HIMACHAL PRADESH
Wheat procurement increased in state
The wheat procurement in the state has surpassed the last year’s level by 30 per cent. Four new centres have been opened to purchase wheat from farmers after strict restrictions were announced by Punjab and Haryana in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
Around 4,500 MT of wheat has been procured against the total of 3,100 MT last year. The procurement will continue for one month.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has procured wheat for Rs 1,975 per quintal, benefiting 1,124 farmers.
The centres are opened in Paonta Sahib and Kala Amb (Sirmaur), Kanger and Takrala (Una), Fatehpur and Thakurdwara (Kangra) Nalagarh (Solan) and Patta (Bilaspur) from farmers, who were unable to sell their produce in the neighbouring states.
Wheat produced in the Paonta valley is known for its quality but the farmers were either dependent on middlemen or travelled to the markets in Punjab and Haryana to sell their produce at throwaway prices.
INTERNATIONAL
Common Wealth Day is on 24th May
Every year on the second Monday of March, the Commonwealth Day is observed. However, another Commonwealth Day is observed on May 24 in India.
Commonwealth Day is also known as Empire Day.
Commonwealth Memorial Day commemorates the establishment of the British Empire in India and other British colonies.
This year’s Commonwealth Day theme of 2021 is “Delivering a Common Future”.
The purpose of this theme is to highlight how the 54 Commonwealth countries are innovating, connecting, and transforming to help achieve important goals such as combating climate change, promoting good governance, and achieving gender equality.
BioHub Initiative by WHO
Switzerland and World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the BioHub facility, which will allow pathogens to be shared between laboratories and will facilitate “analysis and preparedness” against them.
This facility will aid in the safe receipt, storage, sequencing, and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, thereby enhancing global preparedness against these pathogens.
It will allow member states to share biological materials with and through the BioHub under pre-agreed-upon terms, such as biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations.
In the meantime, WHO will expand its BioHub System to allow qualified entities – such as manufacturers – to use biological materials in the development of medical by-products for equitable distribution to countries.
NATIONAL
Environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna Passed Away
Sunderlal Bahuguna, a well-known environmentalist, died as a result of COVID-19. He was 94 years old.
Bahuguna was a founder of the Chipko Organization, a socio-ecological movement that used Gandhian tactics of nonviolent resistance and Satyagraha to fight rampant deforestation.
During his life, he participated in the freedom movement and later in the Sarvodaya movement of Vinoba Bhave.
He was most known for the Chipko Movement, which involved hugging trees to keep them from being cut down for commercial interests in the Gharwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.
Launched the Ayush Sanjivani App and the Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal
The Ministry of Ayush recently launched the Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) portal and the third version of the Ayush Sanjivani App.
Ayush Clinical Repository (ACCR) portal:
It will serve as a resource for both Ayush practitioners and the general public.
Aim: To collect data on clinical outcomes achieved by Ayurvedic practitioners on a large scale.
It is expected to document the capabilities of Ayush systems in the treatment of a variety of disease conditions.
It has a section dedicated to reporting and publishing information about Covid 19 cases treated by Ayush Systems.
Ayush Sanjivani App: It allows for a significant study/documentation of the efficacy of selected Ayush interventions, such as Ayush 64 and Kabasura Kudineer medicines, in the treatment of asymptomatic and mild to moderate Covid 19 patients.
Crop in news – Jackfruit
Jackfruit has recently been in the news. A shipment of fresh jackfruit from Tripura was shipped to London. It is a significant step toward maximising the export potential of agricultural and processed food products from the northeastern region.
Jackfruit is a tree species that belongs to the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit families (Moraceae).
It is a multi-fruit made up of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers and fleshy petals.
Artocarpus heterophyllus is the scientific name for this plant.
India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Nepal are the world’s major producers.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, and Assam are the major production states in India.
Kerala is the world’s largest producer of jackfruit.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu have it as a state fruit.