Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 06 January 2024 | Download PDF

• india’s real GDP growth in 2023-24 is estimated at 7.3%, compared to 7.2% a year ago, as per the first advance estimates of national income released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) 
• The economy will outperform the 7% uptick recently projected by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• GVA growth for the farm sector is estimated to more than halve from 4% a year ago to 1.8% this year, as is the case for Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services.

• NSO acts as the nodal agency under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for planned development of the statistical system in the country
• It lays down and maintains norms and standards in the field of statistics, involving concepts and definitions, methodology of data collection, processing of data and dissemination of results. 
• The National Statistical Office(NSO) consists of the Central Statistical Office (CSO), the Computer center and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
• It compiles and releases the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) every month in the form of ‘quick estimates’; conducts the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI); and provides statistical information to assess and evaluate the changes in the growth, composition and structure of the organized manufacturing sector.

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced greenfield corridors aimed at enhancing road connectivity in Kerala. 
• He virtually inaugurated three projects and laid the foundation stone for nine national highway projects totalling 105 km and costing ₹1,464 crore under the Bharat Pariyojana scheme.

Key points

• One of the greenfield corridors is the 121-km NH-966 Kozhikode-Palakkad stretch estimated at ₹10,371 crore. The stretch will reduce travel time between Palakkad and Kozhikode from four to one-and-a-half hours.
• The NH-744 Kollam-Sengottai stretch and the Thiruvananthapuram Outer Ring Road are the other greenfield corridors. 
• Additionally, the SH1/NH 183 Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi stretch, Kutta Malappuram Economic Corridor, and the NH-544 Angamali-Kundanur stretch will be upgraded for improved connectivity under the project.

• It is an umbrella program for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country.
• This will be done by development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways.

• The Union Cabinet cleared a ₹4,797-crore programme called ‘Prithvi’ (Earth) that is expected to subsume five existing schemes of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• A major component of the Ministry is the Deep Ocean Mission or DOM [one of whose objectives is to send a manned submersible 6,000 metres into the Indian Ocean]. 

Key points

• The Prithvi programme broadly subsumes all of our other major activities
• These programmes are to improve and increase 
  • long-term observations of the atmosphere, ocean, geosphere, cryosphere, and solid earth to track changes in the planet; 
  • develop models to understand and predict weather, ocean and climate hazards, 
  • and understand the science of climate change; 
  • explore polar and high-seas regions of the earth to discover new phenomena and resources; 
  • develop techno- logy for exploration and sustainable harnessing of oceanic resources for societal applications; 
  • and translate knowledge and insights from earth system science into services for societal, environmental, and economic benefit.

• The Cabinet approved an agreement between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council to jointly develop a “small satellite.” 
• It is expected to cost ₹20 crore.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested a 100 W-class Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell-based Power System (FCPS) in its orbital platform, POEM3
• The FCPS payload is significant as it has potential applications in India’s space station which is proposed to come up by 2035.
• It provided a wealth of data on the performance of various static and dynamic systems that formed part of the power system and the physics at play.

• The Chief Minister launched the District SDG Indicator Framework Odisha and the SDG Odisha website.
• This is done to facilitate localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and better monitoring of the process for inclusive and equitable development at district level.

Key points

• The SDG has set 17 goals and 169 targets to be achieved by 2030 for developing a perfectly equitable society. 
• The district framework will help achieve the goals with better monitoring process supported by standardised data

• The state government has made the sale and transfer of lease land easier and smoother by maing amendment to OCH & PFL Act, 1972.
• The people having the land leased out by the government for a long time had been facing several hurdles for sale and transfer of the land due to the restrictions of Odisha Consolidation of Holdings and Prevention of Fragmentation of Land Act, 1972.
• Now,lakhs of people of around 8,000 villages will benefit in processing the lease land held by them on a long term basis. 
• Since the sale and transfer of such land has been made legal, particularly small and marginal farmers will avail maximum benefit.

• The Centre launched the fourth phase of training under ‘Amrit Dharohar’ capacity-building scheme for people residing close to Bhitarkanika National Park.
• The initiative is being implemented jointly by the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to enhance livelihood opportunities for local communities by harnessing the nature-tourism potential of Ramsar sites across the country. 

• The Jeypore Municipality is set to breathe new life into the century-old Nilakanth Sagar pond
• Rs 9.58 crore was allocated for the rejuvenation of the pond which included complete cleanup of the water body, accompanied by the establishment of parks, plantations, and construction of guard walls.

• 11.37 lakh winged creatures were sighted during the annual census in the Chilika lagoon
• It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in the Indian Subcontinent.
• The Pallas’s fish eagle was found in the Nalabana bird sanctuary area in the lake after a gap of around ten years

(Chilika lake already discussed in previous addapedia)

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