Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 18 September 2024 | Download PDF

• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has revealed that the Start-up India initiative will be relocated from Invest India, the official investment promotion and facilitation agency.
• The initiative will now come under a new non-profit company, which may also include the National Start-up Advisory Council.

About:

• Invest India was formed in 2009 under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956 for promotion of foreign investment with 49% equity of the then Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and 51% shareholding by FICCI.
• Headquarters: New Delhi

National Start-up Advisory Council:

• Established by: Government of India
• Objective: Foster innovation and support the startup ecosystem.
• Constituted by: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
• Date: January 2020
• Main Role: Provide strategic guidance and recommendations.
• Focus: Enhance the growth of startups across various sectors.

• World Ozone day is celebrated on 16th September annually.
• The theme for 2024 is: Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Action.

Ozone:

• Ozone is a special form of oxygen with the chemical formula O3. 
• Ozone constitutes a very small part of our atmosphere, but its presence is nevertheless vital to human well-being. 
• Most ozone resides high up in the atmosphere, between 10 and 40km above Earth’s surface. 
• This region is called the stratosphere and it contains about 90% of all the ozone in the atmosphere.

Key points:

• The international community recognized the need to address ozone depletion through the Montreal Protocol, adopted in 1987. 
• This treaty aims to phase out the production and consumption of ODS globally. 

Significant reductions in CFC emissions:

• The expected recovery of the ozone layer by mid-century if current regulations remain in place.

• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has launched the ‘Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas’ for the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). 
• This Atlas reveals the significant potential of marine energy resources in Indian waters, including various forms of renewable energy such as solar, wind, wave, tidal, currents, and ocean thermal energy.

Energy Estimates and Features:

• Energy Estimate: INCOIS has estimated around 9.2 lakh TWh per annum of integrated ocean energy within the Indian EEZ.
• The energy data is visualized using a WebGIS interface, with energy components mapped at a 5 km grid resolution.
• The estimates are available at annual, monthly, and daily levels for different ocean energy components.

INCOIS:

• ESSO-INCOIS was established in Hyderabad as an autonomous body in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO). 
• ESSO- INCOIS is mandated to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services.

• Project Cheetah, India’s ambitious initiative to introduce African cheetahs into its ecosystems, has faced several significant challenges since its inception.

About:

• Cheetah Action Plan (CAP): India’s ambitious project to reintroduce African cheetahs into its ecosystems, aimed at conserving the species and restoring savanna habitats.
• Conservation Strategy: The CAP emphasizes that the introduction of cheetahs will aid in restoring ecosystem functions and expanding the Asiatic cheetah’s range, contributing to eco-tourism and habitat conservation.
• Timeline and Commitments: The plan anticipates that the cheetah population should reach the carrying capacity of Kuno National Park in about 15 years and the broader Kuno landscape in 30-40 years.

Challenges and Setbacks: 

• Since the project’s initiation, there have been several significant challenges. 
• These include delays in releasing cheetahs from captivity, high mortality rates among the introduced animals, and issues related to their adaptation to the new environment. 
• The prolonged confinement of cheetahs has raised concerns about their readiness for reintroduction and overall project success.

Current Status and Future Prospects: 

• As of now, the cheetahs are primarily held in captivity within Kuno National Park and other designated areas. 
• Future plans involve releasing the cheetahs into more suitable habitats, but this timeline has been delayed. 
• The project’s long-term success depends on overcoming existing challenges, ensuring adequate habitat quality, and achieving key conservation and ecological goals.

• Union Minister for MSME, Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, virtually inaugurated CREATE at Leh on September 14, 2024.

Key Features of CREATE

• Pashmina Wool Roving Facility: Machinery installed and ready for operation to enhance wool quality and production.
• Essential Oil Extraction: Training for setting up facilities to extract oils from roses and other flowers.
• Bio-Processing Training: Development of production facilities for bio-processing local fruits and raw materials.

Impact on Local Communities:

• Economic Growth: Aims to boost local productivity and product quality.
• Livelihood Enhancement: Focus on improving livelihoods and fostering entrepreneurship.
• Rural Industrialization: Encourages enterprise creation and retention of traditional artisans in Ladakh.

• The Odisha government plans to establish more girls’ hostels across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PM-USHA) scheme. 
• Last month, the state government signed an MoU with the Education Ministry to implement PM-USHA for enhancing the higher education sector.
• Under the scheme, priority will be given to ‘focus districts’ that have low gender parity and gross enrolment ratio (GER) of girls, transgenders, SCs, STs and OBCs and are aspirational, situated at borders and infected by Maoists.

About:

• Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at enhancing the quality and accessibility of higher education in India. 
• Launched in 2013, it is a successor to the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).   

• In a major boost to efforts aimed at conservation of wildlife species, breeding of blackbucks and sambar deer has been recorded in Balukhand and Chandaka sanctuaries months after their reintroduction in the two protected areas.

Key Points:

• A decade after blackbucks vanished from Balukhand landscape, the Forest department reintroduced 10 of these Indian antelopes from Nandankanan Zoological Park in the wildlife sanctuary in June to revive their population in the area.

About:

• The blackbuck, also known as the Indian antelope, is a medium-sized antelope native to India and Nepal. 
• It is characterized by its distinctive black coat in males, contrasting with their white underbelly and legs. 
• Females have a more muted brown coat. 
• Both sexes have long, spiraled horns.
• Behavior: Diurnal, social animals forming groups of females, males, and bachelor herds.   
• IUCN: Least Concerned

• Jhurimal, a small village in Odisha,  has garnered international attention for its unique tradition of “Collective Nuakhai.”
• This annual harvest festival, celebrated by the entire village, has captivated audiences worldwide, especially in the United States.
• Recently, during the ‘Nuakhai Bhetghat’ celebrations organised by the Odisha Culture Centre in Houston, Texas, a documentary on Jhurimal’s unique collective tradition was screened.

About:

• Nuakhai is a significant agricultural festival celebrated primarily in Western Odisha
• It marks the arrival of the new rice crop, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. 
• The festival is observed on the fifth day of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September).

• India successfully test-fired the Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VLSRSAM) for the second consecutive day from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur on the Odisha coast.
• These missiles, designed to intercept and destroy aerial threats, showcase India’s advanced missile technology and commitment to national defense

All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Adda247.