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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 21 September 2020

::NATIONAL::

WCD ministry and AYUSH ministry signs MoU to control malnutrition

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Women and Child Development today in New Delhi for controlling Malnutrition as a part of POSHAN Abhiyaan. The MoU will see some time-tested and scientifically proven Ayush-based solutions being adopted for controlling malnutrition in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Women and Child DevelopmentMrs Irani said that the collaboration of efforts of both the Ministries will go a long way in tackling the problem of malnutrition in mothers and children in the country. She said that Nutri-gardens and medicinal gardens will be established in every Anganwadi in near future.
On this occasion, ShripadYessoNaik said that Ayurveda and other AYUSH systems have much to contribute in dealing with mild and moderate mal-nutrition by way of many specific measures such as right intake of diet by the pregnant women, feeding practices by lactating mothers, use of traditional products augmenting milk secretion and nutritional food for children.
He further said that India enjoys the distinction of having the largest network of traditional health care systems which are widely accepted owing to its wide accessibility, affordability, safety and trust of people.

MoSJ launches Nashamukhtabhiyan for 272 affected districts

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated and is implementing a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.
The Plan aims at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy. The activities under the NAPDDR include awareness generation programmes in schools, colleges, Universities, workshop and provisioning of treatment facilities and capacity building of service providers.

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::ECONOMY::

Government Assures that MSP support to farmers would continue

Defence Minister MinisterRajnath Singh has said, opposition parties are trying to mislead the nation's farmers. He asserted that government is aiming to double farmers income and the two farm bills passed in RajyaSabha yesterday are historic and will pave the way in enhancing farmers income.
Parliament passed the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020 with RajyaSabha approving it yesterday amid uproar by the opposition.
The House also negated the oppositions’ amendments to send the Bills to the Select Committee. Speaking on the Bills, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar said that the government has taken several steps for doubling the income of farmers after consultations with the famers and States.
The two Bills aim at increasing the availability of buyers for farmers’ produce by allowing them to trade freely without any license or stock limit resulting in better prices for their produce. They will replace two ordinances promulgated by the Central Government in June this year.
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill allows intra-state and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of APMC markets. As per the Bill, State governments are prohibited from levying any market fee, cess or levy outside APMC areas.

Government to bring in new financial model for interest subvention of backward class beneficiaries

The government will implement a new financial model for interest subvention for individual beneficiaries as well as Self-Help Groups (SHGs) comprising people belonging to Scheduled Caste and OBC categories.
In a written reply to LokSabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Environment Krishan Pal Gurjar said the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSCFDC) will be the implementing agency for SC SHGs/beneficiaries and the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) will be implementing agency for OBC SHGs/beneficiaries.
"The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is going to implement a new Financial Model for Interest Subvention for individual beneficiaries as well as the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) comprising exclusively of SC and OBC categories," Gurjar said.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India extends support to Maldives to overcome economic impact of COVID

India has provided financial assistance of 250 million dollars as budgetary support to the Maldives government to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 250 million dollar budgetary support was a response to the request made by Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to Prime Minister NarendraModi for financial assistance to overcome the difficult economic situation in the Maldives. AIR correspondent reports it is being provided under the most favourable terms possible to the Government of Maldives.
India has provided substantial and continued assistance to the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic. The budgetary support of 250 million dollars has been extended without conditions. Maldives government is at liberty to use the money in repairing the domestic economic situation in line with its own priorities.
The soft loan has a comfortable tenor of 10 years and a very low interest rate. Since the principal payment is due only at the end of 10 years, it will not put any immediate debt servicing liability other than bi-annual interest payment. Maldives is the only country to which India has provided such assistance.

Nepal to resume passenger rail services from India

Nepal is planning to resume passenger railway services after a 7-year suspension after it received two sets of rails from India. The Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit rail sets that Kathmandu had purchased from India arrived in Janakpur city yesterday.
Director General at the Department of Railway Balram Mishra said, it would take at least one and half months to restart the services, as it was currently working to recruit necessary human resources. The Department has planned to recruit over 200 staff gradually.

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::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

TATA group launches India’s first CRISPR test for COVID

India’s first CRISPR test for COVID-19 has been launched by the TATA group. It has been developed by CSIR-IGIB ‘Feluda’ (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology).
The test recently received regulatory approvals for the commercial roll out from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
The Tata CRISPR test is the world’s first diagnostic test that will deploy a specially adapted Cas9 protein in order to detect the virus that is causing the COVID-19.For the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, test uses indigenously developed CRISPR technology.
Potential applications of the technology include- correcting genetic defects, Improving crops and treating and preventing the spread of diseases.
However, before the CSISPR method, there were several ways to edit the genomes of some plants and animals but they were highly charged. The CRISPR technology is cheap and easy.

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::SPORTS::

SimonaHalep reaches finals of Italian open tennis

In Italian Open Tennis, Top-seeded SimonaHalep has reached final of the Women's Singles beating GarbiñeMuguruza 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the first semifinal clash today.
The other semifinal will be played between last year's French Open runner-up MarketaVondrousova against fellow Czech and defending champion Karolina Pliskova this evening.
In Men's Singles, first semifinal match is underway between Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud. The other semifinal encounter will take place between Denis Shapovalov and Diego Schwartzman tonight.

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