Apiary on Wheels
Context :
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has flagged off ‘Apiary on Wheels’.
- ‘Apiary on Wheels’ is a unique concept designed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live Bee colonies.
- It is a holistic approach to address the challenges faced by the beekeepers. It is designed so as to reduce the labour and cost of maintaining and upkeeping Bee Boxes and live bee colonies across India.
- Apiary on Wheels is a platform which can carry 20 Bee Boxes from one place to another without any difficulty. It is like an attachment which can be easily connected with a Tractor or a Trolley and may be pulled to any suitable destination.
- The KVIC launched Honey Mission in 2017 and has been training beekeepers, distributing Bee Boxes and helping rural, educated but unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping activities, at their doorstep.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission
- KVIC is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.
- The KVIC is charged with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programmes for the development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.
- It functions under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
India to partially import the US poultry and dairy markets
Context :
India has agreed to partially import poultry and dairy markets from the United States.
In news :
- The move comes ahead of the US President Donald Trump’s first official visit to India. The move by GoI is to trade preferences, in exchange for tariff reductions and other concessions.
- India has earlier restricted dairy imports to protect the livelihoods of 80 million rural households involved in the industry.
- India will import the US chicken legs,turkey and produce such as blueberries and cherries. Also, India has offered to cut tariffs on chicken legs from 100% to 25%.
- It also offered some access to India’s dairy market, but with a 5% tariff and quotas.
- The dairy imports need a certificate that states they are not derived from animals that have consumed feeds that include blood meal, internal organs, or tissues of ruminants.
India-US :
India is the world’s largest milk-producing nation. The US is India’s second-largest trade partner after China. India is the US’s 9th largest trading partner in goods. The bilateral goods and services trade increased to a record of $142.6 billion in 2018. The US had a $23.2 billion goods trade deficit in 2019 with India.
Conservation Plan for Konark Temple
Context :
The Union Government has decided to restore and preserve the nearly 800-year-old Konark Sun Temple, Odisha.
Earlier, the monument had entered into controversy over allegations that the stone carvings on the outer surface were being replaced with plain blocks of stones causing irreplaceable loss to the uniqueness of the temple.
Key Points :
- Konark was built by King Narasimhadeva I (1238-1264AD) in the 13th century and is located in Eastern Odisha near the sacred city of Puri.
- King Narasimhadeva I was a famous ruler of the Ganga Dynasty and with his accession to the throne, the Ganga Dynasty reached its zenith.
- It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984).
- Dedicated to the Sun God, Konark is the culmination of Odisha temple architecture, and one of the most outstanding monuments of religious architecture in the world.
- Its scale, refinement and conception represent the strength and stability of the Ganga Dynasty as well as the value systems of the historic milieu.
- The entire temple was designed in the shape of a colossal chariot with 7 horses and 24 wheels, carrying the sun god, Surya, across the heavens.
- ‘Konarka’, the place bears a name composed of two world elements : KONA meaning corner and ARKA meaning the Sun.
- The Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is also called Konark.
- In ‘Brahma Purana’ the Sun God in Ark-kshetra has been described as Konaditya.
- Surya has been a popular deity in India since the Vedic period.
SC Order on Criminalisation of Politics
Context :
The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections along with the reasons that forced them to field suspected criminals.
- The order was a reply to the contempt petition about the general disregard shown by political parties to a 2018 Constitution Bench judgment (Public Interest Foundation v. Union of India) to publish the criminal details of their candidates in their respective websites and print as well as electronic media for public awareness.
- The SC passed an order while exercising powers under Articles 129 and 142 of the Constitution which deals with the contempt power of the Supreme Court and enforcement of its decrees and orders.
Highlights of the Order :
- It is mandatory for political parties (at the Central and State election level) to upload on their website detailed information regarding individuals with pending criminal cases.
- It shall also include the nature of their offences, charges framed against them, the court concerned, case number, etc.
- Additionally, the political parties need to offer an explanation as to why candidates with pending criminal cases are selected as candidates in the first place.
- Thus the candidate’s ‘mere winnability at the polls’ shall not be the sole reason for handing over a ticket to the candidate to contest elections.
- The above information needs to be published in a local as well as a national newspaper as well as the parties’ social media handles.
- The information mandatorily to be published either within 48 hours of the selection of candidates or less than two weeks before the first date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier.
- The political parties need to submit compliance reports with the Election Commission of India within 72 hours.
- If a political party fails to submit then the Election Commission shall bring such non-compliance by the political party concerned to the notice of the Supreme Court as being in contempt of this Court’s orders/directions.
Significance of the Order :
- Over the last four general elections, there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of criminals in politics. The increasing criminalisation of politics threatens the law-making process and thus lawmakers should be above any kind of serious criminal allegation.
- In 2004, 24% of the Members of Parliament (MPs) had criminal cases pending against them. This number has increased to 43% of MPs in 2019.
- The direction of SC to legislate parliamentary legislation to curb criminalisation of politics may help to deliver constitutional governance.
Source : the hindu
BIMSTEC ‘Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking’
Context :
India hosted the first-ever BIMSTEC Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking in New Delhi. It was organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), India’s federal agency for drug law enforcement.
Zero Tolerance Policy to realise PM’s vision of a Drug-free India; India would not allow Illicit Drug trade to happen within its boundaries.
Key Points :
- Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws.
- The UN’s World Drug Report points out that over 5% of the global population between 15-64 years of age is addicted to narcotics and use of illicit drugs.
- The BIMSTEC conference sought to provide an opportunity to all the member nations to deliberate on the increased threats posed by drug trafficking and the collective steps that were required to negate such threats.
- The Ministry has also started an e-portal for digitalisation of drug data that may be utilized by various drug enforcement agencies. In the last 5 years, Over 1.89 lakh Narcotics cases have been registered in India, in which over 2.31 lakh drug smugglers have been arrested by the agencies including over 1500 foreign nationals
BIMSTEC and Drug-Trafficking :
- Regional maritime connectivity and trade through the Bay of Bengal are imperative for the shared prosperity and economic growth of the entire BIMSTEC region. However, one of the most prominent of security challenges for the region is drug trafficking through sea.
- It is thus very important for all countries to engage with each other to exchange ideas, policies and best practices in order to combat this menace.
- In general, Asian countries are increasingly being affected by drug trafficking. BIMSTEC, being the key link between South Asian and South East Asian nations, is one of the most effective platforms to tackle this global threat.
India and Drug-Trafficking :
- India is a transit point for opiates produced illegally.
- India is in the middle of two major illicit opium production regions in the world:
- The Golden Crescent (Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan) in the West.
- The Golden Triangle (South-East Asia) in the East.
- India is in the middle of two major illicit opium production regions in the world:
- Manipur and Mizoram having borders with Myanmar and other coastal States are sensitive and may become a gateway for illicit drugs entering India.
- To protect itself from the menace of drug trafficking, India has adopted a Zero Tolerance Policy towards all kinds of narcotics and psychotropic substances to realise its vision of a Drug-free India.
- India has also started an e-portal for digitalisation of drug data to assist various drug enforcement agencies.
Source:PIB