Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), is a union government scheme to plug the holes in the procurement system and address the gaps in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme.
The new scheme is a mix of sub-schemes which involve direct procurement from farmers, paying them for losses incurred when market prices are lower than the announced MSP, and pilot of private procurement and stockiest scheme.
The Price Support Scheme (PSS) promises to provide assured price for farmers and protect them from making distress sale during bumper harvest.
The scheme proposes to strengthen physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra.
State governments will be entrusted with the responsibility of deciding the type and quantity of the crop to be procured when wholesale prices fall below MSP.
Besides, the State governments will also procure 25 per cent of the marketable surplus of farmers for eligible crops.
Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS)
The scheme has been formulated on the lines of Madhya Pradesh government’s Bhawantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY).
It promises to hedge price risks wherein farmers will be compensated for distress sale at prices below MSP.
This scheme proposes to cover all oilseeds for which MSP is notified.
Under this, the direct payment of the difference between MSP and the modal price of market will be made to farmers.
This scheme does not involve any physical procurement of crops by the State agencies as farmers are paid the difference between MSP and modal price on disposal in the notified market.
PDPS will create a win-win situation for both farmers and the government.
While assuring MSP for farmers, it will reduce the accumulation of unwanted food grains and oilseeds stocks and the fiscal costs of procurement and storage will also reduce significantly.
AKASH Missile
The DRDO recently test-fired the new version of the Akash surface-to-air defense missile.
Akash is the medium range multi-target engagement capable supersonic missile with a range of around 25 km and up to the altitude of 18,000 meters.
The missile uses high-energy solid propellant for the booster and ramjet-rocket propulsion for the sustainer phase.
The missile system is said to be highly mobile.
Akash was developed as part of the Integrated Guided-Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) other than Nag, Agni, Trishul, and Prithvi missiles.
Burn out Condition
The World Health Organization has for the first time recognized “burn-out” in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers.
WHO defines burn-out as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”
It said the syndrome was characterized by three dimensions:
Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.
Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job.
Reduced professional efficacy.
According to the classification burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.
JOIDES Resolution
Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES) Resolution (JR) is one of the scientific drilling ships used by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), an international, multi-drilling platform research program.
The ship, the JOIDES Resolution, is specifically built for ocean science and is equipped with a drill that can extract cores of rock over a mile long from up to three miles beneath the seafloor is used for the discovery.
The JOIDES Resolution Science Operator (JRSO) is funded through a cooperative agreement with the US National Science Foundation (NSF), with international contributions from 23 Program member countries.
Recently scientists from the ship have discovered the remnants of seawater dating back to the Ice Age, tucked inside rock formations in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
