UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 19-09-2020

Biotech-KISAN

• Biotech-KISAN programme is a farmer-centric scheme for farmers, developed by and with farmers under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
• It is a pan-India program, following a hub-and-spoke model and stimulates entrepreneurship and innovation in farmers and empowers women farmers.
• It has a unique feature to identify and promote local farm leadership in both genders. Such leadership helps to develop science-based farming besides facilitating the transfer of knowledge.
• It aims to understand the problems of water, soil, seed and market faced by the farmers and provide simple solutions to them.
• The programme links available science and technology to the farm by first understanding the problem of the local farmer and then providing scientific solutions to those problems.
• The Biotech-KISAN hubs are expected to fulfil the technology required to generate agriculture and bio-resource related jobs and better livelihood ensuring biotechnological benefits to small and marginal farmers.
• Currently, there are a total of eight Biotech-KISAN Hubs in different Agro-climatic Zones.

Pottery Guidelines

• Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME, has announced new guidelines to support artisans in Pottery Activity.
• For Pottery Activity Government will provide assistance of pottery wheel, Clay Blunger, Granulator etc.
• It will also provide Wheel Pottery Training for traditional pottery artisans and Press Pottery training for pottery as well as non-pottery artisans in Self- Help Groups.
• There is also provision to provide Jigger-Jolly training programme for pottery as well as non-pottery artisan in Self-Help Groups.
• A total of 6,075 Traditional and others non-traditional pottery artisans, Rural Un-employed youth, Migrant Labourers will get benefitted from this Scheme.
• Additional amount of 50 crore rupees has been provisioned for setting up of clusters in Terracotta, Red clay pottery, with new innovative value added products to build pottery to crockery or tile making capabilities, under 'SFURTI' scheme of the Ministry.

Guidelines to Beekeeping Activity

• Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME, has announced new guidelines to support artisans in Beekeeping Activity.
• Government will provide assistance of Bee boxes and Tool kits.
• Under this scheme, Bee boxes, with Bee colonies, will also be distributed to Migrant workers in Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan districts.
• A five-day beekeeping training will also be provided to the beneficiaries through various Training Centers or State Beekeeping Extension Centers or Master Trainers as per prescribed syllabus.
• This is being done in order to create sustainable employment and to provide supplementary income for the beekeepers or farmers, to create awareness about Honey and other Hive Products etc.
• To begin with, Scheme proposes to cover, during 2020-21, a total of 2,050 Beekeepers, Entrepreneurs, Farmers, Unemployed Youth, Adivasis will get benefitted from these projects or programme.
• Additional amount of 50 crore rupees has also been kept for developing Beekeeping honey clusters under the 'SFURTI' scheme of the Ministry.

National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS)

• Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir launched the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS).
• J&K will be the 10th among States and UTs to become part of NGDRS.
• NGDRS represents a major shift from the existing manual registration system to online registration of all transactions in sale-purchase and transfer of land.
• Stamp papers have been replaced by e-stamps which have been incorporated in coordination with Stockholding Corporation of India.
• The launching of NGDRS is a big step towards National Integration and a leap towards ‘One Nation One Software’.

Blue Flag Beaches

• The ‘Blue Flag’ is a certification that can be obtained by a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label. The certification is known as an indication of high environmental and quality standards.
• Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches of the world.
• The certification is awarded by the Denmark-based non-profit Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) with 33 stringent criteria under four major heads for the beaches:

1. Environmental Education and Information
2. Bathing Water Quality
3. Environment Management and Conservation
4. Safety and Services.

• The Blue Flag Programme started in France in 1985 and in areas outside Europe since 2001.
• Recently MoEFCC announced that for the first time eight beaches of India are recommended for the coveted International eco-label, the Blue flag certification.
• The recommendations are done by an independent National Jury composed of eminent environmentalists & scientists.
• The eight beaches are

1. Shivrajpur in Gujarat,
2. Ghoghla in Daman & Diu,
3. Kasarkod and Padubidri beach in Karnataka,
4. Kappad in Kerala,
5. Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh,
6. Golden beach of Odisha
7. Radhanagar beach in Andaman and Nicobar.

BEAMS

• Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched India’s own eco-label BEAMS.

• MoEFCC launched BEAMS” (Beach Environment & Aesthetics Management Services) under its ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) project.

• The objective of BEAMS program is to abate pollution in coastal waters, promote sustainable development of beach facilities, protect & conserve coastal ecosystems & natural resources etc.
• This program promotes beach recreation in absolute harmony with nature.

Source: PIB, DD News, AIR, the Hindu