Allocation of Jal Jeevan Mission to Orissa:

For the fiscal year 2020-2021, the central allocation for the Jal Jeevan mission in Orissa has been enhanced to Rs 3,323.42 crore. With a four-fold increase in budget, the Centre is aiding Odisha in achieving a "Har Ghar Jal" state by March 2024.

 

About Jal Jeevan Mission:

♦ By 2024, all rural Indian families are expected to have access to safe and sufficient drinking water via individual household tap connections.

♦ By 2024, it seeks to offer 55 litres of water per person per day through Functional Household Tap Connections to every rural household (FHTC).

♦ A functioning tap connection to schools, Anganwadi centres, health centres, wellness centres, GP offices, and community buildings is also included.

♦ The programme will also include mandated source sustainability measures such as grey water management for recharge and reuse, water conservation, and rainwater collection.

♦ JJM focuses on integrated demand-side and supply-side water management at the local level.

♦ The Mission`s approach to water is based on a community-based strategy. It plans to develop a water jan andolan, making water a primary priority for everyone.

♦ It encourages and ensures local community voluntary ownership through monetary, in-kind, and/or labour contributions, as well as volunteer labour.

Parent Ministry:

Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Ministry of Jal Shakti

Funding Pattern:

The Centre and states split funds 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern states, 50:50 for other states, and 100 percent for Union Territories.

♦ Implementation and supervision of a four-tiered structure at the national, state, district, and village levels.

######

Onion Export Ban Dispute at WTO:

 

India has been brought into the World Trade Organization by Japan and the United States due to periodic bans on onion exports. The surprise export embargo, according to both governments, presents complications for importing countries. Onion growers in India have also urged that, rather than making ad hoc judgments, the government adopt a comprehensive strategy on onion import and export.

 

Highlights:

♦ Reduce demand-supply imbalances in the domestic market to help exports.

♦ Onion growers have incurred enormous losses as a result of the unpredictable prohibition on onion exports.

♦ With nations like Bangladesh, the ban on onion exports is causing friction in bilateral trade relations.

♦ Pakistan has begun to compete with India for a piece of the Gulf onion market in recent years.

######

Tiger Corridor in Rajasthan:

 

The Rajasthan government plans to improve a tiger corridor that will connect the newly proposed Ramgarh Tiger Reserve, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve. Another tiger reserve in Rajasthan is the Sariska Tiger Reserve.

 

About the Animal Corridor:

♦ Wildlife or animal corridors are designed to provide safe transit for animals between two ecosystems that are separated by a large distance. Corridors are classified as either functional or structural in flora and wildlife. 

♦ From the animal`s perspective, functional corridors are described in terms of performance (basically areas where there has been recorded movement of wildlife).

♦ Structural corridors are uninterrupted stretches of forested land that structurally unite the landscape`s otherwise disjointed pieces.

♦ When structural corridors are impacted by human anthropogenic activities, practical corridors are frequently widened as a result of animal use.

♦ The National Tiger Conservation Authority, in partnership with the Wildlife Institute of India, produced a document in 2019 that mapped out 32 of the country`s most important corridors, with government interventions implemented through a Tiger Conservation Plan.

♦ Under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, states are required to publish a Tiger Conservation Plan.

♦ Desert National Park in Jaisalmer; Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur; Sajjangarh flora and wildlife sanctuary in Udaipur; National Chambal Sanctuary in Rajasthan (on tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh).

♦ IUCN List: Endangered.

Project Tiger: The initiative is a Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change-sponsored scheme that was created in 1973 to provide government assistance to tiger states for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves in India. The National Tiger Conservation Authority is in charge of the project (NTCA).

 

######

Export of Mirshi Cherry Exported to Dubai:

On July 6, 2021, the first commercial shipment of Mishri variety cherries was sent from Srinagar to Dubai in order to increase horticulture exports.

 

Highlights:

♦ Before this shipment, a sample shipment from Sri Nagar was sent to Dubai in June.

♦ Following a positive response from Dubai consumers, the first business consignment was sent to the city.

♦ Mishri cherries are delicious in appearance and contain vitamins, minerals, and plant chemicals that have health advantages.

♦ Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) produces more than 95% of India`s total production of commercial cherry varietals.

