-South Cooperation (SSC) is not new. Its genesis can be traced …

Recently, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad has launched a chip called IndiGau. It is India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc. NIAB is an Indian autonomous research establishment of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology. Important points: IndiGau …

Recently, Bihar has decided to tag greater adjutant storks locally known as ‘Garuda’ with GPS trackers to monitor their movement as part of efforts to conserve them. Important points: Leptoptilos dubius The greater adjutant is a member of the stork family, Ciconiidae. There are about 20 species in the family. They are long-necked large birds. Once found across South and Southeast Asia, the …

Every year, International Youth Day is observed on 12th August to recognise and bring attention to the problems faced by the youth. National Youth Day is held every year on 12th January to observe the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Important points: In 1999, the United Nations decided to commemorate International Youth Day every year on this day. It was based …

Recently, Prime Minister (PM) of India participated in ‘Atmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad’ and interacted with women Self Help Group (SHG) members promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) Important points: The PM lauded the Self-Help Groups of women for their unprecedented services during the Covid-19 period. For example, women’s unparalleled contribution in making masks …

Recently, four more Indian sites – two each from Haryana and Gujarat – have been recognised as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Further, according to recent estimates by Wetlands International South Asia, nearly 30% of the natural wetlands in India have been lost in the last three decades. Majorly, the loss of Wetlands is more …

Recently, the Ministry Of Environment Forest And Climate Change has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. These rules prohibit specific single-use plastic items which have “low utility and high littering potential” by 2022. Important points: The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the identified single-use plastic will be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022. The …

Recently, the Prime Minister while addressing the Investor Summit in Gujarat via video conferencing launched the Vehicle Scrapping Policy/National Automobile Scrappage Policy. The Summit will invite investment for setting up vehicle scrapping infrastructure under the Vehicle Scrapping Policy. The Vehicle Scrapping Policy was announced in March 2021 by the government. The policy is estimated to cover 51 …