09.11.22 Daily [Uttarakhand] UKPSC Current Affairs

The Cooperatives, Health and Education minister Dhan Singh Rawat has said that a project of Rs 100 crore would be launched to save and promote the Badri cows. He was speaking on the occasion of the launching of the website and MIS at headquarters of the State Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP) here on Thursday. After the inauguration, the minister also had a review meeting with the officers of the department.

Speaking on the occasion,the minister said that the development department has been directed to focus on the Badri cow and prepare a proposal of a Rs 100 crore project for increasing its numbers. He said that demand for the Ghee of Badri cow is increasing in the metro cities. The minister also directed the officers to focus on goat farming and encourage farmers to extract milk from goats. He said that goat milk is being sold at Rs 600 per litre in the market.

Rawat further said that the ten progressive farmers each of apple, dairy, sheep and goat farming and fishery would be sent to Kashmir (apple) Himachal Pradesh (apple), Gujarat (dairy), Goa (fishery) Andhra Pradesh (fishery), Rajasthan (goat farming) and Leh in Ladakh (goat farming) for Learning the techniques employed by the farmers there in their respective fields. He said that the registrar of cooperatives has been directed for selection of the farmers. The cost of the study tour of farmers would be borne by the ICDP.

MANGROVES on Indian coasts that act as coastal guards have considerably shrunken due to <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change. By 2070, the Indian Mangroves will reduce and shift by around 50%, especially in southern India, due to decline in suitable habitats along the east and west coasts of India, revealed a research conducted by Birbal Sahni Institute Palaeosciences (BSIP).

Mangroves in the southwest and southeast of the country that covers four states: Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Kerala andAndhra Pradeshwill be in the most vulnerable condition. These coastlines will submerge and the mangroves in the area will degrade more as compared to other areas.

Certain regions like Chilika and Sundarbans along the east coast and Dwarka and Porbandar along the west coast of India is likely to see less reduction and landward shift by 2070 due to the differential response to Precipitation and sea level change in different parts of the Indian coastline, said the study.

In a significant development and recognition to the countrys efforts in improving access to modern family planning methods, India is the only country to have received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the ‘country category’ at the International Conference on Family Planning held in Pattaya city, Thailand.

India has made outstanding progress not only in improving access but also adoption of modern contraceptive methods enabling couples to make informed choices about family planning. These are reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 5 data. As per NFHS-5 data, overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54 percent to 67 percent in the country, from NFHS-4. Similarly, unmet needs of family planning have witnessed a significant decline from 13 per cent to 9 per cent. The unmet need for spacing has also come down to less than 10 per cent.

The total ‘demand satisfied’ for family planning among currently married Women aged 15-49 in India increased from 66 percent in 2015-16 to 76 percent in 2019-21 which has already crossed the SDG target of 75 set globally for 2030. The governments focus on improving easy and affordable access to modern contraceptives are reflected in the fact that 68% modern method contraceptive users obtain their method from the public , as per NFHS-5 data. Mission Parivar Vikas, one of the governments flagship programmes, to reduce unmet needs in family planning, has also been a critical factor in the overall improvement.

Indias efforts in improving family planning demonstrate the progress the country is making towards achieving the SDG targets on women and maternal health.

TheState of the Climate in Asia 2021 reporthighlighted how impacts are wreaking an ever-increasing human, financial and environmental toll, worsening food insecurity and POVERTY and holding back Sustainable Development.

The report also painted a worrying scenario for future water Stress. High Mountain Asia, including the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside of the polar region, with approximately an area of 100,000 km2 of glacier coverage. The rate of glacier retreat is accelerating and many Glaciers suffered from intense mass losses as the result of exceptionally warm and dry conditions in 2021. These so-called water towers of the world are vital for freshwater supplies for the most densely populated part of the planet and so glacier retreat has major implications for future generations.