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Recently, the Union Minister of State Science & Technology has proposed Integrated Aroma Dairy Entrepreneurship for Jammu & Kashmir to augment the income of farmers. The Aroma Mission, also popularly referred as “Lavender or Purple Revolution”, has started from J&K and transformed the lives of farmers who are able to grow lavender, make …

Recently, India has climbed two spots and has been ranked 46th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 rankings. Important points: The GII is launched by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. The GII aims to capture the multi-dimensional facets of innovation ranking and rich analysis referencing around 132 economies. …

Recently, the Trifed (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India)inked an agreement with the Jharkhand-based Purty Agrotech for the promotion of pearl farming  in tribal areas. Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India It is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It came into existence in 1987. It …

Recently, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways concluded the two-day review of the work progress on the eight-lane Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. It will be the world’s longest highway once completed. It is expected to be completed by March 2023. Important points: It is a 1380-km eight-lane expressway that can be expanded to a …

Recently, the Ministry of Power has issued an order for the setting up of District Level Committees to improve the quality of electricity supply in the country. Important points: All States and Union Territories will have to notify and ensure establishment of these District Electricity committees, under intimation to the Ministry of Power. It will oversee all power related …

The central banks of India and Singapore will link their respective fast digital payment systems – Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and PayNow – for “instant, low-cost, cross-border fund transfers”. The linkage is targeted to be operationalised by July 2022. Important points: The Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-PayNow linkage is a significant milestone in the development of infrastructure for …

Recently, two Indians (Vinisha and Vidyut) among 15 finalists were selected for the first ever Earthshot Prize 2021, which will be held in London. A 14-year-old Tamil Nadu schoolgirl’s solar-powered ironing cart and a Delhi entrepreneur’s agricultural waste recycling concept named among finalists. Important points: The prize was launched by Britain’s Prince William in …

Recently, a petition has been submitted by some activists to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reclassify toxic 3 Os (Oxybenzone, Octinoxate and Octocrylene) used in sunscreen. They demanded that chemicals be shifted to “Not Generally Recognized As Safe & Effective” (GRASE Category II). Important points: Oxybenzone (OBZ), avobenzone (AVB), octocrylene (OCR) and …

Recently, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched the SPIN (Strengthening the Potential of India) scheme to make potters self-sustainable. KVIC A statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956. It functions under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. In 2017-18, it launched the Honey Mission programme. Recently, it launched a project named Bamboo …

The World Bank would discontinue the practice of issuing ‘Doing Business report’ following an investigation reported “data irregularities” in its 2018 and 2020 editions (released in 2017 and 2019, respectively) and possible “ethical matters” involving bank staff. It will be working on a new approach to assessing the business and investment climate. …