GS- 2nd Paper
Topic – Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
International Conference on Agricultural Statistics
Context
The 8th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS-VIII) will be organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in New Delhi.
About
- International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS) is a series of conferences.
- It is sponsored by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Bank (WB), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other international development agencies.
- ICAS was started in 1998 in response to overarching need for better agricultural data worldwide.
- It is held every three years to address issues of agricultural statistics (information/data) development.
- United States, Italy, Mexico, China, Uganda and Brazil have been the host countries for ICAS in the past
- The conference is being organized jointly by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (ICAR-IASRI), Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics (ISAS) and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) under the auspices of International Statistical Institute (ISI), Committee on Agricultural Statistics (ISI-CAS).
- The other collaborators are the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, ISI-CAS, FAO, the USDA, ADB, World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Eurostat, AfDB and various other organizations.
Theme
The theme of this year’s ICAS is ‘Statistics for Transformation of Agriculture to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
- The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous organization.
- It works under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
- It was formerly known as Imperial Council of Agricultural Research.
- It was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in pursuance of the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.
- It is the largest network of agricultural research and education institutes in the world.
- The ICAR has its headquarters at New Delhi.
- The Council is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.
Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics (ISAS)
- ISAS is scientific society.
- Its aims are to promote the study of and research in Statistical Theory in the widest sense of the term and its applications to Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Agricultural Economics and allied problems.
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI)
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI) is a pioneer Institute of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- It undertakes research, teaching and training in Agricultural Statistics, Computer Application and Bioinformatics.
- ICAR-IASRI has been mainly responsible for conducting research in Agricultural Statistics and Informatics to bridge the gaps in the existing knowledge.
- It has also been providing education/ training in Agricultural Statistics and Informatics to develop trained manpower in the country.
GS-3rd Paper
Topic–Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Indian Forest Act
Context
Government clears misgivings of amendment in the Indian Forest Act, 1927
About
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) finalised the first draft of the comprehensive amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 (IFA).
The Mizoram government has rejected the Centre’s proposed amendment to Indian Forests Act, 1927, on the ground that it violates the special provisions guaranteed to the state under Article 371G of the Constitution.
Article 371(G) of the Constitution states that the Parliament cannot decide on the matters of the religious and social practices of the Mizos, civil and criminal law of the land, land ownership transfer, and customary law procedure without the consent of the Assembly.
Key highlights of the amendment Draft
- This legislation is to facilitate increase of forest cover from about 24% now to 33% (a stated directive of government policy).
- The amendment defines community as “a group of persons specified on the basis of government records living in a specific locality and in joint possession and enjoyment of common property resources, without regard to race, religion, caste, language and culture”.
- Forest is defined to include “any government or private or institutional land recorded or notified as forest/forest land in any government record and the lands managed by government/community as forest and mangroves, and also any land which the central or state government may by notification declare to be forest for the purpose of this Act
- “Village forests”, according to the proposed Act, may be forestland or wasteland.
- It will be the property of the government and would be jointly managed by the community through the Joint Forest Management Committee or Gram Sabha.
- The preamble of IFA, 1927, said the Act was focused on laws related to transport of forest produce and the tax on it.
- While the amendment has increased the focus to “conservation, enrichment and sustainable management of forest resources and matters connected therewith to safeguard ecological stability to ensure provision of ecosystem services in perpetuity and to address the concerns related to climate change and international commitments”.
- The Amendment has increased role of states.
- The amendments say if the state government, after consultation with the central government, feels that the rights under FRA will hamper conservation efforts, then the state “may commute such rights by paying such persons a sum of money in lieu thereof, or grant of land, or in such other manner as it thinks fit, to maintain the social organisation of the forest dwelling communities or alternatively set out some other forest tract of sufficient extent, and in a locality reasonably convenient, for the purpose of such forest dwellers”
- The legislation has proposed a forest development cess of up to 10% of the assessed value of mining products removed from forests, and water used for irrigation or in industries.
- The amendment also introduces a new category of forests — production forest.
- These will be forests with specific objectives for production of timber, pulp, pulpwood, firewood, non-timber forest produce, medicinal plants or any forest species to increase production in the country for a specified period.
Concerns
- The draft says that the state governments could take away the rights of the forest dwellers if the government feels it is not in line with “conservation of the proposed reserved forest” by payment to the people impacted or by the grant of land.
- The Bill reinforces the idea of bureaucratic control of forests, providing immunity for actions such as use of firearms by personnel to prevent an offence.
- It proposed to penalise entire communities through denial of access to forests for offences by individuals.
- Such provisions of the draft invariably affect poor inhabitants, and run counter to the empowering and egalitarian goals that produced the Forest Rights Act.
- Impact assessment reports have mostly been reduced to a farce, and the public hearings process has been
- The exclusion of ‘village forestry’ from the preview of Forest Right Act (forest official supersedes Gram Sabha) is legally contradictory and would add confusion on the ground.
