Review meeting on the plan aims to increase the income of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) as well as create rural employment opportunities.
About Scheme:
- Ministry: Ministry of Cooperation.
- Implementing Agencies: National Cooperative Development Corporation, NABARD, Food Corporation of India, Central Warehousing Corporation, etc.
- Significance
- Food Security: Decentralized storage will reduce food grain wastage, enhancing national food security.
- Access to credit: Farmers will be able to store their produce in godown constructed at PACS & avail finance for the next cycle of crop.
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1 sourceAt ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary; UN and global diplomats hail ECOWAS as Africa’s model for regional integration.
About ECOWAS:
- Origin: In 1975, 15 States signed Lagos Treaty
- Headquarters: Abuja, Nigeria.
- Members: Benin, Cabo Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo.
- Aim: To promote cooperation and integration for establishment of an economic union in West Africa in order to:
- Raise the living standards of its peoples,
- To maintain and enhance economic stability,
- Foster relations-among Member States and
- contribute to the progress and development of the African continent.
The annual Shangri-La Dialogue is being held in Singapore.
About Shangri-La Dialogue
- Genesis: Inspired by post–Cold War multilateralism and evolving defence diplomacy post-9/11, the dialogue was established in 2002.
- Naming: After the Shangri-La hotel where the 1st summit took place
- Organised by: International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London, with support from the Singapore government.
- Format: A “1.5 Track” multilateral defence dialogue (mix of official and unofficial participation)
- Purpose: It enables government ministers, defence chiefs and policy makers from Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe and the Middle East to discuss the regional security issues and to share policy responses.
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2 sourcesThe Kheer Bhawani festival, celebrated annually on the Jyeshta Ashtami, is being held at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir.
About Kheer Bhawani Temple
- Location: Near Srinagar
- Prime Goddess: Dedicated to Goddess Ragnya Devi, an incarnation of Goddess Durga.
- Built by Maharaja Pratap Singh around 1912, which was later embellished and renovated by Maharaja Hari Singh.
- A hexagonal spring is present at the centre of the temple, known for its sacred water.
- The temple and festival are named after the sweet dish ‘kheer’, distributed as prasad to the devotees.
A study finds that excess iron stimulates phytoplankton blooms, increasing the rate of nutrient consumption and leading to a faster transition to nutrient-poor conditions in the oceans.
About Phytoplanktons
- They are microscopic organisms that live in both salty and freshwater environments.
- Contain chlorophyll and require sunlight and inorganic nutrients like iron, nitrates, phosphates, sulfur to live and grow.
- Types: Bacteria, protists, single-celled plants (Cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates, green algae, etc.)
- Significance:
- Food Chain: Act as primary producers.
- Biological carbon pump: Responsible for most of the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean.
- Risks: Overgrowth may lead to harmful algal blooms (red tides), releasing toxins that are dangerous to both marine and human life.
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1 sourceRecently, Mount Etna volcano located on Sicily island, Italy erupted.
About Mount Etna
- It is the highest Mediterranean island mountain, the most active stratovolcano in the world and Europe’s largest active volcano.
- Stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) are formed by lava cooler and more viscous than basalt, leading to more explosive eruptions.
- Features: Summit craters, cinder cones, lava flows and the Valle de Bove depression.
- One of the world's longest documented records of historical volcanism (~2700 years).
- It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE) has invited proposals to set up District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs) in underserved districts under the NAPDDR.
About NAPDR
- Objective: To address substance abuse through prevention, de-addiction, and rehabilitation.
- Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme
- Key Strategies
- Preventive education and awareness
- Treatment and rehabilitation for addicts and families
- Capacity building at various levels
- Financial Support Provided To:
- States/UTs – for awareness and capacity-building programs
- NGOs/VOs – to run:
- Integrated Rehabilitation Centres (IRCAs)
- Community Peer-led Interventions (CPLI)
- Outreach and Drop-in Centres (ODIC)
- District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs)
- Govt. Hospitals – for setting up Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs)
- Tenure: 2018-2025
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3 sourcesBorder Security Force (BSF) contingent comprising 25 women personnel deployed with the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo.
What is UN Peacekeeping?
- Genesis: UN Peacekeeping began in 1948 with the establishment of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in the Middle East to monitor ceasefires.
- Three basic principles: Consent of the parties, Impartiality, Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
- Components of UN Peacekeeping include Facilitating Political Processes, Protecting Civilians, election support, etc.
- Since the 1950s, India has sent over 290,000 peacekeepers to more than 50 missions worldwide, making it the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping efforts.
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