ASSAM
Assam: Kaziranga records drop in poaching, but threat remains high
- World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park (KNP), home to world’s two-third population of one-horned rhinos, has recorded a drop in poaching in the last two years. But park authorities said threat level due to poaching remained still high.
- According to KNP records, between 2017-18 seven rhinos were poached and during 2018-19 six rhinos were poached. In the current year (2019-20) one rhino poached so far. Whereas in 2016-17 alone, 12 rhinos were poached.
- Spread over 430 sq km area, Kaziranga, about 250 km from here, has over 2000 rhinos. Poaching of rhinos has been a constant threat because of high demand for the pachyderm’s horn in the international grey market for wildlife body parts. The horns are smuggled through Myanmar for use in traditional medicines mainly in China and Vietnam.
INTERNATIONAL
- New Zealand bans single-use plastic shopping bags
- New Zealand officially banned single-use plastic shopping bags introducing hefty fines for business.
- Plastic pollution has become a growing global concern with a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals who are injured or killed every year
- Companies that break New Zealand’s ban face heavy penalties including fines of up to 100,000 New Zealand dollar (USD 67,000).
- The use of single-use plastic shopping bags under the new rules, thin plastic single-use shopping bags can no longer be supplied.The law allows reusable carriers to continue being provided.
- The legislation announced in August last year.
- WHO launches its first guidelines on self-care interventions for health
- World Health Organizationintroduced its first guideline on self-care interventions for health named “WHO Consolidated Guideline on Self-Care Interventions for Health”.
The main focus which depends on sexual and reproductive health and rights. - The definition of Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health- care provider.
- There will be a shortage of 18 million health workers. Currently, 130 million people are deprived of humanitarian assistance. About 400 million people lacked access to the most essential health services. At least 100 million people face poverty due to the high costs of healthcare expenses.
- Self-sampling for human papillomavirus (HPV) and sexually transmitted infections, self-injectable contraceptives, home-based ovulation predictor kits human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) self-testing and self-management of medical abortion.
NATIONAL
- Five-year vision plan EQUIP finalised and released by HRD Ministry
- Prime Minister of India finalized a five-year vision plan for each Ministry.
The Department of Higher Education of HRD Ministry finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP).
- The ten Expert Groups drawn from senior academicians suggested more than 50 initiatives transform the higher education sector completely. The Groups have set the following goals for higher education sector:
- Double the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education
- They resolve the geographically and socially skewed access to higher education institutions in India
- Around 50 Indian institutions among the top-1000 global universities.
The governance reforms in higher education for well-administered campuses to improve quality.
- For each initiative, the Groups recommended modalities for implementation, investments and timelines.
- Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) has been currently deployed across the Kaziranga National Park
- The Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) has been currently deployed across the Kaziranga National Park. A first ever batch of82 constables of a SRPF has been deployed in various parts of UNESCO World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
- The force consists of74 men and 8 women who underwent 43 weeks of training. The constables assumed their duties across the national park to protect one horned rhino.
- This is the first time a special force that has been dedicated to keep a check on rhino poaching and related activities in the Kaziranga National Park.
- From 2013, there was rampant rhino poaching in Kaziranga. In 2013 and 2014, 27 poaching incidents each year was reported. In the last 2 years there has been 6 cases each year. In 2019, there have been three cases so far.
- Cooperative Sector Exports Promotion Forum for double the farm exports by 2022 Minister Piyush Goyal
- The union government announced that an export-promotion forum for the cooperative sector.
- An international trade fair will also be organized.
- The forum will be set up under the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) after consultations with 20 states and three Union territories.
- Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar hope this will work as an exchange platform for the cooperatives.
- Both ministries planned to establish a framework to double farm exports from Rs 2.75 trillion to about Rs 7 trillion by 2024-25.
- There are more than 800,000 cooperative institutions in India
Around 94 percent of 1.5 million farmers in the country. - A trade fair will be held by the agriculture ministry .They will be supported by the commerce and external affairs ministries.
- The trade fair is organized jointly by commerce, agriculture and external affairs ministries.
- The support of cooperative bodies such as the NCDC institutes is with them.
- The government unveiled an ambitious agriculture export policy to double agriculture exports to $60 billion by 2022
- India occupying a pole position in the global trade of these products.
The total agriculture export basket accounts for only a little over 2 percent of world agri trade. - It is estimated for $1.37 trillion.
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