Indian Forest Act, 1927
- The act sought to consolidate and reserve the areas having forest cover, or significant wildlife.
- It also aimed to regulate movement and transit of forest produce, and duty leviable on timber and other forest produce.
- It also defined the procedure to be followed for declaring an area as Reserved Forest, Protected Forest or a Village Forest.
- The act has detailed definition of what a forest offence is, what are the acts prohibited inside a Reserved Forest, and penalties leviable on violation of the provisions of the Act.
GS- 2nd Paper
Topic– Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Development Council for Bicycle
Context
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has set up a Development Council for Bicycle.
About
- DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has set up a Development Council for Bicycle.
- The council will envision planning in design, engineering and manufacturing of lighter, smarter, value added, safe and faster premium bicycles which are comparable with global standards for exports and domestic market.
Composition of Council
- A Twenty-three-member Council will be headed by Secretary DPIIT.
- The constitution of the Council is for a period of two years.
- Joint Secretary, Light Engineering Industry Division in DPIIT will be Member-Secretary.
- The Council will have 9 ex-officio members.
- The Council will also have 7 expert domain members and 4 nominated.
- The terms of ex-officio members shall be co-terminus with their official posting.
- Others members may be co-opted, as required, by the Chairperson of the Council.
Functions
The Council will stimulate value chain and fuel accelerated demand growth of Make-in-India through the following activities-
- To improve competitiveness and level of services.
- To transform Indian bicycle technology and its value chain.
- To ensure development of holistic eco-system through close, coordinated and continuous stakeholder persuasion.
- To undertake all possible measures for leveraging bicycle demand, it may inter-alia include ensuring enabling (safe and segregated) cycling infrastructure and operations.
- To enhance export competitiveness of bicycle through support of schemes and favourable trade policies.
- To popularize the incredible benefits of cycling through the campaigns piloted by the concerned Ministries/ Departments of Government of India such as Ministry of Health (health benefits), Ministry of Environment and Forest (air/ noise pollution free benefits), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (energy saving benefits), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (decongestion benefits).
- Development of medium and small industries to usher in a new mind-set through innovative schemes in a structured and synergetic way.
- Development of skilled human resources development for bicycle manufacturing and repair shops.
- To identify and study best international practices and successful story to adopt for bicycle manufacturing, recycling and infrastructure development in India.
GS- 2nd Paper
Topic – Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
Context
First ever International Buyer- Seller Meet in Arunachal Pradesh
About
The first ever international buyer seller meet on Agriculture & Horticulture produce is being organized by APEDA in Arunachal Pradesh.
Ten International buyers from seven countries of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, UAE, Sultanate of Oman and Greece participated in the meet and interacted with exporters.
Why is it being organized?
- APEDA and Government of Arunachal Pradesh organised the Conference cum International Buyer- Seller Meet in Itanagar.
- It is to promote export of agricultural products and to facilitate market linkages for agri- exports from the North Eastern Region (NER) especially Arunachal Pradesh.
- This conference was held to provide a platform for B2B and B2G meetings of international buyers with the importers and exporters and the progressive farmers and growers from the North East Region (NER).
- It provides for to explore the opportunities and prospects of agriculture and horticulture exports.
About APEDA
- The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was established under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act-1985.
- The Authority replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).
- Its Headquarter is in Delhi.
- APEDA has marked its presence in almost all agro potential states of India and has been providing services to agri-export community through its head office, five Regional offices and 13 Virtual offices.
Functions
In accordance with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act, 1985, (2 of 1986) the following functions have been assigned to the Authority.
- Development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export by way of providing financial assistance or otherwise for undertaking surveys and feasibility studies, participation in enquiry capital through joint ventures and other reliefs and subsidy schemes;
- Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products on payment of such fees as may be prescribed;
- Fixing of standards and specifications for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports;
- Carrying out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughter houses, processing plants, storage premises, conveyances or other places where such products are kept or handled for the purpose of ensuring the quality of such products;
- Improving of packaging of the Scheduled products;
- Improving of marketing of the Scheduled products outside India;
- Promotion of export oriented production and development of the Scheduled products;
- Collection of statistics from the owners of factories or establishments engaged in the production, processing, packaging, marketing or export of the scheduled products or from such other persons as may be prescribed on any matter relating to the scheduled products and publication of the statistics so collected or of any portions thereof or extracts therefrom;
- Training in various aspects of the industries connected with the scheduled products;
- Such other matters as may be prescribed.
For Prelims
Sisseri River bridge
Context
Raksha Mantri inaugurates Sisseri River bridge connecting Dibang Valley and Siang in Arunachal Pradesh
Highlights
- Sisseri River bridge connects Dibang Valley and Siang in Arunachal Pradesh.
- The 200-metre long bridge between Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing road will provide connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang.
- It would cut down the travel time from Pasighat to Roing by about five hours.
