March 28, 2024

Geography


Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is planning to replace the 80-year-old Coffee Act with the new Coffee (Promotion and Development Bill), 2022. The government would not close the Coffee Board, but would rather shift it from the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Agriculture, to ensure that the benefits of all agricultural schemes are extended to coffee growers. The government has also proposed to repeal the decades old laws on tea, spices and rubber, and introduce new legislations in order to increase the ease of doing business and promote the development of these sectors. Reasons for Scrapping the Law....Read More

The government has proposed amendments in the Cantonments Act, 2006 by incorporating provisions for imparting, inter-alia, greater democratisation to Cantonment Boards including direct election of Vice-President. This information was given by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. He said the draft bill is under finalization. The elections to Cantonment Boards are proposed to be held thereafter. Defence Minister said a framework for cutting out civil areas of certain Cantonments and to merge them with neighbouring State municipalities is under consultation with concerned States. He said this will provide uniformity in local governance and greater....Read More

Alibag’s white onion gets GI tagged, to benefit farmers as white onion will get premium price. With its picturesque beaches, Alibag, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, is one of the popular tourist spots.  This historic place will be now recognized for Geographical Indication (GI) tagged white onion. The GI for this onion, characterised by its sweetness, has been accepted. The GI tag gives a unique identity to the white onion, which has medicinal qualities and is being cultivated in a traditional way for a long time. Farmers will directly get benefits as the white onion will get the premium price because of the GI....Read More

Chaprah, an indigenous food delicacy found in the tribal regions of the country is looking to make it to the GI list of food items. Chaprah or a chutney made from red weaver ant is popular among the tribal population who consume it for its nutritious value. Also known as ‘The Kai’ in Odisha, the food delicacy is trying for GI tag which will further help preserve the cultural value associated with it and also promote the food. In Odisha, scientists through their research are trying for the geographical indications (GI) registry of Kai Chutney. Applied under the food category,....Read More

Jawaharlal Nehru Port has become the first 100 per cent Landlord Major Port of India having all berths being operated on PPP model. According to Sarbananda Sonowal, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister, this project will improve the utilization in crane and berth productivity of the terminal. The total handling of JNPT will increase to 1.8 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) from the present handling capacity of 1.5 million TEUs in 2020-21. The terminal will also be handling Ro-Ro vessels which will not only lower the logistics cost and reduce transit time but will also contribute in reducing congestion on roads....Read More

Recently, the Steering Committee of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (SC-KBLP) conducted its second meeting. Members from the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, as well as representatives from the NITI Aayog and different central ministries, attended the conference. KEY POINTS: The Ken-Betwa link project, is crucial for the water security and socioeconomic development of the Bundelkhand region, should be implemented in a time-bound manner using state-of-the-art technologies and know-how while properly taking care of R&R for project affected people and conservation of the region, in particular the landscape-dependent species of the Panna Tiger Reserve. Deliberations on the implementation of....Read More

Typhoon is a regionally specific name for a strong Tropical Cyclone. A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation. A typhoon made landfall in Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture, bringing with it torrential downpours and thunder amid unstable atmospheric pressure in the eastern and northern parts of the country. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned that Aere could trigger landslides, rough seas, flooding in low-lying areas as rivers breach their banks, as well as warning of thunder and lightning strikes. The slow-moving....Read More

India is exploring avenues for jointly investing in advanced processing facilities for lithium, a key component in electric vehicles (EV), in Australia, Coal and Mines. Lithium hydroxide is a key component in EV batteries. Dignitaries from both sides visited the Tianqi lithium processing facility in Kwinana, Perth, Australia. Domestic sources India imported around 627 million units of lithium­ion batteries in FY19, while during FY20 and FY21, the in­bound shipments of lithium­ion batteries stood at 539 million units and 516 million units, respectively. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research is carrying out exploration for lithium in Mandya and Yadgir districts of Karnataka. India has been exploring to acquire mines of strategic minerals such as lithium and cobalt in producing countries like Australia, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. To that effect,a Joint Venture firm, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) with NALCO, Hindustan Copper and Mineral Exploration Corporation was also created.Read More

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) is re­engaging itself to develop the edible oil co­operatives and fruit and vegetable (F&V) sector in the country on the lines of dairy cooperative model. NDDB, which implemented the Operation Flood programme that helped the country achieve self-sufficiency in milk production, now expects to play a key role in boosting domestic oilseeds production such as sunflower and groundnuts, besides providing a forward linkage to co­operatives and the farmer producer companies focussed on F&V production. Fodder seeds NDDB Chairman Meenesh Shah said the board’s expertise in propagating the fodder seeds will be used to enhance the production of sunflower seeds. As a pilot, NDDB recently partnered with the Karnataka Oilseeds Federation and the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, to increase the production of hybrid sunflower seeds. NDDB will also look at replicating the initiative in other States like Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana In the 1980s, NDDB was instrumental in setting up edible oil co­operatives across the country.Read More

ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), the wholly owned subsidiary and overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC), has made an oil discovery in Llanos Basin, Colombia. ONGC Videsh has earlier discovered commercial oil in the Lower Sand pay in Mariposa and Indico fields in the block in 2017 and 2018 respectively, which are currently commercially producing @ 20,000 bbl oil per day. ONGC Videsh holds 70% participating interest (PI) in the block along with operatorship, remaining 30% is held by partner Geopark. ONGC Videsh has a significant presence in oil & gas sector in Colombia, with three other....Read More

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