♦ Double, Makhmali, Mishri, and Italy are the four cherry types grown in J&K.

♦ Cherries were harvested, cleaned, and packed by an APEDA-registered exporter. Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology in Kashmir provided technical assistance. To establish a company for cherries in Middle Eastern countries, APEDA-National Referral Laboratory at National Research Centre for Grapes, Pune provided food security and excellent support.

Significance of export:

In the coming seasons, the start of business cargo of cherries will provide stronger opportunities for exports of other temperate fruits including pears, plums, apricots, and apples from Kashmir to Middle East worldwide locations.

Role of APEDA in Boosting export:

APEDA meets with farmers, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), government officials, and other stakeholders to increase exports of agricultural products from Kashmir, such as apples, almonds, saffron, walnuts, sparkling fruits, rice, and vegetables, as well as certified natural products. Several digital focus creation programmes are being carried out in the area with the help of local farmers, suppliers, FPOs, and exporters to ensure the export of temperate fruits.

######

Crocodiles Relocated From Panchmuli Lake - Gujarat:

194 crocodiles have been evacuated from Panchmuli Lake near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat`s Narmada district in the last two days.

 

Highlights:

♦ For the safety of tourists taking boat excursions on the Panchmuli lake, crocodiles have been relocated.

♦ In Kevadia, this lake is near the 182-meter-high statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

♦ The lake has become a popular tourist destination. It used to be home to a large number of crocodiles that posed a menace to visitors.

 

Background:

♦ Between October and March of this year, 143 crocodiles were transferred. 51 crocodiles were relocated to two rescue centres in Gandhinagar and Godhra in 2020-21. Seventy-three rescued crocodiles were returned into the Sardar Sarovar reservoir in the 2019-20 season.

 

About Panchmuli lake:

♦ This lake is also known as the Sardar Sarovar Dam`s `Dyke-3.` It was created for tourists visiting the Statue of Unity. The lake is around 5 kilometres from the Statue of Unity. The Vindhyachal mountain range and Sardar Sarovar Dam may be seen clearly from here.

 

About Statue of Unity:

♦ It is a massive statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Bhai Patel, an Indian statesman, freedom activist, first Deputy Prime Minister, and Home Minister of an independent India. Gujarat is the location of the statue. With a height of 182 metres, it is known as the world`s highest statue. It is located in the Kevadiya settlement on the Narmada River. It is located a hundred kilometres southeast of Vadodara, Gujarat, and 150 kilometres from Surat, it faces the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The Statue of Unity is located 5 kilometres away from the Kevadia train station. This mission was announced for the first time in 2010. Its construction began in October 2013 with the help of Larsen & Toubro. It has been designed via Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar. PM Narendra Modi had inaugurated the statue on October 31, 2018, to mark the 143rd start anniversary of Sardar Patel.

###

Tiger Corridor Connecting Three Tiger Reserves:

 

The Rajasthan government has decided to improve a tiger corridor that connects the Ranthambore, Ramgarh Vishdhari, and Mukundra tiger reserves.

 

Highlights:

♦ The establishment of the Ramgarh Vishdhari sanctuary has received approval from the Centre.

♦ This sanctuary will connect the northeastern Ranthambore Tiger Reserve with the southern Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve.

♦ The proposed web page for the sanctuary is located in Rajasthan`s Bundi District. It will run between Kota`s Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve and Sawai Madhopur`s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.

 

Proposed Tiger Corridor:

♦ By relocating eight villages, a tiger corridor will be created. This will be a functional corridor to address the problem of tiger overpopulation that the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is currently dealing with. Currently, the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is home to more than 65 tigers. The Mukundra reserve, on the other hand, is down to just one Tiger. As a result, this tiger hall was proposed in order to stabilise population distribution.

 

About Ranthambore Tiger Reserve:

♦ This reserve is located at the confluence of the Aravali and Vindhya mountain ranges. Ranthambore National Park, Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary, and Keladevi Sanctuaries are all part of it. The reserve`s vegetation includes grasslands on plateaus as well as dense forests alongside seasonal streams. Typically, tropical dry deciduous woodland can be found here. The common tree species is ‘dhak` (Butea monsoperma), which can withstand long periods of drought. This tree is known as the `Flame of the Forest.` It is one of many flowering plant life with colours to dry in the reserve during the summer. It is rich in flora and fauna, with tigers at the top of the food chain. Leopards live there as well.

