ODISHA
Let Odisha’s farm sector be modernized
For a long time, the foremost visible issue of Odisha is its dependency on other States to meet its domestic consumption demand. The State imports inland fish, meat, egg, vegetables, potato, onion , wheat, Dal, fruits, banana, sugar and edible oil, besides many more consuming products to feed its four crore plus population. The State Government has no control over the market price and quality of the produce. To minimise the import dependency, the State must improve its agriculture production and storage facility by ensuring application of modern farming.
The present image of Odisha as a consuming State must change to a producing State. The change is much needed to ensure food security and to raise the nutrition level of the State. The other important issue getting more attention during Covid-19 is the plight of migrant workers.
Along with huge under employment, there has been persistent increase in distress migration of labourers to outside. Odisha remains one of major suppliers of migrant workers along with Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Assam and WB. A sizeable work force of the State, about 30 lakh vulnerable migrant workers, are working outside the State and data shows that this number has been growing in recent years. Advantageous migration as such is a boost to domestic economy through remittance but distress migration is undesirable. Covid-19 has very well exposed the vulnerability of migrant workers.
Globally, India is featured among top 10 agricultural producing countries such as China, Brazil, Russia and USA. Odisha lags behind in application of technology in comparison to other agricultural producing States. Data on agriculture economics shows that there is very less percentage of people engaged in agriculture in the developed countries but here the percentage is quite high.
The Census data 2011 says the number of tribal cultivators has reduced by 10 percent while the number of STs in the population of agricultural labourer has increased in the same rate. The tribal mobility in search of opportunities to non-tribal areas has also increased.
INTERNATIONAL
Common Wealth Day is on 24th May
Every year on the second Monday of March, the Commonwealth Day is observed. However, another Commonwealth Day is observed on May 24 in India.
Commonwealth Day is also known as Empire Day.
Commonwealth Memorial Day commemorates the establishment of the British Empire in India and other British colonies.
This year’s Commonwealth Day theme of 2021 is “Delivering a Common Future”.
The purpose of this theme is to highlight how the 54 Commonwealth countries are innovating, connecting, and transforming to help achieve important goals such as combating climate change, promoting good governance, and achieving gender equality.
BioHub Initiative by WHO
Switzerland and World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the BioHub facility, which will allow pathogens to be shared between laboratories and will facilitate “analysis and preparedness” against them.
This facility will aid in the safe receipt, storage, sequencing, and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, thereby enhancing global preparedness against these pathogens.
It will allow member states to share biological materials with and through the BioHub under pre-agreed-upon terms, such as biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations.
In the meantime, WHO will expand its BioHub System to allow qualified entities – such as manufacturers – to use biological materials in the development of medical by-products for equitable distribution to countries.
NATIONAL
Environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna Passed Away
Sunderlal Bahuguna, a well-known environmentalist, died as a result of COVID-19. He was 94 years old.
Bahuguna was a founder of the Chipko Organization, a socio-ecological movement that used Gandhian tactics of nonviolent resistance and Satyagraha to fight rampant deforestation.
During his life, he participated in the freedom movement and later in the Sarvodaya movement of Vinoba Bhave.
He was most known for the Chipko Movement, which involved hugging trees to keep them from being cut down for commercial interests in the Gharwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.
Launched the Ayush Sanjivani App and the Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal
The Ministry of Ayush recently launched the Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) portal and the third version of the Ayush Sanjivani App.
Ayush Clinical Repository (ACCR) portal:
It will serve as a resource for both Ayush practitioners and the general public.
Aim: To collect data on clinical outcomes achieved by Ayurvedic practitioners on a large scale.
It is expected to document the capabilities of Ayush systems in the treatment of a variety of disease conditions.
It has a section dedicated to reporting and publishing information about Covid 19 cases treated by Ayush Systems.
Ayush Sanjivani App: It allows for a significant study/documentation of the efficacy of selected Ayush interventions, such as Ayush 64 and Kabasura Kudineer medicines, in the treatment of asymptomatic and mild to moderate Covid 19 patients.
Crop in news – Jackfruit
Jackfruit has recently been in the news. A shipment of fresh jackfruit from Tripura was shipped to London. It is a significant step toward maximising the export potential of agricultural and processed food products from the northeastern region.
Jackfruit is a tree species that belongs to the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit families (Moraceae).
It is a multi-fruit made up of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers and fleshy petals.
Artocarpus heterophyllus is the scientific name for this plant.
India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Nepal are the world’s major producers.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, and Assam are the major production states in India.
Kerala is the world’s largest producer of jackfruit.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu have it as a state fruit.