05-10-21 Daily-Punjab-PPSC Current Affairs

Punjab needs a comprehensive crop diversification plan at the micro level, involving a block or a cluster of blocks with similar conditions. The plan should be based on water availability, Niche crops and Marketing facilities in that geographical unit. The plan must be spread over5-10 years for its implementation, prioritising the areas to be brought under it each year on the basis of severity of water scarcity. This is expected to be a win-win situationfor conserving our <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/natural-Resources“>Natural Resources as well as sustainingfarmers income.

A three-pronged strategy needs to be formulated for preparing a comprehensive crop diversification plan for the state at the micro level, involving a block or a cluster of blocks with similar conditions. The plan needs to be based on (i) water availability, (ii) niche crops and (iii) related marketing facilities in that particular geographical unit.

Water availability

The Water Resources in a particular geographical unit may include groundwater or canal water or both, apart from rain/runoff water and treated wastewater. The water balance of each unit needs to be worked out so as to ascertain the water availability for <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and other sectors against the available supplies. Based on the water availability and its quality, some blocks may need to diversify from paddy/wheat, whereas others may not. Those units with highest level of negative water balance could be chosen for the crop diversification plan on priority basis. For example, estimates indicate that five blocks in Sangrur, two each in Barnala and Jalandhar and one each in Patiala, Hoshiarpur and Moga are expected to have the water table below 165 feet by 2030. These blocks need to be taken up first for crop diversification based on this strategy. Further, these assessments will also determine the extent of area in each block to be diversified from paddy/wheat and/or spring maize for sustained use of groundwater.

Niche crops

The blind recommendation of replacing paddy with maize may not be a good option for crop diversification across the state. Several geographical units have been growing alternative crops in smaller pockets over the years peas in Hoshiarpur and Tarn Taran, moong bean in Jagraon (Ludhiana), celery (Amritsar), kinnow (Fazilka and Hoshiarpur) etc. with well-established markets. The area under Cotton, another important crop in southwest Punjab, has been declining due to cultural and marketing issues. The area under these niche crops can be expanded further by providing improved cultural practices including high- yielding cultivars, value addition techniques and further strengthening of the prevailing marketing facilities. Also, some traditional crops of certain regions bajra, jowar, guar could be revisited keeping in mind their growing demand in the market. Arhar, an important pulse crop with huge demand in the country and being imported every year, could find a place in the state with improved harvesting varieties being developed by PAU.

Value addition

The area under these niche/alternate crops has to be increased at the cost of paddy. To compete with paddy, these crops have to be equally remunerative or even better. This can be possible not only by developing high-yielding cultivars but also developing the cultivars suitable for post-harvesting value addition. The government has taken initiatives to take the farmers out of the crop-based income system and encourage them for value addition. Thus, creating Infrastructure facilities for value addition is the need of the hour. For example, kinnow juice extraction facility could be created in such units to process the fruit instead of selling it at throwaway prices. The same could be true for potato and other crops.

A comprehensive crop diversification plan must be spread over 5-10 years for its implementation, prioritising the areas to be brought under the plan each year on the basis of severity of water scarcity. This is expected to be a win-win situation for conserving our natural resources as well as sustaining agricultural productivity and farmers income.

The Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) has launched cinnamon cultivation in Himachal Pradesh for the first time.

Highlights

Originally, cinnamon was grown in Sri Lanka, while minor producing countries include Seychelles, Madagascar, and India.

India sends 45,318 tonnes of cinnamon periodically from China, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal.

With the cultivation of Cinnamon, Himachal Pradesh has become the first state of India to possess organized cultivation of cinnamon.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh complimented the winners of the DEFENCE Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), ‘Dare to Dream 2.0’ Contest in New Delhi.

The Raksha Mantri presented the Awards to 40 winners – 22 within the Individual category and 18 within the Startup level.

He also started ‘Dare to Dream 3.0’ to market innovators & startups and supply a platform for the young ignited minds within the country.

Dare to Dream is DRDO’s pan-India competition to market Indian academicians, individuals and startups to develop emerging defence and aerospace technologies/systems.

Sixteen DRDO experts under the age of 35 were awarded for their outstanding contributions in areas of their expertise.

Three indigenously-developed technologies were handed over to the soldiers.
DRDO managed Research Policy & Records Management Policy was launched.

In India, the ‘Ganga dolphin Day’ is observed each year on October 5 to raise knowledge and support the protection of Ganga River Dolphins.

Highlights:

It had been on today in 2010 that Ganga Dolphins were declared national aquatic animals.
WWF, The World Wide Fund for Nature, in 2012 and the Uttar Pradesh government jointly began the dolphin conservation campaign.

The Gangetic Dolphins are included under the primary Schedule of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. they have been declared “Endangered” under (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

They’re listed under Appendix I as most endangered under the Convention on International trade in endangered species (CITES).

They’re listed under Appendix II of Conservation on Migratory Species.
The Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Affairs:Najla Bouden Romdhane has been appointed because the first-ever female Prime Minister of Tunisia.

Highlights:

The 63-year-old Ms Bouden has also become the first female prime minister within the whole Arab world.

Ms Bouden will be Tunisia’s tenth Prime Minister.

Before this appointment, Najla served within the Education bureau in 2011.

She is a former director at PromESsE, a higher education reform project, and has held senior positions at Tunisia’s higher education ministry.

Originally from Kairouan, she is a French-educated geologist with a doctorate in geological engineering and a lecturer at Tunisia’s National Engineering School.

The President of Tunisia is Kais Saied, and also the Capital of Tunisia is Tunis.

The currency of Tunisia is that the Tunisian dinar.

World Teachers day is commemorated on 5 October by UNESCO, to celebrate all the teachers worldwide.

Highlights:

The World Teachers Day has been held every year to celebrate all the teachers worldwide since 1994.

The Theme for World Teachers Day 2021 is Teachers at the heart of Education recovery.

The world teachers day focuses on appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world.

It also celebrates the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

World Teachers Day is held together with the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF and Education International (EI).