 

About Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve:

♦ In 2013, this reserve was established. It is situated between two mountains, Mukundra and Gagrola. It is approximately 80 kilometres long.

###

First Indian Female Swimmer to qualify Tokyo 2020 Olympics:

Maana Patel has progressed to become the first Indian woman and only the third Indian swimmer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Maana Patel has qualified for the Olympics, joining Srihari Nataraj and Sajan Prakash. She is a 21-year-old backstroke swimmer from Ahmedabad who has won gold medals in the National Games in the 50-meter and 200-meter backstroke. At the sixty-first National School Games (2015), she won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and set a new national record in the event. In 2015, she was chosen for Olympic Gold Quest for the first time, marking the first time a swimmer had been roped in. At the 72nd Senior National Aquatic Championships in 2018, she won three gold medals.

 

Maana Patel:

♦ On March 18, 2000, she was born. She is an Indian backstroke swimmer from the Gujarati city of Ahmedabad. She began when she was seven years old. At the fortieth Junior National Aquatics Championship in Hyderabad, she timed 2:23.41s in the 200m backstrokes. She won six medals at the 10th Asian Age-group Championships in Bangalore in 2019, with one gold, four silvers, and one bronze. As of 2016, she had won eleven international, 61 national, and 75 country degree medals.

 

Backstroke or back crawl:

♦ It is one of four swimming styles that are used in competitive events and are governed by FINA. This type of swimming is done on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of allowing for easy breathing. Swimmers, on the other hand, are unable to see where they are heading. It symbolises the start of a new era for the three opposing swimming styles. It`s similar to a freestyle or an upside-down front crawl.

 

Summer or Tokyo Olympics:

♦ This event will take place in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23 to August 8, 2021. It was originally planned to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020. However, due to the covid-19 pandemic, it was postponed and rescheduled for the first time. The Summer Olympic Games will be held for the second time in Japan, with the first being held in Tokyo in 1964. Tokyo has become Asia`s first city to hold the Summer Games twice.

###

Mary Kom and Manpreet Singh are Flag Bearers of Tokoyo Olympics:

 

M.C. Mary Kom, a boxer, and Manpreet Singh, the captain of India`s men`s hockey team, have been nominated as flag bearers for the Tokyo Olympics. Both of them will be flag carriers for India at the Tokyo Olympics` opening ceremony, which will take place on July 23, 2021.

 

Highlights:

♦ On August 8, 2021, wrestler Bajrang Punia will be the flag bearer during the closing ceremony.

♦ The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) informed the Olympic Games Organising Committee of their decision.

♦ Abhinav Bindra, India`s lone Olympic gold medalist, was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

♦ The International Olympic Committee had made arrangements for flag bearers from each gender during the opening ceremony at the governing board meeting in order to express equality and parity among genders. In addition, the IOC Executive Board determined that each of the 206 teams and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team competing in the Olympiad must have at least one female and one male athlete.

 

International Olympic Committee (IOC):

♦ The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a non-profit sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was established in the structure of a partnership under the Swiss Civil Code, specifically sections 60-79. In 1894, Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas helped to form the IOC. The modern Summer and Winter Olympic Games are organised by this authority. The National Olympic Committees are governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (NOCs). As of 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially recognised 206 NOCs.

###

World Sports Journalists Day - 2nd July:

Every year on the 2nd of July, the United Nations declares World Sports Journalists Day. The purpose of the day is to honour the efforts of sports journalists and to motivate them to perform better in their jobs. Many people around the world rely on sports journalists to obtain records in a variety of sports. This specialist has aided in the production of a wide range of games around the world. Sports writers have associations to help them meet their professional obligations. It was commemorated by the International Sports Press Association all across the world and within the United Nations.

 

Background:

The International Sports Press Association (AIPS) founded Sports Journalist Day in 1994 to commemorate the organization`s seventieth anniversary. AIPS was founded on July 2, 1924, during the duration of the Paris Summer Olympics.

