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tune in with UPSC: Daily News Notes: 9th Feb, 2012
- · The government approved setting up of a National Centre for Cold Chain Development, NCCD, as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The move comes in the wake of post-harvest losses (as high as 35 per cent) to the tune of 50,000 crore rupees annually in absence of proper storage facilities. India is the second largest producer of horticultural commodities in the world, after China. However, a significant portion of the produce, particularly perishables like fruits, vegetables, flowers go waste due to post harvest losses. Earlier the government had constituted a Task Force in 2008 on cold chain development to assess the situation. The Task Force had recommended formation of a dedicated institution for promoting cold chain development.
- · The Union Cabinet today approved the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP-2012) to facilitate access to central government owned shareable data and information for national planning and development. Cabinet also approved the guidelines for establishing Joint Venture Companies by Defence Public Sector Undertakings, DPSUs which will provide a streamlined, fair and transparent framework for entering into Joint Ventures with the ultimate objective of better risk-management, greater-efficiency and enhancing self-reliance in the defence sector as a whole.
- · In Bihar, security forces destroyed two bunkers of Maoists and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition in Naxal-affected.
- · Conclusion of two days’ Conference of State Food and Agriculture Ministers: (1). The Government is considering a Special Purpose Vehicle for transportation of foodgrains from procuring states to consuming states and GPS tracking system to monitoring the movement of foodgrains; (2). It was reported by some of the States that there would be massive savings in foodgrains and subsidy amount if biometric-based bar-coded ration cards are issued to the beneficiaries; (3). PDS is streamlined / modernized with the help of modern techniques of Information Technology; (4). Conference also resolved to create modern storage facilities including 2 MMT of storage in the shape of silos.
- · The Prime Minister has directed that the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project costing nearly one lakh crore rupees should be given the highest priority by Central Ministries and urged the State Governments to also do so as it could prove to be a backbone of India’s economic transport facility. The Western Corridor from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Mumbai will be 1499 kilometers and will connect Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra with an exclusive high speed railway track. The Eastern Corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni will be 1839 kilometer long and will connect Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. A major part of Western corridor will be funded with Japanese assistance and nearly two third of the Eastern corridor will be built with World Bank assistance.
- · Indian President released a special commemorative stamp to mark the Golden Jubilee of the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi which plays a major role in promoting awareness and creating public opinion in promoting intellectual discourses, art and culture.
- · In a period of mega dam and hydroelectric projects, a villager of Assam has developed a unique method to generate electricity by Zero-Head Water turbine. At first, they developed a water turbine using bamboo for harnessing the flow energy from the river to pump water to other places. Later with the help of a voluntary organisation; they developed the turbine by replacing bamboo with iron. The turbine could generate 1 kilowatt electricity daily.
- · In Madhya Pradesh, a two day International Conference on Cooperatives for Social and Economic Change began in Bhopal. United Nations Organisation has decided to observe the year 2012 as International Cooperatives Year. Issues like universal guidelines for cooperative sector, taxation on cooperative bodies, and inclusion of cooperative bodies in public private partnership are being discussed in the conference.
- · The 17 Indians sentenced by a Sharjah Appeal court in a criminal case on charges of bootlegging and murder of a Pakistani are likely to be deported to India shortly since they have already completed their Six-month jail term since 2009.
- · A Meeting of High Level Group of Eminent Experts from SAARC countries to strengthen Anti-Terror Mechanism got underway in New Delhi. The Two day meeting is attended by delegates from Bhutan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the SAARC Secretariat. Issues relating to further improving the functioning of SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) and the SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (SDOMD) based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, review of the enabling legislation enacted by the Member States on SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and its Additional Protocol as well as the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and to further enhance the implementation process of these Conventions by the Member States are being discussed at this Meeting. The Meeting considered the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters as well. Exchange of information among the Member States on a real time basis for better coordination to counter terrorism and drug related activities, developing cooperation, capacity and relationship building among the SAARC Police authorities were identified, among others, as possible methods of strengthening the SAARC anti-terrorism mechanism.
