06.12.22 Daily [Uttarakhand] UKPSC Current Affairs

The Kumaon commissioner Deepak Rawat said that hydroponicvegetable cultivation will be taken up as a pilot project in Nainital district and depending on the results this technique for vegetable cultivation will be promoted in other parts of Kumaon. He said this while conducting an inspection of Uttarakhands first hydroponic polyhouse in Kotabagh block of Nainital district on Tuesday. Various vegetables are being cultivated in the polyhouse through the hydroponic technique without the use of and it takes less time in the production of vegetables than the usual methods of farming.

The Nainital District Administration is also considering promoting this practice among farmers to increase the production and supply of vegetables across the State and nearby States. A budget has been fixed in Nainital districts plan to promote this project among farmers and start it in the district as a pilot project. The administration will take further actions in other districts of the division on the basis of the outcome of the pilot project, said the commissioner.During his visit to the hydroponic polyhouse, the commissioner also observed various vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes and cabbage grown in the polyhouse. Rawat said that cultivation through hydroponic technique is based on aquaculture in which waste generated by fish is used as manure for vegetables Growth and no chemical fertilisers are used for any purpose as done in the usual Farming practices. Besides this, the growth period of vegetables produced through hydroponic technique is much faster than the usual growth time of vegetables. We observed in the polyhouse that tomatoes were ready in 75 days and lettuce was ready in just four weeks which is quite less time than the time taken during normal farming. All vegetables grown through this technique are of good quality, said the commissioner.

He said that considering the benefits of growing vegetables as per hydroponic practice, it will be promoted in mountainous areas of Kumaon division. The State also has potential markets for the vegetable supplies like Delhi which can be explored through the hydroponic technique.

The scheme of Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), being run by Department of Social and Empowerment, includes provision of financial security, healthcare, Nutrition, shelter, welfare etc. for senior citizens. Basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care, entertainment opportunities are provided free of cost to indigent senior citizens.

The districts of Uttar Pradesh in which the Integrated Senior Citizen programme is not being run under the AVYAY and as notified by the State Government for the year 2021-22 were Agra, Baghpat, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Gorakhpur, Hamirpur, Kasganj, Mathura and Prayagraj. Gap districts for Uttar Pradesh notified for 2022-23 were Mau, Baghpat, Barabanki, Bulandshahr, Kannauj and Kushi Nagar.

Senior citizen homes (old age homes) under Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens(IPSrC), a component of AVYAY, are provided in gap districts, i.e. districts not having senior citizen homes which includes senior citizen homes not being maintained even by the State Government. Such information is obtained by this Ministry from the respective States/ UTs on the basis of which, applications are invited from eligible organisations on e-Anudaan portal only. Organisations are then selected on the basis of documents provided by them, and also the recommendation of the respective State/ UT Government.

The Department of Posts under Ministry of Communications has launched an Online request Transfer Portal for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).

The Department of Posts has the largest Network of Post Offices in the world consisting of more than 1,56,000 Post Offices across India, out of which more than 1,31,000 Branch Post Offices (BOs) are in rural areas, where the Postal facilities are rendered through Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).

Ministry of Railways has formulateda new policy for modernization of stations named Amrit Bharat Station scheme. Amrit Bharat Station scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long term vision. It is based on Master Planning for long term and implementation of the Elements of Master Plan as per the needs and patronage of the station.

The scheme aims at preparation of Master Plans of the RAILWAY stations and implementation of the Master Plan in phases to enhance the facilities

Attempts shall be made to club different grades/types of waiting halls and provide good cafeteria/retail facilities as far as possible

High level platforms(760-840 mill meter) shall be provided at all categories of stations.

NTPC, India’s largest power generation company, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tecnimont Private Limited, Indian Subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group, Italy. The objective of the MOU is to jointly evaluate and explore the possibility to develop commercial scale Green Methanol Production facility at NTPC project in India.

The Green Methanol Project involves capturing carbon from NTPC power Plants and converting it into a green fuel. Green Methanol has a wide range of applications, including serving as a base material for the chemical , storing renewable electricity, and even as a transportation fuel. It is also considered as a substitute fuel for maritime fuel applications.

The Indian national blind cricket team won the T20 World Cup for the Blind for the third time ina row. They defeated Bangladesh at Bengalurus M Chinnaswamy Stadium by a commanding score of 120 runs. The Indian captain, Ajay Kumar Reddy elected to bat after winning the toss,and his side eventually set a challenging total of 277 runs for Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi teamcould only muster 157 runs for three in return.