National
KRITAGYA 3.0- A National level Hackathon
⇒ Indian Council of Agricultural Research with its National Agricultural Higher Education Project and Crop Science Division is organizing Hackathon 3.0 ‘’KRITAGYA” on promoting ‘speed breeding for crop improvement’.
Taking forward the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi through National Education Policy-2020, this program will provide an opportunity to students / faculties / entrepreneurs / innovators and others to showcase innovative approaches and technology solutions to promote innovation for crop improvement.
About ‘KRITAGYA’:
» KRI-TA-GYA explains, KRI for Krishi (Agriculture), TA for Taknik (Technology) and GYA for Gyan (Knowledge).
- This event will give an opportunity to the students / faculties / entrepreneurs / innovators and others to showcase their innovative approaches & technology solutions to promote speed breeding for crop improvement to ensure overall sustainability and resilience in crop production in India.
- Such initiatives under NAHEP along with Crop Science Division of ICAR will also help in enhancing the learning capabilities, innovations and disruptive solutions, employability and entrepreneurial drive in the crop science sector.
- Participating students can collaborate with local start-ups, students from technology institutes and can win up-to INR 5 Lakhs.
- This event is also extending the support to winners for further development in their concept propositions, its scalability and future plan in collaboration with Agri Business Incubators, MSMEs and other investors through support of ICAR.
Theme:
Applicants will be presenting the potential solutions on the very specific issues of Crop Improvement like cheaper and more effective materials for rapid generation advancement facilities, precise and handy diagnostic tools for diseases, insect pests, quality of produce etc.; use of ICT for seed traceability, digital breeding platforms and other challenges related to varieties, seeds, biotic and abiotic stresses faced in the vicinity of applicant/specific area/state/zone/at national level.
- The problem statements and solutions will be focusing on ‘Speed Breeding for Crop Improvement’.
» During 2020-21 and 2021-22 NAHEP in association with Agricultural Engineering and Animal Science Divisions of ICAR organized Hackathon 1.0 and 2.0 to promote the innovation in Farm Mechanization and in Animal Science, respectively.
About National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP):
- ICAR commenced NAHEP with the assistance of World Bank (WB) in November 2017.
- The overall objective of NAHEP is to support participating Agricultural Universities (AUs) and ICAR in providing more relevant and higher quality education to the students.
International
19th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ meeting
⇒ Smt Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry along with HE Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, Kingdom of Cambodia co-chaired the 19th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ meeting held on 16th September 2022 in Siem Reap City, Cambodia.
- The Economic Ministers or their representatives from all the 10 ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam attended the meeting.
Key Points:
- The Meeting noted that trade and economic relations between ASEAN and India are starting to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on preliminary ASEAN data for 2021, two-way trade between ASEAN and India reached USD 91.5 billion, increasing by 39.2 per cent year-on-year.
- The Ministers also took note of the recommendations made by ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) to enhance the ASEAN India economic partnership and the activities undertaken by AIBC in 2022.
- The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to take collective actions to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic and work towards a sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery.
- Smt Anupriya Patel briefed the meeting about the progress made by India in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic with its current focus on vaccinating all eligible citizens and the major milestone of administration of 2 billion vaccine doses including booster doses achieved in July 2022, 18 months after the vaccination scheme started in January 2021.
- Smt Anupriya Patel also shared information on the steps taken by India in liberalising and simplifying its FDI policy resulting in the ever-increasing volumes of FDI inflows, setting new records. She invited ASEAN countries to invest in India and be partners in its success.
- In a significant development, the Ministers endorsed the Scope of the Review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to make it more user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses, as well as responsive to the current global and regional challenges including supply chain disruptions. The Ministers also activated the AITIGA Joint Committee to undertake the review of AITIGA expeditiously.
- Smt Anupriya Patel reiterated India’s commitment to supporting a strong, unified and prosperous ASEAN and also to equitable and sustainable trade which balances the aspirations of both the partners.
Important Day
28th World Ozone Day
⇒ World Ozone Day is celebrated on 16th September each year to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol that came into force on this day in 1987.
World Ozone Day is celebrated every year to spread awareness among people about the depletion of Ozone Layer and the measures taken and to be taken to preserve it. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the ozone layer.
Theme:
The theme for the 2022 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was “Montreal Protocol@35: global cooperation protecting life on earth”.
- The theme recognises the wider impact the Montreal Protocol has on climate change and the need to act in collaboration, forge partnerships and develop global cooperation to address climate challenges and protect life on earth for future generations.
History:
In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (resolution 49/114).
India’s achievements in Implementation of the Montreal Protocol:
» India, as Party to the Montreal Protocol since June 1992, has been successfully implementing the Montreal Protocol and projects and activities for phasing out of ozone depleting substances, in line with the phase out schedule of the Protocol.
» India phased out Chlorofluorocarbons, Carbon tetrachloride, Halons, Methyl Bromide and Methyl Chloroform for controlled uses as on 1 January 2010, in line with the Montreal Protocol schedule. Currently, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons are being phased out as per the accelerated schedule of the Montreal Protocol.
» Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) Stage – I has been successfully implemented from 2012 to 2016 and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) Stage – II is under implementation since 2017 and will be completed by 2023.
- Stage III of the HPMP, the last of the HPMPs to phase out remaining HCFCs, will be implemented from 2023 – 2030.
- The phase-out of HCFCs in all manufacturing sectors, comprising refrigeration and air-conditioning manufacturing sectors, will be completed by 1.1.2025 and the activities relating to the servicing sector will be continued till 2030.
» The study on reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions through phase-out of Ozone Depleting Substances under the Montreal Protocol implementation in India.
- The study carried out by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change estimates that the reduction of GHG emissions due to phase-out of ODS till 2022 is 465 million tonne C02 equivalent, while it is expected that the reduction of GHG emissions till 2030 is expected to be 778 million tonnes of C02 equivalent.
» Implementation of actions emerging from India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) will supplement efforts in adopting climate-friendly alternatives and promotion of energy efficiency during the implementation of HFC phase-out under the Kigali Amendment.
- This will significantly contribute to India’s climate action in achieving the net zero emissions by 2070, through the ‘Panchamrits’, committed by the Prime Minister of India, at the Climate Change Conference of Parties in 2021.