National
Inauguration of 3 Centers of Excellence (COEs) established in Karnataka
⇒ Shri B. S. Yediyurapp, Chief Minister of Karnataka and Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare jointly inaugurated the 3 Centers of Excellence (COEs) established in Karnataka under Indo-Israel Agricultural Project (IIAP) on 16 June 2021.
It aims to take forward Israeli technologies in the field of horticulture.
The three COEs include:
- Centers of Excellence Bagalkote for Pomegranate
- Centers of Excellence Kolar for Mango
- Centers of Excellence Dharwad for Vegetables
MIDH Division of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, India and MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation – are leading Israel’s largest G2G cooperation, with 29 operational Centres of Excellence across India in 12 States, implementing advanced Israeli Agro-Technology tailored to local conditions.
Out of these 29 fully functional Centers of Excellence, 3 are from Karnataka, viz., Kolar for Mango, Bagalkote for Pomegranate and Dharwad for Vegetables.
Centers of Excellence is an advanced & intensive agricultural farm that generates knowledge, demonstrates best practices and trains farmers based on Israeli novel agro-technology tailored to the local conditions.
About MIDH:
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
An Independent Appraisal Report on Aspirational Districts Programme by UNDP India
⇒ An independent appraisal report on Aspirational Districts Programme has been released by UNDP India on 11 June 2021.
In the report, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India has lauded the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) as ‘a very successful model of local area development.
The report captures the progress of the Aspirational Districts Programme and makes recommendations for further improvements.
The report said that it should serve as a best practice in several other countries where regional disparities in development status persist for many reasons.
Read More About Independent Appraisal Report on Aspirational Districts Programme by UNDP India
International
UN “High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi delivered a keynote address at the UN “High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought” on 14 June 2021 via video conference.
The Prime Minister addressed at the Opening Segment in his capacity as the President of the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Key points of the Prime Minister’s address:
During his address, the Prime Minister listed steps taken by India to deal with the land degradation issue.
The Prime Minister informed that:
» India has taken the lead to highlight land degradation issues at international forums.
» The Delhi Declaration of 2019 called for better access and stewardship over land, and emphasised gender-sensitive transformative projects.
» In India, over the last 10 years, around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added. This has enhanced the combined forest cover to almost one-fourth of the country’s total area.
» India is on track to achieve its national commitment of Land degradation neutrality. India is also working towards restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This would contribute to India’s commitment to achieve an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
» In the spirit of South-South cooperation, India is assisting fellow developing countries to develop land restoration strategies.
» A Centre of Excellence is being set up in India to promote a scientific approach towards land degradation issues.
Microsoft Corp named new Chairman
⇒ Microsoft Corp named Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella as its new chairman on 16 June 2021, in place of John Thompson. Satya Nadella will serve as the company’s chairman and chief executive officer.