23 July 2019: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

Read the daily PIB update and stay up-to-date on current affairs for the UPSC exam.

July 23rd, 2019 PIB:-Download PDF Here

Zero Budget Farming

What is Zero Budget farming

• Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a set of farming methods, and also a grassroots peasant movement, which has spread to various states in India
• It has attained wide success in southern India, especially the southern Indian state of Karnataka where it first evolved.
• Intercropping with leguminous crops is one of the components of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) and it improves the crop productivity and soil fertility by way of fixing the atmospheric nitrogen.
• Further, the cowdung, urine based formulations and botanical extracts used in ZBNF help farmers in reducing the input cost.

The four pillars of ZNBF

• Jivamrita/jeevamrutha is a fermented microbial culture. It provides nutrients, but most importantly, acts as a catalytic agent that promotes the activity of microorganisms in the soil, as well as increases earthworm activity
• Bijamrita/beejamrutha is a treatment used for seeds, seedlings or any planting material. Bijamrita is effective in protecting young roots from fungus as well as from soil-borne and seedborne diseases that commonly affect plants after the monsoon period.
• Acchadana – Mulching. According to Palekar, there are three types of mulching:
• Soil Mulch: This protects topsoil during cultivation and does not destroy it by tilling. It promotes aeration and water retention in the soil. Palekar suggests avoiding deep ploughing.
• Straw Mulch: Straw material usually refers to the dried biomass waste of previous crops, but as Palekar suggests, it can be composed of the dead material of any living being (plants, animals, etc).
• Live Mulch (symbiotic intercrops and mixed crops): According to Palekar, it is essential to develop multiple cropping patterns of monocotyledons and dicotyledons grown in the same field, to supply all essential elements to the soil and crops.
• Whapasa – moisture: Palekar challenges the idea that plant roots need a lot of water, thus countering the over reliance on irrigation in green revolution farming. According to him, what roots need is water vapor.

Launch of GII

Context

• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal, will launch the Global Innovation Index (GII) in New Delhi.

What is GII

• The Global Innovation Index (GII) is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation.
• It is published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, in partnership with other organisations and institutions
• The index is based on both subjective and objective data derived from several sources, including the International Telecommunication Union, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.

Singnifiance of GII

• This is the first time that the GII is being launched in an emerging economy.
• During the last few years innovation has become central to the Government of India’s economic policy.
• This is now paying off with India’s rising performance in the GII. India jumped 24 places in four years
• India was 81 in 2015, and in 2018 achieved the 57th position in the Global Innovation Index.
• India has been ranked the most innovative country in the Central and Southern Asia Region every year since 2011. India has consistently outperformed on innovation relative to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita.

Connectivity under PMGSY

About PMGSY

• The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), was launched by the Govt. of India to provide connectivity to unconnected Habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.
• of India is endeavoring to set high and uniform technical and management standards and facilitating policy development and planning at State level in order to ensure sustainable management of the rural roads network.

Background

• PMGSY has a very well-tailored programme guidelines defining the role of Central and State Government agen
• States and Union Governments are working together for successful implementation of the programme.
• The progress of implementation of rural roads under PMGSY is regularly reviewed with the States by way of Regional Review Meetings (RRMs), Performance Review Committee (PRC) Meetings, Pre-Empowered/Empowered Committee Meetings with the States.

Mode of working

• As per PMGSY guidelines, it is the responsibility of the State Government/ District Panchayat to ensure that lands are available for taking up the proposed road works.
• PMGSY does not provide funds for Land Acquisition.
• The State Governments may also lay down guidelines for voluntary donation, exchange or other mechanisms to ensure availability of land.

Training and Employment of Rural Youth

Context

• Ministry of Rural Development is undertaking two initiatives in skill development under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) which are as follows:

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY)

• It is a placement linked skill development program which allows skilling in a PPP mode and assured placements in regular jobs in an organization not owned by the skilled person.
• DDU-GKY is being undertaken as PPP Project all over the country through Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) registered with the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Further, Guidelines of the scheme mandate State Governments to take up skill training projects with Corporate Social Responsibility funding.
• DDU-GKY Guidelines provide for setting apart 15% of the funds of the funds at for national level beneficiaries from among minority groups.

Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETI)

• Skill development through RSETI, thereby enabling the trainee to take Bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise.
• Some of such trainees may also seek regular salaried jobs.
• DDU-GKY and RSETI schemes covers rural parts of all the States of the country.

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June 23rd, 2019 PIB:-Download PDF Here

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