current affairs-3

Govt demands FCI to hire private godowns to store fresh crop

Food Minister K V Thomas held that the state-run FCI (Food Corporation of India) has been called for to hire private godowns in order to store fresh crop and he called food-grains storage as a challenging task in view of the record yield. He held that efforts are on to make extra storage capacity for storing fresh wheat crop being procured presently by FCI. The government currently has capacity to store 66 million tonnes of wheat and rice. He said the FCI has also been asked to enhance its capacity utilization beyond the existing 85 per cent. He also said that the government could consider releasing wheat and rice in the open market and through ration shops.
To this, Food Secretary B C Gupta endorsed that in order to relieve pressure on storage, the Food Ministry is taking a proposal before the panel of Ministers to apportion extra 8 million tonnes of food-grains to BPL families.

1. World Bank sanctions Rs 32 Crore for Rural Electrification at Sagar Island in Sunderbans of West Bengal

   Rs 32 Crore sanctioned by the World Bank for Rural Electrification at Sagar Island in Sunderbans of West Bengal. The project for house to house power connection will be inaugurated at Rudra Nagar in Sagar Island. Under the scheme 42 gram panchayats will be electrified. The entire project will be completed by next three years in which around 2,50,000 people will be benefited.

   Sagar Island:

   =>Lies on the continental shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata
   =>Governed by the State government of West Bengal
   =>Area: nearly 300 km²
   =>It has 43 villages and a population of over 160,000
   =>A famous Hindu pilgrim place

   
   

Justice Ranjan Gogoi was today sworn in as a Supreme Court judge

Justice Ranjan Gogoi was today sworn in as a Supreme Court judge, raising the strength of the SC to 27 against the approved strength of 31. On 2 April, 2012 Mr Justice Fakir Muhammad Ibrahim Kalifulla was elevated to the SC from Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

10 French nationals deported from Bihar for alleged links with Maoists

10 French nationals including 6 women have been deported from Bihar for their alleged links with Maoists. A verdict to this effect was taken by the Bihar state government. They were detained by police in Nawada district of the state. These nationals were found moving in naxal hotbeds and holding farmers meeting. Bihar Govt held that the French nationals have desecrated visa terms and all of them were working for an NGO supposed to have links with frontalorganizations of Maoists. Out of 10 French nationals 9 had come to India ontourist visa and one had an employment permit to work in Bhopal. Bihar police has also alleged that as per the intelligence reports these French nationals had maoist links.

Loktantra Diwas celebrated in Nepal

6th anniversary of Loktantra Diwas celebrated in Nepal to mark the People’s Movement of 2006 for reinstatement of the democracy in the country.The day also commemorates the abdication of throne by King Gyanendra and reinstatement of the dissolved House of Representatives.

Government forms NCFC to provide in season crop forecasts, assessment of drought situation

The government launched National Crop Forecast Centre (NCFC) in New Delhi. The NCFC, named after great Indian statistician P.C. Mahalanobis, has been set up in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

With the technical support from Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad and National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, NCFC will start providing crops forecasts and drought assessments from this kharif season (2012-13).

=>The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation prepares advance estimates of crop output through various technologies like remote sensing and geographic information system ( GIS).
=>The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) through its programme the National Agriculture Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS) provides data on drought assessment in various states during the monsoon season

>Abhishek Manu Singhvi resigned on Monday as Congress spokesperson and Chairperson of Parliament's Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice, days after a video involving the high-profile lawyer went viral on social media sites.

>Chinese authorities have finally given the green light for Indian exports of basmati rice following a long and tortuous six-year process that has been seen as underscoring the difficulties of navigating the complex bureaucratic hurdles that bar entry into the China market.