Prelim Bits 20-09-2023 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Kisan Rin Portal (KRP) & KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan

Union Finance Minister & Union Agriculture Minister jointly unveiled the KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan, Kisan Rin Portal and Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) manual.

Kisan Rin Portal (KRP)

• Aim – The KRP portal serves as an integrated hub, offering a comprehensive view of farmer data, loan disbursement specifics, interest subvention claims, and scheme utilization progress.
• Developed by
  1. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW)
  2. Department of Financial Services (DFS)
  3. Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAH&D)
  4. Department of Fisheries (DoF)
  5. RBI
  6. NABARD
• It will assist farmers in availing subsidized agriculture credit through the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS).

The interest subvention scheme for farmers aims at providing short term credit to farmers at subsidised interest rate.

• This portal is integrated with banks to foster seamless connectivity.

KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan

• Aim – It is a door-to-door Kisan Credit Card (KCC) campaign, aimed towards helping farmers avail subsidised loans.

The KCC scheme was introduced in 1998 for issue of Kisan Credit Cards to farmers on the basis of their holdings.

• Duration – The campaign will begin from 1st October 2023 to 31st December 2023.
• To extend the benefits of KCC, the door-to-door campaign will reach non-KCC holders of beneficiaries of the central scheme PM-KISAN.
• Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) – It will serve as a one-stop online platform for all information related to agricultural meteorology.

References

1. PIB | Revolutionizing Indian Agriculture
2. The Hindustan Times | Finance minister launches key initiatives

London’s India Club

London’s India Club, a rest stop for Indians in the United Kingdom during the Indian independence movement, is set to close down permanently after decades of operations.

• The club is located in the Strand Continental Hotel in London.
• It was started in 1951 by the India League.

India League is a British organization that started out as an advocate for Indian independence and self-rule (swaraj) and included members of the elite in British society.

• The India Club became a base for groups like the league, which were serving the Asian community.
• The Indian Journalist Association, Indian Workers Association and Indian Socialist Group of Britain were some of the groups that used the India Club for their events and activities.
• The building was also a base for the new wings of the India League which ran a free legal advice bureau and a research and study unit.

References

1. The Indian Express | London’s India Club
2. Reuters | London's India Club
3. BBC | India Club in London

Chausath Yogini Temple

The old parliament building is said to be inspired from the Chausath Yogini temple in Mitaoli, Madhya Pradesh.

The Old Parliament building

• Designed by – British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.
• It was designed when the British decided to move their capital to New Delhi.
• The building first housed the Imperial Legislative Council (From January 18, 1927 to August 15, 1947).
• After Independence, it served as the Constituent Assembly of India, and once the Constitution was adopted, it became the Parliament of India, housing the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
• The building is believed to be inspired from the Chausath yogini temple.

The old parliament building is renamed to Samvidhan Sadan and the new parliament building is named as the Sansad Bhavan.

Chausath Yogini Temple

• It is located in the state of Madhya Pradesh is also known as Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple.
• Built by – Kachchhapaghata king Devapala, belonged to the Pala dynasty.
• The temple was the venue of providing education in astrology and mathematics based on the transit of the Sun.
• The Mitaoli temple has 64 chambers dedicated to the 64 yoginis.

Reference

The Indian Express | Curtains for old Parliament building

Black Summer

A new report from the New South Wales (NSW) authorities in Australia said that they are facing worst bushfire risk since ‘Black Summer’

• The bushfire season of 2019-20 in Australia is known as Black Summer.
• Black Summer fire season was the most severe ever recorded in NSW.
• Impacts – It burnt 5.5 million hectares of land across NSW and displaced 3 billion vertebrate animals across southeast Australia.
• Incidence of Fire – The suspected, immediate cause of ignition was lightning, often in remote, rugged and/or inaccessible terrain.
• Factors that led to black summer – Dryness of the fuel and its availability to burn, weather conducive to fire spread (high temperatures, low humidity and wind) and ignition sources.
• Other causes – Ember spotting, power lines, deliberate or accidental human activity, machinery and arson.

Ember attack is also called fire spotting and occurs predominantly with distinct spatial patters, Short distance spotting, where the concentration of spot fires decreases with increasing distance from the ember source.

References

1. Down to Earth | Australia heatwave
2. NSW EPA | NSW State of Environment

Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030

FAO announced the launch of a CPF Call to Action for Forests towards 2030 in the recently held Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit 2023.

• Aim – To highlight the need for increased action and political commitment to implement forest solutions in pursuit of the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
• Launched by – The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
• Chaired by – Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• Focal areas –
  1. Implementation and action
  2. Data, science and innovation
  3. Finance for forests
  4. Communication and awareness-raising

Collaborative Partnership on Forests

• It is an innovative voluntary interagency partnership on forests that was established in April 2001.
• It was established in response to an invitation issued by the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC).

The UNECOSOC established the International Arrangement on Forests and the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF).

• The Partnership is currently comprised of 15 international organizations, institutions and secretariats that have substantial programs on forests.
• Aim – To enhance the contributions of forests to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Forest Goals and other international commitments.
• Functions –
  1. Support the work of United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and its member countries.
  2. Provide scientific and technical advice to the Forum and governing bodies of other CPF members, at their request.
  3. Enhance coherence, cooperation as well as policy and programme coordination at all levels.
  4. Promote the implementation of the UN Forest Instrument and the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests as well as the contribution of forests and trees to the 2030 Agenda.

Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• The goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
• With 195 members 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

References

1. Down to Earth | Green should be the color of the future
2. FAO | Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030
3. UN | Collaborative Partnership on Forests