May 19th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Cyclone Amphan
2. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
3. Indian Railway
4. Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities

1. Cyclone Amphan

Context:

Cyclone Warning for West Bengal and north Odisha coasts: Orange Message.

Details:

• The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘AMPHAN’ over west-central Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwards with a speed of 17 kmph and lay centred over west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, about 320 km nearly south of Paradip (Odisha), 470 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) and 610 km south-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh).
• The cyclone is expected to make landfall in West Bengal on 20^th May afternoon, as per the latest updates.

Read all about Cyclone Amphan at the linked article.

2. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)

Context:

Mother Dairy, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), contributed in stabilizing the dairy supply chain in Vidarbha and Marathwada Region amid the Lockdown.

About the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB):

• The NDDB is an institution of national importance set up by an Act of Parliament of India.
• It was created to promote, finance and support producer-owned and controlled organisations.
• NDDB’s programmes and activities seek to strengthen farmer cooperatives and support national policies that are favourable to the growth of such institutions.
• Fundamental to NDDB’s efforts are cooperative principles and cooperative strategies.
• The Board was founded in 1965 to transform dairying into an instrument for the development of India’s rural people.
• NDDB began its operations with the mission of making dairying a vehicle to a better future for millions of grassroots milk producers.
• The mission achieved thrust and direction with the launching of “Operation Flood”, a programme extending over 26 years and which used World Bank loan to finance India’s emergence as the world’s largest milk producing nation.
• The National Dairy Development Board (initially registered as a society under the Societies Act 1860), was merged with the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation, a company formed and registered under the Companies Act 1956, by the NDDB Act 1987, with effect from October 1987. The new body corporate was declared an institution of national importance by the Act.
• The first chairman of the NDDB was Dr. V Kurien, the father of India’s White Revolution.

Also read: White Revolution – Operation Flood

3. Indian Railway

Context:

Indian Railways operationalises its most powerful 12000 HP ‘made in India’ locomotive.

Details:

• The First 12000 HP ‘made in India’ locomotive, manufactured by Madhepura Electric Loco Factory situated in Bihar, was put into operation by the Indian Railway.
• The locomotive is named WAG12 with Number 60027.
• With this, India has become the 6^th country in the world to join the elite club of countries producing high horse power locomotive indigenously.
• It is the first time that a high horse power locomotive has been operationalised on broad gauge track in the world.
• The locomotive has been produced under the Make in India.

4. Star Rating of Garbage Free Cities

Context:

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs announces results of Star rating of garbage free cities.

Details:

• For the assessment year 2019-2020, a total of six cities have been certified as 5-Star, 65 cities as 3-Star and 70 cities as 1-Star.
• The Star Rating Protocol was launched by the Ministry in January 2018 to institutionalize a mechanism for cities to achieve Garbage Free status, and to motivate cities to achieve higher degrees of cleanliness.
• The protocol has been devised in a holistic manner including components such as cleanliness of drains & water bodies, plastic waste management, managing construction & demolition waste, etc. which are critical drivers for achieving garbage free cities.
• While the key thrust of this protocol is on Solid Waste Management, it also takes care of ensuring certain minimum standards of sanitation through a set of prerequisites defined in the framework.
• In the recent phase of Star Rating Assessment, 1435 cities had applied.
• Cities which achieved the 5-Star status:
  • Ambikapur – Chhattisgarh
  • Rajkot – Gujarat
  • Surat – Gujarat
  • Mysore – Karnataka
  • Indore – Madhya Pradesh
  • Navi Mumbai – Maharashtra

Also read: Swachch Bharat Abhiyan

May 19th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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