• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched “Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from the North-Eastern Region (PTP-NER)“.
• It is a Central Sector Scheme for the benefit of Scheduled Tribes of the North-eastern Region.
• It will assist tribal craftsmen through backward and forward linkages incubation support, aggregation, skill and entrepreneurial development, marketing, transportation, etc.
• Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim would be covered under the scheme.
• The scheme will be implemented by TRIFED, the nodal agency under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• The empanelment of tribal artisans will be done directly or through Tribal Artisan Melas (TAMs). Partners: North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC), India Post and North Eastern State Government Departments/ Agencies.
• Benefits: Increased Livelihood and earning opportunities, increased efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing.

• The global average Sea Surface Temperature (SST) reached 21.1° Celsius (C) according to data released by Climate Change Institute at University of Maine.
  • In the Indian Ocean, it was 29 to 31° C on April 16 – which is 1-2° C above normal.
• Due to this, there are patches of strong marine heat waves over the south Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

About Sea Surface Temperature

• SST is the water temperature close to the ocean’s surface.
• It varies mainly with latitude, warmest near equator and coldest at poles.
• It provides fundamental information on the global climate system.
• It helps in the study of marine ecosystems, weather prediction and atmospheric model simulations; including the onset of El Niño and La Niña cycles, i.e. the Warm and Cool phases of a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific—the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
• Reasons Behind SST Rise: Global Warming (Climate Change), high solar radiation combined with certain ocean dynamics etc.
• Impact: Helping in the onset of Monsoon and rain through development of low-pressure systems, Coral Bleaching and Fish mortality.

Other information

Ocean Mean Temperature (OMT)

• OMT is measured up to a depth of 26-degree C isotherm, is more stable and consistent, and the spatial spread is also less.
• The 26-degree C isotherm is seen at depths varying from 50–100 metres.
• Scientist have found out that OMT which is analysed by measuring the ocean thermal energy during the January-March period – can better predict Indian summer monsoon than the SST.

• The United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) has raised concerns over heavy crop losses in all the tea districts of South India due to the rapid spread of the bug- Helopeltis theivora.
• Tea production in India is under threat due to the infestation of the Tea Mosquito Bug (TMB).
• The Tea Mosquito Bug (Helopeltis theivora) is a common pest that sucks the sap from the tender parts of tea plants, leading to heavy crop losses.
• It also damages the plants by inserting eggs into their tissues.
• TMB has affected both low and high-elevation tea plantations.

Current Scenario

• The Tea Board of India removed several pesticides from its approved list of Plant Protection Code (PPC) to make Indian teas free from harmful pesticides.
• Currently, only seven pesticides are approved for use in South India under the PPC, and tea growers are unable to achieve effective control of the pest.
• The UPASI has sought government approval to use effective molecules that have been evaluated and approved by the Central Insecticide Board & Registration Committee(CIBRC) for other crops in India and have minimum residue levels for tea.

About CIBRC

• The CIBRC was established by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1970 to regulate insecticides under the Insecticides Act, 1968 and Insecticides Rules, 1971.
• The CIBRC advises the government on technical matters and has other assigned functions.
• Insecticide importers and manufacturers need to register with the Registration Committee.

• Ministry of Textiles signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Integrated Textile Park in 1,000 acres in Lucknow and Hardoi districts of UP.
• The textile sector is one of the critical sectors of the Indian economy, accounting for more than 2% of the total GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and more than 12 % of the manufacturing sector GDP.
• The sector is the 2nd largest provider of employment in India, after agriculture.

