GS- 3rd Paper
Topic- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
India Water Week-2019
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 6th India Water Week-2019.
About India Water Week-2019
- 6th India Water Week-2019 is starts from September 24, 2019.
- It is being organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- The India Water Week was conceptualized and organized for the first time in 2012.
- The India Water Week is a regular forum where the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of lndia.
- It discusses, talks, strategizes with eminent stakeholders through seminars, exhibitions and sessions to build public awareness, to get support to implement key strategies for conservation, preservation and optimum use of available water.
- The fifth event namely, India Water Week 2017 was organised with the theme “Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth”.
- European Union was International partner and The Netherlands as International Sponsor for India Water Week 2017.
Theme of India Water Week-2019
- “Water Cooperation – Coping with 21st Century Challenges” focusing on need and importance of water use across all sectors.
World Water Week
- World Water Week is hosted and organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
- It is the leading annual global event for concretely addressing the planet’s water issues and related concerns of international development.
- World Water Week 2019 will take place 25-30 August.
- World Water Week was started in 1991 by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
- This water conservation initiative takes place in Sweden annually.
- World Water Week (WWW) provides a unique forum and opportunity to facilitate the exchange of views, experiences and practices between the scientific, business, policy and civil society.
- Each year, the World Water Week adopts a theme to attain a deeper understanding of water-related issues around the world.
Theme of Water Week-2019
- The theme for 29th World Water Week is “Water for society – including all”.
GS- 2nd Paper
Topic- Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
BIS laboratory
Context
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution holds review meeting on BIS laboratory activity.
About BIS
- BIS is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016.
- It is established for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
- BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in a number of ways – providing safe reliable quality goods; minimizing health hazards to consumers; promoting exports and imports substitute; control over proliferation of varieties etc. through standardization, certification and testing.
- BIS has its Headquarters at New Delhi .
- Its 05 Regional Offices (ROs) are at Kolkata (Eastern), Chennai (Southern), Mumbai (Western), Chandigarh (Northern) and Delhi (Central).
BIS is involved in various activities as given below:
- Standards Formulation
- Product Certification Scheme
- Compulsory Registration Scheme
- Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
- Hall Marking Scheme
- Laboratory Services
- Laboratory Recognition Scheme
- Sale of Indian Standards
- Consumer Affairs Activities
- Promotional Activities
- Training Services, National & International level
- Information Services
GS- 2nd Paper
Topic- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Climate Action Summit
Context
New leadership group announced at Climate Action Summit to drive industry transition to low-carbon economy.
New International Initiatives
Leadership Group
- India and Sweden together with other countries have announced a new ‘Leadership Group for Industry Transition’ that will drive transformation in hard-to-decarbonize and energy-intensive sectors.
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
- CDRI has been launched as an international partnership that will support countries- developed and developing- to build climate and disaster resilient infrastructure.
- The Coalition’s secretariat will be in Delhi,
- It will facilitate knowledge exchange, provide technical support and support capacity building.
- The Government of India, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and partners has together worked on the CDRI initiative.
- The Prime Minister of India called for action to reduce damage to critical infrastructure at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2016.
About The Climate Action Summit
- The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres hosted the Climate Action Summit in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly.
- The Secretary-General called on all leaders – governments, the private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organizations – to come with concrete, realistic plans that will boost ambition and rapidly accelerate action to implement the Paris Agreement.
Focuses
- The summit has its key focus on raising ambition and accelerates action to implement the Paris Agreement.
- The Climate Action Summit focuses on nine interdependent tracks, which are led by 19 countries in total and are supported by international organizations.
For Prelims-
‘CHC Farm Machinery and Krishi Kisan App for Geo Tagging’
Context
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said this while launching two mobile Apps.
Highlights
CHC Farm Machinery App
- CHC Farm Machinery App will enable farmers to select and order the required machinery at the rates feasible for them from the Custom Hiring Centers located in the radius of 50 Kms.
- Benefits- Through this app, farmers, especially small and marginal farmers, will have easy access to high value and technical agricultural equipments which will facilitate optimum use of all types of inputs using these farming machines.
- This app connects the farmers with Custom Hiring Service Centres in their area.
Krishi Kisan App
- Krishi Kisan App will provide farmers the information of best demonstration of high-yielding crops and seeds in their nearby area.
- Any farmer with high quality of crops can utilise this platform to demonstrate best practices of cultivation to other farmers so that this will help other farmers also to adopt these methods.
- The App will also help in geo-tagging and geo-fencing of crop and give weather forecast message to farmers.
Custom Hiring Centers (CHC)
- Custom Hiring Centers/ Farm Machinery banks and Hi-tech hubs. have been established under the various Schemes like Sub –Mission on Agricultural Mechanizatio, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and Crop Residue Management Schemes of the DAC&FW, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare.
- It aims to provide Agricultural Machinery on rental basis to the Farmers, especially small & marginal farmers who cannot afford to buy the high value machinery & equipments.
16th Global SME Business Summit
Context
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Road Transport & Highways inaugurated the 16th Global SME Business Summit 2019 in New Delhi.
Highlights
- The Summit is organized every year by Ministry of MSME and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
Theme
- The theme this year is Making Indian MSMEs Globally Competitive.
National Service Scheme Awards 2017-18
Context
President Confers National Service Scheme Awards 2017-18.
About National Service Scheme Awards
- Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Department of Youth Affairs confers every year the National Service Scheme Award.
- It aims to recognise and reward outstanding contributions towards voluntary community service made by the Universities/Senior Secondary (+2) Councils, NSS Units/ Programme Officers and NSS Volunteers.
- The NSS Scheme was launched on 24th September, 1969.
- 2019 is the Golden Jubilee year of NSS.
