MOU FOR COOPERATION IN LIVESTOCK SECTOR
Focus: GS Paper – 1, GS Paper – 3: Agricultural Resources, Growth & Development, Economics of Animal-Rearing
Why in news?
An MoU was signed between the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) recently, to collaborate in furtherance of their mutual objectives of sustainably improving the livestock sector to support India’s food security and economic development agendas.
Key points:
- The collaboration would provide technical assistance for the design and delivery of new technologies and implementation of best practices that are relevant in the local context.
- It would jointly support programmes to improve sector productivity in support of small-scale producers:
- to improve livestock health, production, and animal nutrition
- to identify scientific and technological solutions for major infectious diseases
- to strengthen translation capacity in India and as appropriate to collaborate to apply this capacity
- to identify projects that will create scientific and technological advances related to livestock, food and nutrition through improvements in livestock sector
- to identify opportunities for scientific and technological collaboration to benefit small-scale producers in India and other developing countries in the region
- to strengthen the One Health framework along key aspects
- to strengthen technical capabilities around traceability of livestock and livestock products, value addition of livestock products, marketing solutions (like e-platforms), and disease reporting
Other Government Initiatives:
- National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD): It aims to create and strengthen dairy infrastructure for procurement, processing and marketing of milk and milk products by the State Implementing Agencies (SIAs)
- Dairy processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF): Under this scheme, milk cooperatives will be provided financial assistance of Rs 8004 crore in the form of a loan at 6.5% interest, which will be reimbursed over a period of 10 years.
- Supporting Dairy Cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organizations engaged in dairy activities (SDCFPO): It aims to provide working capital loan to State Cooperatives and Federations to tide over the crisis on account severely adverse market conditions or natural calamities.
GRAM UJALA SCHEME
Focus: GS Paper – 2: Government Policies & Interventions, Issues Relating to Development, Management of Social Sector/Services
Why in news?
Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) team achieved the massive target of 10 lakh LED distribution in a single day under Gram UJALA.
Key points:
- Under this initiative, a total of 10 lacs LED bulbs are distributed in a single day across 2579 villages in five states – Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
- In this program, 7-Watt & 12-Watt LED bulbs against replacement of working incandescent bulbs for price of INR 10 each, which comes with a guarantee period of three years from the date of purchase.
- The achievement proves India’s commitment towards achieving the target set by India at UNFCCC COP26 Summit.
About Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme:
- It was launched in 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs and to nullify the high-cost of LEDs that acted as a barrier previously in the adoption of energy-efficient systems.
- Implementing agency: Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a government company under the administrative control of Ministry of Power, has been designated as the implementing agency for this programme.
- LED provides better light output than conventional light and are 88% energy efficient as compared to incandescent bulbs.
- Further LED lights are 50% energy efficient as compared to CFLs.
- Objectives:
- Reduce energy consumption in lighting, which helps DISCOMs to manage peak demand
- Promote the use of the most efficient lighting technology at affordable rates to domestic consumers
- Enhance the awareness of consumers about the efficacy of using efficient appliances
- It can change their buying preferences from low first cost based purchases to lifecycle cost.
- Provide an impetus to domestic lighting industry through economies of size.
- Encourage and support domestic manufacturing of LED bulbs by sustaining demand, making it consistent with the ‘Make in India’ policy of the Government.
- Create an enabling environment for private sector investments in the lighting sector.
