National Bamboo Mission:It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme started in the year 2006-07 and was subsumed under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16.MIDH is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented from 2014-15 for the holistic development of horticulture in the country. The aim of the National Bamboo Mission will focus on the development of bamboo in limited States where it has social, commercial and economical advantages.
Nodal Ministry:Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Bamboo is majorly grown in North Eastern region and States including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.The initiative aims to reduce the import of bamboo goods while also increasing farmer income.It establishes a full value chain for the expansion of the bamboo sector.
PM VIKAS:Prime Minister Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS) scheme has been announced for traditional artisans and craftsmen in the budget 2023-24.This scheme will enable traditional artisans and craftsmen to improve the quality, scale and reach of their products and enable them to integrate with the MSMEs value chain.The scheme includes financial support as well as access to advanced skills, training, knowledge of modern digital technologies and efficient green technologies, brand promotion and social security.In this, more focus has been given to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, women and weaker sections. Nodal Ministry: Ministry of MSME
Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX): Indian Navy’s indigenously built guided missile frigate, INS Sahyadri participated in a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Navy (FN) ships FS Dixmude, a Mistral Class Amphibious Assault Ship and FS La Fayette, a La Fayette Class Frigate, in the Arabian Sea.INS Sahyadri is fitted with state-of –the art weapons and sensors, which makes her capable of detecting and neutralising air, surface and sub-surface threats. The ship is a part of Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam, under operational control of FOCinC (East).
Australia- India critical minerals Partnership Agreement: India and Australia decided to strengthen their partnership in the field of projects and supply chains for critical minerals in July 2022. Australia commited USD 5.8 million to the three-year partnership.Mostly they include graphite, lithium and cobalt, which are used for making EV batteries; rare earth that is used for making magnets and silicon which is a key mineral for making computer chips and solar panels.
India’s step: India’s Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, drafted the Critical Minerals Strategy for India in 2016, with a focus on India’s resource requirements till 2030.The Indian Critical Minerals Strategy has identified 49 minerals that will be vital for India’s future economic growth.
As per the 2019 US Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries report, China is the world’s largest producer of 16 critical minerals.They are critical as the world is fast shifting from a fossil fuel-intensive to a mineral-intensive energy system. Australia produces almost half of the world’s lithium, is the second-largest producer of cobalt and the fourth-largest producer of rare earths.
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