HIMACHAL PRADESH
Himachal Pradesh: 9.61 lakh families of farmers to be covered under natural farming by 2022, says CM Jai Ram Thakur
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the state government was contemplating to cover all the 9.61 lakh families of farmers under natural farming by 2022.
He said that natural farming was a complete paradigm shift from traditional farming which involves various cropping inputs.
The CM said that the scheme envisages increasing farm income in harmony with nature with no use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He said that agriculture plays a significant role in the economy of the state with over 67 per cent population directly depending on agriculture.
He said that natural farming not only helps in providing hygienic and chemical free fruit and vegetables to the farmers, but also gives them remunerative prices for their produce. He said that the state government had set a target of covering 50,000 families under natural farming during 2019 but succeeded in covering about 55000 families.
INTERNATIONAL
Armenia, Azerbaijan clashes disturb peace in South Caucasus
Clashes erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the volatile Nagorno-Karabakh region, reigniting concern about instability in the South Caucasus, a corridor for pipelines transporting oil and gas to world markets.
Both sides, which fought a war in the 1990s, reported fatalities.
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that is inside Azerbaijan but is run by ethnic Armenians, declared martial law and mobilised their male populations.
Armenia said Azerbaijan had carried out an air and artillery attack on Nagorno-Karabakh.
The clashes prompted a flurry of diplomacy to prevent a new flare-up of a decades-old conflict between majority Christian Armenia and mainly Muslim Azerbaijan, with Russia calling for an immediate ceasefire and Pope Francis leading calls for talks.
World Heart Day: 29 September
World Heart Day is observed on 29th September every year.
The day is celebrated to create awareness of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) including heart disease & stroke and highlights the preventive and control measures.
This initiative was launched in 2000 by the World Heart Federation as an annual event and has been celebrated on the 29th day of September ever since.
On an average, more than 17 million people die from heart-related illnesses every year.
2020 theme: “Use Heart To Beat Cardiovascular Disease”.
NATIONAL
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana’ – a flagship scheme for focused development of fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of ₹20,050 crore during a period of five years as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat package.
The scheme is being launched in 21 states of the country. Over 20 thousand crore rupees will be spent on this in the next 4-5 years.
The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has directly transferred money to the bank accounts of more than 10 crore farmers of the country. There are also about 75 lakh farmers in Bihar. So far, about 6 thousand crore rupees have been deposited in the bank accounts of farmers of Bihar, as announced by the PM.
The PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to Rs 1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
The scheme could double the incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25 per cent to about 10 per cent.
The scheme also aims to generate additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in fisheries sector and allied activities.
Internet connectivity for every village in 1,000 days: Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government was committed to taking the country’s over six lakh villages into 21st century and, therefore, providing digital infrastructure (optical fibre) to link every village with internet connectivity and increased road communication network.
The PM said this after launching from Delhi the project to link over 6 lakh villages in the country, including 45,945 in Bihar, with optical fibre, besides laying the foundation stones for nine road and mega bridge projects worth Rs14,260 crore as part of his Rs1.65 lakh crore “PM package” announced for Bihar during electioneering in 2015. It included Rs54,000 crore for the roads – four-laning of national highways and construction of mega bridges.
670 Electric buses sanctioned in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Chandigarh under Phase-2 of FAME India scheme
The government has sanctioned 670 electric buses and 241 charging stations to boost the electric mobility in the country.
The buses have been sanctioned in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Chandigarh whereas charging stations in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat and Port Blair under Phase-II of FAME India Scheme.
Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India scheme was launched in 2015 to promote adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles in India.
The second phase of this scheme has been implemented from last year with a total budgetary support of 10 thousand crore rupees.