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April 24th 2019 PIB:-Download PDF Here
Integrated farming needed to double farmer’s income: Vice President
Context
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need to promote integrated farming practices to improve the productivity of livestock and double farmers’ income.
Extract from VP’s Speech
- Referring to a study, Shri Naidu said that there were no suicides in families of farmers who diversified into allied activities like poultry, dairy or aquaculture.
- He observed that farming households with livestock would be able to better withstand distress caused due to extreme weather conditions and crop failures.
- Quoting NSSO statistics, estimates, the Vice President said that rural India had an estimated 90.2 million agricultural households and facilitating sustainable income for all these households must be the primary endeavor for everyone.
- The Vice President said that a healthy and robust agricultural sector was an important prerequisite to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth in India.
- He called for measures to make farming a lucrative career opportunity, especially for the youth, by making agriculture economically viable and financially rewarding.
- Saying that Agriculture industry contributes 17% of India’s total GDP, out of which,
- The 27% comes from Animal Husbandry and overall, the dairy, poultry and
- Aqua industries contribute 4.4% to the nation’s GDP,
- The Vice President said that these numbers signify the crucial role played by these sectors in our economy.
- The Vice President urged the government, agriculture scientists and Krishi Vigyana Kendras to encourage farmers to diversify into allied services for financial stability.
Integrated Farming System
- The Integrated Farming System (IFS) approach has multiple objectives of sustainability, food security, farmer security and poverty reduction.
- It involves use of outputs of one enterprise component as inputs for other related enterprises wherever feasible, for example, cattle dung mixed with crop residues and farm waste can be converted in to nutrient-rich vermi-compost.
- The salient features of IFS include –
- Innovation in farming for maximising production through optimal use of local resources,
- Effective recycling of farm waste for productive purposes,
- Community-led local systems for water conservation,
- Organic farming, and
- Developing a judicious mix of income-generating activities such as dairy, poultry, fishery, goat-rearing, vermicomposting and others.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra
- A Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) is an agricultural extension center in India. The name means “farm science center”.
- Usually associated with a local agricultural university, these centers serve as the ultimate link between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and farmers, and aim to apply agricultural research in a practical, localized setting.
- All KVKs fall under the jurisdiction of one of the 11 Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs) throughout India.
- Responsibilities of KVKs
- On-Farm Testing: Each KVK operates a small farm to test new technologies, such as seed varieties or innovative farming methods, developed by ICAR institutes.
- Front-line Demonstration: Due to the KVK’s farm and its proximity to nearby villages, it organizes programs to show the efficacy of new technologies on farmer fields.
- Capacity Building: In addition to demonstrating new technologies, the KVK also hosts capacity building exercises and workshops to discuss modern farming techniques with groups of farmers.
- Multi-sector Support: Offer support to various private and public initiatives through its local network and expertise. It is very common for government research institutes to leverage the network of KVKs when performing surveys with a wide range of farmers
- Advisory Services: Due to the growing use of ICT, KVKs have implemented technologies to provide farmers information, such as weather advisories or market pricing, through radio and mobile phones.
66th National Film Awards to be declared after General Elections, 2019
Context
- Since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force, which facilitates level playing field to all political parties and the candidates and inter alia seeks to ensure that the power of media is not used in such a manner which affects the general conduct and level playing field during the election process.
- It has been decided to declare the awards after the election process is over and the MCC concludes.
National Film Awards
- The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremonies in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government’s Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.
- Every year, a national panel appointed by the government selects the winning entry, and the award ceremony is held in New Delhi, where the President of India presents the awards.
- This is followed by the inauguration of the National Film Festival, where the award-winning films are screened for the public.
- Declared for films produced in the previous year across the country, they hold the distinction of awarding merit to the best of Indian cinema overall, as well as presenting awards for the best films in each region and language of the country.
Indian Coast Guard Vessel C-441
Context
- The Indian Coast Guard commissioned its latest acquisition, an interceptor vessel named C-441, at a ceremony held at the Vizhinjam harbour
Details
- ICGS C-441 is the seventh interceptor vessel amongst the series designed and built indigenously by L & T Ltd., Surat
- The 27.8-metre-long vessel displaces 106 tonnes and has a maximum speed of 45 knots (83 km/hr).
- It is equipped with twin diesel engines and water jet propulsion.
- It also has the capability to undertake multifarious tasks such as close coast surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to boats and crafts in distress at sea.
- The ship is fitted with state-of-the art communication, navigational equipment and with light, medium and heavy automatic machine gun onboard as main armament.
April 24th 2019 PIB:-Download PDF Here
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