Krishi 24/7: It is the first-ever AI-powered solution for automated agricultural news monitoring and analysis, with support from Google.org. The tool scans news articles in multiple languages and translates them into English. It extracts essential information from news articles, such as headline, crop name, event type, date, location, severity, summary, and source link, ensuring that the ministry receives timely updates on relevant events published on the web. It addresses the need for an efficient mechanism to identify and manage agricultural news articles of interest to aid timely decision-making. It will aid the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) to identify relevant news, generate timely alerts, and take prompt action to protect farmers’ interests and promote sustainable agricultural growth through improved decision-making.
Project Dolphin: It is to strengthen the marine ecology and overall health of the marine environment. This project includes strengthening patrolling and surveillance, improving habitat through the restoration of coastal ecosystems, removing ghost nets, and encouraging the involvement of locals with incentives. It will be implemented at a cost of 8.13 crore rupees during 2023-2024.While 60% of the amount will be given by the Union government, the State will bear the remaining cost. This will be helpful in improving the population of dolphin species and protecting their habitat, while at the same time improving the livelihood of the local communities. More than nine species of marine dolphins are found in the coastal waters of Tamil Nadu. The major habitats of the dolphins are found in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.
Vaigai Dam: It is constructed across the Vaigai River near Andipatti, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. It was built in 1959 and is often referred to as the lifeline of the region. It has a height of 111 feet and can store 71 feet of water. It was primarily built to provide water for irrigation in the Madurai district and the Dindigul district, as well as drinking water for Madurai and Andipatti. Near the dam, the Government of Tamil Nadu has constructed an Agricultural Research Station for researching the growing of a variety of crops. There is a small garden, called Little Brindavan, that is located in close proximity to this dam.
Vaigai River: It is a river in Tamil Nadu state. It rises in the Varushanad Hills of the Western Ghats. It travels through the Pandya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu. It is the major river in the fabled city of Madurai, the capital of the ancient and prosperous Pandya kingdom located in southern Tamil Nadu. The river finds a mention in Sangam literature dated to 300 before the Common Era. It is 258 kilometres Vaigai gets major feed from the Periyar Dam in Kerala. Water from the Periyar Riverin Kerala is diverted into the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu via a tunnel through the Western Ghats. Its main tributaries are Suruliyaru, Mullaiyaru, Varaganadhi, Manjalaru, Kottagudi, Kridhumaal, and Upparu. It finally empties into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram district. The river fulfils the drinking water requirements of five districts in Tamil Nadu, namely, Theni, Madurai, Ramnathapuram, Sivagangai, and Dindigul. It also provides irrigation for 200,000 hectares of agricultural land.
