Government has recently launched a portal named e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi (E-RaKAM).
The digital platform portal enables enable farmers to sell their agricultural products through auction.
Various E-Rakam centers are being developed to facilitate farmers for online sale their products across the country.
The farmers would get the payment for their products directly into their bank accounts without any intermediaries.
CWRC, a subsidiary of the Central Warehousing Corporation Ltd, will provide logistics support for sellers and buyers in case they need it.
Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata
It is the scheme launched by the Ministry of Textiles for handloom weavers.
The scheme aims to improve earnings of the handlooms weavers.
It helps to meet the needs of the handloom weavers for assistance for looms and accessories on larger scale with an objective to improve quality of fabric and productivity.
Under this scheme, GoI assists the weaver by bearing 90% of the cost of new looms so that they do not have to bear the heavy financial burden.
National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI)
NABI is the first Agri-Food and Nutritional based Biotechnology Institute set up by the Dept. of Biotechnology in Mohali.
The institute provides quality research in the field of agricultural biotechnology and innovative technologies in the field of food processing.
Their products of nutritionally rich crops and processing of crop residues will be provided to the local farming communities to increase their income.
They are acting as nodal agencies for local organization in the areas Agri food and nutritional biotechnolgy.
Under reach to community program NABI is playing an important role in conducting motivational course to the students of local schools to increase their awareness in life sciences.
Chemicals banned in firecrackers
Central Pollution Control Board recently labeled five chemicals as toxic in the manufacturing of firecrackers. Consequently, SC has banned the use of those chemicals in its recent order.
The banned chemicals include antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic and lead.
The court entrusted the responsibility to ensure compliance to the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO).
Antimony – A chemical element with symbol “Sb” is used in the production of heads of safety ammunition, explosives and fireworks.
Mercury – A Chemical element with symbol “Hg” is commonly known as quick silver and only metallic element that is liquid in standard room temperature and pressure.
It is mainly used as a trigger for other explosives and sensitive to friction, heat and shock.
Arsenic – A Chemical element with symbol “As” is generally non-combustible. Arsine is used as an agent in chemical warfare, thus several countries have regulations on its use owing to its highly inflammable nature.
Lead – Lead is denoted by symbol “Pb”, found in most heavy grade explosives. Due to its explosive nature it is used in most detonators to initiate big explosions.
Lithium - A highly volatile element, lithium is flammable, and it is potentially explosive when exposed to air and especially to water, though less so than other alkali metals.
PESO
Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation is under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
It is a statutory authority, which is entrusted with the responsibilities under the Explosives Act, 1884; Petroleum Act, 1934; Inflammable Substances Act, 1952, Environment (Protection Act), 1986.
Its mission is to control and administer the usage of explosives, petrol stations in India.
It frames rules related to safety in manufacture, storage, transport and handling of explosives, petroleum, compressed gases and other hazardous substances.
The procurement of raw materials for fireworks does not come under the purview of the Explosives Act.
The PESO has been testing samples of crackers only for adherence to the sound limit of 125 decibels at a distance of four metres.
US- India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF)
USISPF is a new representative body set up to further enhances business relations between the two countries.
The non-profit corporation aims to promote bilateral trade and will work closely together with businesses and government leaders to achieve economic growth, job creation, innovation, inclusion and entrepreneurship.
Venus Satellite
The Venus satellite (Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Micro-Satellite) is an earth-observation micro-satellite.
It is designed jointly by Israel's agency and France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).
The scientific mission will monitor Earth's vegetation using a camera capable of recording 12 narrow spectral bands.
The microsatellite will send high-resolution photos to track climate change and aid efforts to tackle desertification, erosion, and pollution.
