WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Minister of Tribal Affairs has inaugurated a ‘Three-day National level Virtual Training of Trainers Programme on Forest Rights Act, 2006,’ as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav/Parv.

About National level Virtual Training of Trainers Programme

This Programme on Forest Rights Act will help in enhancing the knowledge base of the Forest Rights Act and ensuring the development of the tribal community.

The themes designed in the program will help in understanding Community Rights, Community Forest Resources, empowering the right holders for forest governance.

• About Forest Rights Act, 2006:
• The Forest Rights Act is also known as Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
• The act recognizes the rights of the Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD), on the forest resources.

Objectives of the Act:

• To undo the historical injustice that occurred to the forest-dwelling communities
• To ensure land tenure, livelihood, and food security of the forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers
• To strengthen the conservation regime of the forests by including the responsibilities and authority of Forest Rights holders for sustainable use, conservation of biodiversity, and maintenance of ecological balance.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Multiple World Masters Championship gold medallist and multiple Asian Masters Championship medallist athlete 105-year-old, Man Kaur passed away.
• She started running and won her first medal in Chandigarh Masters Athletics meet in 2007 before she won the gold in 100 m as well 200 m race in the National Masters Athletics meet in 2011.
• Kaur would become the 100 m and 200 m champion in the World Masters Athletics Championships in the USA and was also adjudged the best athlete.
• But it was her feat of becoming the champion in the 100 m in the 100+ category in the World Masters Athletics Championships in Auckland in 2017, which got her into the limelight.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is marked every year in the first week of August, between 1 to 7 August, to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding for mothers and infants.
• The theme of the World Breastfeeding Week 2021 is “Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility​”. The annual week is organized by WABA, WHO and UNICEF since 1991.
• Breastfeeding provides every child with the best possible start in life. It delivers health, nutritional and emotional benefits to both children and mothers.
• And it forms part of a sustainable food system. But while breastfeeding is a natural process, it is not always easy. Mothers need support – both to get started and to sustain breastfeeding.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman of the Pune-based vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII), has been selected for the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021.
• He has been named for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, by manufacturing the Covishield vaccine. He will receive the award on August 13. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs one lakh and a memento.
• The Lokmanya Tilak national award is given annually since 1983 on August 1, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, by the Lokmanya Tilak Trust. However this year the date has been changed due to the coronavirus situation.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Deepak Das has taken over as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on August 01, 2021. Prior to assuming charge of CGA, Mr Das served as the Principal Chief Controller of Accounts in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
• Deepak Das, a 1986-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer, is the 25th officer to hold the position of CGA. CGA is the account keeper of the government and derives its mandate from Article 150 of the Constitution.
• It reconciles the cash balance of the centre with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) apart from consolidating monthly accounts; preparing trends of revenue realization and expenditures as well as annual accounts of the central government.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Output at India’s eight core sectors grew by 8.9% in June 2021 largely due to Base Effect but the pace remained below the production levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic as well as its second wave.

About Eight Core Sectors:

• These comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
• The eight core sector industries in decreasing order of their weightage: Refinery Products> Electricity> Steel> Coal> Crude Oil> Natural Gas> Cement> Fertilizers.

Base Effect:                       

• The base effect refers to the effect that the choice of a basis of comparison or reference can have on the result of the comparison between data points.
• For example, the base effect can lead to an apparent under- or overstatement of figures such as inflation rates or economic growth rates if the point chosen for comparison has an unusually high or low value relative to the current period or the overall data.
• Production of coal, natural gas, refinery products, steel, cement and electricity jumped by 7.4%, 20.6%, 2.4%, 25%, 4.3% and 7.2%, respectively, in June 2021, as against (-) 15.5%, (-) 12%, (-) 8.9%, (-) 23.2%, (-) 6.8% and (-) 10% in the same month last year.

Index of Industrial Production:

• IIP is an indicator that measures the changes in the volume of production of industrial products during a given period.
• It is compiled and published monthly by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• It is a composite indicator that measures the growth rate of industry groups classified under:
  • Broad sectors, namely, Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity.
  • Use-based sectors, namely Basic Goods, Capital Goods, and Intermediate Goods.
• The base year for IIP is 2011-2012.

Significance of IIP:

• It is used by government agencies including the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India, etc, for policy-making purposes.
• IIP remains extremely relevant for the calculation of the quarterly and advance GDP (Gross Domestic Product) estimates.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The 36th Edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) is being conducted. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu, an indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessel, is participating in the 36th Edition of the CORPAT.

About India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT):

• India and Indonesia have been carrying out Coordinated Patrols (CORPAT) exercise along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2002.
• Aim: To keep the vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping, international trade, and the conduct of legitimate maritime activities.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Union Ministry for Science & Technology has released “Biotech-PRIDE (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) Guidelines”.

About Biotech-PRIDE Guidelines:

• The Biotech-PRIDE Guidelines have been developed by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• Aim: The guidelines are aimed at providing a well-defined framework and guiding principle to facilitate and enable sharing and exchange of biological knowledge, information and data.
• Implementation: The guidelines will be implemented through the Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC).
• Significance: The exchange of information will help in promoting research and innovation in different research groups across the country.

About BioGrid:                          

• Bio-Grid will be a national repository for biological knowledge, information and data and will be responsible for enabling its exchange, developing measures for safety, standards and quality for datasets and establishing detailed modalities for accessing data.

About Indian Biological Data Center (IBDC):

• The Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) is the first national repository for life science data in India.
• Purpose: IBDC is mandated to archive all life science data generated from publicly funded research in India.
• Supported by: The data centre is supported by the Government of India (GOI) through the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• Location: It is being established at the Regional Centre of Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The government has organized 108 training programmes for the awareness of the farmers across 24 states/UTs under the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana (PDDUUKSY).

About Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana (PDDUUKSY):

• The scheme was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• Aim: To develop the human resource in organic farming, natural farming and cow-based economy for environmental sustenance and soil health.

Objectives:                                                                    

• To build skilled Human Resources at the village level who are relevant for developing organic farming and sustainable agriculture.
• Provide rural India with technical support in the field of Organic Farming or Natural Farming or Rural Economy or Sustainable Agriculture.
• To extend other activities of this Yojana at village level through their established centres.

• Implementation: Education wing of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR)

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The government of India has accorded sanctions to Team CLAW to lead a team of people with disabilities to scale Siachen Glacier. It will be a new world record for the largest team of people with disabilities. This expedition is being undertaken as part of ‘Operation Blue Freedom’.

About Operation Blue Freedom:

• Operation Blue Freedom was launched in 2019 by CLAW Global, a team of former Special Forces Operatives of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy.
• The Operation is a social impact venture aimed at rehabilitating people with disabilities through adaptive adventure sports.
• It aims to shatter the common perception of pity, charity, and inability associated with people with disabilities and recreate it to one of dignity, freedom, and ability.
• Moreover, their focus is also to ‘design and implement sustainable large-scale employment solutions’ for people with disabilities, especially in the ‘Environment conservation and Sustainability’ space.