7th, August, 2022

 

Topic: Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur attended the Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the meeting.

Topics for Discussion:

• Detailed discussions were held on achieving self sufficiency in agricultural production and crop diversification, implementation of national education policy and urban bodies administration.

In Detail:

Initiatives regarding Agriculture shared by CM:

• The HP State government is implementing Rs 1010 crore Himachal Pradesh Crop Diversification Scheme in all the districts and added that budget provision has been made for promoting mushroom farming especially Shitake and Dhingree varieties.
• 31,584 orchardists of the state were covered under state sponsored schemes whereas 4.15 lakh orchardists were benefitted under centrally sponsored schemes during the last four and half years.
• In order to double the income of farmers, 3590 gram Panchayats have been covered under “Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan Yojna” and added that farmers had saved about 9.75 crores by switching over to natural manure instead of chemical fertilizers.
• 10 points of sale were set up across the state besides Delhi and Chandigarh for selling natural farming produce.
• Efforts were afoot to increase production of pulses, oilseeds and other agricultural produce to achieve self-sufficiency with the help of advanced technology.

 

Initiatives regarding Education shared by CM:

• Prime Minister to allocate 5 TV channels to Himachal Pradesh out of total 200 channels under recently announced Swayam Prabha which will telecast high quality educational programs.
• He apprised that the gross enrollment ratio of primary, middle and high schools in the state is hundred percent, whereas it is 85.6 percent in the case of senior secondary schools. He further added that the ratio goes up to 98.8 percent if technical institutions are added to the senior secondary level.
• Girl children of the state were being provided education and free residential facility besides skill education in 14 Kasturba Gandhi Girls Schools. He said that the education database is being digitized in the state and capacity building of teachers is being done for preparing high quality study material in digital mode.
• Chief Minister said that students in the state have easy access to higher education institutions and infrastructure has been strengthened. Sardar Patel University in district Mandi has been made functional from April, 2022.
• Average of the State’s gross enrollment ratio in higher education is 40.8 percent against the national average of 27.1 percent. The amount of scholarships under various categories and merit scholarships of girls and boys has also been increased.
• The State government has launched Medha Protsahan Yojna for meritorious students aspiring for competitive services besides Swaran Jayanti Super-100 Yojna.
• The State government is also considering to start Mukhya Mantri Shodh Parotsahan Yojna from the current academic session in universities to facilitate research scholars.
• Efforts were being made to impart employment oriented education and placement cells have been set up. He further informed that Drone policy has been framed by the government and students were being imparted Drone training to enable the application of modern technology in the state.

 

Initiatives regarding administration of urban bodies shared by CM:

• Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to strengthening the administration of urban bodies by filling necessary posts and improving efficiency in delivering speedy and effective services to the people with the help of the latest technology.
• GIS Mapping will be used for assessing and collection of property tax and added that single member municipal committee services regulatory committee will be constituted to settle user fees and setting benchmarks for other MC services.

 

About NITI Aayog Governing Council:

• The Governing Council of NITI Aayog comprises the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India; Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with the legislature; Lt Governors of other UTs; Ex-Officio Members; Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Full-Time Members, NITI Aayog; and Special Invitees.
• It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national priorities and strategies, with the active involvement of the States, in shaping the developing narrative. The Governing Council, which embodies the objectives of cooperative federalism, presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral, inter-departmental and federal issues to accelerate the implementation of the national development agenda.

(Source: HP Government)

 

 

Topic: Diseases among Cattles in Himachal

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• Residents of the state are alarmed as lumpy skin disease (LSD) is spreading in the areas bordering Punjab, where the infection is growing at an alarming rate.

• A spike in the number of cases was witnessed in Una district today as 54 new cases were recorded from 20 more villages.
• A cattle head has succumbed to the infection in the district.