######

Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar Bagged by Odia Poet Rajendra Kishore Panda:

The Kuvempu is a kind of Kuvempu. For the year 2020, the Rashtriya Puraskar, an award established in memory of late poet laureate Kuvempu, has been given to renowned Odia poet Dr Rajendra Kishore Panda. The prize package includes a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a silver medal, and a citation.

 

Dr Panda:

Dr Panda, who was born on June 24, 1944, writes in the Odia language. He has sixteen poetry volumes and a novel to his credit. He is a well-known Indian poet who helped propel current Odia poetry to new heights. In 2010, he received the Gangadhar National Award, and in 1985, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award. Sambalpur University gave him a DLitt.

 

About the Award:

Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Trust, which was founded in 1992, established this countrywide annual literary prize in 2013 in the name of Kuvempu to recognise litterateurs who had contributed in any language recognised by the Indian Constitution.

###

Name of Vidya Balan for Firing Range of Indian Army

 

In Gulmarg, Kashmir, the Indian Army has named a firing range after Indian actress Vidya Balan.

 

Vidya Balan:

♦ Vidya Balan is a web series actor who plays Shakuntala Devi.

♦ She has been a part of Indian film for more than two decades, having started her career on the tiny screen.

♦ Vidya Balan has received numerous honours in the past for her outstanding contributions to the film business.

♦ The Indian Army has a one-of-a-kind recognition for the naming of the firing variation after her.

♦ Aside from that, she has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the governing body behind the Oscars.

 

Firing range:

♦ Vidya Balan is a Bollywood actress. The firing range is located in Kashmir`s Gulmarg area. She and her husband, Siddharth Roy Kapur, attended the Gulmarg Winter Festival, which is organised with the help of the Army. This collection was called Vidya Balan in honour of her contributions to Indian cinema.

 

Contributions:

♦ Vidya Balan has been a pioneering actor in Bollywood since the early 2000s for her female-led initiatives. She began her career in 1995 with the small screen show "Hum Paanch." She made her Bollywood debut after starring in the Bengali film Bhalo Theko. Her debut film in Bollywood was Parineeta. In films such as Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Heyy Babyy, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, she has acted. For her portrayal in The Dirty Picture, she won a National Award for Best Actress. Her cutting-edge web show, Sherni, directed by Amit V. Masurkar, has gained a lot of attention from viewers. Vidya Vincent is the character she played in the show.

###

Enforcing Contracts Portal - Justice Department: 

Enforcement Contract Portal" was unveild by the Department of Justice.

 

About the portal:

♦ The website (https://doj.gov.in/eodb/) is meant to be a complete source of information about legislative and policy developments affecting the “Enforcing Contracts” parameters.

♦ It offers the most up-to-date information on the operation and resolution of commercial matters in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata`s Dedicated Commercial Courts.

♦ The portal also provides online updates from all high courts on the commercial court-affiliated mediation and arbitration centre, which supervises and promotes institutional mediation and arbitration through commercial cases pre-institutional mediation and settlement (PIMS).

 

Mumbai Samachar Newspaper Turns 200 on 1st July:

 

Mumbai Samachar, India`s oldest newspaper, will celebrate its 200th anniversary on July 1. The Gujarati newspaper was originally published in 1822 and is housed in an iconic red palace at Horniman Circle in Mumbai`s Fort neighbourhood. It was formed with the help of a Parsi student named Fardoonji Murazban, who had tried out a variety of various publishing options before settling on this one.

 

Formerly known as Bombay Samachar, the paper is now known as Mumbai na Samachar in Gujarati. It began as a weekly edition, mostly covering the movement of things over the sea and other business news, such as the sale of property, and passed through several hands before being sold to the Cama family in 1933 due to bankruptcy.

###

Indian Army Inducts Bridging System by DRDO:

 

The Army has received the first manufacturing lot of 12 Short Span Bridging System (SSBS)-10m, which were conceived and produced by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with the manufacturing agency Larsen & Toubro Limited. The SSBS-10m is critical in bridging gaps up to 9.5m as a single span sup porting a 4m wide, totally covered roadway, allowing troops to move more quickly.

