National Level Multistate Cooperative Society
Relevance:
Union Cabinet approved setting up of 3 National Level multistate cooperative society under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 which will help in achieving the goal of ‘Sahakar-se-Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation) through inclusive growth model of cooperatives.
News Summary:
- National Multi- State Cooperative Export Society –
- Act as umbrella organization for exports of surplus goods/service.
- Primary to national level cooperatives societies.
- National Multi- State Cooperative Organic Society –
- Unlock demand and consumption of organic products in domestic and global markets.
- Provide institutional support for aggregation, certification, storage, processing etc.
- National Multi- State Cooperative Seed Society –
- Act as an apex organization for production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds.
- Develop system for preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds.
Knowledge+:
- Though ‘Cooperative Societies’ is a State Subject, MSCS is regulated by Centre under MSCS, Act 2002.
- MSCS are cooperative societies whose activities are not confined to one state and serve interests of individuals in more than one state.
- Ministry of cooperation is planning to set up world’s largest university for cooperative sector for promoting cooperative education, training, research and development.
Reference: Business Standard
Ebola Virus
Relevance:
After 4 months and 55 deaths, the latest Ebola epidemic in Uganda (worst in 2 decades) was declared over by the WHO.
About Ebola:
- Former Name – Ebola haemorrhagic fever
- 1st discovered – Ebola River (Democratic Republic of Congo) – 1976
- Most common in people and non-human primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).
- Types –
- Ebola virus
- Sudan virus
- Taï Forest virus
- Bundibugyo virus
- Reston virus
- Bombali virus
- Host – Fruit bats.
- Transmission – Animal to Human and Human-to-Human Transmission
- Signs and Symptoms – Fever, Fatigue, Muscle pain, Body weakness, Headache, Sore throat, Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function etc.
- Diagnostic methods –
- ELISA (antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)
- Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay etc.
- Vaccine: Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV) [Only to protect against the Zaire strain of the virus]
Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently? (2015)
(a) Syria and Jordan
(b) Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
(c) Philippines and Papua New Guinea
(d) Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam
Reference: The Hindu
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has named its new integrated food security scheme under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 as ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)’.
News Summary:
- It provides free foodgrains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries.
- It will strengthen provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of foodgrains for poor.
- 2 subsidy schemes subsumed –
- Food Subsidy to FCI: It is in form of consumer subsidy (Difference between Economic cost incurred by FCI and realized Central Issue Price) and buffer subsidy (Cost of holding and maintaining buffer stock).
- Food Subsidy for decentralized procurement states dealing with procurement, allocation and delivery of free foodgrains to states under NFSA.
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013:
- Objective –
- To provide for food and nutritional security in the human life cycle approach
- To ensure access to adequate quantities of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.
- Coverage – Rural (75%) and Urban (50%) population under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
- Eligibility –
- Priority Households to be covered under TPDS as per guidelines by the State government.
- Households covered under existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana.
- Important Provisions –
- 5 Kgs of foodgrains per person per month at Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains.
- The existing AAY household will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.
- Meal and maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000 to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth.
- Meals for children upto 14 years of age.
- Food security allowance to beneficiaries in case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals.
- Setting up of grievance redressal mechanisms at the district and state level.
Reference: Indian Express
Very Short Range Air Defence System
Relevance:
- Defence Acquisition Council provided Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORAD) (Infrared (IR) Homing) missile system.
- The acquisitions have been made under ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ category – the highest priority procurement under DAP-2020.
About VSHORAD:
- It is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS).
- Indigenously designed and developed by – DRDO
- It is meant to target low altitude aerial threats at short ranges.
- These are lightweight and portable surface-to-air missiles.
- These can be fired by individuals or small groups to destroy aircraft or helicopters.
- Propellant – Dual thrust solid motor
- It incorporates many novel technologies including miniaturised Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics.
- RCS is responsible for attitude control and steering by the use of thrusters.
What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)”, sometimes seen in the news? (2018)
- An Israeli radar system
- India’s indigenous anti-missile programme
- An American anti-missile system
- A defence collaboration between Japan and South Korea
Reference: PIB