 

Initiatives taken:

• To combat the growing disease, the department may soon launch a vaccination drive. Dr Bhatti(Senior Veterinary Officer at the Una Veterinary Polyclinic) said while there is no specific vaccine for LSD, the vaccine used to immunise goats against the goatpox disease works in cows and buffalos for LSD since the causative virus is almost same. He informed that 10,000 vials of the goatpox vaccine have been requisitioned from the state directorate.
• The department in Kangra has also sprung into action. Doctors and pharmacists of local veterinary hospitals and dispensaries have been directed to regularly visit the affected areas and sensitise the farmers.
• “To effectively check the infection, the department has placed an order to procure vaccination doses for 55,000 animals in the district. Once it’s delivered, we will launch a special vaccination drive,” Dhiman said. He urged the farmers not to panic and take preventive measures such as regular cleaning of cow sheds, and isolating cattle if the disease’s symptoms appear.

 

What is the Lumpy Skin Disease?

• According to a report by GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) disease is caused by a virus called the Capripoxvirus and is “an emerging threat to livestock worldwide”. It is genetically related to the goatpox and sheeppox virus family.
• LSD infects cattle and water buffalo mainly through vectors such as blood-feeding insects. Signs of infection include the appearance of circular, firm nodes on the animal’s hide or skin that look similar to lumps.
• Infected animals immediately start losing weight and may have fever and lesions in the mouth, along with a reduced milk yield. Other symptoms include excessive nasal and salivary secretion. Pregnant cows and buffaloes often suffer miscarriage and in some cases, diseased animals can die due to it as well.

 

Have such outbreaks occurred earlier and are humans at risk?

• This is not the first time LSD has been detected in India. The disease has been endemic in most African countries, and since 2012 it has spread rapidly through the Middle East, Southeast Europe and West and Central Asia. Since 2019, several outbreaks of LSD have been reported in Asia. In May this year, Pakistan’s Punjab also reported the deaths of over 300 cows due to LSD.

 

Why have Africa, Asia saw so many dangerous viruses emerge recently?

In September 2020, a strain of the virus was discovered in Maharashtra. Gujarat too has reported cases over the last few years sporadically, but currently, the point of concern is the number of deaths being reported, and whether vaccination catches up to the rate at which the disease is spreading.

• According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), of which India is a member, mortality rates of 1 to 5 per cent are considered usual. The disease is not zoonotic, meaning it does not spread from animals to humans, and humans cannot get infected with it.
• While the virus does not spread to humans, “milk produced by an infected animal will be fit for human consumption after boiling or pasteurisation as these processes will kill the viruses, if any, in the milk”, said Prof J B Kathiriya, Assistant Professor with the department of veterinary public health and epidemiology of Kamdhenu University’s College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in Junagadh.

 

How can the spread of the disease be prevented?

• Successful control and eradication of LSD relies on “early detection followed by a rapid and widespread vaccination campaign”, as per the WOAH. Once an animal has recovered, it is well protected and cannot be the source of infection for other animals.

(Source: Tribune & Indian Express)

 

 

Topic: Horticulture Policy

 

Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains

 

What is the news?

• Horticulture policy draft: Govt approves the draft horticulture policy.

 

Why important?

• Himachal Pradesh will become the first state in the country to formulate a horticulture policy.
• The state government has given in-principle approval to the draft horticulture policy.
• The policy is set to be implemented this year after completing the necessary formalities.
• The first phase of discussion with stakeholders will be completed this month. It will then be put up on the website for suggestions and objections from the general public.

 

Which world organization will provide infrastructure for fruit production?

Under the policy, the Asian Development Bank will provide infrastructure for fruit production under the funded Shiva project.

How it will help?

• With the implementation of the horticulture policy, about 1.75 lakh families of the state associated with horticulture and the fruit industry of Rs 6000 crore will get a big gift.
• The policy, aimed at promoting the cultivation of various fruits, seeks to identify Himachal Pradesh as a fruit state on the world stage. At present, apple alone has a business of about 5000 crores in the state.

Use of technology:

• Under the horticulture policy,information technology will be used in fruit production.
• This will bring transparency in the grants given in various schemes.
• There will also be arrangements to provide technology and provide relief to fruit growers from damage caused by natural disasters such as hailstorm, heavy rains and drought. Apart from this, there will also be strong arrangements to prevent cheating and fraud with fruit growers in the mandis.

(Source: Amar Ujala)