1. Govt to establish 3 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies in next 5 years: Amit Shah
Tags: place in news Summits Economics/Business Person in news
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said that the central government has set a target to establish3 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in the next 5 years.
He was speaking at the two-day (8 &9 September) National Conference of State Cooperation Ministers in New Delhi, on 8 September 2022.
He also said that a committee has been constituted to draft national cooperative policy for holistic development.
He said that every state will have representation in it and former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu will head the committee.
The Cooperation Minister said, currently there are 65 thousand active Primary Agricultural Credit Societies PACS in the country.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) :
- Primary Agricultural Credit Societies are outside the Banking Regulation acts and they are regulated by the State governments not Reserve Bank of India.
- They are the third tier of the short term credit structure in the rural areas with State Cooperative Banks at the top with the District Central Cooperative Bank (DCCB) at the Middle and PACS at the bottom.
- The PACS are formed at the village level by the villagers. The members contribute to the capital of the societies.
- The PACS cannot accept the deposits of non-members nor can they provide loans to non-members.
- They provide loans only to their members only for agricultural and allied activities.
- There are 95995 PACS in India (source RBI) and around 65 thousands are active.
2. Wildlife Board Approves New IAF Base in Ladakh
Tags: place in news Defence State News
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon get a new base in Ladakh.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- According to a report published in the Economic Times on 8 September 2022, the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife, which is led by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav has approved the proposal.
- The new base will be built on 500 hectares of land in the Changthang sanctuary area, right next to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- The need to boost the IAF presence in the region was felt after the rapid development of airfields and bunkers by the Chinese along the LAC in the area.
- In June 2020 there was a border clash in Ladakh, between the two armies leading to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and a number of Chinese soldiers.
- The Changthang sanctuary area is a cold desert sanctuary in Leh district. It is home to Tibetan wild Ass, Kiang and the rare black necked cranes.
- Since it is a cold desert sanctuary, permission from the Environment ministry was necessary.
Air Force Airfield in the region :
- The key air base of the IAF is in Leh. It has had Advanced Landing Ground facilities at Fukche since the 1960s besides Daulat Beg Oldie, Thoise and Nyoma.
3. CRPF claims operation ‘Octopus’ at ‘Burha Pahar’ naxal bastion as Success
Tags: place in news State News
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been conducting a major Naxal operation named ‘Octopus’ at the heavily mined ‘Burha Pahar’ hilly range in Garhwa district bordering Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The CRPF gave this information on 7 September 2022.
- According to the CRPF, the operation has been continuing since September 4 and claimed major successes in establishing control in ‘Burha Pahar’, an area known as a Naxal corridor.
- The ‘Burha Pahar’ hilly range lies in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district bordering Chhattisgarh.
- CRPF’s CoBRA unit, and state police forces like Jharkhand Jaguar are engaged in the operation.
- CRPF is the largest Central Armed Police Force under the Union Home Ministry. It was set up in 1939 as Crown Representative Police.
Naxals or Left wing Extremism Left Wing Extremism (LWE) :
- Groups which are influenced by the ideology of Mao are called as Maoist /Naxal or left wing extremists in India. Mao was the leader of the Chinese communist party who set up the Modern People's Republic of China in 1949 after an armed revolution. It is based on communist ideology.
- Similarly people or groups like Communist Party of India (Maoist) want to overthrow the government set up in India after 1950 through an armed insurgency just like Mao did in China and set up a communist government in India.
Red Corridor :
- The area where the left wing extremists are active is also called the Red Corridor.
- It is mainly active in the States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Specialised Anti Left Wing Extremist (Naxal/Maoist) Forces in the country :
- Special units have been raised in India to combat the threat of the left wing extremist in India.
- Some of the important ones are:
COBRA of CRPF :-
- Central Reserve Police Force has raised a specialised unit COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) for jungle warfare.
Greyhound :-
- It is a specialised unit of both the Andhra Pradesh Police and Telangana Police to fight against the Left Wing Extremist active in their respective states.
Black Panther :-
- It is a special unit of the Chhattisgarh Police to fight against the left wing extremist.
Special Operation Group (SOG) :-
- It is the special force set up by the Odisha police to deal with Left wing extremist problems.
Jaguars :-
- It is a special unit of the Jharkhand police force.
4. Healthcare sector in India is expected to reach $50 billion by 2025: Dr Jitendra Singh
Tags: place in news Science and Technology Summits Person in news
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Healthcare sector in India is expected to grow to reach a size of $50 billion by 2025.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- He was addressing the 14th CII Global MedTech Summit titled “Seizing the Global Opportunity”.
- The 14th CII Global MedTech Summit was organised by CII National Medical Technology Forum at New Delhi on 7 September 2022.
- Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Telemedicine sector is expected to reach $5.5 billion by 2025.
- He said, the prime objective of the government is to reduce import dependence from 80% to below 30% in next 10 years and ensure self-reliance quotient of 80% in Med-Tech through Make in India.
- The Minister added that India aims to achieve 10-12% of the global market share of the medical devices sector to arrive at a $100-300 billion industry,
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) :
- It is a business lobby group of top business houses in India.
- It was set up in 1895.
- It works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India, partnering industry and government alike through advisory and consultative processes.
- Headquarters : New Delhi
- President : Sanjiv Bajaj
Important Full Form for Exam :
- CII : Confederation of Indian Industries