About the PM MITRA

• PM Mega Integrated Textile Sector and Apparel (MITRA) scheme aims to develop integrated large scale and modern industrial infrastructure facilities for the entire value-chain of the textile industry.
• It is inspired by the 5F visione., – Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign.
• Special Purpose Vehicle owned by Centre and State Government jointly to be set up for each park which will oversee the implementation of the project.
• The setting up the 7 PM MITRA Parks was announced in the Union Budget 2021-22.
• Each MITRA Park will have an incubation centre, common processing house and a common effluent treatment plant and other textile related facilities such as design centres and testing centres.
• Benefits
  • It reduces logistics cost by housing entire value chain at one location.
  • It will give an impetus to local weavers and a skilled workforce.
  • It will help in achieving the SDG 9 (“Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”).
• Other initiatives for promotion of textiles Industry
  • Allowed 100% FDI in the sector under the automatic route.
  • National Technical Textiles Mission.
  • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Textile.
  • SAMARTH Scheme
  • Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme’ (A-TUFS).

• Solan-based mountaineer Baljeet Kaur (27) was found on Mt Annapurna in Nepal today, a day after she reportedly went missing near Camp IV while descending from the peak.
  • Annapurna is the tenth-highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,091 metres above sea level.
• Baljeet successfully scaled Mt Everest (8,848.46 m) with her guide Mingma Sherpa in May 2022. This was her third feat in the last spring season. The duo scaled Mt Annapurna (8,091 m) on April 28 and Mt Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) on May 12.
• A resident of the non-descript Panjrol village in Solan, Baljeet has become the first Indian woman mountaineer to successfully scale 7,161-m Pumori peak in Nepal.
  • She was part of a 12-member delegation that achieved that feat under the Government of India-sponsored “Mt Everest Masiff Expedition-2021”.

• Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, the senior-most judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, has been appointed Acting Chief Justice with effect from April 20, consequent upon the retirement of Justice Sabina.
• Justice Chauhan was born at Rohru in Shimla district on January 9, 1964.
• He did his schooling from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and graduated from DAV College, Chandigarh.
• He obtained a degree in law from Panjab University, Chandigarh.
• He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh in 1989.

• Raj Subramaniam, the CEO of FedEx, a renowned global transportation company, and an Indian-American, was recently honored with the distinguished Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award.
• This award is the highest civilian recognition bestowed by India upon individuals of Indian descent and Indian diaspora.

• April 18th is observed as World Heritage Day, also referred to as International Day for Monuments and Sites.
• The primary objective of this day is to raise awareness of the significance of safeguarding cultural heritage, including historical structures, landmarks, and archaeological locations, and to celebrate the variety of global heritage.
• The theme for World Heritage Day 2023 is “Heritage Changes.”
• The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), headquartered in Paris, proposed the notion of observing World Heritage Day in 1982, and it was subsequently endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983.

• It is a World Health Organisation (WHO) initiative to improve the disease pandemic preparedness.
• PRET focuses on improving pandemic preparedness for groups of pathogens based on their modes of transmission.
• PRET operates under the aegis of the International Health Regulations (IHR), which is a critical international legal instrument for managing public health emergencies.
• PRET recognizes three tiers of systems and capacities relevant for pandemic preparedness:
  • those that are cross-cutting for all or multi-hazard,
  • those that are relevant for groups of pathogens, and
  • those that are specific to a pathogen.

• The United States Congress recently made an attempt to create a legislative framework for the increasingly popular stablecoins.

About Stablecoins

• They are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged, or tied, to that of another currency, commodity, or financial instrument.
  • The first stablecoin, created in 2014, was Tether.
• Stablecoins aim to provide an alternative to the high volatility of the most popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC).
• Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, stablecoins’ prices remain steady, in accordance with whichever fiat currency backs them. Eg: USDC stablecoin is backed by dollar-denominated assets.
• Advantages :
  • They are open, global, and accessible to anyone on the internet.
  • They’re fast, cheap and secure to transmit.

About Cryptocurrency

• Cryptocurrencies are digital or virtual currencies in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of their units and verify the transfer of funds.
• These currencies operate independently of a central bank.
• The economic transactions underlying cryptocurrency are decentralized, distributed and disbursed.
• The first and most famous cryptocurrency, bitcoin was introduced in 2009.
• Most cryptocurrencies are built on blockchain technology.