 

About the SSBS-10m:

♦ Two prototypes of 5m SSBS on Tatra 66 chassis and two prototypes of 10m SSBS on Tatra 88 re-engineered chassis were developed as part of the enterprise.

♦ The bridging system is compatible with the Sarvatra bridging machine (75 m) in situations when the closing span is less than 9.5 m.

♦ The DRDO has already constructed and deployed a number of bridges for the Army.

 

###

Guidelines of Flex Fuel Vehicles:

 

A flex fuel vehicle (FFV) is a modified version of a vehicle that can run on both gasoline and blended gasoline containing various amounts of ethanol.

 

About Flex fuel vehicle:

♦ In Brazil, these are currently being successfully deployed to give consumers the option of switching fuel sources.

♦ The use of biofuels in vehicle operating is made easier with these flexible fuel cars.

♦ Previously, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released a Draft notification for mass emission requirements for E 12 and E 15 fuels, easing their use as vehicle fuels.

SERB-FIRE Funds Industry Research:

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) funds industry-relevant research through the SERB-FIRE initiative.

 

About SERB-FIRE:

♦ A collection of enterprises has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with SERB to create the SERB-FIRE programme, which would stimulate industry-relevant research in India.

♦ The SERB`s Industry Relevant R&D (IRRD) scheme includes SERB-FIRE.

♦ It aims to tackle industry-specific problems using the expertise available at academic institutions and national laboratories for the benefit of society as a whole.

♦ The Indian research community will be able to pursue industry-relevant deep technology research possibilities that are new, revolutionary, and have the potential to have a game-changing influence on a national scale as a result of this programme.

♦ SERB is collaborating with Intel India on a first-of-its-kind effort to foster deep technology-based research in India.

♦ SERB-FIRE is a ground-breaking programme that brings industry and academia together on a single platform to share ground-breaking ideas and collaborate innovative research.

♦ The focus of the programme focuses on futuristic science and technology themes.

###

WHO Awarded Malaria - Free Certification For China:

 

China has been certified malaria-free by WHO after nearly 70 years of effort — an incredible achievement for the United States, which reported 30 million cases of the disease annually in the 1940s.

 

Highlights:

♦ In more than three decades, China became the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to receive a malaria-free accreditation. Australia (1981), Singapore (1982), and Brunei Darussalam are some of the other international destinations in the area that have achieved this level of popularity (1987).

♦ The World Health Organization (WHO) has given malaria-free accreditation to 40 nations and territories around the world, including El Salvador (2021), Algeria (2019), Argentina (2019), Paraguay (2018), and Uzbekistan (2018). (2018).

 

Keys to success:

♦ China provides a free main public health care package to its citizens. As part of the package, everyone in China has equal access to low-cost malaria diagnosis and treatment, regardless of criminal record or economic background.

♦ Success also required effective multi-sector collaboration. In 2010, thirteen Chinese ministries joined forces to eradicate malaria across the country, including health, education, finance, research and development, public security, the army, police, trade, industry and data technology, customs, media, and tourism.

♦ The country`s malaria caseload has dropped in recent years as a result of strong adherence to the "1-3-7" plan timelines. The “1” denotes a one-day deadline for health facilities to file a malaria diagnosis; by the end of day 3, health officials must confirm a case and determine the risk of transmission; and, within seven days, appropriate actions must be done to prevent the disease from spreading further.

###

Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary - Assam:

In Assam`s Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary, the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF) discovered a few tigers. It is one of the smaller WS in Assam (Wildlife Sanctuary).

 

About the Sanctuary:

♦ It is in the Baksa and Udalguri districts of northern Assam, on the Bhutanese border.

♦ The Barnadi and Nalapara rivers, respectively, run through it on the west and east sides.

♦ Barnadi was designed to conserve the Pygmy Hog (Sus salvanius) and Hispid Hare (Hippocampus hispidus) (Caprolagus hispidus).

♦ Grassland makes up over 60% of the BWS, with grassy woodland accounting for the great majority.

♦ Tropical moist deciduous woodland (northern limit of Sanctuary) and mixed scrub and grassland are the predominant forest types (southern part).

♦ The majority of the native vegetation has been replaced by commercial plantations of Bombax ceiba, Tectona grandis, and Eucalyptus, as well as thatch grasses.

 

######