National
‘SMART 2.0’ launched for Ayurveda Teaching Professionals
⇒ The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) along with National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) has launched ‘SMART 2.0’ (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research among Teaching professionals) program to promote robust clinical studies in priority areas of Ayurveda with Ayurveda academic institutions/hospitals across the country through mutual collaboration.
According to Prof (Vd) Rabinarayan Acharya, DG, CCRAS, the study aims at safety, tolerability and adherence to Ayurveda formulations in the priority research areas of Bal Kasa, Malnutrition, Insufficient lactation, Abnormal Uterine Bleeding, Osteoporosis in post-menopausal women and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) II.
Key Points:
- CCRAS is an apex organization for the formulation, co-ordination, development and promotion of research on scientific lines in Ayurveda, functioning under the Ministry of Ayush.
- The objective of ‘SMART 2.0’ is to generate tangible evidence to demonstrate efficacy and safety of Ayurveda interventions using interdisciplinary research methods and translating it into public health care.
- Under the ‘SMART 1.0’, around 10 diseases were covered with the active participation of teaching professionals from 38 colleges.
Launch of Tur Dal Procurement Portal
⇒ Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah launched the portal for registration, purchase and payment of tur producing farmers of India in New Delhi on 04 January 2024.
Key Points:
- This farmer-centric initiative aims to empower tur dal producers with better prices through procurement, streamlined processes and direct bank transfers by NAFED and NCCF, thereby boosting domestic pulses production and reducing import dependence.
- Under this, the buffer stock of pulses will be purchased from the farmers registered on the portals of NAFED and NCCF as per the guidelines of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India and MSP or market price, whichever is higher, will be paid to the farmers.
- The process of registration, purchase and payment on the portal will be available on a single medium. Portal registration of farmers can be done directly or through PACS and FPO. The payment to the farmers will be made by NAFED directly into their mapped bank account and no agency will be involved in between. The entire process is farmer centric in which farmers themselves can track the activities from registration to payment.
- This initiative complements the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaign. The portal will streamline the entire process for tur dal growers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Jharkhand, simplifying the registration, procurement and payment processes.
- It aims to reduce dependence on imports by purchasing 80% of the buffer stock directly from farmers. This will not only secure food production but will also ensure the future food security of the nation.
- The multilingual electronic portal ‘esamridhi.in’ will connect farmers, NAFED and concerned government departments, streamlining processes for better accessibility.
Important Day
World Braille Day 2024
⇒ World Braille Day is celebrated every year on January 4.
World Braille Day is a global commemoration to acknowledge the significance of Braille as a vital medium of communication for blind and partially sighted individuals.
Theme:
The theme of World Braille Day 2024 is “Empowering Through Inclusion and Diversity”.
History:
- This day holds special importance as it marks the birthday of Louis Braille, the visionary inventor of the Braille script, born in France in 1809.
- Recognizing the paramount role of Braille in education, communication, and social inclusion, the United Nations has designated 4 January each year as World Braille Day.
- The UN General Assembly proclaimed January 4 to be World Braille Day in November 2018 (Resolution A/RES/73/161).
- Braille, a universal code rather than a language, serves as a tool to write and read in various languages, including Sanskrit, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Spanish, and many others.